Mention Collingwood at an AFL gathering, and you can almost guarantee a strong reaction. Some fans proudly wear black and white, while others seem to enjoy nothing more than watching the Pies lose. Yet behind all that rivalry sits an enormous supporter base. Collingwood finished 2025 with a record 112,491 members, the highest tally ever recorded by the club. So, how can a club attract so much love and so much dislike at exactly the same time?
1) Being Big Makes You An Easy Target
Collingwood has been one of Australian football’s most recognisable clubs for generations, and that visibility brings attention everywhere. When your club has a huge following, famous rivalries and plenty of media coverage, people outside the supporter base naturally notice you more. And honestly, the bigger the club, the bigger the target on its back.
2) Rival Fans Need Someone To Cheer Against
Football is more fun when there is someone you desperately want your team to beat. Collingwood has become that team for plenty of opposition supporters. Their history, strong Victorian rivalries and regular appearances in important matches have given rival fans plenty of reasons to celebrate a Magpies defeat. For anyone following AFL betting tips, those emotionally charged matchups can make game day even more interesting.
3) The Magpie Army Does Not Do Quiet
Now comes the fun part. The same passion that annoys rival supporters is exactly what makes Collingwood so powerful. Members keep turning up, travelling, watching and backing the club through good seasons and bad ones. In 2025, the Magpie Army reached that remarkable 112,491-member record, the third consecutive year the club set a membership record.
4) Big Crowds Create A Bigger Presence
There is also something about seeing thousands of black-and-white scarves around the MCG. Collingwood’s support is not just a number sitting on a membership report; it creates a visible match-day presence. In 2025, the club recorded 805,250 home-game attendances, including an average of 75,178 at the MCG, which Collingwood reported as an all-time league record. That presence keeps the Magpies at the centre of AFL conversations.
5) Love And Hate Actually Feed Each Other
Perhaps the biggest secret is that love and hate are not opposites in football. They can grow together. A passionate Collingwood supporter cares deeply about every result, while a rival fan may care just as much about stopping them. That emotional investment keeps people watching, talking and arguing, which is exactly what makes football special. It also makes Sports Betting Tips and AFL betting tips discussions more lively when the Magpies are involved.
In Conclusion
So, is Collingwood officially Australia’s most hated AFL team? There is no official league table for that! But their reputation for attracting rival dislike is certainly part of their identity. At the same time, their record 112,491 members in 2025 shows just how fiercely their own supporters stand behind them. Perhaps that is the real Collingwood story: you do not have to make everyone love you to become impossible to ignore.
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