Geelong Football Club, commonly referred to as Geelong Cats or simply Cats, is one of the most iconic and successful football clubs in Australia. Founded in 1859, it is the second oldest club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and the oldest in Victoria. The club is based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, and plays its home matches at the famous Kardinia Park, also known as GMHBA Stadium, which has a seating capacity of over 36,000.
Geelong Cats has a rich history, boasting 9 VFL/AFL premierships, 10 McClelland Trophies, and numerous other domestic and international accolades. The club enjoyed its most successful era under legendary coach Reg Hickey, who led Cats to two premierships in the 1950s. More recent successes have been achieved under coach Chris Scott, with a premiership in 2011.
Known for its attacking style of play, the club has nurtured some of football’s greatest talents, including Graham 'Polly' Farmer, Gary Ablett Sr., Jimmy Bartel, and Patrick Dangerfield. Despite recent challenges and inconsistent performances, Geelong Cats remains one of Australia’s most valuable football clubs, with a large fan base and a rich tradition that continues to influence Australian Rules Football.
Geelong Football Club is one of the most popular Australian rules football clubs in Australia, with one of the highest average home attendances in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club states that its nationwide fan base includes more than 200 officially recognised branches of the Geelong Football Club Supporters (GFCS), in at least 24 regions. The club takes advantage of this support through its nationwide preseason tours. Sports industry consultants Deloitte estimate that Geelong Football Club has millions of fans nationwide. The club has a significant social media following in Australia among sports teams, with over a million Facebook followers as of July 2023. A 2014 study showed that Geelong Football Club had the loudest fans in the AFL.
Geelong Football Club was formed in 1859 and is the second oldest club in the AFL. The team initially played games against other clubs in the Victoria region, but on 7 June 1859, they competed in their first recorded match; wearing the colours of the club—blue and white—they were defeated by Melbourne Football Club.
In 1932, the club appointed Reg Hickey as a coach, who demanded an unprecedented level of control over team selection, player transfers, and training sessions. Hickey led the team to league premierships in 1937 and 1951, and to a Brownlow medal victory by Bernie Smith in 1951. In 1952, the club made it to the Grand Final, their first for a decade.
On 8 October 2007, Mark Thompson led the club to its first premiership in 44 years. He stepped down as coach at the end of the 2010 AFL season, but would remain at the club as a director and club ambassador. He left as the most decorated coach in Geelong's history. The club announced the next day that Chris Scott, formerly of Brisbane Lions, would replace him from 1 November, having signed a three-year contract. Joel Selwood took over as captain in 2012, leading the club to another premiership in 2011, and continues to be a key player for the club today.
Originally funded by the Victorian Football Association, Geelong Football Club became a limited company in 1897 and sold shares to local supporters for £1 via an application form. In 1908, majority ownership passed to four local businessmen who invested £500 to save the club from bankruptcy, including future club president Charles Brownlow. After his death in 1924, the club faced bankruptcy yet again but was saved in December 1929 by James McMahon, who assumed control of the club after an investment of £2,000. McMahon promoted his son, Alan, to the board in 1948, but died three years later; the McMahon family retained ownership of the club through James's wife, Lillian, but the position of chairman passed to former player Reg Hickey.
Promoted to the board a few days after the Kardinia Park redevelopment, Frank Costa, a friend of Mark Thompson, began acquiring shares in the club; for an investment of approximately £40,000, he accumulated a 54 per cent shareholding and took control in January 1999. When Lillian McMahon died in January 2006, her shares passed to Alan McMahon, who sold a percentage of his shares to Frank Costa's son, Anthony, in 2007; Anthony Costa went on to become chairman upon his father's death in 2010. Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch attempted to buy the club in 2011, but did not meet Costa's asking price. In 2016, chairman Anthony Costa attempted to sell the club to James Brayshaw for £20 million, but the sale fell through and Brayshaw joined the board of directors instead.
Geelong Football Club, also known as the Cats, is one of the most successful clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL) in terms of premierships won. The club's first premiership was in 1898 and since then, they have gone on to win 9 more, making a total of 10 premierships. These victories have solidified the Cats' reputation as a dominant force in the AFL, with their most recent premiership win in 2011.
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History of Geelong Football Club: A detailed look at the rich history, significant milestones, and notable personalities of the Geelong Football Club, one of Australia's most iconic and successful football clubs. https://www.geelongcats.com.au/club/history
Geelong Football Club's Fan Base: An analysis of the club's nationwide fan base, including the Geelong Football Club Supporters (GFCS), and its impact on the club's success and influence in Australian Rules Football. https://www.afl.com.au/clubs/geelong-cats
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