West Coast has topped the AFL membership ladder for a third straight season, claiming the highest number of signed-up fans despite their poor on-field performance.
The Eagles (down 3,525) and Richmond (down 4,292) were the only clubs to lose members year-on-year, but still led the pack and were joined by Collingwood (up 17,857) in the six-figure club.
The Magpies’ remarkable home and away season helped them crack 100,000 for the first time, as they and premiers Melbourne (up 13,296) each made huge jumps.
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In total 14 clubs posted record memberships, with the Demons jumping from the 11th-most members in 2021 to the eighth-most in 2022.
Carlton (up 7,474) overtook Essendon (up 4,339) for fourth, while Hawthorn (up 4,415) maintained sixth spot ahead of Geelong (up 1,650).
Both South Australian clubs Adelaide (up 2,777) and Port Adelaide (up 2,111) dropped spots on the membership ladder while both missing the finals, the Power being passed by St Kilda (up 4,370).
The bottom seven held in the same order as last year. Of Fremantle (up 5,763), Sydney (up 5,250), the Western Bulldogs (up 4,400), North Melbourne (up 3,384), Brisbane (up 3,030), GWS (up 2,429) and Gold Coast (up 1,962), all claimed a club record bar the Swans.
The Suns still sit at the bottom but almost doubled their membership since 2017.
A Code Sports article last month went in-depth on the continued growth of membership numbers, with club insiders “acknowledging there is a showy element to it all”.
“It has led at least one club to offer free short-term memberships in recent weeks to previously lapsed members, which both helps with this year’s numbers but also serves as a taste test for next year,” the report stated.
That article also pointed out some clubs’ numbers are boosted by cheaper memberships – for example Hawthorn’s Tasmanian members who pay for the Hawks’ four games in Launceston.
In another example, Fremantle drew more money from memberships than Hawthorn and Essendon in 2021, despite having over 27,000 fewer members than either of those clubs.
The AFL-wide tally of 1,190,671 included 818,221 adults, 98,871 concession and 273,579 junior members.
2022 AFL MEMBERSHIP LADDER
1. West Coast 102,897 (2021 tally: 106,422)
2. Richmond 100,792 (2021 tally: 105,084)
3. Collingwood 100,384* (2021 tally: 82,527)
4. Carlton 88,776* (2021 tally: 81,302)
5. Essendon 86,001* (2021 tally: 81,662)
6. Hawthorn 81,494* (2021 tally: 77,079)
7. Geelong 71,943* (2021 tally: 70,293)
8. Melbourne 66,484* (2021 tally: 53,188)
9. Adelaide 63,009 (2021 tally: 60,232)
10. St Kilda 60,172* (2021 tally: 55,802)
11. Port Adelaide 58,643* (2021 tally: 56,532)
12. Fremantle 56,105* (2021 tally: 50,342)
13. Sydney 55,394 (2021 tally: 50,144)
14. Western Bulldogs 50,941* (2021 tally: 46,541)
15. North Melbourne 50,191* (2021 tally: 46,357)
16. Brisbane Lions 43,319* (2021 tally: 40,289)
17. GWS Giants 32,614* (2021 tally: 30,185)
18. Gold Coast 21,422* (2021 tally: 19,460)
TOTAL – 1,190,671 (2021 tally: 1,113,441)
* Club membership record in 2022
