The Victorian suburbs where all 18 AFL clubs have their most members

[Eastdog]

https://archive.md/HgGKu

​

The Victorian suburbs where all 18 AFL clubs have their most members​

The heartlands of Victoria’s AFL fans have been revealed, as more than 9 per cent of the state signed up as members this year ... and there are a few surprises.
Athos Sirianos and Oscar Jaeger
November 9, 2024 - 2:00PM
Leader


The beating heart of the country’s most loved — and loathed — football club is a black and white patch of Melbourne where the locals really do “uphold the Magpies name”.

Reservoir is home to more Collingwood members than anywhere else in the state as the latest AFL data reveals more than 9 per cent of Victorians are signed up members of their footy team.

The AFL’s membership record was smashed in 2024, with more than 1.3 million fans Australia-wide signing up — with 650,000 of them from Victoria.

Data obtained by the Herald Sun revealed most Victorian clubs — as well as those with historic ties to the state — continued to have strong membership bases in their traditional heartlands or recruitment zones, while others had expanded into new territory.

Collingwood had its most Victorian members in Reservoir, with nearby northern suburbs Mill Park and Greensborough also high on the list.

Collingwood’s connection with Melbourne’s north dates back to the early implementation of recruitment zones in 1915, with the old Shires of Heidelberg and Eltham among those allocated to the club at the time.

The northern suburbs have also produced a plethora of Collingwood stars, including 1990 premiership player Peter Daicos who was recruited from Preston.

Diehard Magpies member Lauren Monteneri from Reservoir said there had always been a large black and white following in the area.

“I often see other Collingwood supporters in the street heading off to the games and when catching the train, no matter who we play, it is always outnumbered with Collingwood supporters coming from Reservoir,” she said.

“I feel a sense of pride knowing the suburb I grew up in is the heartland of the Magpie army. “We are big in number already and it’s sensational to know I live in the heartland of it all.”

Carlton, Essendon, Geelong, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Richmond, St Kilda, Sydney (South Melbourne) and the Western Bulldogs all had their biggest Victorian membership bases in their respective traditional areas.

Melbourne’s biggest membership areas were also within or near the club’s old metropolitan recruitment area — Glen Iris and Brighton.

Werribee was the most popular suburb for the Western Bulldogs, with the club recording 1,128 members in the area followed by Williamstown (808) and Yarraville (799).

Tarneit and Werribee were also in North Melbourne’s top five suburbs, while Belmont in south Geelong was where the most Cats members lived.

The Tigers had their most members in Richmond, with suburbs in the outer east Berwick, Rowville, Pakenham and Ferntree Gully making up the rest of their top five suburbs.

Richmond had its most regional Victorian members in Mildura — the club’s old country recruitment zone which produced former captains Matthew Knights

Matthew Knights

Age

54

Ht

178cm

Wt

79kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

12.0

4star

HB

9.3

5star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.2

4star

No current season stats available

D

18.4

5star

K

10.8

4star

HB

7.6

5star

M

4.4

4star

T

1.6

4star

and Dale Weightman.

Mildura was also where Port Adelaide had its second most Victorian members.

The biggest surprise arguably came from the reigning premier Brisbane, with Mernda housing the most Victorian Lions members — some 32km north of the club’s Victorian heartland Fitzroy.

Old VFL country zones​

Carlton - Bendigo
Collingwood - Western Victoria
Essendon - Wimmera
Fitzroy - Hampden
Western Bulldogs - East Gippsland/La Trobe Valley
Geelong - Corio
Hawthorn - Mornington and West Gippsland
Melbourne - Goulbern Valley and Riddell
North Melbourne - Murray
Richmond - Mildura/Sunraysia
St Kilda - Ballarat
Sydney/South Melbourne - Riverina


Carlton also had its most regional Victorian members in its own country zone — Bendigo — while Essendon has gained a strong membership base in Ballarat.

The 3350 postcode — which includes Ballarat Central and Ballarat East — was Essendon’s fourth highest postcode for members in Victoria.

Essendon’s old country zone was the Wimmera region.

Ballarat was also where GWS had its most Victorian members in 2024, while Gold Coast’s biggest Victorian membership base lived in Hawthorn.

