There have been 33 coaches in the history of the North Melbourne Kangaroos, an Australian Football League club. The Kangaroos are based in North Melbourne, just 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of Melbourne metropolitan area. The North Melbourne Football Club was formed in 1869. It was purportedly established to satisfy the needs of local cricketers who were keen to keep themselves fit and healthy over the winter months. They entered the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 1925 after 48 years in the Victorian Football Association (VFA).