Right here’s a fact bomb for all of these AFL supporters on the market who perennially complain about Collingwood taking part in most of their video games on the MCG.

Soccer is a enterprise. The aim of operating a enterprise is primarily to earn cash. The Collingwood Soccer Membership makes cash. A number of cash.

And so they make numerous cash to your membership.

Why? As a result of they perennially have, and can proceed to have the biggest supporter base. And that supporter base is in all places.

Positive, infrequently particular person golf equipment will prime the Magpies’ annual membership numbers, and now have increased common crowds, however the Pies are all the time very excessive in each these counts even when their outcomes are poor. In 2021 they ‘solely’ had 82,527 monetary members, however nonetheless boasted the second-highest common crowds within the AFL that yr, all whereas ending seventeenth.

Even when issues aren’t rosy on the sphere the followers nonetheless flip up in big numbers.

Quick ahead to final season, and Collingwood boasted the biggest membership within the AFL with 110,628 and the very best common crowds, at a princely 59,435. That’s 6000 extra that Marvel Stadium can match. That’s 19,435 greater than GMHBA Stadium in Geelong can match.

What stadiums in Australia can match a crowd of 59,435? There are three:

1. The Melbourne Cricket Floor 100,000
2. Accor Stadium Sydney 82,500
3. Optus Stadium Perth 61,266

That’s it.

Now, simply say – for instance – that you’re Geelong and you’ve got a house recreation scheduled towards Collingwood. You might have 90,000+ members and Collingwood have 110,000+ members. That is 160,000 extra members than capability at GMHBA Stadium.

Even assuming that fifty per cent of those members aren’t within the larger Geelong/Melbourne space, it’s nonetheless 60,000 greater than your stadium can match.

Additionally assuming that these 60,000 followers are made up completely of neat household of 4 models (two adults, two youngsters) and would pay the minimal $80 to get all of them in, that’s a possible $1,200,000 in cash from ticket gross sales you’d be throwing away should you selected to play the sport the place the flags are flying excessive from daybreak to darkish.

In Spherical 8, 82,514 followers turned as much as the MCG – once more, the one floor in Australia that might match that quantity – to see the Cats down the Pies in a basic by three factors. That’s 42,514 greater than may match at GMHBA Stadium – or a minimal $850,280 that wouldn’t have been taken in entry charges had the sport been performed in Geelong.

(Sure, I do know it was a Collingwood house recreation. It’s an instance.)

Keep in mind, that’s even assuming all these followers are available on the very least expensive tickets – which everyone knows they will’t and gained’t.

Any membership CEO or Chief Monetary Officer who pigheadedly didn’t do all they might to get that cash into their coffers can be a) a complete moron, and b) rapidly faraway from the job.

In Spherical 2 this yr, the Western Bulldogs elected to play their Centenary celebration recreation towards Collingwood on the MCG, as a substitute of Marvel Stadium with its 53,000 capability. Their reward for utilizing the larger venue, and capitalising on the Magpies’ big supporter base, was a crowd of 78,026, with a minimal windfall to the Bulldogs of $500,000.

But even with this clear-cut monetary crucial for AFL golf equipment to capitalise on taking part in the Magpies, we nonetheless recurrently get individuals whingeing about, say, how few grounds Scott Pendlebury has performed on compared to different gamers.

Have at it, if you would like – Melbourne, take your private home recreation towards the Pies to Traeger Park in Alice Springs. Go forward, Gold Coast, transfer your private home recreation towards Collingwood to TIO Stadium in Darwin. Completely, GWS , you’ll be able to play the Pies at Manuka Oval in Canberra. No worries Hawthorn, tackle the black and white in Launceston; North Melbourne, you’ll be able to play them in Hobart.

Surrender all of the money you’ll have made to be sure that Pendlebury has to play at numerous completely different grounds. Who cares that you really want that cash to function? Let’s drag Collingwood throughout regional Australia as a result of you’ll be able to.

That’ll present ‘em!

One other truth that could be misplaced on some is that the MCG is the Magpies’ house floor. 9 of their house video games are performed there in 2025, with two at Marvel Stadium (compelled by the AFL).

Nonetheless, 4 of their opponents even have the MCG as their house floor: the Demons, Carlton, Richmond and the Hawks. Together with that away recreation towards the Bulldogs, they play a further 5 ‘away’ video games on the MCG.

