The 1988 Victorian Football League season was the 92nd season of the elite Australian rules football competition. This season commenced in April 1988 and concluded on 24 September 1988, with Hawthorn winning their seventh Premiership in their sixth consecutive Grand Final appearance.
Hawthorn 10.10 (70) defeated Geelong 9.13 (67) in the Night Series, which for the first time was played entirely as a pre-season competition, rather than a concurrent competition to the Premiership season.
The Leigh Matthews Trophy was awarded to Gerard Healy of the Sydney Swans.
The Norm Smith Medal was awarded to Gary Ayres of Hawthorn.
Footscray won the reserves premiership. Footscray 17.14 (116) defeated North Melbourne 14.12 (96) in the Grand Final, held as a curtain-raiser to the seniors Grand Final on 24 September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Three new rules aimed at encouraging a long-kicking style of play were introduced. These were:The length of the 15-metre penalty for wasting an opponent's time after he takes a mark was increased to fifty metres.
Players were required to take a kick if awarded a free kick. If the player played on by handpass, the ball would be returned for a ball-up; the penalty for playing on was originally a free kick to the opposition, but this was commuted to a ball up after proving unpopular during pre-season trials.
The full-back was required to kick the ball over a distance of at least two metres when kicking in after a behind.
The VFL banned lace-up guernseys starting from this season after Robert Flower and Brian Wilson both suffered broken fingers when they became tangled in the laces during tackles. A handful of players had been wearing the tight-fitting guernseys which were laced up in the front in recent years.
Brisbane Bears played two matches in Perth during the season. At the club's suggestion, Brisbane's home match against West Coast in Round 3 was moved from Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast to the WACA Ground in Perth after persistent and heavy rain in south-eastern Queensland left the ground and its adjoining facilities unable to accommodate the game. Brisbane had expected the clubs' Round 16 match to be moved from Perth to the Gold Coast in return, only to discover that the league considered the Round 3 match a Brisbane home game, meaning that Brisbane would be required to travel for the Round 16 match in Perth as well. The VFL later changed its rules to prevent a repeat of this situation.
The VFL took over the operation of the financially crippled Sydney Swans during the year until its parent company, Powerplay, could find a buyer for the franchise. The VFL bought the club for a nominal $10 on 9 May, taking on its operating costs but not its debts.
