Adelaide Football Club facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Adelaide Football Club |
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| Names | ||||
| Full name | Adelaide Football Club Limited, trading as Adelaide Crows | |||
| Nickname(s) | Crows The Crom Indigenous rounds: Kuwarna |
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| Motto | We Fly As One Made From South Australia |
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| 2024 season | ||||
| After finals | 15th (AFL) 6th (SANFL) 3rd (AFLW) |
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| Home-and-away season | 15th (AFL) 6th (SANFL) 4th (AFLW) |
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| Leading goalkicker | Darcy Fogarty (41) (AFL) Lachlan Gollant (29) (SANFL) Caitlin Gould (20) (AFLW) |
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| Best and fairest | Ben Keays, Jordan Dawson (AFL) Kieran Strachan (SANFL) Ebony Marinoff (AFLW) |
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| Club details | ||||
| Founded | 12 September 1990 | |||
| Colours | Navy blue, red, gold |
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| Competition | AFL: Senior men AFLW: Senior women SANFL: Reserves men |
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| Chairman | John Olsen | |||
| CEO | Tim Silvers | |||
| Coach | AFL: Matthew Nicks AFLW: Matthew Clarke SANFL: Matthew Wright |
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| Captain(s) | AFL: Jordan Dawson AFLW: Ebony Marinoff & Sarah Allan SANFL: Jack Madgen |
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| Premierships | AFL (2)
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| Ground(s) | AFL: Adelaide Oval (53,500) AFLW: Norwood Oval (10,000) Unley Oval (10,000) |
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| Former ground(s) | Football Park (1991–2013) | |||
| Training ground(s) | Football Park Thebarton Oval (future) |
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| Uniforms | ||||
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| Other information | ||||
| Official website | afc.com.au | |||
Current seasonThe Adelaide Football Club, often called the Crows, is a professional Australian rules football club. It is based in Adelaide, South Australia, and was started in 1990.
The Crows have a men's team that has played in the Australian Football League (AFL) since 1991. They also have a women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition since 2017. The club's offices and training areas are in West Lakes, where their old home ground, Football Park, used to be. Since 2014, the Crows play their home games at Adelaide Oval, a large stadium in North Adelaide.
The Crows were first created to represent South Australia in the AFL. They were owned by the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) until 2014, when they became independent. The men's team won two grand finals in a row, in 1997 and 1998. They have played in the finals 15 times in their 33-year history. The Adelaide Crows are the most successful team in the AFL Women's competition. They have won three premierships: in 2017, 2019, and 2022 (S6). The club also has a reserves team that plays in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).
The men's team is currently coached by Matthew Nicks and captained by Jordan Dawson.
Contents
Club History
Starting the Club: 1990s Success
In 1990, the AFL wanted a South Australian team to join its league. After some discussions, the Adelaide Crows were formed as a new club. They played their first AFL season in 1991.
Their first coach was Graham Cornes and their first captain was Chris McDermott. The Crows finished 9th out of 15 teams in their first year, which was a great start for a new club. Their very first AFL game was against Hawthorn on March 22, 1991, at Football Park. The Crows won that game by a huge 86 points!
In 1993 AFL season, the club reached its first finals series, but lost in the preliminary final.
Winning Back-to-Back Premierships: 1997 and 1998
The year 1997 was special because another South Australian team, Port Adelaide, joined the AFL. The Crows finished fourth and made it to the finals. They won their first final at Football Park against West Coast.
Then, they had a tough preliminary final against Western Bulldogs at the MCG. Even though their star player Tony Modra got injured early, and they were losing by 31 points at half-time, the Crows fought back. They kicked four goals without reply in the last quarter to win by just two points! This amazing win sent them to their first AFL Grand Final.
In the 1997 AFL Grand Final, the Crows played against St Kilda. St Kilda was expected to win, but Adelaide surprised everyone. They were behind at half-time again, but kicked 14 goals in the second half to win by 31 points. Darren Jarman kicked six goals, and Shane Ellen kicked five. Andrew McLeod was named the best player on the field, winning the Norm Smith Medal. This win was a huge moment for South Australian sports.
