AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has made a bold statement: He'd like to see the annual attendance eclipse 10 million fans across the men's and women's competitions.
Following the successful return of the Indigenous All Stars clash over the weekend where Fremantle was downed by 43 points at Optus Stadium, Dillon said the league were looking at "innovative and creative" ways to help drive supporters to the game.
In 2024, 9,219,524 fans attended AFL and AFLW games and major events, while 1.31m people were members of AFL clubs.
Dillon also declared that he'd like to total memberships to go beyond the 2 million mark in the coming years.
"People love big events and our clubs have been incredibly innovative and creative in driving big events for their fans. We want to help them create more of them for football fans. Bigger, better and more often," Dillon said, according toย AFL Media.
"Where once we had Anzac Day now we have multiple Anzac Day blockbusters and now Anzac Day Eve has grown in stature, as has the King's Birthday game with Freeze MND and now the King's Birthday Eve game. Dreamtime has grown from one game to two rounds.
"The drive to 10 million is not just about numbers โ it's about evolving the game, broadening its reach, and strengthening its connection with old and new fans.
"It's a commitment to ensuring Australian football remains Australia's most attended sport, a leader in women's sport globally, and a league that keeps finding new ways sport can connect with communities."
Late last year, the AFL was reported to have met with officials from the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in the hope of resurrecting the International Rules Series between Ireland.
The most recent test was played in 2017.
