AFL club fields its own team in the VFL. Naturally, the AFL club has complete autonomy over the operation of its VFL team. Because the AFL list of 42 is not large enough to field two complete teams, the club must also maintain a separate list of "top-up players" who are eligible only for VFL games. The licence fee for any AFL club fielding a stand-alone reserves team is much higher than the cost of entering into an affiliation. Stand-alone VFL senior clubs: in these cases, the VFL club has no affiliation with any AFL club. It takes complete responsibility for maintaining its own list of players from outside the AFL. Players spread across all stand-alone VFL clubs: this option, which is similar to arrangements previously made in South Australia and Western Australia, was established from 2021 as an option for AFL clubs seeking cost savings in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, there are no limitations on how many AFL-listed players may play in a VFL team on any given weekend, except during finals, when only players who have played a certain number of VFL games during the season are eligible. There was previously a rule known as the 12–10 Rule: this stated that in a match between an affiliated VFL team and a stand-alone VFL senior team, the affiliated team could play a maximum of twelve AFL-listed players with ten VFL-listed players: in the event the AFL club had more than twelve non-selected players available, the excess players would play in the VFL Reserves. This rule was abolished in 2011 after more AFL clubs decided to field stand-alone Reserves teams in the VFL. Historical VFL/AFL affiliations by AFL club For all clubs in this list, the club fielded a Reserves team in the VFL/AFL Reserves up to 1991, and then in the VSFL from 1992-1999. The Fitzroy Football Club also fielded a Reserves team in these competitions, until the club's playing operations were taken over by the Brisbane Bears at the end of 1996. This list shows all Reserves affiliations and arrangements since 2000: 2000–2002 and 2021-present – fielded a stand-alone reserves team in the VFL 2003–2019 – affiliated with the Northern Bullants/Blues The Northern Bullants changed its nickname to Blues in the 2012 season 2000 and 2008-present – fielded a stand-alone reserves team in the VFL 2001–2007 – affiliated with the Williamstown Football Club 2000–2002 and