A whopping 15 clubs have recorded membership records for 2023 as Collingwood leapfrogged two rival clubs to surge to the top of the AFL club membership ladder.
The AFL on Wednesday morning released the total AFL club membership numbers for the 2023 season, which saw the Magpies beat Richmond and West Coast, with the latter topping the ladder in the previous three consecutive seasons.
Scroll down to see the full membership ladder …
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Richmond reached the 100,000-member mark for the sixth straight season.
As well as the Magpies, Adelaide, Brisbane, Carlton, Essendon, Fremantle, Geelong, Gold Coast, GWS Giants, Melbourne, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, St Kilda, Sydney and the Western Bulldogs all set new membership benchmarks.
The Lions (+11,357), Cats (+10,212), Swans (+9938) and Blues (+6501) had the biggest year-on-year increases.
Hawthorn, which is in the midst of a rebuild after a golden premiership era in the 2010s, dipped marginally, but still came in seventh on the membership ladder.
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It was the 30th time in the past 32 years that AFL club membership has increased, the exceptions being in 2000 (Sydney Olympic Games) and 2020 (COVID-19).
In total, the AFL reported a record 1,264,952 total memberships this year — 852,678 adults, 103,966 concession members and 308,308 juniors — which is up from 1,190,671 last year.
The AFL said there was significant growth in first-time member sign-ups, with the 330,674 first-timers up from 207,761 last year.
“It has been a record-breaking season on so many levels, and it is club membership that is the marker that signifies our fans deep connection with their clubs,” AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said.
“The 18 clubs do an unbelievable job in creating a sense of belonging and bringing their fans along for the journey.
“On behalf of the AFL, I’d like to thank all our fans and every club member whose support is the backbone of our game.”
2023 AFL CLUB MEMBERSHIP LADDER
1. Collingwood* – 106,470 (2022 tally: 100,384)
2. West Coast Eagles – 103,275 (2022 tally: 102,897)
3. Richmond – 101,349 (2022 tally: 100,792)
4. Carlton* – 95,277 (2022 tally: 88,776)
5. Essendon* – 86,274 (2022 tally: 86,001)
6. Geelong Cats* – 82,155 (2022 tally: 71,943)
7. Hawthorn – 80,698 (2022 tally: 81,494)
8. Melbourne* – 70,785 (2022 tally: 66,484)
9. Adelaide Crows* – 68,536 (2022 tally: 63,009)
10. Sydney Swans* – 65,332 (2022 tally: 55,394)
11. Port Adelaide* – 64,041 (2022 tally: 58,643)
12. Fremantle* – 62,064 (2022 tally: 56,105)
13. St Kilda* – 60,239 (2022 tally: 60,172)
14. Western Bulldogs* – 56,302 (2022 tally: 50,941)
15. Brisbane Lions* – 54,676 (2022 tally: 43,319)
16. North Melbourne* – 51,084 (2022 tally: 50,191)
17. GWS Giants* – 33,036 (2022 tally: 32,614)
18. Gold Coast Suns* – 23,359 (2022 tally: 21,422)