Every club’s Top 5 Vic suburbs for members​

Adelaide​

2024 members: 75,447
1. Werribee, Point Cook
2. Parkville
3. Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Glen Huntly
4. Sunbury
5. Richmond

Brisbane​

2024 members: 63,268
1. Mernda
2. Greensborough
3. Reservoir
4. Richmond
5. Rosanna

Carlton​

2024 members: 106,345
1. Carlton North
2. Reservoir
3. Coburg
4. Sunbury
5. Preston

Collingwood​

2024 members: 110,628
1. Reservoir
2. Mill Park
3. Greensborough
4. Doreen
5. Berwick

Essendon​

2024 members: 83,664
1. Essendon, Aberfeldie and Essendon West
2. Sunbury and Wildwood
3. Cranbourne, Cranbourne West and Cranbourne East
4. Ballarat, Ballarat Central and Ballarat East
5. Werribee, Point Cook

Fremantle​

2024 members: 62,237
1. Brunswick
2. Richmond
3. Northcote
4. South Yarra
5. Ascot Vale

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Geelong​

2024 members: 90,798
1. Belmont
2. Geelong
3. Geelong West
4. Torquay
5. North Geelong

GWS​

2024 members: 36,629
1. Ballarat
2. Richmond
3. Aspendale
4. Cranbourne
5. Brunswick

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Gold Coast​

2024 members: 26,157
1. Hawthorn
2. Belmont
3. Warrnambool
4. Greensborough
5. Bendigo

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Hawthorn​

2024 members: 83,823
1. Hawthorn
2. Berwick
3. Kew
4. Rowville
5. Glen Iris

Melbourne​

2024 members: 65,479
1. Glen Iris
2. Brighton
3.Richmond
4. Malvern East
5. Camberwell.

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North Melbourne​

2024 members: 50,628
1. North Melbourne
2. Essendon
3. Kensington/Flemington
4. Tarneit
5. Werribee

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Port Adelaide​

2024 members: 66,015
1. Melbourne
2. Mildura
3. Richmond
4. Brunswick / South Yarra
5. Horsham

Richmond​

2024 members: 98,489
1 Richmond
2 Berwick
3 Rowville
4 Pakenham
5 Ferntree Gully

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St Kilda​

2024 members: 60,467
1. Moorabbin
2. Brighton
3. Cheltenham
4. Bentleigh East
5. Bentleigh

Sydney​

2024 members: 73,757
1. South Melbourne
2. Boroondara
3. Casey
4. Kingston
5. Greater Geelong

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Western Bulldogs​

2024 members: 62,328
1. Werribee
2. Williamstown
3. Yarraville
4. Point Cook
5. Hoppers Crossing

West Coast​

2024 members: 103,498
1. Essendon
2. Carlton North
3. Richmond
4. South Yarra
5. Brighton

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Richmond really is the home of football then, confirmed.

 

[LB#16]

Bendigo, Ballarat, Horsham, Geelong, Torquay. There's a lot of non-suburbs in this suburbs list.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Melbourne is incredibly multicultural.

More than anything else, this strikes me as a list of very very white European areas.

Footy is making inroads, but it just shows how much is still to be done in the Asian and African communities. Extraordinary opportunity for a club/s that take it.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

Hopefully the Dogs can convert some more Ballarat people in time. Good money without travel in the meantime.

 

[Papa G]

Melbourne is incredibly multicultural.

More than anything else, this strikes me as a list of very very white European areas.

Footy is making inroads, but it just shows how much is still to be done in the Asian and African communities. Extraordinary opportunity for a club/s that take it.

This is why justifying 9 Melbourne teams in the sham of a comp based on Melbourne's huge population growth in the last couple of decades is so disingenuous. Growth in Badminton, Cricket, Delivery and transport drivers sure. AFL not so much.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

This is why justifying 9 Melbourne teams in the sham of a comp based on Melbourne's huge population growth in the last couple of decades is so disingenuous. Growth in Badminton, Cricket, Delivery and transport drivers sure. AFL not so much.

