South Melbourne was formed in 1867, a foundation member of the first Australian rules competition the Victorian Football Association (VFA) and also its later replacement the Victorian Football League (VFL).
The club won five premierships with the VFA up to 1890 and three more in the VFL in the first half of the 20th Century, but a lack of success in the post-war years and serious financial troubles left them ripe for relocation when the game's administrators were looking to expand the competition into other states.

In 1982 South Melbourne moved to Sydney and the SCG to become the Sydney Swans.
Despite their shaky financial situation, the Swans were the flavour of Sydney in the early years; the Swans matches at the SCG were the place to be seen, rivaling Sydney's main winter sport, rugby league.
In the late 1980s Sydney Rules Ltd, the company which ran the licence for the club, recorded a profit of $600,000.
However, when the stock market crashed in October 1987, the Swans went with it, but the Swans have since managed to hold on and have gained a foothold in Sydney.

The SCG most notably hosted Sydney's preliminary final against Essendon in 1996, in which full forward Tony Lockett scored a behind after the final siren to give Sydney a one-point win, sending the Swans into their first grand final since 1945.
Between 2003 and 2015, most Sydney Swans home finals had been played at the larger ANZ Stadium unless it was otherwise booked.
Since 2016, all Swans home finals (with the exception of a Sydney Derby in 2016) have been played at the SCG.

In 1999, the SCG witnessed its only modern-day pitch invasion when Tony Lockett kicked his 1300th career goal to become the highest goalkicker in VFL/AFL history.

On 9 September 2017, the largest ever crowd to watch an Australian Rules game at the SCG, 46,323, came to see the Swans defeat Essendon in an Elimination Final.

The SCG was the shortest field used for AFL games, at 153 metres long, but Geelong's Kardinia Park is narrower.
However recent works on the Northern Stand facilitated an extension of the playing surface means it is no longer the shortest ground in the league.
South Melbourne was formed in 1867, a foundation member of the first Australian rules competition the Victorian Football Association (VFA) and also its later replacement the Victorian Football League (VFL). The club won five premierships with the VFA up to 1890 and three more in the VFL in the first half of the 20th Century, but a lack of success in the post-war years and serious financial troubles left them ripe for relocation when the game's administrators were looking to expand the competition into other states.
In 1982 South Melbourne moved to Sydney and the SCG to become the Sydney Swans. Despite their shaky financial situation, the Swans were the flavour of Sydney in the early years; the Swans matches at the SCG were the place to be seen, rivaling Sydney's main winter sport, rugby league. In the late 1980s Sydney Rules Ltd, the company which ran the licence for the club, recorded a profit of $600,000. However, when the stock market crashed in October 1987, the Swans went with it, but the Swans have since managed to hold on and have gained a foothold in Sydney.
The SCG most notably hosted Sydney's preliminary final against Essendon in 1996, in which full forward Tony Lockett scored a behind after the final siren to give Sydney a one-point win, sending the Swans into their first grand final since 1945. Between 2003 and 2015, most Sydney Swans home finals had been played at the larger ANZ Stadium unless it was otherwise booked. Since 2016, all Swans home finals (with the exception of a Sydney Derby in 2016) have been played at the SCG.
In 1999, the SCG witnessed its only modern-day pitch invasion when Tony Lockett kicked his 1300th career goal to become the highest goalkicker in VFL/AFL history.
On 9 September 2017, the largest ever crowd to watch an Australian Rules game at the SCG, 46,323, came to see the Swans defeat Essendon in an Elimination Final.
The SCG was the shortest field used for AFL games, at 153 metres long, but Geelong's Kardinia Park is narrower. However recent works on the Northern Stand facilitated an extension of the playing surface means it is no longer the shortest ground in the league.
Sydney Cricket Ground