Geelong Football Club

History

Main article: History of the Geelong Football Club

The club was founded in 1859 in the city of Geelong, Australia, and is the second oldest AFL club. It is believed to be the fourth oldest football club in Australia and one of the oldest in the world and one of the most successful. Initially playing under its own rules, some of which, notably, were permanently introduced into Australian Football, it adopted the Laws of Australian Football in the early 1860s after a series of compromises with the Melbourne Football Club.

Geelong went on to play for most of its existence in the premier competitions, the first competition, the Caledonian Society Cup, a foundation club of both the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1877 and the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 1897., VFL and continues in the elite Australian Football League (AFL). The Cats have been the VFL/AFL premiers ten times, with four in the AFL era (since 1990) in 2007, 2009, 2011, and most recently, 2022, to be the third most successful club over that period behind Brisbane and Hawthorn. They have also won ten McClelland Trophies, the most of any AFL/VFL club.

Many of the club's official records before 1920 have disappeared.

Club identity and culture

Guernseys

Geelong's traditional navy blue and white hooped guernsey has been worn since the club's inception in the mid-1800s. The design is said to represent the white seagulls and blue water of Corio Bay.

The team has worn various away guernseys since 1998, all featuring the club's logo and traditional colours.

Nickname

Geelong has been nicknamed the Cats since 1923. Following a disappointing start to the season, the ''Melbourne Herald'''s sporting cartoonist, Samuel Garnet Wells, suggested that adopting a black cat as a mascot might bring the club good luck. A local entrepreneur seized on the idea, producing and selling badges featuring a black cat at games. Shortly afterward, Geelong won four consecutive games, cementing the cat in club folklore.

In earlier years, Geelong was often referred to as the Pivotonians, a name derived from the city's nickname, the Pivot. They were also called the Seagulls, in reference to Geelong's seaside location.

Songs

Geelong's official club song, "We Are Geelong", is set to the tune of "Toreador" from Carmen, with lyrics written by former premiership player John Watts. For many years only the first verse was performed at matches and following victories, however since the start of the 2025 season, the club has played both verses. The version currently used by the club was recorded by the Fable Singers in 1972. The lyrics are as follows:

: We are Geelong, the greatest team of all : We are Geelong; we're always on the ball : We play the game as it should be played : At home or far away : Our banners fly high, from dawn to dark : Down at Kardinia Park.

: So! Stand up and fight, remember our tradition : Stand up and fight, it's always our ambition : Throughout the game to fight with all our might : Because we're the mighty blue and white : And when the ball is bounced, to the final bell : Stand up and fight like hell!

In the 1980s and 1990s, Geelong experimented with alternative club songs, starting with Barry Crocker's "C'mon the Cats!" and followed by "Cat Attack", which the team ran out to during the 1992 Grand Final. However, these received a lukewarm response from fans at the time, and the club returned to its traditional anthem. In 2022, the club revived "Cat Attack" for Retro Round and has continued to play it following victories at Kardinia Park.

Stadium and training facilities

Geelong's administrative headquarters is its home stadium, GMHBA Stadium or also known as Kardinia Park. The club trains here during the season, however it also trains at its alternate training venue, the Deakin University Elite Sports Precinct. The latter features an MCG-sized oval and is used often by the club in the pre-season, when Kardinia Park is being used for other events.

Rivalries

Hawthorn

The rivalry between Hawthorn and Geelong is defined by two Grand Finals: those of 1989 and 2008. In the 1989 Grand Final, Geelong played the man, resulting in major injuries for several Hawks players, Mark Yeates knocking out Dermott Brereton at the opening bounce; Hawthorn controlled the game, leading by approximately 40 points for most of the match; in the last quarter, Geelong almost managed to come from behind to win, but fell short by six points. In the 2008 Grand Final, Geelong was the heavily backed favourite and had lost only one match for the season, but lost by 26 points; Geelong then won its next eleven matches against Hawthorn over the following five years, under a curse, which was dubbed the "Kennett curse" which was attributed to disrespectful comments made by Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett following the 2008 Grand Final. It was later revealed that after the 2008 grand final, Paul Chapman initiated a pact between other Geelong players to never lose to Hawthorn again. The curse was broken in a preliminary final in 2013, after Paul Chapman played his final match for Geelong the previous week. Hawthorn went on to win the next three premierships. In 2016 Geelong again defeated Hawthorn in the qualifying final. In twenty matches between the two sides between 2008 and 2017, twelve were decided by less than ten points, with Geelong victorious in eleven of those twelve matches.

