Geelong Football Club
Names
Full name	Geelong Football Club Limited[1]
Nickname	Cats
Former nickname(s)	Pivotonians, Seagulls
2025 season
After finals	Runners-up
Home-and-away season	2nd
Leading goalkicker	Jeremy Cameron (88 goals)
Carji Greeves Medal	Max Holmes
Club details
Founded	18 July 1859; 166 years ago (18 July 1859)
Colours	Navy blue, white
Competition	AFL: Senior men AFLW: Senior women (national level) VFL: Reserves men VFLW: Senior women (state level)
President	Grant McCabe
CEO	Steve Hocking
Coach	AFL:Chris Scott AFLW:Daniel Lowther VFL: Mark Corrigan VFLW: Taylah Hassett
Captain(s)	AFL:Patrick Dangerfield AFLW:Meg McDonald VFL: Dan Capiron VFLW: Mel Staunton
Premierships	VFL/AFL (10) 1925 1931 1937 1951 1952 1963 2007 2009 2011 2022 VFA (7) 1878 1879 1880 1882 1883 1884 1886 Reserves/VFL (16) 1923 1924 1930,1937 1938 1948 1960 1963 1964 1975 1980 1981 1982 2002 2007 2012
Grounds	GMHBA Stadium[a] (capacity: 40,000)
	Melbourne Cricket Ground[b] (capacity: 100,024)
Former ground	Corio Oval (1878-1940)
Training ground	Deakin University Elite Sports Precinct GMHBA Stadium
Uniforms
Home Away
Other information
Official website	www.geelongcats.com.au
Current season

TheGeelong Football Club, nicknamed theCats, is a professionalAustralian rules football club based inGeelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in theAustralian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. The club formed on 13 April 1859, making it thesecond-oldest AFL side afterMelbourne and one of theoldest football clubs in the world.^[2]

In the 1860s, Geelong participated in a series ofChallenge Cup competitions, and was a foundation member of both theVictorian Football Association (VFA) in 1877 and theVictorian Football League (VFL) in 1897, now the national AFL.^[3] The club won the Western District Challenge Cup in 1875, a then-record seven VFA premierships between 1878 and 1886, and six VFL premierships by 1963, after which it experienced a 44-year waiting period until it won its next premiership, a grand final record 119-point victory in2007.^[4][5][6] Geelong won a further three premierships in2009,2011 and2022. The Cats have fierce competitive rivalries withHawthorn andCollingwood.

Geelong play most of their home games atKardinia Park inSouth Geelong (nicknamed the Cattery and known for sponsorship reasons as GMHBA Stadium) and play the remainder at theMelbourne Cricket Ground. Geelong's traditionalguernsey colours are white with navy blue hoops. The club's nickname was first used in 1923 after a run of losses prompted a local cartoonist to suggest that the club needed ablack cat to bring it good luck. The club's official team song and anthem is "We Are Geelong".

Geelong also fields areserves men's team in theVictorian Football League (VFL), asenior women's team in theAFL Women's (AFLW) and areserves women's team in theVFL Women's (VFLW) competitions.

The club was founded in 1859 in the city ofGeelong, Australia, and is the second oldest AFL club. It is believed to be the fourtholdest football club in Australia and one of the oldest in the world and one of the most successful.^[2] Initially playing under its own rules, some of which, notably, were permanently introduced intoAustralian Football, it adopted theLaws 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 theVictorian Football Association (VFA) in 1877 and theVictorian Football League (VFL) in 1897.,^[3] VFL and continues in the eliteAustralian Football League (AFL). The Cats have been theVFL/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 tenMcClelland Trophies, the most of any AFL/VFL club.^[2][7]

Many of the club's official records before 1920 have disappeared.^[8]

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 ofCorio Bay.^[9]

The team has worn various away guernseys since 1998, all featuring the club's logo and traditional colours.^[10]

Geelong has been nicknamed the Cats since 1923. Following a disappointing start to the season, theMelbourne Herald's sporting cartoonist,Samuel Garnet Wells, suggested that adopting ablack 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.^[11]