Many people didn't think the Crows could win again in 1998 AFL season. They finished fifth on the ladder. After losing their first final, they bounced back with a big win against the Sydney Swans. This led to another preliminary final against the Western Bulldogs. This time, the Crows easily beat the Bulldogs by 68 points. Matthew Robran kicked six goals, and Andrew McLeod kicked seven.
In the 1998 AFL Grand Final, Adelaide was again the underdog, playing against North Melbourne. North Melbourne was leading by 24 points at half-time. But just like the year before, Adelaide dominated the second half. They won by 35 points, becoming the only club in the 1990s to win back-to-back AFL premierships. Darren Jarman kicked five goals, and Andrew McLeod won his second Norm Smith Medal in a row, which was a first! After a tough 1999 AFL season, coach Malcolm Blight left, but the Crows had two premierships to celebrate.
2000s: Finals and Close Calls
The Crows made the finals again in 2001 AFL season, but lost their first game. In 2002 AFL season, they had a great year, winning 15 games. However, they lost to Collingwood in the preliminary final. Ben Hart and Mark Ricciuto were named All-Australians that year.
In 2003 AFL season, the Crows won the pre-season competition, their first win in that event. Their season ended in the semi-finals against Brisbane Lions. That year, Adelaide captain Mark Ricciuto became the first and only Crow to win the Brownlow Medal, which is given to the best and fairest player in the AFL.
The Crows returned to the finals in 2005 AFL season and had a famous win against their rivals Port Adelaide in the semi-finals. But they lost in the preliminary final to the West Coast Eagles. This happened again in 2006 AFL season, when they lost to West Coast in the preliminary final by just 10 points.
Adelaide continued to reach the finals for the rest of the 2000s, but they were knocked out in the elimination or semi-finals each time. Collingwood often stopped their finals run in 2008 AFL season and 2009 AFL season.
2010s: Changes and Challenges
Before the 2010 AFL season, the Crows changed their logo. They had a very bad start to the 2010 season, losing their first six games. They improved later in the year, finishing 11th. Many long-time players like Andrew McLeod and Simon Goodwin retired, and Nathan Bock left the club. This led to a very tough 2011 AFL season, their worst season at that time. Coach Neil Craig stepped down, and Mark Bickley took over as caretaker coach.
In 2012 AFL season, new coach Brenton Sanderson led the Crows to a pre-season premiership. They had a great regular season, finishing 2nd. However, they lost a close preliminary final to Hawthorn by five points. The Crows then missed the finals in 2013 AFL season and 2014 AFL season, which led to Sanderson being replaced. In 2014, the club moved its home games to the new Adelaide Oval.
Challenges in 2012 and 2014
At the end of 2012, it was found that Adelaide had broken some rules about player payments and drafting. As a result, the club was fined and not allowed to pick players in the first two rounds of the 2012 and 2013 drafts.
In March 2014, before the new season started, assistant coach Dean Bailey sadly passed away after a short illness. Also, the SANFL officially transferred ownership of the Crows' licence to the club. This meant the Adelaide Football Club gained full control of its own operations for the first time.
A Sad Loss: 2015
The 2015 AFL season started well for the Crows under their new coach, Phil Walsh. The team was improving quickly.
Tragically, on July 3, 2015, coach Phil Walsh died at his home. This sad event led to a huge outpouring of support from fans and the wider AFL community. The game scheduled for that weekend was cancelled, and both teams received points.
Assistant coach Scott Camporeale became the interim coach for the rest of the season, with former premiership coach John Worsfold joining to help. The team showed amazing spirit, winning six of their next seven games and making the finals. They won a thrilling elimination final against the Western Bulldogs, but their season ended the next week against Hawthorn.
Don Pyke Era: 2016–2019
After star player Patrick Dangerfield left, Don Pyke became the new senior coach. Many thought the Crows would struggle in 2016, but they surprised everyone by making the finals. They beat North Melbourne in an elimination final but lost to Sydney in the semi-finals.
The club had a fantastic 2017 season, winning their first six games and staying at the top of the ladder. They won the McClelland Trophy as the best team in the regular season. The Crows were favourites to win the premiership and easily won their finals games against Greater Western Sydney and Geelong. However, in the 2017 AFL Grand Final, they lost to Richmond by 48 points, finishing as runners-up for the first time.
