sentences:  The club was a dominant force in the early years of Australian rules football competition, and was also a foundation member of the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1877 and the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 1896, which later became the national Australian Football League.Melbourne has won 12 VFL/AFL premierships, the latest in 1964.Melbourne was a foundation team of the AFL Women's league, entering the competition in the inaugural year 2017.