Collingwood leads the competition as the most followed club in the AFL, ranking first among the four key platforms – Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and TikTok.

The Pies boast nearly 1.4 million followers across the quartet of sites, with the next best in Hawthorn recording 1.15 million.

Understandably, the newer clubs, GWS and Gold Coast, are listed toward the bottom of the social media ladder due to their lack of fan base.

The Giants have taken a lead over their counterpart largely thanks to social media wiz Jacob Gaynor, who is the head of content at the club. As a result, the incoming AFL side, Tasmania Devils, has enlisted Gaynor’s help from 2026 onwards, as they work toward their inception.

Along with Collingwood, fellow Victorian powerhouses Essendon, Richmond and Carlton rank the next best, while Geelong follows suit.

Sydney is the most followed non-Victorian club in the AFL, displaying 826,700 across all four channels.

The most popular AFL clubs, according to the social media channels

 
X (formerly Twitter)
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
Total

AFL
908,400
1,400,000
658,100
1,500,000
4,466,500

Collingwood
161,500
436,000
348,600
441,000
1,387,100

Hawthorn
105,300
333,000
332,800
383,000
1,154,100

Essendon
143,800
278,000
168,800
362,000
952,600

Richmond
113,000
324,000
193,500
316,000
946,500

Carlton
129,000
312,000
127,400
326,000
894,400

Geelong
95,700
273,000
248,400
265,000
882,100

Adelaide
160,100
216,000
149,000
306,000
831,100

Sydney
104,600
260,000
177,100
285,000
826,700

Brisbane
101,100
274,000
158,600
268,000
801,700

West Coast
102,400
273,000
71,800
343,000
790,200

St Kilda
88,500
166,000
231,400
214,000
699,900

Western Bulldogs
74,800
212,000
143,600
222,000
652,400

Fremantle
91,900
201,000
93,200
251,000
637,100

Port Adelaide
112,600
177,000
97,000
222,000
608,600

Melbourne
73,400
156,000
108,400
199,000
536,800

GWS
70,500
172,000
117,300
162,000
521,800

North Melbourne
78,600
149,000
98,800
166,000
492,400

Gold Coast
61,900
138,000
87,400
132,000
419,300

Correct as of October 30, 2025.

Not surprisingly, the social media following almost identically reflects the membership ladder in 2025.

 
CLUB
TOTAL

1
Collingwood*
112,491

2
West Coast*
107,079

3
Carlton
100,743

4
Richmond
92,531

5
Geelong*
92,379

6
Hawthorn*
87,204

7
Essendon
85,568

8
Adelaide*
81,067

9
Sydney*
76,674

10
Brisbane*
75,115

11
Port Adelaide*
72,656

12
Fremantle*
66,179

13
Western Bulldogs*
65,584

14
St Kilda*
65,509

15
Melbourne
58,563

16
North Melbourne*
56,283

17
GWS GIANTS*
37,705

18
Gold Coast SUNS*
30,107

* Club Membership Record in 2025

 

As for the Devils, they have built a strong following on Instagram, gaining 95,800 fans, while also finding their feet on X with 8,000 enthusiasts.

However, they boast over 200,000 paying members as they continue to funnel much-needed funds into the club, albeit for a small membership fee.