Originally known as the Night Series - or Night Premiership - this competition has evolved greatly over the years. Between 1956-71 matches were played in September at South Melbourne between the eight teams that missed the VFL finals. However the introduction of a final five in the VFL meant an uneven number of teams would take part and the series was scrapped.
The series was resurrected in 1977 with matches played at Waverley Park from March to August. Over the following years the competition expanded with the involvement of teams from the SANFL and WAFL plus representative teams from Tasmania, Queensland, New South Wales and the A.C.T. However, by 1987 the arrival of the fledgling Brisbane Bears and West Coast Eagles meant only VFL teams participated.
The modern era began in 1988 when the competition was moved entirely to the pre-season with matches played across Australia over a four week period.
