“The greatest fans in the world”: 14 AFL clubs smash membership records

The AFL has unveiled the club membership numbers for 2025, with the league reaching a record of 1,363,437 members, a 3.26 per cent increase on 2024.

Fourteen clubs broke their own membership record in 2025, with all 18 clubs having at least 30,000 members for the first time in history.

It means that over one in 20 Australians are members of an AFL club, highlighting the expansive reach of the game across the country.

Three clubs once again surpassed 100,000 members, with Collingwood, Carlton and impressively West Coast reaching the figure despite their historically poor season.

Carlton reached the threshold for the second time while Collingwood and West Coast achieved the number for the third and sixth consecutive year, respectively.

Collingwood's 112,491 members is the highest ever individual club membership tally in V/AFL history.

There were several clubs that had significant jumps in their club membership tallies. Adelaide, Brisbane, Collingwood, Geelong, Port Adelaide and Sydney all increased their membership tallies by at least 15,000, with the reigning premiers capitalising on their success to jump from 12th on the membership ladder in 2024 to 10th in 2025.

Three clubs saw a decrease in their membership totals in 2025: Melbourne, Carlton and Richmond.

"We have the greatest fans in the world, supporting the game week in and week out and backing their clubs by becoming members in record numbers,” AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said.

"One in 20 Australians are a member of an AFL Club. The 18 clubs do an amazing job of driving the passion and commitment of all our fans, reflected with 14 clubs breaking their all-time membership record.

"From the AFL and the clubs, I thank all club members and the seven million plus fans who attended a game this season. The loyalty shown makes our game great."

2025 MEMBERSHIP LADDER