The 1916 VFL season was the 20th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. Played during the peak of World War I, the season was the smallest and shortest in the league's history, with only four of the nine senior clubs competing – Carlton, Collingwood, Fitzroy and Richmond. The season ran from 6 May until 2 September, and comprised a 12-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring all four clubs. The season saw the introduction of district football, allocating players to clubs based on residential address, a system which formed the basis of metropolitan recruiting until 1991.