The season featured ten clubs and ran from 29 April to 23 September, comprising an 18-match home-and-away season followed by a three-week finals series featuring the top four clubs.

The season was the beginning of the league's professional era, with clubs permitted for the first time to pay players beyond the reimbursement of expenses.

Essendon also won the minor premiership by finishing atop the home-and-away ladder with a 15–2–1 win–loss–draw record.

In 1911, the VFL competition consisted of ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their place on the field at any time during the match.

Once the 18 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1911 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the amended "Argus system".