Figures show one in 20 Australians are a member of an AFL club

More than 1.3m footy fans signed up as club members this year as five Victorian teams recorded their highest-ever membership tally in a record-breaking season.

Andrew Dillon says the record-breaking figure was testament to the passion Aussies had for the game. Picture: Getty

Collingwood and Carlton’s premiership hopes may have been sent packing in a year of disappointment but fans of the AFL powerhouses have ensured they still rule the membership roost.

Figures to be released by the AFL on Wednesday reveal the Pies,Blues,West Coast and Richmond had the biggest membership bases of all AFL teams.

Victoria’s two remaining premiership hopes — Geelong and Hawthorn — were also among the heavy hitters in terms of paid up and passionate supporters.

They were among five Victorian teams enjoying record membership hauls this season, with the AFL to announce an all-time club record of more than 1.3 million financial members.

The 2023 Premiers boasted the most members in 2024. Picture Lachie Millard

This year’s unprecedented membership tally surpassed the all-time record of more than 1.2 million set last year — a 4.3 per cent increase.

It means one in 20 Australians are now a member of an AFL club, with 241,410 fans becoming new members this season.

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said the record-breaking figure was testament to the passion Aussies had for the game.

“Footy fans are the greatest in the world and they have not only turned up in record numbers to games this season but have cemented their support by becoming members in record numbers,” he said.

This year’s membership tally surpassed the all-time record. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Three clubs surpassed 100,000 members – Collingwood, Carlton and West Coast, with the Blues achieving the feat for the first time, the Pies for the second year and West Coast for a fifth consecutive year.

There were 13 clubs in total that broke membership records, including the Pies, Carlton, Geelong, Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs and St Kilda.

Carlton (11.6 per cent), Geelong (10.5 per cent) and the Dogs (10.7 per cent) all enjoyed double digit membership growth.

It comes after a new all-time home and away attendance was set this season, with more than 7.7 million fans attending matches nationally and an average crowd per round of 323,178, up from 310,576 last year.

Footy fans Madison Cloke, Tom Ryan, Sammy Bendall and Jacob Martin. Picture: Wayne Taylor

Hawthorn fans will fete their band of brothers in huge numbers at their Melbourne headquarters on Wednesday before players and supporters alike embark on operation Port Adelaide.

Thousands of fans will line the Waverley Park oval from 10am to show their support in Hawthorn’s final home open training session before Friday night’s elimination final at Adelaide Oval.

Hawks fans are plotting a pilgrimage to Adelaide Oval by car, bus and air in the hope of cheering Sam Mitchell’s men to a preliminary final berth.

The club is considering chartering buses or planes to meet demand from expectant fans, who have already begun booking out flights and making car pool arrangements to share the 1480km round trip.

Then all roads lead to Adelaide – or pubs, loungerooms or backyard BBQ’s for those baulking at sky high flight prices or the long drive interstate.

Airlines have added extra services from Melbourne to Adelaide in a bid to keep up with demand, after more than 41,000 tickets were sold to the match and the cost of flights doubles in a matter of minutes.

After securing seats in the second row at Adelaide Oval, Hawks fan Anthony Lucarelli intends to drive over with his brother in a road trip to remember.

“I’ve been a bit speculative all year, just hoping that we go through but we are looking legitimate now, which is good,” he said.

“We will leave Friday morning and try and punch it through with a stop in between and then straight to the game.”

With the MCG mothballed and Melbourne a footy free zone this weekend, Hawthorn will fly the flag for Victoria while GWS and Brisbane in Sydney in the other elimination final

Win against the Power, and a preliminary final against Sydney in the harbour city awaits the Hawks.