Collingwood have amassed the club membership record in VFL/AFL history in 2023, recording a total of 106,470 members for this year.
The tally sees the magpies surpass West Coast's record of 106,422 memberships set in 2021, with the minor premiers returning to the top of the membership tally in the same year they made their way back to the summit of the ladder.
The club's resurgence under senior coach Craig McRae over the past two years has seen Collingwood break club membership records in both 2022 and 2023, with the Magpie Army reaching six figures for the first time last year.
Their 2022 total of 100,384โฏโฏmemberships was a club record, with Collingwood going a step further this year in shattering the competition's record as well as their own with a further 6,086 memberships.
A total of 1,385,827 supporters attended Collingwood games (not including Gather Round) in 2023 to set another club record this year, with the Magpies the most attended and most matched team in the league.
โToday marks a significant achievement for our Club's players, staff, and Members. I am pleased to announce we have reached the highest-ever Club Membership record in the history of the VFL/AFL competition,โ Collingwood President Jeff Browne said.
โI want to express our gratitude to the 106,470 supporters who have signed up as Collingwood Members this year.
โThis is truly a monumental achievement, and we thank each Member for your dedication and unwavering support.
โWe are proud to be a Club that houses six teams, in AFL, AFLW, VFL, VFLW, Wheelchair and Reclink, and we thank our Members who support all teams from the elite to community level.
We have officially reached the highest-ever Club Membership record in VFL / AFL history!
Thank you to our 106,470 members who continue to make 2023 legendary ๐ค๐ค pic.twitter.com/KviA4KrS14
— Collingwood FC (@CollingwoodFC) September 5, 2023
โOur Members are like no other and it is important to acknowledge the key role our Members play off the field that drives overall Club success.
โEach one of you in the Magpie Army is considered our 19thย player. You make us better. Your commitment to attend matches each week and to cheer and chant as we encourage the team on to a victory in the final seconds of a match should not be underestimated.
โAs we embark on our 2023 Finals campaign, we encourage the Magpie Army to paint the town black-and-white, to get involved, and to enjoy everything about finals footy.
โA special acknowledgement to our Membership Department, and all the staff members involved, who continue to work tirelessly to deliver for our Members and supporters.
โWe are determined to continue to get better across all areas of our Club and on behalf of the Board, staff and athletes, we thank all Members for their commitment so far in 2023.โ
Collingwood will continue their premiership push on Thursday when they host Melbourne at the MCG at 7:20pm (AEST) in front of an estimated 90,000-strong crowd.
The AFL is yet to release the final membership numbers for all 18 clubs.