The Crows struggled in 2018. A controversial pre-season camp affected team morale. Many key players were injured, and the team finished 12th, missing the finals. A positive note was Rory Sloane signing a long-term contract, choosing to stay with the club.
In 2019, despite high hopes, the club finished 11th and missed the finals again. There were many discussions in the media about the team's performance and future. Co-captain Taylor Walker stepped down from his role, and a week later, coach Don Pyke also resigned.
2018 Pre-season Camp
The 2018 Adelaide Crows pre-season camp was held from January 29 to February 2, 2018. It was a summer camp for the players before the 2018 AFL season. Later, details about the camp were shared by players like Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins. These details led to many questions about what had happened at the camp and its impact on the players.
Matthew Nicks Era: 2020–Present
COVID-Affected Seasons: 2020–2021
Matthew Nicks became Adelaide's senior coach on October 15, 2019. In the coronavirus-affected 2020 AFL season, the Crows lost their first 13 games and finished last for the first time in club history. However, they ended the season with some hope, winning their last three matches. This meant they got the highest draft pick in their history, which they used to pick Riley Thilthorpe.
The Crows started the 2021 AFL season well, beating Geelong in an upset. They improved slightly from 2020. During this time, Taylor Walker was suspended for six games due to racist comments made during a SANFL match. After wanting to return to South Australia, Jordan Dawson joined Adelaide from Sydney. This trade was very important for the Crows' improvement in 2022.
Post-COVID Era: 2022–Present
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In 2022 AFL season, the Crows played in the first-ever Friday night Showdown in Round 3. They won with a kick after the siren from new player Jordan Dawson, who was named best on ground. Captain Rory Sloane suffered a serious knee injury in Round 5. Other players like Reilly O'Brien, Ben Keays, Brodie Smith, and Tom Doedee shared the captaincy for the rest of the season. Adelaide also traded for Izak Rankine.
In 2023, the Crows were a main team in the first-ever Gather Round, where they showed great form and beat several top teams. Some controversial moments, like a disallowed goal in Round 23, cost the Crows a spot in the finals. They finished 10th, their best position since 2017, thanks in part to the leadership of their new captain Jordan Dawson. The 2024 season was disappointing, with the team finishing 15th.
Club Symbols
Club Guernsey (Jumper)
Adelaide has three main guernsey (jumper) designs that they wear during the season. Their current supplier is the Irish company O'Neills.
Current Designs
The home guernsey has navy blue, red, and gold hoops. It is worn for all home games and some away games. It is usually worn with navy shorts, but with white shorts for away Showdown matches. This design has stayed mostly the same since 1991, with only small changes over the years. The main idea of the design has never changed in the club's history.
Adelaide's clash guernseys are used when their home guernsey would look too similar to the other team's. The 2025 clash guernsey is mostly red with yellow and blue stripes across the middle. It is worn with white shorts and features the club's new logo.
The club's Indigenous guernsey has a different design each year since 2013. These designs often feature art by Indigenous artists and past players. The 2023 design was the first to be worn by both the men's and women's teams. The most recent design, revealed in March 2024, was created by Izak Rankine and his cousin Harley Hall.
In 2024, the club wore its first special ANZAC guernsey. It has chevron shapes and a soldier with a bugle. This design is different from their usual hoops and includes a gradient. The guernsey was worn in Round 7 against North Melbourne. Money from auctioned player-worn guernseys goes to the RSL.
Past Designs
In earlier seasons, the Crows had different versions of their alternate guernseys.
They briefly used a special design in pre-season games that had the club logo big on the front. This design later inspired some of their clash guernseys.
The away guernsey was meant for all away games, except finals. Its design changed several times since 1999. From 2006, it became more like the home guernsey. Its use became less common after the "clash" guernsey was introduced. In 2008, a new away guernsey was brought in with more red and yellow, featuring a flying crow.
The clash guernsey was first used in 2006 and was very different from the home and away designs. It was worn when the AFL decided there was a colour clash with the home team. The first clash guernsey was red (2006-2009). From 2010, the club mostly used white clash guernseys, which featured the club logo and coloured curves. These white designs changed over the years until the end of the 2020 season.
In 2021, they had yellow and red clash guernseys, then only red ones for 2022 and 2023. In 2024, Adelaide wore a retro-style clash guernsey with the flying crow from the club's old logo. This design was inspired by a 1996 pre-season jumper and the popular Gather Round guernsey.
