The AFL is pleased to announce Rounds One, Two and Three of the 2023 Toyota AFL Premiership Season represents the best-ever attendance after three rounds in AFL history.
A huge 1,125,245 fans have attended matches across the opening three rounds combined.
In Round One, 392,248 fans attended matches, delivering the third highest attended round of all-time, with games at the MCG (four), Marvel Stadium (two), Adelaide Oval (one), GIANTS Stadium (one) and Heritage Bank Stadium (one) on the Gold Coast.
In Round Two, 373,541 fans attended, making it the highest ever Round Two attendance of all-time and the eighth-highest attended round ever. Games were played at MCG (three), Marvel Stadium (two), Optus Stadium (two), GABBA (one) and the SCG (one).
In the recently completed Round Three, 359,456 fans attended, making it the second-highest attended Round Three in AFL history, with the MCG hosting 196,919 fans across Friday, Saturday and Sunday, including St Kilda’s 150th Anniversary match and their highest home and away game ever between the Saints and Essendon (69,255).
Optus Stadium hosted the first derby of the season with 58,090 fans attending, while the Showdown at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night saw 48,962 fans attend the match.
Games were played at MCG (three), Marvel Stadium (one), Heritage Bank Stadium (one), Optus Stadium (one), Adelaide Oval (one), GIANTS Stadium (one) and UTAS Stadium (one).
The combination of the first three rounds has eclipsed the previous best mark of 1,108,631 fans across the opening three rounds of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.
Top 5 opening three rounds combined all-time.
- 2023 – 1,125,245
- 2018 – 1,108,631
- 2019 – 1,052,839
- 2016 – 1,011,777
- 2013 – 1,008,660
Average attendance across the opening 27 matches is 41,675 fans a game.
Top 10 attended matches across opening three rounds of 2023
- 88,084 Richmond vs Carlton, MCG (Rd 1)
- 86,595 Geelong Cats vs Collingwood, MCG (Rd 1)
- 85,241 Collingwood vs Richmond, MCG (Rd 3)
- 69,255 St Kilda vs Essendon, MCG (Rd 3)
- 68,691 Hawthorn vs Essendon, MCG (Rd 1)
- 60,744 Collingwood vs Port Adelaide, MCG (Rd 2)
- 56,090 Fremantle vs West Coast Eagles, Optus Stadium (Rd 3)
- 55,861 Carlton vs Geelong Cats, MCG (Rd 2)
- 48,103 Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs, MCG (Rd 1)
- 44,649 West Coast Eagles vs GWS Giants, Optus Stadium (Rd 2)
The AFL also recently announced AFL Club membership surpassed one million members.
One in 25 Australians are AFL Club members with a current total of 1,002,635 members signed up to support their favourite Club.
More than three quarters of clubs are up on their 2022 member number, compared to the same time last year, with Richmond and West Coast leading the way on the membership tally.
The all-time industry membership record is 1,190,671, which was set in 2022.
