Can Geelong Become the Biggest Vic Club?

[Cataholic]

If you're not growing you're dying.

You can grow without being the biggest.

I quite like the lean, efficient, performing club that we are. Grow along those lines and I'd be happy.

Too often the 'biggest' organisation becomes bloated with ego and dead weight.

 

[iameviljez]

Why would anyone actually care about being the "biggest" club, by the way?

 

[Tony Barber]

There was a report put out years ago. Maybe 15 years ago.
And it wasn't based on memberships (which I think is a stupid measure anyway), and the report was about the number of people that 'followed' all of the sporting clubs. Not just AFL.

Geelong were bloody high.

 

[standupand]

There was a report put out years ago. Maybe 15 years ago.
And it wasn't based on memberships (which I think is a stupid measure anyway), and the report was about the number of people that 'followed' all of the sporting clubs. Not just AFL.

Geelong were bloody high.

This one lists AFL club supporters but notably doesn't include non-Australians.

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source, July 2022 – June 2023, n=66,234 and July 2023 - June 2024 n=64,708. Base: Australians 14+

 

[jim boy]

This one lists AFL club supporters but notably doesn't include non-Australians.

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source, July 2022 – June 2023, n=66,234 and July 2023 - June 2024 n=64,708. Base: Australians 14+

I'm guessing "Australians" simply means living in Australia.

 

[Baudolino]

We can't become the biggest club when Collingwood and Richmond exist.

 

[dudusmaximus]

We can't become the biggest club when Collingwood and Richmond exist.

So what's the plan ?

 

[Seeds]

The bigger the supporter base the smaller is your share of the collective winnings.

 

[Seeds]

We can't become the biggest club when Collingwood and Richmond exist.

There have been numerous years where geelong has had more members then richmond.

 

[dazbroncos]

I’m more than happy to be as successful as we are and not be called a big 4 club than be a big 4 club and less successful.
Big 4 means nothing.. successfully in the other hand..

Go Catters

 

[PhatBoy]

Why would we want to be? Who the hell cares? I have more respect for clubs and fans who simply know who they are than those who flog over nothing more than their membership base or their crowds, same in the NRL.

Look at Parramatta. Been drawing huge support for 40 years and been a laughing stock the entire time.

The Dogs? They have an identity. Them against the world. Yeah they haven’t had a lot of success and they would love more but I like their standing, they know who they are, they embrace it and they don’t care.

We have ours. We’ve been giving it to the big clubs for 20 years - often on their home ground, and nearly matching them for support at times though it will never quite happen and I couldn’t give a shit. Will having more members make Jeremy Cameron

5

Jeremy Cameron

Age

32

Ht

196cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.5

3star

K

9.0

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

5.4

5star

T

1.6

4star

G

2.6

5star

D

10.0

3star

K

7.1

3star

HB

2.9

2star

M

4.6

4star

T

2.0

3star

G

1.9

5star

D

8.2

2star

K

5.0

2star

HB

3.2

3star

M

4.6

5star

T

2.4

4star

G

2.0

5star

’s 2.3 yesterday a 4.1 performance?

I doubt it.

 

[Aura]

It'll never happen, Collingwood are just too big, and have never gone away despite moderate premiership success over 60 odd years. Imagine if they ever actually had a dynasty.

What can happen though, is through population growth and sustained success, is Hawthorn and Geelong become members of the big 4 in Victoria.

Being a bit younger, I might be biased, but if you're a young Victorian kid and you have a choice, you're picking one of those two in my experience.

Actually had mates who are Carlton and Essendon supporters stop following footy full stop over the last 10 years, such is the predicament they've been in.

It's a real thing, and the generational shift from those past powers to the modern day equivalents will become even more noticeable as Gen-Z/later millennials enter the media IMO.

It’s almost inevitable we become big four if Geelong continues on being Geelong.

Fitzroy would have been part of the Big Four, if not a Big Two alongside Collingwood, during the first 50 years of the VFL. And yet, look at how things turned out.

 

[jim boy]

Big 4 means nothing..

