strongest clubs (, , , , and ) opted to secede from the Victorian Football Association and establish the Victorian Football League as a distinct rival competition from 1897, and invited and to defect, bringing the size of the new league to eight clubs. The split was the culmination of several years of concerns from the strongest clubs about the standard and competitiveness of the Association. As such, the VFA ceased to serve as the top senior level of football in Victoria after twenty seasons; it has continued operating as a second-tier senior competition since. Charity Cup On the Saturday between Rounds 5 and 6, a Charity Cup event was held, the gate takings from which were donated to charity. The event consisted of four clubs – , , Port Melbourne and – contesting a knock-out tournament of shortened matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on a single afternoon, a format which has since become known as a lightning premiership. Each match was played over two periods of twenty minutes each. The competition was won by Essendon. The Charity Cup was used to trial two new rules in the VFA: The use of boundary umpires, one on each sideline, to conduct boundary throw-ins; at the time, this responsibility fell to the field umpire in the VFA The removal of the "little mark", which meant the ball had to be kicked at least ten yards for the umpire to call a mark. Both of these rule changes were soon adopted into all levels of the game. References Victorian Football League seasons VFL