Geelong celebrate AFLW membership milestone

THE Geelong Cats is celebrating a record number of AFLW members in 2023, placing the club first in the league for overall membership base size.

A total of 7,190 members joined the Cats for its most successful season yet in 2023; a 21.1 per cent increase on the club’s 2022 tally.

It saw the Cats climb from third in the overall team membership tally, into first place across the whole league.

Geelong chief executive Steve Hocking thanked the Cats members for their support.

“As our AFLW program has enjoyed another significant year in its development, building an exciting and sustainable brand of football, it is fantastic to see an increasing number of fans supporting our team as members,” he said.

“To rank first in the league for membership is a testament to the incredible support and passion we experience from Cats fans.

“There is something incredibly special about the club’s membership base, and their faith and support of our AFLW team is felt out on the field and in the halls of GMHBA Stadium, creating an unmistakeably Geelong atmosphere.”

Women’s football has enjoyed another strong year of growth in the Geelong region, with a six per cent increase in female participation year-on-year in 2023.

Since the Cats entered the AFLW competition in 2019, female football participation has grown more than 44 per cent.

AFL Barwon general manager, Edward Wilson said the organisation worked closely with the Cats to be innovative in driving up player numbers.

“When AFLW kicked off, this started an incredible rise in female football within our region.

“The exponential growth witnessed before COVID has slowed, but we’re fortunately still growing at a significant rate.

“In 2023, we launched our under 9 Girls competition and had an internal goal of four to six teams. Thanks to our strategic partnership with the Cats and significant planning, we had 15 teams, which was a very pleasing result.”

To become a Cats member in 2024, head to membership.geelongcats.com.au