2021 VFL season

The 2021 VFL season was the 139th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), a second-tier Australian rules football competition played in the states of Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. The season began on 16 April but was curtailed without a premiership awarded on 1 September, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021 season saw significant transition in the composition of the league, with the amalgamation of the North East Australian Football League (NEAFL) into the VFL and resulting expansion interstate into New South Wales and Queensland. The league also underwent some shifts as a result of the financial fall-out from the first year of the pandemic, which had seen the 2020 season cancelled without a match played; and, a transition in league rules to strengthen its position as a pathway between underage and professional leagues.

The season was played during and disrupted by the ongoing pandemic, with several rounds of play cancelled owing to restrictions sporadically in place across the three states. The health-related restrictions imposed by the Victoria and New South Wales governments forced the league abandon the season before a finals series could be completed. Footscray was recognised as the minor premier, but no premiership was awarded.