If you’re going to use raw numbers then it’s pretty hard to conclude Vic doesn’t pull its weight in terms of footy population tbh.

Vic has 56% of the leagues teams (soon to be 53% with Tassie).

In 2024 the Vic clubs made up 62% of all club members.

Crowds in Vic made up 57% of the total, despite only hosting 48% of the games.

62% of all new players via the draft came out of Victoria. That’s pretty standard across most years.

Purely in numbers, Vic is underrepresented in terms of players and supporters.

 

[____]

Melbourne is incredibly multicultural.

More than anything else, this strikes me as a list of very very white European areas.

Footy is making inroads, but it just shows how much is still to be done in the Asian and African communities. Extraordinary opportunity for a club/s that take it.

Clubs have to wait until these kids of immigrants grow up and are able to buy their own memberships. Their parents are much less likely to buy a membership unlike someone who was born here to parents who forced them to support the same team they go for.

Source: a first gen Aussie who got to pick his team and 100% not giving my kids a choice.

 

[STPer18]

https://archive.md/HgGKu

​

The Victorian suburbs where all 18 AFL clubs have their most members​

The heartlands of Victoria’s AFL fans have been revealed, as more than 9 per cent of the state signed up as members this year ... and there are a few surprises.
Athos Sirianos and Oscar Jaeger
November 9, 2024 - 2:00PM
Leader


The beating heart of the country’s most loved — and loathed — football club is a black and white patch of Melbourne where the locals really do “uphold the Magpies name”.

Reservoir is home to more Collingwood members than anywhere else in the state as the latest AFL data reveals more than 9 per cent of Victorians are signed up members of their footy team.

The AFL’s membership record was smashed in 2024, with more than 1.3 million fans Australia-wide signing up — with 650,000 of them from Victoria.

Data obtained by the Herald Sun revealed most Victorian clubs — as well as those with historic ties to the state — continued to have strong membership bases in their traditional heartlands or recruitment zones, while others had expanded into new territory.

Collingwood had its most Victorian members in Reservoir, with nearby northern suburbs Mill Park and Greensborough also high on the list.

Collingwood’s connection with Melbourne’s north dates back to the early implementation of recruitment zones in 1915, with the old Shires of Heidelberg and Eltham among those allocated to the club at the time.

The northern suburbs have also produced a plethora of Collingwood stars, including 1990 premiership player Peter Daicos who was recruited from Preston.

Diehard Magpies member Lauren Monteneri from Reservoir said there had always been a large black and white following in the area.

“I often see other Collingwood supporters in the street heading off to the games and when catching the train, no matter who we play, it is always outnumbered with Collingwood supporters coming from Reservoir,” she said.

“I feel a sense of pride knowing the suburb I grew up in is the heartland of the Magpie army. “We are big in number already and it’s sensational to know I live in the heartland of it all.”

Carlton, Essendon, Geelong, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Richmond, St Kilda, Sydney (South Melbourne) and the Western Bulldogs all had their biggest Victorian membership bases in their respective traditional areas.

Melbourne’s biggest membership areas were also within or near the club’s old metropolitan recruitment area — Glen Iris and Brighton.

Werribee was the most popular suburb for the Western Bulldogs, with the club recording 1,128 members in the area followed by Williamstown (808) and Yarraville (799).

Tarneit and Werribee were also in North Melbourne’s top five suburbs, while Belmont in south Geelong was where the most Cats members lived.

The Tigers had their most members in Richmond, with suburbs in the outer east Berwick, Rowville, Pakenham and Ferntree Gully making up the rest of their top five suburbs.

Richmond had its most regional Victorian members in Mildura — the club’s old country recruitment zone which produced former captains Matthew Knights and Dale Weightman.

Mildura was also where Port Adelaide had its second most Victorian members.

The biggest surprise arguably came from the reigning premier Brisbane, with Mernda housing the most Victorian Lions members — some 32km north of the club’s Victorian heartland Fitzroy.

