Which clubs are really the big four of the AFL?

[M Malice]

Taking into account memberships, on field success, off field success and market brand awareness as of the last 5-10 years, in order IMO-

Collingwood Magpies.
Hawthorn Hawks.
Richmond Tigers.
West Coast Eagles.
Adelaide Crows.
Sydney Swans.
Geelong Cats.
Essendon Bombers.
Fremantle Dockers.
Port Adelaide Power.
Melbourne Demons.
North Melbourne Kangaroos.
Carlton Blues.
Western Bulldogs.
St.Kilda Saints.
Brisbane Lions.
GWS Giants.
Gold Coast Suns.

 

[Occidental]

O stand corrected.

Who did they play in 2011 again?

Cats

 

[CrowEater888]

Crows only have the biggest membership if you include a free mail out that includes many non Crows supporters, the AFL requires a member to pay a minimum $50 and be a human to count, cant see the Crows being in the top 6 yet alone top 4.

Adelaide has an audited member figure for 2018 of 64,739, that's the 6th highest amount, up 13.8%.

 

[Gibbke]

Who cares who's the biggest?

You all wanna be us!

 

[M Malice]

Who cares who's the biggest?

You all wanna be us!

 

[Obeanie1]

Taking into account memberships, on field success, off field success and market brand awareness as of the last 5-10 years, in order IMO-

Collingwood Magpies.
Hawthorn Hawks.
Richmond Tigers.
West Coast Eagles.
Adelaide Crows.
Sydney Swans.
Geelong Cats.
Essendon Bombers.
Fremantle Dockers.
Port Adelaide Power.
Melbourne Demons.
North Melbourne Kangaroos.
Carlton Blues.
Western Bulldogs.
St.Kilda Saints.
Brisbane Lions.
GWS Giants.
Gold Coast Suns.

Swans far too low.

Played in what 3 GFs.

Played finals every year.

Not huge members but top two in supporters Australia wide.

Marketing brand for the most populated state in the country.

Undesputed COLA champions 8 years running

The only thing Richmond has more of is members.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

Its more than just memberships IMO.

Its about who you represent, success on field and off field and what influence you have had and continue to have on the game.

Im sure Vics will name Hawks, Pies, Essendon and Richmond. Thats how it looks from your narrow perspective.

If the question was to rank the top 6 then Tigers would get a gig.

I'd suggest if you were sitting where I was for the 2017 PF, you'd have no hesitation in having the Tigers in the top rank.

I do get there's some Vic arrogance in play from some, you cant seriously question the Eagles and the Crows right to be there too.

 

[Obeanie1]

Who cares who's the biggest?

You all wanna be us!

 

[the view]

delusional to not have the tigers

then again things would seem different from darwin i guess, its a big country

richmond are just a fade wait a couple years

 

[the view]

Point is Pies attendances did drop when they were rubbish despite playing a lot of games in the largest and best stadium. An average of only around half filling the joint is no great thing, especially given to your Clubs advantage in being assigned alleged blockbusters.

I find the tigers attendances you quote to be admirable during such a sustained period of misery. To be fair to the Dons their home ground is both smaller and a miserable pile of concrete that only lunatic fans (inc me) attend.

Also I said I took other criteria into account.

Look the question was to come up with a big four, which most attempted. Of course the Pies and Dons are big Clubs, but in the present era I think other mobs are head of both.

collingwood still averaged high 40s every year for the last 20 years

 

[Gibbke]

View attachment 605474View attachment 605475

View attachment 605480

A best 18 of all ex-Hawks this century who've gone on to win a premiership with their new side:

Josh Kennedy (2012)
Brad Scott (2001-02)
Paul Barnard (2000)

Cameron Ling, if you really want to scrape the bottom of the barrel...he was a Hawk reserve in the late 1990's...!

 

[Papa G]

The league is designed to promote, protect and propagate the 5 or 6 largest Victorian Clubs plus the Swans. It is its raison d’tere.

With this in mind, there is a clear top 2.

Collingwood. They are a constant. Eddie has manipulated the league to promote Collingwood’s interests above all others. Most football supporters only add to this in believing hating Collingwood is the right thing to do. Idiots. It just feeds them.

Sydney. The AFL covet the coverage, recognition and most importantly dollars from Australia’s most important city.

The rest (Essendon, Hawthorn, Richmond, Carlton and Geelong) oscillate in importance, each moving in and out of positions, (for Carlton it has been some time, Richmond only very recent).

Then there is a Clear Big 1. West Coast. Despite what is written above – it doesn’t effect West Coast. They sit on their own. Their levels of wealth, support, that weird West Australian parochialism just drives them to beat the system. They piss in the face of what AFL House wants.

The Crows, despite being a very well supported club, just don’t have any relevance, results or clout outside of their own fishbowl.

So if you had to narrow it down to 4, it goes:
West Coast
Collingwood
Sydney
Essendon/Richmond/Hawthorn/Carlton/Geelong (whoever is flavour of the month).

 

[Philth]

1. Collingwood.
2. West Coast.
3. Adelaide.
4. Essendon/Richmond/Carlton.

Yes, Carlton. Very large and loyal supporter base.
Hawks in 5th place.

I have left out Sydney, because my list is based on actual, proper, loyal supporters only.

 

[CrowInFiji]

People bashing Adelaide for being inclusive is hilarious. I'll take email only members over pets.

 

[Tiger2709]

Adelaide has an audited member figure for 2018 of 64,739, that's the 6th highest amount, up 13.8%.

Okay top 6 then but not top 4.

 

[Tiger2709]

The league is designed to promote, protect and propagate the 5 or 6 largest Victorian Clubs plus the Swans. It is its raison d’tere.

With this in mind, there is a clear top 2.

