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