The 2020 AFL membership ladder revealed: Which footy club has the most members?
AFL membership numbers have remained remarkably high amid the chaos of COVID-19 with several clubs recording record numbers. But two big Melbourne teams have seen their membership plummet.
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Collingwood president Eddie McGuire’s fears that a membership purge would send AFL clubs broke never eventuated with almost one million supporters honouring their payments this year.
The MCG hasn’t hosted football fans since last year’s Grand Final, but that didn’t stop Richmond signing up 100,000 members for the third-straight year and Carlton and St Kilda setting all-time records.
Two clubs cracked 100,000 for the first time with powerhouse West Coast (100,776) pipping the Tigers’ 100,420 on top of the membership ladder.
McGuire described the COVID-19 pandemic as “financial Armageddon” for football and warned that if too many members asked for refunds they would lose their beloved clubs.
“Our clubs are in a battle to get through and the membership is their lifeblood,” McGuire said in April.
More than 75,000 Magpies opened their wallets for what effectively became a donation this year as generous fans pumped more than $250 million into club coffers during widespread financial hardship.
Gold Coast and GWS, along with the Saints, Blues and Eagles, set new records while Brisbane Lions and Fremantle made it seven clubs to grow their membership bases despite the pandemic.
The overall membership tally dropped just 64,718 (6.1 per cent) from 2019, with one in 26 Australians pledging their loyalty by the August 31 cut-off.
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The phenomenal effort shows that supporters still love their footy clubs and have taken joy from the season finding a way to continue this year.
“Footy is about connection and a sense of belonging and this remarkable number demonstrates AFL members are the most passionate and loyal members across all sports,” AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said.
“The commitment members made to their clubs is a key reason why all 18 clubs were able to survive a challenging and unprecedented year.
“We have been blown away by the loyalty and commitment footy fans around the country have demonstrated this season.”
“On behalf of the AFL, I want to say thank you to every single person who signed up this year.“
All interstate clubs have hosted games in front of their fans this year, albeit in stadiums with a reduced capacity.
But Victorian clubs pulled 614,114 despite the turnstiles at the MCG, Marvel Stadium and GMHBA Stadium remaining locked and the season relocating to Queensland.
A large percentage of those members do not pay for ground access, but instead want to show their loyalty by purchasing a low-level package.
However beleaguered Essendon and Melbourne’s membership bases both shrunk by more than 20 per cent.
The Bombers shed almost 18,000 members and former greats are now agitating for change after years of mediocrity.
Some members opted to get a tax deduction by pledging their fees as a “donation” to the Australian Sports Foundation this year. Most of their dollars still ended up going to their clubs.
Overall the AFL recorded just its second membership dip in 30 years, with the other occurring in 2000 when the season was shifted forward due to the Sydney Olympics.
Clubs signed up 669,745 adult members, 90,042 concessions and 233,067 juniors.
AFLW memberships were not affected by coronavirus and jumped to 20,849, which was an increase of 48.9 per cent in the competition’s fourth season.
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Originally published as The 2020 AFL membership ladder revealed: Which footy club has the most members?