That’s simply the fact of the AFL. It isn’t a conspiracy hatched by Collingwood in collusion with the AFL to screw over all the opposite golf equipment.

And what of the opposite golf equipment who name the MCG house? What number of video games do they play on the MCG in 2025?

• Hawthorn – 10 (take 4 house video games to Tasmania and 1 to Marvel Stadium)
• Carlton – 11 (take 5 house video games to Marvel Stadium)
• Melbourne – 12 (promote a house recreation to the NT)
• Richmond – 13 (the identical as Collingwood minus the Bulldogs Centenary recreation)

These 4 golf equipment may truly be taking part in the identical variety of video games on the MCG in 2025 because the Magpies. All besides the Tigers select to not. That’s under no circumstances Collingwood’s fault.

In the meantime, Essendon break up their house video games between Marvel Stadium and the MCG, with their matches towards well-supported Melbourne golf equipment all the time held on the ‘G.

As for the allegation that Collingwood travels lower than all different golf equipment, it should be said that the burden of journey within the AFL rests closely on the edges not within the larger Melbourne space (this contains Geelong).

There isn’t any query GWS, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Port Adelaide and particularly West Coast and Fremantle get the tough finish of the pineapple in terms of journey. One of many true inequities of the AFL competitors is that 10 of 18 sides are based mostly within the larger Melbourne space, leaving eight sides that recurrently need to think about lengthy flights and journey time.

All these sides have each proper to complain in regards to the journey unfairness of the draw.

Nonetheless, a correct examination of the fixture exhibits that various Melbourne golf equipment have precisely the identical journey burden because the Pies, and most who’ve worse have chosen to take video games elsewhere:

• Carlton – 6 matches exterior the larger Melbourne space
• Collingwood – 6 matches exterior the larger Melbourne space
• Essendon – 6 matches exterior larger Melbourne space
• Geelong – 6 matches exterior larger Melbourne space
• Richmond – 6 matches exterior larger Melbourne space
• Melbourne – 7 matches exterior larger Melbourne space (together with house recreation taken to NT)
• Western Bulldogs 7 matches exterior larger Melbourne space (together with 1 house recreation taken to Ballarat)
• St Kilda – 7 matches exterior larger Melbourne space
• Hawthorn – 10 matches exterior larger Melbourne space (together with 4 video games offered to Tasmania)
• North Melbourne – 10 matches exterior larger Melbourne space (together with 2 house video games taken to Hobart, 2 house video games taken to WA, and a Hawks house recreation in TAS)

The upshot of that is that St Kilda, with seven video games away from Melbourne, even have the worst journey burden not of their very own making. The opposite eight both have six – the identical as Collingwood – or would have had six in the event that they didn’t select to take matches elsewhere. The Roos may even have had simply 5 interstate journeys this yr.

So once we see nameless employees writers on the AFL’s personal web site saying issues like this, in response to Alastair Clarkson’s grievance in regards to the Roos’ fixture being harder than the Pies’ on the journey entrance:

“It’s in stark distinction to Collingwood; 14 of the Magpies’ 23 video games this season are on the MCG, they usually solely have six interstate video games – certainly one of which was for Collect Spherical.”

… simply know the reality is that Collingwood is being unfairly singled out from a bunch of six larger Melbourne sides whose attracts are nearly an identical.

Perhaps the Pies are singled out as a result of attacking them generates extra clicks and feedback than figuring out the others benefitting equally.

Is it potential that Collingwood are low-hanging fruit for footy media in terms of guaranteeing readership and engagement, as there are such a lot of punters prepared to pile on something that assaults the Magpies, in addition to multitudes who’ll leap to their defence?

I’ll allow you to be the choose.

However I actually tire of listening to “Collingwood don’t journey”, or “Collingwood solely play on the MCG”, or particularly “Collingwood will get particular remedy.”

It’s bollocks.

The fact is Collingwood journey simply as a lot as all the opposite Melbourne sides are made to, they usually solely play extra on the MCG as a result of the opposite tenants select to take their house matches elsewhere – however by no means their video games towards the Magpies.

Why? As a result of these sides aren’t silly. They wish to make the cash that comes when the mighty black and white military flip up.

(Writer’s Word: Tim Gore is a Collingwood member and lifelong supporter. However that doesn’t imply he’s fallacious.)