Collingwood

In 1925, Geelong won their first flag over Collingwood. In 1930, Collingwood defeated Geelong in the grand final making it four flags in-a-row for the Pies. Geelong would later deny Collingwood three successive premierships in 1937, winning a famous grand final by 32 points.

The two sides played against each other in 6 finals between 1951 and 1955, including the 1952 Grand Final when Geelong easily beat Collingwood by 46 points. In 1953, Collingwood ended Geelong's record 23-game winning streak in the home and away season, and later defeated them by 12 points in the grand final, denying the Cats a third successive premiership.

Since 2007, the clubs have again both been at the top of the ladder and have met regularly in finals. Geelong won a memorable preliminary final by five points on their way to their first flag in 44 years. In 2008, Collingwood inflicted Geelong's only home-and-away loss, by a massive 86 points, but the teams did not meet in the finals. They would meet in preliminary finals in 2009 and 2010, each winning one en route to a premiership. They finally met again in a Grand Final in 2011, which Geelong won by 38 points; Geelong inflicted Collingwood's only three losses for the 2011 season.

Brisbane

In the 2020s, Geelong and Brisbane have played off against each other in 5 finals (2020 Preliminary final, 2022 Preliminary Final, 2024 Preliminary final, 2025 2nd Qualifying Final and 2025 Grand Final). The current record in this time frame stands at 3 wins for Geelong and Brisbane with 2 wins. This includes Brisbane's most recent premiership in 2025, beating Geelong by 47 points in what was a dominant fashion during the 2nd half of play in front of a crowd of 100,022 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Corporate

Sponsorship

At 100 years as of 2025, Geelong's sponsorship with the Ford Motor Company is one of the longest active sports sponsorship of any sports team in the world, with continuous sponsorship dating back to 1925. The sponsorship had previously been ratified as the longest in the world by the Guinness World Records, until a change in definitions.

In recent years Geelong-based retail company Cotton On Group has become synonymous with the club, with the company manufacturing on-field and other team merchandise since 2016.

AFL

AFL Women's

Supporter base

Players and staff

Current playing list and coaches

Officials

• President: Craig Drummond
• Vice President: Diana Taylor
• Chief Executive Officer: Steve Hocking

Club records

Premierships and awards

Win–loss record

: Statistics are correct to end of the 2025 season

Match records

Team of the Century

Reserves team

The Geelong reserves (also known as the Bendigo Bank Cats for sponsorship reasons) are the reserves side of the club, playing in the Victorian Football League.

History

Geelong's reserves side began competing in the Victorian Junior Football League, later known as the VFL/AFL reserves, in 1922. The team won thirteen premierships during that time (1923, 1924, 1930, 1937, 1938, 1948, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1975, 1980, 1981 and 1982), the most of any club.

Since the demise of the AFL reserves competition, the Geelong reserves have competed in the Victorian Football League. Unlike all other Victorian AFL clubs, Geelong has never operated in a reserves affiliation with an existing VFL club, having instead operated its stand-alone reserves team continuously. The team is composed of both reserves players from the club's primary and rookie AFL lists, and a separately maintained list of players eligible only for VFL matches. Home games are played at GMHBA Stadium, with some played as curtain-raisers to senior AFL matches.

The side is also known as the Bendigo Bank Cats, referring to the club's commercial partnership with Bendigo Bank.

Club honours

• Premierships (3): 2002, 2007, 2012
• Runners-ups (2): 2006, 2013
• Minor premierships (2): 2002, 2013
• Wooden spoons (1): 2005

Women's teams

In 2017, following the inaugural AFL Women's (AFLW) season, Geelong was among eight clubs that applied for licences to enter the competition from 2019 onwards. In September 2017, the club was announced as one of two clubs, along with , to receive a licence to join the competition in 2019. The club has also had a team in the second-tier VFL Women's league since 2017.

The club has qualified for the AFL Women's finals on three occasions, making it through the preliminary final in 2023 before losing to eventual premiers .

AFL Women's team

Match records

Win–loss record

: Statistics are correct to end of the 2025 season

Activism

Same-Sex Marriage

During the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, Geelong Football Club supported the Yes vote.

Voice to Parliament

Geelong Football Club was a supporter of the Voice to Parliament.

Notes

Footnotes

;References ;Bibliography

References

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46. Only one behind kicked in first quarter; aggregate of scoring shots lowest since 1953 and second lowest since [[1905 VFL Grand Final. 1905 Grand Final]]
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