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.^[12]

Geelong's officialclub song, "We Are Geelong", is set to the tune of "Toreador" fromCarmen, with lyrics written by former premiership playerJohn 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.^[13] 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 withBarry Crocker's "C'mon the Cats!" and followed by "Cat Attack", which the team ran out to during the1992 Grand Final. However, these received a lukewarm response from fans at the time, and the club returned to its traditional anthem.^[14][15] In 2022, the club revived "Cat Attack" for Retro Round and has continued to play it following victories at Kardinia Park.

Geelong's administrative headquarters is its home stadium,GMHBA Stadium or also known asKardinia Park. The club trains here during the season, however it also trains at its alternate training venue, theDeakin University Elite Sports Precinct. The latter features anMCG-sized oval and is used often by the club in the pre-season, whenKardinia Park is being used for other events.^[16]

The rivalry between Hawthorn and Geelong is defined by two Grand Finals: those of 1989 and 2008. In the1989 Grand Final, Geelong played the man, resulting in major injuries for several Hawks players,Mark Yeates knocking outDermott 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 the2008 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 presidentJeff 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.^[17]

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 oneen 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.^[18]

In the 2020s,Geelong andBrisbane 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 theMelbourne Cricket Ground.^[19]

At 100 years as of 2025, Geelong's sponsorship with theFord 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 theGuinness World Records,^[20] until a change in definitions.

In recent years Geelong-based retail companyCotton On Group has become synonymous with the club, with the company manufacturing on-field and other team merchandise since 2016.^[21]

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

Awarded to the "best and fairest" player during the AFL's home-and-away season, theBrownlow Medal, football's most prestigious award, is named after Geelong player and administratorCharles "Chas" Brownlow.

Geelong footballerEdward "Carji" Greeves, winner of the inaugural Brownlow Medal in 1924, and namesake of theCarji Greeves Medal, awarded to Geelong's best and fairest player of the season

Statistics are correct to end of the 2025 season^[42]

TheGeelong reserves (also known as theBendigo Bank Cats for sponsorship reasons) are the reserves side of the club, playing in theVictorian Football League.

Geelong's reserves side began competing in theVictorian Junior Football League, later known as theVFL/AFL reserves, in1922. 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 theVictorian Football League. Unlike all other Victorian AFL clubs, Geelong has never operated in areserves 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 atGMHBA 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 withBendigo Bank.^[50]

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

In 2017, following the inauguralAFL Women's (AFLW) season, Geelong was among eight clubs that applied for licences to enter the competition from 2019 onwards.^[51] In September 2017, the club was announced as one of two clubs, along withNorth Melbourne, to receive a licence to join the competition in 2019.^[52] The club has also had a team in the second-tierVFL Women's league since 2017.

The club has qualified for the AFL Women's finals on three occasions, making it through the preliminary final in2023 before losing to eventual premiersBrisbane.

Statistics are correct to end of the 2025 season^[58]

During theAustralian Marriage Law Postal Survey, Geelong Football Club supported the Yes vote.^[59]

Geelong Football Club was a supporter of theVoice to Parliament.^[60]

• Sport in Australia
• Sport in Victoria
• List of Geelong Football Club players,captains andcoaches
• 1963 Miracle Match

References

Bibliography

• Michael Lovett, ed. (2010).AFL Record Season Guide. Geoff Slattery Media Group.ISBN 978-0-9806274-5-9.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toGeelong Football Club.

• Official website of the Geelong Football Club
• Official AFL website
• Geelong Football Club Honour Roll – list of all Presidents, captains, coaches and Best & Fairest winners since 1879.
• Geelong Cats results - Latest scores for Geelong Football Club

• Geelong Football Club
• Australian rules football clubs established in 1859
• Australian Football League clubs
• AFL Women's clubs
• Australian rules football clubs in Geelong
• 1859 establishments in Australia
• Former Victorian Football League clubs

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