I disagree, being seen as being in the big 4 (although that term is a bit antiquated now) means more marketing opportunities, more prime time, more capability to grow and be more attractive to players.

The AFL is run in a way that the big clubs cant fail to thrive and the small clubs will always struggle

 

[iameviljez]

Why would we want to be? Who the hell cares? I have more respect for clubs and fans who simply know who they are than those who flog over nothing more than their membership base or their crowds, same in the NRL.

It's like people who have a long self-abuse session over whether their side has won 16 AFL/VFL flags or not. The only people who care are Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon supporters. Nobody else.

 

[dudusmaximus]

It's like people who have a long self-abuse session over whether their side has won 16 AFL/VFL flags or not. The only people who care are Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon supporters. Nobody else.

Hey, I do! Especially if we count 'em VFA flags too.

 

[The Unforgiven]

Never. Collingwood will always be numero uno. I do think Geelong and Hawthorn are part of a "Big six" now, and have been for some time. I'm okay with whatever, so long as we're competitive and financially going comfortably. I never want to go back to those dark days of the '90s.

 

[Turbocat]

It’s almost inevitable we become big four if Geelong continues on being Geelong.

Fitzroy would have been part of the Big Four, if not a Big Two alongside Collingwood, during the first 50 years of the VFL. And yet, look at how things turned out.

I would be bitter if were a roys supporter. With the money that is now in the game … I wonder if they would be just as strong as Dogs/Sts/Roos etc . .. and we as a club were not far from the Fitzroy outcome.


I heard a discussion on North Melb on the radio. Some saying they should play games in Bendigo in a enffort to get bigger to become stronger. ..and one txt complained that he did not want North to be bigger , that he enjoyed rolling up to stadiums 1/3 full and plenty of room to just pick a seat. I can remember going to MelbCats game and doing that in the old Southern stand … almost just big suburban footy … but reall those days are gone. You want that experiance then you best sart following Port Melb or some other VFL based club.

We will never be the biggest but we not a minnow either. The size will evelove , and may get bigger if Geelong the city gets bigger.

 

[Seeds]

I disagree, being seen as being in the big 4 (although that term is a bit antiquated now) means more marketing opportunities, more prime time, more capability to grow and be more attractive to players.

The AFL is run in a way that the big clubs cant fail to thrive and the small clubs will always struggle

Yeah cos what geelong lacks is attracting players and prime time games (roll eyes)

And i want us to win flags properly. Not cos we got a leg up from the afl with extra home games and umpire favourtism like so called big 4 clubs.

 

[Goggin Our Best]

We can't become the biggest club when Collingwood and Richmond exist.

What in hell has Richmond got to do with it

When they have regular perennial decades of utter garbage , alah 1950s then 30 years from 83 onwards , and now 2024 and counting , their supporters drop off real quick

Back in the 90s when the Tigers were on Skid Row they played some of their home games at Princess Park including one against us

 

[Baudolino]

What in hell has Richmond got to do with it

When they have regular perennial decades of utter garbage , alah 1950s then 30 years from 83 onwards , and now 2024 and counting , their supporters drop off real quick

Back in the 90s when the Tigers were on Skid Row they played some of their home games at Princess Park including one against us

They were terrible last year and yet their attendance numbers were pretty decent They averaged 50k per home game which was a drop-off from their 2017-2019 era when they were dominating (they were averaging 55-60k per home game during that time), but not as much of a drop-off as you might expect relative to their drop-off in ladder position.

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

Having your own stadium is a big step towards being the biggest club!

 

[Vdubs]

Nah eastern suburbs of melb

which one?

 

[geelong_crazy26]

which one?

east balwyn. What about yourself?

 

[Vdubs]

east balwyn. What about yourself?

Mitcham

 

[Seeds]

The biggest clubs in the afl in terms of support, big games, media spotlight and success are:

Collingwood, west coast, geelong and hawthorn.

Then in the next group you have sydney, richmond, adelaide, brisbane.

Carlton and essendon aint even in the top 8