Collingwood. They are a constant. Eddie has manipulated the league to promote Collingwood’s interests above all others. Most football supporters only add to this in believing hating Collingwood is the right thing to do. Idiots. It just feeds them.

Sydney. The AFL covet the coverage, recognition and most importantly dollars from Australia’s most important city.

The rest (Essendon, Hawthorn, Richmond, Carlton and Geelong) oscillate in importance, each moving in and out of positions, (for Carlton it has been some time, Richmond only very recent).

Then there is a Clear Big 1. West Coast. Despite what is written above – it doesn’t effect West Coast. They sit on their own. Their levels of wealth, support, that weird West Australian parochialism just drives them to beat the system. They piss in the face of what AFL House wants.

The Crows, despite being a very well supported club, just don’t have any relevance, results or clout outside of their own fishbowl.

So if you had to narrow it down to 4, it goes:
West Coast
Collingwood
Sydney
Essendon/Richmond/Hawthorn/Carlton/Geelong (whoever is flavour of the month).

How do you figure it's been recent for Richmond, who in 1980 was the first Australian rules team to get 1 million through the gates in a season (including finals)
The reality is Carlton were probably the biggest for longer than Collingwood. Richmond and Essendon have fluctuated from top to 4th or 5th biggest Vic clubs depending on ladder position. I do agree that Eddie has convinced the AFL that things revolve around them but when the VFL/AFL was going broke back in the 90's one suggestion was to hand Richmond a flag to bolster the finances.

 

[Tiger2709]

richmond are just a fade wait a couple years

Rubbish, we still attracted bigger crowds than most teams even during our 37 years out of the top, when we were run terribly.
You need to study your history, we were not known as the sleeping giants for nothing and that name has been well and truly proven correct now that we have awoken again.

 

[Tom_Thumb]

The biggest sporting club in the Country is Collingwood, the other 3 spots would be conjecture. Going on revenue the next are the Hawks, then West Coast and then Essendon or if by Membership Collingwood just fall out and Richmond come in.

 

[tonygeeks]

The big 4 could be seen as the AFL's dream top 4 and in that case

Rich , Coll , Ess and Syd


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[Dazzler9]

For the longest time I had no idea that Richmond were a so called powerhouse club. Literally the whole time I followed the VFL/AFL when the Eagles came in, until 2017, Richmond were a lovable basketcase. The butt of mirthful jokes. An easy win when you checked the fixtures. Quite seriously, for over 30 years, I never once considered them a big club, because for that whole time, they weren't.
Anyways, the times move on, and they've done well in recent times. Good for them.

 

[kirky]

For the longest time I had no idea that Richmond were a so called powerhouse club. Literally the whole time I followed the VFL/AFL when the Eagles came in, until 2017, Richmond were a lovable basketcase. The butt of mirthful jokes. An easy win when you checked the fixtures. Quite seriously, for over 30 years, I never once considered them a big club, because for that whole time, they weren't.
Anyways, the times move on, and they've done well in recent times. Good for them.

And will become irrelevant again within 5 years.

 

[kid_a]

Then there is a Clear Big 1. West Coast. Despite what is written above – it doesn’t effect West Coast. They sit on their own. Their levels of wealth, support, that weird West Australian parochialism just drives them to beat the system. They piss in the face of what AFL House wants.

The Crows, despite being a very well supported club, just don’t have any relevance, results or clout outside of their own fishbowl.

.

I guess when comparing the two its important to note the population of their market area.

WA- 2,590,000
SA- 1,730,000

......when comparing West Coast with Adelaide just these figures alone show that the captive Eagles audience is much larger.
Obvsiously both Freo and Port have a strong and large foothold in there too, but West Coast and Adelaide are definitely the bigger clubs in the respective states.

 

[kid_a]

For the longest time I had no idea that Richmond were a so called powerhouse club. Literally the whole time I followed the VFL/AFL when the Eagles came in, until 2017, Richmond were a lovable basketcase. The butt of mirthful jokes. An easy win when you checked the fixtures. Quite seriously, for over 30 years, I never once considered them a big club, because for that whole time, they weren't.
Anyways, the times move on, and they've done well in recent times. Good for them.

On field i agree, but tbf off field they`ve always had good numbers rocking up to watch them, and Ive lived all over aus and you always find a tigers fan (pies, blues and dons also) somewhere.

I guess the on field (success) and off field (captive audience) are different things.

over the last 20 years
On field-
Collingwood, Geelong, Hawthorn, Sydney, West Coast

Off field-
Adelaide, Collingwood, Essendon, Richmond, West Coast

 

[Tiger2709]

And will become irrelevant again within 5 years.

Lol not a chance.
The thing is our lack of success hid our true size, we were always one of the biggest AFL clubs but much like Carlton, long periods with lack of success means supporters lose hope, they are still there just dont attend often, 37 years is a long time but it only took a few years in the finals and our true numbers are back and now as probably the best run club in the comp we also have the resources to continue to grow.

 

[Tiger2709]

I guess when comparing the two its important to note the population of their market area.

WA- 2,590,000
SA- 1,730,000

......when comparing West Coast with Adelaide just these figures alone show that the captive Eagles audience is much larger.
Obvsiously both Freo and Port have a strong and large foothold in there too, but West Coast and Adelaide are definitely the bigger clubs in the respective states.

West Coast is potentially the biggest club in the comp, Freo gets those that dont want to support West Coast, the predictions are that WA will become the third largest population centre so WCE should stay well ahead of Adelaide FC in size particularly with the new stadium that can be expanded easily to.70k.

The fact that the Crows use tricks to make themselves look bigger, while WCE have a massive waiting list tells the true story. WCE definitely top 4, Adelaide may scrape into top 6 until Carlton eventually rebound then will probably sit around 7th biggest.