The alternative guernsey, worn in 2016 and 2017, was gold. It was used in away games where it provided a better contrast with the home team's colours.
During the mid-2000s, the Crows wore special guernseys for the AFL's Heritage Round. In 2005, they wore a design based on a 1930s South Australian state team guernsey, which caused some discussion.
Club Song
The Adelaide Football Club's song is "The Pride of South Australia." It uses the tune of the US Marines Hymn. The words were written by the club's first CEO, Bill Sanders.
The very first club song, used in their first AFL game, was "Here We Go Camry Crows."
Headquarters and Training Facilities
Since the club started in 1990, Adelaide's training and office facilities have been at Football Park in West Lakes. Over the years, the facilities have been upgraded with new training areas and offices. When Football Park stopped hosting AFL games in 2013, the grandstands were taken down. The club's game-day facilities were then combined with their main offices.
In 2024, the Adelaide Football Club announced they would move their training and offices to an upgraded Thebarton Oval. This new site will have modern facilities for all their AFL, AFLW, and SANFL teams.
Club Teams
AFL Men's Team
Current Players and Coaches
| Senior list | Rookie list | Coaching staff | |||||||
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Updated: 24 July 2025 |
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Season Highlights
| Adelaide AFL Honour Roll | ||||||||
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| Season | Ladder | W–L–D | Finals | Coach | Captain(s) | Club Champion | Leading goalkicker | |
| 1991 | 9th | 10–12–0 | DNQ | Graham Cornes | Chris McDermott | Mark Mickan | Rod Jameson (49) | |
| 1992 | 11–11–0 | Chris McDermott | Scott Hodges (48) | |||||
| 1993 | 5th | 12–8–0 | Preliminary Finals | Tony McGuinness | Tony Modra (129) | |||
| 1994 | 11th | 9-12–1 | DNQ | Shaun Rehn | Tony Modra (2) (70) | |||
| 1995 | 8–12–0 | Robert Shaw | Tony McGuinness | Matthew Connell | Tony Modra (3) (42) | |||
| 1996 | 12th | 8–14–0 | Matthew Liptak | Tony Modra (4) (75) | ||||
| 1997 | 4th | 13–9–0 | Premiers | Malcolm Blight | Mark Bickley | Andrew McLeod | Tony Modra (5) (84) ✪ | |
| 1998 | 5th | 13–9–0 | Premiers | Mark Ricciuto | Darren Jarman (45) | |||
| 1999 | 13th | 8–14–0 | DNQ | Ben Hart | Darren Jarman (2) (58) | |||
| 2000 | 11th | 9–13–0 | Gary Ayres | Mark Ricciuto | Simon Goodwin | Scott Welsh (47) | ||
| 2001 | 8th | 12–10–0 | Elimination Finals | Andrew McLeod (2) | Darren Jarman (3) (40) | |||
| 2002 | 3rd | 15–7–0 | Preliminary Finals | Ben Hart (2) | Brett Burton (51) | |||
| 2003 | 6th | 13-9-0 | Semi Finals | Mark Ricciuto (2) ★ | Graham Johncock (30) | |||
| 2004 | 12th | 8–14–0 | DNQ | Gary Ayres & Neil Craig | Mark Ricciuto (3) | Scott Welsh (2) (36) | ||
| 2005 | 1st | 17–5–0 | Preliminary Finals | Neil Craig | Simon Goodwin (2) | Scott Welsh (3) (58) | ||
| 2006 | 2nd | 16–6–0 | Simon Goodwin (3) | Mark Ricciuto (44) | ||||
| 2007 | 8th | 12–10–0 | Elimination Finals | Simon Goodwin | Andrew McLeod (3) | Scott Welsh (4) (49) | ||
| 2008 | 5th | 13–9–0 | Nathan Bock | Brett Burton (2) (34) | ||||
| 2009 | 14–8–0 | Semi Finals | Bernie Vince | Jason Porplyzia (57) | ||||
