We all know that everybody would give their left arm to land a grand final ticket. After all, the 10 AFL/VFL games with the largest crowds have all been deciders.
But apart from the big dance, which finals fixtures are the next best attended?
From 1921 until now, here are the 10 biggest non-grand final crowds ever recorded, and surprise surprise, absolutely all of them came in September.
1. Collingwood v Carlton โ 112,838 โSemi-Final โ September 12, 1970
2. Collingwood v Carlton โ 108,544 โ Semi-Final โ September 13, 1969
3. Carlton v St Kilda โ 108,215 โ Preliminary Final โ September 19, 1970
4. Collingwood v Richmond โ 107,279 โ Preliminary Final โ September 20, 1969
5. Essendon v Carlton โ 106,365 โ Semi-Final โ September 14, 1968
6. St Kilda v South Melbourne โ 104,239 โ Semi-Final โ September 5, 1970
7. Essendon v Geelong โ 103,649 โ Preliminary Final โ September 21, 1968
8. St Kilda v Richmond โ 102,494 โPreliminary Final โ September 18, 1971
9. Geelong v Richmond โ 101,233 โ Semi-Final โ September 6, 1969
10. Hawthorn v St Kilda โ 99,822 โ Semi-Final โ September 11, 1971
Eagle-eyed folks will have noticed that each of these finals took place across four successive seasons, from 1968 to 1971.
Throughout the course of these four finals series, more than 100,000 supporters clicked through the turnstiles for these 12 games, meaning that - at worst - four per cent of Melbourne's population were in the MCG's grandstands on those spring afternoons.
| Year | Games played | Average attendance per game | Percentage of Melbourne's population attending each game (approx.) |
| 1970 | 4 | 111,747 | 4.9% |
| 1969 | 4 | 109,055 | 4.55% |
| 1968 | 4 | 106,432 | 4.6% |
| 1971 | 4 | 105,070 | 4% |
| 1967 | 4 | 98,926 | 4.5% |
| 1965 | 4 | 97,115 | 4.7% |
| 1966 | 4 | 96,222 | 4.6% |
| 1956 | 4 | 95,272 | 5.85% |
| 1964 | 4 | 93,701 | 4.6% |
| 1962 | 4 | 92,716 | 4.75% |
But after the league shifted from the Page-McIntyre System onto final fives, sixes, sevens and eventually, a top eight system, more and more finals were scheduled to accommodate the rise in entrants.
But while more fans turned out to these extra games, a noticeable spike in ticket prices across the years, paired with capacity-capped venues due to the prevalence of occupational health and safety laws, saw attendance averages slide, even as the series totals rose.
| Year | Games played | Series attendance | Average attendance per game |
| 2018 | 9 | 700,393 | 77,821 |
| 2010 | 10 | 650,924 | 65,092 |
| 2022 | 9 | 639,980 | 71,109 |
| 2009 | 9 | 615,283 | 68,365 |
| 2011 | 9 | 614,783 | 68,309 |
| 1995 | 9 | 594,919 | 66,102 |
| 1972 | 7 | 591,929 | 84,561 |
| 2007 | 9 | 574,424 | 63,825 |
| 1998 | 9 | 572,733 | 63,637 |
| 2008 | 9 | 571,760 | 63,529 |
Where do you think the 2023 AFL Finals series will rank?
