A committee considers candidates on the basis of their ability, integrity, sportsmanship and character. While the number of games played, coached or umpired, or years of service in the case of administrators and media representatives, is a consideration, it alone does not determine eligibility. Players must be retired from the game for at least five years before they become eligible for induction reduced to a minimum of two, to ensure older players deserving of induction are represented in proportion. This requirement was removed completely in 2018.
The requirement to have one inductee from the grouping of categories umpire/administrator/media every year changed to a minimum of one from this category every two years. In 2018, the requirement for people in the media or administration categories to have retired was removed.
The Hall of Fame selection committee to be independent from the AFL Commission. The wording in the charter has been changed so that the selection committee recommends to the commission for “endorsement” rather than for “approval”.
Selectors would be appointed for an initial term of three years, with two further opportunities to be appointed for subsequent three year terms.
At least 25 per cent of the selection committee to reside outside of Victoria.
The Legends category is reserved for those who are deemed to have had a significant impact on the game of Australian rules football. All "Legends" enshrined to date represent former players of the VFL/AFL, with the exception of Barrie Robran who played the whole of his career in the SANFL. Being named as a "Legend" of the Australian FootballHall of Fame is the highest honour which can be bestowed onto an Australian footballer. In 2010, several amendments to the Legends category were made to ensure the exclusivity and prestige of the Hall of Fame. Among them were:
The Legends category remains exclusively for recognition of the most significant playing and coaching records
The number of Legends that can be part of the Hall of Fame remains at a maximum of 10 per cent of the total inductees
Criteria for elevating an inductee to Legend status requires that only ‘playing and coaching’ records be taken into account and not a candidate’s overall contribution to the game outside of playing and coaching
Player inductees
Coach inductees
People inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame on their coaching records.
Every year there is a special Hall of Fame dinner to announce and welcome the new inductees to the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame inductions started in Melbourne in 1996 to celebrate the VFL-AFL centenary season. Ceremonies have only been held outside of Victoria twice, once at Canberra in 2013 and once at Adelaide in 2017. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the usual annual induction event was not held, and instead the new inductees and legend elevation were announced over four nights in a series of television shows.
The Hall of Fame has been criticised by football writers and historians for being heavily biased towards figures from Victoria. The initial selection committee was made up of 11 Victorians, one South Australian and one Western Australian, with the current selection committee being made up of six Victorians, two Western Australians and one South Australian. Of the 136 inaugural inductees into the Hall of Fame, 116 played substantial parts of their careers in Victoria, with eleven of the thirteen "Legends" from Victoria. Criticism has also been slated at the under-representation of pioneers and other early stars of the game. Adam Cardosi wrote in 2014: In 2018, the same criticism was levelled by ABC sport reporter James Coventry, who mentioned that over 60% of Legends inducted were either playing or coaching in 1969.
