Non-Victorian AFL clubs dominate when it comes to supporter numbers across the country, a new poll by Roy Morgan Research shows.
Single-team city sides Sydney Swans and Brisbane Bears lead the pack with 1.28 million and 921,000 supporters respectively, while the West Coast Eagles have the most support of the states with more than one team with 730,000 fans.
Then come the big Victorian sides, with Essendon and Collingwood both attracting 722,000 supporters, Carlton 515,000 and Geelong with 389,000.
And at the bottom of the list? The poor old Melbourne Demons, who not only sit at the bottom of the AFL ladder but also have just 191,000 supporters, the fewest of any side.
The survey also reveals some rather idiosyncratic insights into the preferences of supporters for different teams. For example:
- Adelaide Crows supporters are 35% more likely to have a credit card.
- Brisbane Lions supporters are 49% more likely to have visited Red Rooster in the past four weeks.
- Carlton Blues supporters are 50% more likely to have a job that often takes them outside of mobile phone coverage.
- Collingwood Magpies supporters are 103% more likely to have worked on their car 16 or more times in the past three months.
- Essendon Bombers supporters are 34% more likely to agree that “I was born to shop”.
- Fremantle Dockers supporters are 13% more likely to agree that they would like to use the internet, but are intimidated by the complexity of it.
- Geelong Cats supporters are 36% more likely to have made a purchase from the ABC Shop in the last four weeks.
- Hawthorn Hawks supporters are 75% more likely to have bought music by download via the internet in the last three months.
- Melbourne Demons supporters are 41% more likely to agree they “need a mobile phone to help me juggle my work and personal life”.
- North Melbourne Kangaroos supporters are 47% more likely to agree that “if I could afford to eat out every night, I would.”
- Port Adelaide Power supporters are 43% more likely to say they “really enjoy going online to have a chat”.
- Richmond Tigers supporters are 12% more likely to agree they are worried about interest rates at the moment.
- St Kilda Saints supporters are 65% more likely to have made a business decision concerning trucks or commercial vehicles in the last 12 months.
- Sydney Swans supporters are 28% more likely to have travelled within Australia for business in the past 12 months.
- West Coast Eagles supporters are 40% more likely to have bought alcohol using the internet in the last three months.
- Western Bulldogs supporters are 98% more likely to have bought a dishwasher in the past 12 months.
Source: Roy Morgan Research