| 2010 | 11th | 9–13–0 | DNQ | Neil Craig & Mark Bickley | Nathan van Berlo | Richard Douglas | Kurt Tippett (46) | |
| 2011 | 14th | 7–15–0 | Scott Thompson | Taylor Walker (32) | ||||
| 2012 | 2nd | 17–5–0 | Preliminary Finals | Brenton Sanderson | Scott Thompson (2) | Taylor Walker (2) (63) | ||
| 2013 | 11th | 10–12–0 | DNQ | Rory Sloane | Tom Lynch (63) | |||
| 2014 | 10th | 11–11–0 | Daniel Talia | Eddie Betts (51) | ||||
| 2015 | 7th | 13–8–0 | Semi Finals | Phil Walsh & Scott Camporeale | Taylor Walker | Patrick Dangerfield | Eddie Betts (2) (63) | |
| 2016 | 5th | 16–6–0 | Don Pyke | Rory Sloane (2) | Eddie Betts (3) (75) | |||
| 2017 | 1st | 15–6–1 | Runners-Up | Matt Crouch | Eddie Betts (4) (55) | |||
| 2018 | 12th | 12–10–0 | DNQ | Rory Laird | Josh Jenkins (46) | |||
| 2019 | 11th | 10–12–0 | Taylor Walker & Rory Sloane | Brad Crouch | Taylor Walker (3) (43) | |||
| 2020 | 18th | 3–14–0 | Matthew Nicks | Rory Sloane | Reilly O'Brien | Taylor Walker (4) (15) | ||
| 2021 | 15th | 7–15–0 | Rory Laird (2) | Taylor Walker (5) (48) | ||||
| 2022 | 14th | 8–14–0 | Rory Laird (3) | Taylor Walker (6) (47) | ||||
| 2023 | 10th | 11–12–0 | Jordan Dawson | Jordan Dawson | Taylor Walker (7) (76) | |||
| 2024 | 15th | 8–14–1 | Jordan Dawson (2) & Ben Keays | Darcy Fogarty (41) | ||||
| 2025 | TBA | TBA | ||||||
| ★ = Brownlow Medallist / ✪ = Coleman Medallist / (x) = Multiple Best & Fairest or Leading Goal Kicker | ||||||||
AFL Women's Team
The Adelaide AFLW team is the club's women's team. They were one of the first teams in the AFL Women's league. The club worked with AFL Northern Territory to create the team, sharing resources between Adelaide and Darwin. Their bid was successful in June 2016, and they were given one of the first eight team licences.
Under coach Bec Goddard, the team won the first-ever AFLW premiership in 2017. Co-captain Erin Phillips was named the league's most valuable player and best on ground in the grand final. After missing the finals in 2018, Goddard left and Matthew Clarke became coach.
In the 2019 season, the club returned to the finals and won their second premiership. Erin Phillips again won the league MVP and best on ground in the grand final. In August 2019, the partnership with AFLNT ended. The 2020 season was affected by COVID-19, and the Crows only won two games, missing the finals.
The club quickly improved in 2021, finishing first in the regular season. However, they lost to Brisbane in the grand final. Adelaide bounced back in 2022 (S6) to win their third premiership, becoming the club with the most AFLW premierships.
In 2022, their rivals Port Adelaide joined the women's competition. The first-ever AFLW Showdown between the two teams was held on September 30. It attracted a crowd of 20,652 at Adelaide Oval, the highest attendance for any game in the 2022 season. After their back-to-back premierships, Adelaide lost in the preliminary finals in both the 2022 (S7) and 2023 seasons. Despite this, they finished 1st in the 2023 regular season, making them the first team to do so four times. Ebony Marinoff and Sarah Allen became the club's new co-captains in 2024. They finished in the top four again, and Ebony Marinoff was named the league's best and fairest player.
