The Australian Football League (AFL) officially started as the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 1897. It was formed by breakaway clubs from the Victorian Football Association (VFA), with the inaugural VFL season taking place that year. The competition later expanded nationally and was renamed the Australian Football League (AFL) in 1990.
If the question refers to the original formation of the league that directly evolved into today's AFL, 1897 is the key starting year.
