Considering the intensity of the Adelaide-Port Adelaide rivalry, it’s incredibly ironic that the Crows’ entry to the AFL in 1991 came after a bull-headed own-goal from the Power. Yet that's exactly what happened as South Australian football was plunged into chaos when the AFL looked to expand into the state.

In this fourth episode of AFL Team Builders, inaugural Adelaide leaders Graham Cornes (coach), Bill Sanders (General Manager and CEO) and Mark Bickley (player) detail all the controversy and drama as the Crows took flight.

Alongside the Brisbane Bears, West Coast was the face of the VFL's bold expansion into non-Victorian territory. Initially, they were feared and despised by both sides of the country, and while it didn't take long for the Eagles to be an on -and off- field powerhouse, the early days were filled with challenges and controversies.

In this third episode of AFL Team Builders, inaugural figureheads John Walker (CEO), Ron Alexander (coach) and Ross Glendinning (captain) detail just how difficult the early days were for the ground-breaking Eagles.

It was late 1986 when the VFL decided to launch a privately-owned expansion club in Queensland - things surely would have been easier if they tried to set up a club on Mars instead. Bankrolled by controversial entrepreneur (and later fugitive) Christopher Skase, the Bears had five months to build a club in an environment that was anything but stable.

In the second episode of AFL Team Builders, inaugural coach Peter Knights, General Manager of Footy Shane O'Sullivan, board member Peter Williams and player Bernie Harris take you inside the ups and downs of the creation of the first V/AFL team in Queensland.

In the early 1980s, the Australian rules landscape changed forever when South Melbourne announced plans to relocate to Sydney. It was the then-VFL's first steps towards a national competition but a move that nearly ripped apart one of the league's foundation clubs.

In the first episode of AFL Team Builders, inaugural coach Ricky Quade, player Dennis Carrol and administrator Dean Moore take you inside the ups and downs of South's trailblazing move to Sydney.

WATCH: https://youtu.be/L9CtZU7Dipw

Ever wondered how footy teams came to life? AFL Team Builders is a journey into the historic foundations on which every non-Victorian expansion club was built.

Featuring inaugural CEOs, presidents, coaches, board members and star players, host Niall Seewang takes us behind the scenes with the people tasked with building all the teams that joined the then-VFL as it expanded beyond the confines of Victoria.

In this trailer, we have the voices of:

• Ricky Quade - Inaugural Coach (Sydney)
• Peter Knights - Inaugural Coach (Bears)
• Peter Williams - Inaugural Board Member (Bears)
• Phil Davis - Inaugural Player (GWS)
• Greg Boulton - Inaugural President (Port Adelaide)
• John Walker - Inaugural CEO (West Coast)

AFL Team Builders is launching on the Zero Hanger YouTube channel and all major podcast platforms on the 2nd of July, 2024.

Sydney Swans: July 02

Brisbane Bears: July 09

West Coast Eagles: July 16

Adelaide Crows: July 23

Fremantle Dockers: July 30

Port Adelaide Power: August 06

Gold Coast Suns: August 13

GWS Giants: August 20

Get your AFL news and content at www.zerohanger.com.