the geelong football club, the cats, is an australian rules football team that plays in the australian football league. the club is based in the city of geelong, victoria. the club started in july 1859, and had played continuously since then, which makes it the second oldest club in any code, in the world. the club was an original member of the victorian football association which formed in 1877. it left the association with a number of other clubs to form the victorian football league in 1897. it is now a member of the australian football league.