2013 AFL MEMBERSHIP FIGURES (Compiled June 28, 2013)
1. Collingwood: 77,405
2. Hawthorn: 62,380
3. Richmond: 60,086
4. West Coast: 57,830
5. Essendon: 54,773
6. Carlton: 49,611
7. Adelaide: n/a (about 46,500)
8. Geelong: 41,935
9. Port Adelaide: 40,650
10. Fremantle: n/a (2012: 41,705)
11. Sydney: n/a (about 35,800)
12. North Melbourne: 34,524
13. Melbourne: 32,847
14. St Kilda: 32,630
15. Western Bulldogs: 29,898
16. Brisbane: 23,760
17. Greater Western Sydney: 12,631
18. Gold Coast: 12,350
Is Carlton still really one of the AFL's 'Big Four'?Posted by: Matt Cram | 28 June, 2013 - 4:15 PMDo you see what's missing from the below picture?
Despite the arrival of Mick Malthouse and a return to finals football beckoning, the Blues are struggling to keep pace with Victoria's vanguard.
Richmond this week joined Hawthorn and Collingwood as the only clubs to pass 60,000 members and Essendon boasts a record membership despite enduring a damaging drug scandal.
But Carlton - traditionally a fixture in Victoria's 'Big Four' clubs - is still yet to reach 50,000 members.
The Blues' membership has grown by less than 8000 since 2009, compared to Collingwood (more than 29,000), Richmond (more than 23,000), Essendon (more than 13,000) and Hawthorn (more than 9000).
While Collingwood remains a clear front-runner, the Tigers are the fastest growing club, signing almost 20,000 members since 2011.
Sports Today co-host Gerard Healy believes the Tigers can again lead the pack.
"When I was 14, Richmond was the number one by that far it wasn't funny," he said.
"They ... had a club called Essex Heights which people used to move states for, to go and play in their under-14s.
"So they won premierships in the under-14s, the 17s, the 19s, the reserves - they were huge."
http://www.3aw.com.au/blogs/3aw-footy-team-blog/is-carlton-still-really-one-of-the-afls-big-four/20130628-2p29r.html