Old VFL country zones​

Carlton - Bendigo
Collingwood - Western Victoria
Essendon - Wimmera
Fitzroy - Hampden
Western Bulldogs - East Gippsland/La Trobe Valley
Geelong - Corio
Hawthorn - Mornington and West Gippsland
Melbourne - Goulbern Valley and Riddell
North Melbourne - Murray
Richmond - Mildura/Sunraysia
St Kilda - Ballarat
Sydney/South Melbourne - Riverina


Carlton also had its most regional Victorian members in its own country zone — Bendigo — while Essendon has gained a strong membership base in Ballarat.

The 3350 postcode — which includes Ballarat Central and Ballarat East — was Essendon’s fourth highest postcode for members in Victoria.

Essendon’s old country zone was the Wimmera region.

Ballarat was also where GWS had its most Victorian members in 2024, while Gold Coast’s biggest Victorian membership base lived in Hawthorn.

Every club’s Top 5 Vic suburbs for members​

Adelaide​

2024 members: 75,447
1. Werribee, Point Cook
2. Parkville
3. Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Glen Huntly
4. Sunbury
5. Richmond

Brisbane​

2024 members: 63,268
1. Mernda
2. Greensborough
3. Reservoir
4. Richmond
5. Rosanna

Carlton​

2024 members: 106,345
1. Carlton North
2. Reservoir
3. Coburg
4. Sunbury
5. Preston

Collingwood​

2024 members: 110,628
1. Reservoir
2. Mill Park
3. Greensborough
4. Doreen
5. Berwick

Essendon​

2024 members: 83,664
1. Essendon, Aberfeldie and Essendon West
2. Sunbury and Wildwood
3. Cranbourne, Cranbourne West and Cranbourne East
4. Ballarat, Ballarat Central and Ballarat East
5. Werribee, Point Cook

Fremantle​

2024 members: 62,237
1. Brunswick
2. Richmond
3. Northcote
4. South Yarra
5. Ascot Vale

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Geelong​

2024 members: 90,798
1. Belmont
2. Geelong
3. Geelong West
4. Torquay
5. North Geelong

GWS​

2024 members: 36,629
1. Ballarat
2. Richmond
3. Aspendale
4. Cranbourne
5. Brunswick

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Gold Coast​

2024 members: 26,157
1. Hawthorn
2. Belmont
3. Warrnambool
4. Greensborough
5. Bendigo

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Hawthorn​

2024 members: 83,823
1. Hawthorn
2. Berwick
3. Kew
4. Rowville
5. Glen Iris

Melbourne​

2024 members: 65,479
1. Glen Iris
2. Brighton
3.Richmond
4. Malvern East
5. Camberwell.

​

North Melbourne​

2024 members: 50,628
1. North Melbourne
2. Essendon
3. Kensington/Flemington
4. Tarneit
5. Werribee

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Port Adelaide​

2024 members: 66,015
1. Melbourne
2. Mildura
3. Richmond
4. Brunswick / South Yarra
5. Horsham

Richmond​

2024 members: 98,489
1 Richmond
2 Berwick
3 Rowville
4 Pakenham
5 Ferntree Gully

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St Kilda​

2024 members: 60,467
1. Moorabbin
2. Brighton
3. Cheltenham
4. Bentleigh East
5. Bentleigh

Sydney​

2024 members: 73,757
1. South Melbourne
2. Boroondara
3. Casey
4. Kingston
5. Greater Geelong

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Western Bulldogs​

2024 members: 62,328
1. Werribee
2. Williamstown
3. Yarraville
4. Point Cook
5. Hoppers Crossing

West Coast​

2024 members: 103,498
1. Essendon
2. Carlton North
3. Richmond
4. South Yarra
5. Brighton

Gold Coast in Belmont? Maybe the Ablett effect?

 

[Falchoon]

This map (railway lines and VFL home grounds) goes a long way in explaining where and why teams have the size and location of support.

Support was generated by accessibility, and accessibility was provided by trains.

The worst locations?
Swans, dead end
Saints, dead end (the move to Moorabbin was genius)
North, non inner suburban growth was capped by Bombers, Blues and Dogs
Lions, squeezed, no direct access to suburban lines.




The access of today's immigrants is via television.

Given 2 grounds, the fixturing department are the new railways, deciding which club has the greatest access to new support.

Geographically there are 5 MCG teams and 4 Docklands teams.