AFL fixture: AFL supporter ladder revealed, full fixture for the final home-and-away round

One AFL club has more than 1 million supporters according to a nationwide survey, and it might not be the one you think. See where your team ranks.

Sydney remains the only club in the league boasting more than one million supporters while Victorian powerhouse clubs Carlton and Richmond sit only mid-table, according to an annual AFL supporter ladder.

The Swans emerged as the most widely supported club in the league for the 17th year in a row ahead of Collingwood, West Coast and Essendon in the annual Roy Morgan AFL club supporters survey.

Sydney topped the supporter ladder with 1,120,000 supporters – the only club to boast a fan base of more than one million – with researchers acknowledging the Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin factor in the team’s strong following.

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One of 10 AFL clubs to record an increase in their supporter base this year, Sydney’s grew by 91,000 (+8.8 per cent) since last season and is 385,000 more than the next highest club, Collingwood (735,000).

Despite the Magpies’ rise up the ladder to the top-four under new coach Craig McRae, the club’s supporter base actually fell from 759,000 last year, according to the survey.

West Coast ranks third with 707,000 supporters, while Essendon was fourth with 694,000.

The Swans, Essendon, Adelaide, ladder leader Geelong, St Kilda, Fremantle, the Western Bulldogs, premier Melbourne, bottom-placed North Melbourne and Gold Coast all recorded an increase in their supporter base this year.

Isaac Heeney signs autographs for Swans fans. Picture: Phil Hillyard

But traditional Victorian powerhouse clubs Carlton and Richmond – who sit eighth and ninth on the supporter ladder – went backwards this season.

The Tigers recorded the competition’s biggest drop in their supporter base, according to the survey, falling 10.4 per cent from 566,000 to 507,000. The Blues dropped from 528,000 to 526,000.

Last year’s grand finalists, the Western Bulldogs, had the biggest rise in their supporter base, up 78,000 (30 per cent) from 260,000 last year to 338,000 to sit 13th on the ladder.

Off the back of its drought-breaking premiership win last year, Melbourne also recorded a big increase in supporter numbers, up 15.5 per cent from 271,000 to 313,000, sitting just behind the Bulldogs.

But the findings in the 2022 supporter survey are in contrast to AFL membership figures, with Richmond and West Coast boasting the most members in the league.

The Tigers and Eagles were the only clubs to have 100,000-plus members, while Carlton (85,000 plus) and Collingwood (90,000 plus) rounded out the top four, based on the membership figures revealed by the league last week.

Sydney was ranked 13th on the 2022 membership ladder.

This year’s membership numbers will be counted until August 31.

Roy Morgan’s industry communications director Julian McCrann said the survey found more than 8.9 million Australians now supported an AFL club – an increase of 217,000 in 2021.

Sydney has topped the supporter ladder every year since the club’s drought-breaking 2005 premiership win, and McCrann said champion forward Franklin had played a big role in the club’s ongoing supporter growth.

“Earlier this year, one of the highest profile recruits this century, Lance Franklin, became only the sixth player in VFL-AFL history to kick 1000 goals,” McCrann said.

“The Sydney Swans had recruited Franklin on an unprecedented nine-year deal in 2013 and although the club has not won a premiership during this period, they have played finals in six out of eight years and drawn people through the gates with perhaps the most exciting player of the modern era.”

The increase in overall support for the code comes despite two years of disruptions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced the AFL Grand Final to be played in Brisbane in 2020 and Perth in 2021.

The supporter survey also found there were 7,743,000 Australians who watched an AFL match on television, up 176,000 on the previous year.

The AFL supporter survey findings were based on Australians aged 14-plus.

AFL announces full Round 23 fixture

– Chris Cavanagh

A blockbuster final round of the home-and-away season has been locked in, with a stacked Sunday which could decide the final spot in the top eight and the makeup of the top four.

The round kicks off with a clash between Brisbane and Melbourne at the Gabba on the Friday night, while archrivals Essendon and Richmond will face off at the MCG on Saturday night.

But the main course has been left until a super Sunday, with what shapes as three key matches involving teams jostling for spots in September.

The Western Bulldogs meet Hawthorn in a 1.10pm clash in Launceston, where the Dogs may need to win to lock in their spot in finals.

Carlton will then tackle Collingwood in an MCG blockbuster at 3.20pm, where a top-four spot could be on the line.

Sydney could also be in search of a top-four spot when it meets St Kilda at Marvel Stadium in the final match of the home-and-away season at 4.40pm.

“Our Round 23 fixture is a fitting conclusion to an exciting season,” AFL executive general manager of finance, clubs and broadcast Travis Auld said.

“The top eight is still very much in the balance, and if the matches are anything like we witnessed last weekend, it’s sure to be one of the best rounds of the season.

“The 2022 season has been more like the game we know and love, a return to the rituals of going to the footy and barracking for our teams but it hasn’t been without its challenges. We want to thank every fan who turned up week after week to support their club and hopefully help them land a converted spot in the top eight.”