Current Squad
| Senior list | Rookie list | Coaching staff | |||||||
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Head coach
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Updated: 24 July 2025 |
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Season Highlights
| Adelaide AFLW Honour Roll | ||||||||
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| Season | Ladder | W–L–D | Finals | Coach | Captain(s) | Club Champion | Leading goalkicker | |
| 2017 | 2nd | 5–2–0 | Premiers | Bec Goddard | Erin Phillips & Chelsea Randall | Erin Phillips ★ | Sarah Perkins (11) | |
| 2018 | 5th | 3–3–1 | DNQ | Chelsea Randall | Erin Phillips & Ruth Wallace (7) | |||
| 2019 | 1st ^ | 6–1–0 | Premiers | Matthew Clarke | Erin Phillips (2) ★ | Stevie-Lee Thompson (14) ✪ | ||
| 2020 | 11th ^ | 2–4–0 | DNQ | Anne Hatchard | Danielle Ponter (5) | |||
| 2021 | 1st | 7–2–0 | Runners-up | Chelsea Randall | Ebony Marinoff | Erin Phillips (2) (14) | ||
| 2022 (S6) | 9–1–0 | Premiers | Anne Hatchard (2) | Ashleigh Woodland (21) ✪ | ||||
| 2022 (S7) | 3rd | 8–2–0 | Preliminary Finals | Anne Hatchard (3) | Ashleigh Woodland (2) (14) | |||
| 2023 | 1st | 9–1–0 | Ebony Marinoff (2) | Danielle Ponter (2) (20) | ||||
| 2024 | 4th | 8–3–0 | Sarah Allan & Ebony Marinoff | Ebony Marinoff (3) ★ | Caitlin Gould (20) | |||
| 2025 | TBA | TBA | ||||||
| ★ = AFLW Best & Fairest award / ✪ = AFLW Leading Goalkicker award / (x) = Multiple Club Champion or Leading Goal Kicker | ||||||||
^ Denotes the ladder was split into two conferences. Figure refers to the club's overall finishing position in the home-and-away season.
SANFL Team (Reserves)
The Adelaide Crows were allowed to have their own reserves men's team in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) starting in 2014. Before this, AFL players who weren't chosen for the main team would play for other SANFL clubs. The Crows' SANFL team has not had much success, finishing last in 2018, but they have reached four preliminary finals. Ruckman Kieran Strachan has won the team's best and fairest award three times.
Current Development Squad
| Development squad | Coaching staff | ||||||||
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Head coach
Assistant coaches
Updated: 24 July 2025 |
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Season Highlights
| Adelaide SANFL Honour Roll | ||||||||
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| Season | Ladder | W–L–D | Finals | Coach | Captain(s) | Best and fairest | Leading goalkicker | |
| 2014 | 8th | 7–11–0 | DNQ | Heath Younie | Ian Callinan | Ian Callinan | Ian Callinan (27) | |
| 2015 | 7th | 8–9–1 | Ian Callinan (2) | James Podsiadly (46) | ||||
| 2016 | 4th | 11–7–0 | Preliminary Finals | Luke Carey | Jonathon Beech | Harry Dear (37) | ||
| 2017 | 8th | 7–11–0 | DNQ | Ryan O'Keefe | Alex Keath & Hugh Greenwood | Scott Thompson | Troy Menzel (24) | |
| 2018 | 10th | 1–17–0 | Rotating | Patrick Wilson | Ben Davis (22) | |||
| 2019 | 3rd | 11–6–1 | Preliminary Finals | Heath Younie | Matthew Wright | Patrick Wilson (2) | Tyson Stengle (30) | |
| 2020 | Did not field a team due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||||||
| 2021 | 8th | 5–13–0 | DNQ | Michael Godden | Matthew Wright | Kieran Strachan | Billy Frampton (24) | |
| 2022 | 2nd | 12–6–0 | Preliminary Finals | Kieran Strachan (2) | Matthew Wright (35) | |||
| 2023 | 3rd | 13–5–0 | Jackson Hately | Lachlan Gollant (42) | ||||
| 2024 | 6th | 8–10–0 | DNQ | Jack Madgen | Kieran Strachan (3) | Lachlan Gollant (2) (29) | ||
| 2025 | TBA | Matthew Wright | TBA | |||||
Club Rivalries
The Adelaide Crows have a strong rivalry with the other South Australian AFL team, Port Adelaide. Games between these two teams are called the Showdown. This rivalry started because of the intense competition between the two clubs to join the AFL in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Many people believe the Showdown is the best and most intense rivalry in the Australian Football League.
Membership and Sponsors
In 2006, the Adelaide Crows made history by becoming the first club in VFL/AFL history to have over 50,000 members. They broke that record again in 2007. While their membership numbers went up and down, they reached a new high of 54,249 members in 2014. Their membership peaked in 2019 with 64,437 members, and in 2022, they had 63,009 members.
The club has had a long partnership with Toyota, which is why they were sometimes called the "Camry Crows" in promotions.
