Football television has been part of the fabric of the game for almost 70 years.
Shows have sprawled over every night of the week, ranging from prime-time panel slots, breaking news, analysis and comedy. All had their niche, and with that, the interest from the fans.
Trying to rank the greatest football programs of all time is no easy task. Some changed the way the game was discussed. Some entertained generations of supporters.
But who takes the cake as the best of the best?
These are the greatest footy shows ever produced.
7Footy Classified — Channel 9, 2007-present
Footy Classified earns its spot because, for better and sometimes worse, it helped create the modern footy media climate we now live in.
Launched by Nine in 2007, it brought a sharper, colder, far more news-driven edge to footy television. Garry Lyon, Craig Hutchison, Caroline Wilson, Wayne Carey, Grant Thomas and later names like Matthew Lloyd, Kane Cornes, Eddie McGuire, Jimmy Bartel, Damian Barrett and Sam McClure all helped make it less a highlights show and more a weekly pressure cooker.
This was boardroom leaks, coaching heat, player scandals, club politics and strong opinions dressed up in a suit jacket. It drove agendas, broke stories and delivered some genuinely memorable interviews, with Brendon Gale's 2009 declaration of Richmond's bold future still standing out beautifully given what followed.
Now airing twice a week on Monday and Tuesday nights, Footy Classified remains a key player, even after Hutchison, Cornes and Wilson left at the end of 2024 to launch rival show The Agenda Setters on Seven.
Love it or not, modern footy media has plenty of Classified in its DNA. It set the tone for the news-heavy, combative, hot-take style that now dominates TV, radio and social clips.