Famous tennis player Lleyton Hewitt was the club's number-one ticket holder in 2002. As of April 2024, international pop singer Guy Sebastian holds this title. Former politician Kate Ellis is the number-one female ticket holder, and musician Greg Champion is the Melbourne number-one ticket holder. Australian golfer Adam Scott is also an honorary member.
Season Figures
| Year | Membership | AFL | AFL Women's | |||||||
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| Ladder finish | Average home crowd | Ladder finish | Average home crowd | |||||||
| Figure | Change | H&A | Finals | Figure | Change | H&A | Finals | Figure | Change | |
| 1991 | 25,087 | N/A | 9th | — | 40,479 | N/A | ||||
| 1992 | 38,673 |  |
9th | — | 38,275 |  |
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| 1993 | 40,100 | |
5th | 3rd | 46,128 | |
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| 1994 | 40,611 | |
11th | — | 42,864 | |
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| 1995 | 41,654 | |
11th | — | 38,552 | |
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| 1996 | 42,283 | |
12th | — | 39,428 | |
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| 1997 | 41,395 | |
4th | Premiers | 40,116 | |
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| 1998 | 41,985 | |
5th | Premiers | 41,203 | |
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| 1999 | 42,120 | |
13th | — | 39,386 | |
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| 2000 | 42,896 | |
11th | — | 38,447 | |
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| 2001 | 42,014 | |
8th | 8th | 39,627 | |
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| 2002 | 46,620 | |
3rd | 4th | 43,068 | |
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| 2003 | 47,097 | |
6th | 5th | 44,524 | |
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| 2004 | 45,642 | |
12th | — | 39,879 | |
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| 2005 | 43,256 | |
1st | 3rd | 42,336 | |
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| 2006 | 50,138 | |
2nd | 3rd | 42,329 | |
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| 2007 | 50,976 | |
8th | 8th | 42,042 | |
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| 2008 | 48,720 | |
5th | 7th | 40,678 | |
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| 2009 | 46,472 | |
5th | 5th | 38,801 | |
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| 2010 | 45,545 | |
11th | — | 35,773 | |
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| 2011 | 46,520 | |
14th | — | 35,020 | |
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| 2012 | 45,105 | |
2nd | 3rd | 36,829 | |
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| 2013 | 46,405 | |
11th | — | 33,703 | |
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| 2014 | 54,249 | |
10th | — | 48,046 | |
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| 2015 | 52,920 | |
7th | 6th | 46,487 | |
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| 2016 | 54,307 | |
5th | 6th | 47,056 | |
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| 2017 | 56,865 | |
1st | Runners-up | 47,675 | |
2nd | Premiers | 8,876 | N/A |
| 2018 | 64,739 | |
12th | — | 45,417 | |
5th | — | 6,037 | |
| 2019 | 64,437 | |
11th | — | 44,514 | |
1st (A) | Premiers | 14,698 | |
| 2020 | 54,891 | |
18th | — | 10,927 | |
6th (A) | — | 6,857 | |
| 2021 | 60,232 | |
15th | — | 24,786 | |
1st | Runners-up | 5,811 | |
| 2022 | 63,099 | |
14th | — | 31,429 | |
1st | Premiers | 4,731 | |
| 3rd | 3rd | 2,529 | |
|||||||
| 2023 | 68,536 | |
10th | — | 39,376 | |
1st | 3rd | 4,181 | |
| 2024 | 75,477 | |
15th | — | 41,421 | |
4th | 3rd | 2,720 | |
Sponsorship
AFL Men's Team Sponsors
| Year | Kit manufacturer | Major sponsor | Shorts sponsor | Bottom rear sponsor | Top rear sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–93 | Sekem | Toyota | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 1994–95 | Toyota / SAFM | ||||
| 1996 | Toyota | ||||
| 1997–2000 | Adidas | Toyota | |||
| 2001 | Fila | ||||
| 2002 | The Ghan | ||||
| 2003–04 | Russell Athletic | ||||
| 2005 | Carlton Draught | ||||
| 2006–07 | Adidas | Carlton Black | |||
| 2008–09 | Carlton Draught | ||||
| 2010 | Reebok | Fielders | |||
| 2011–12 | Crompton Lighting | ||||
| 2013 | Puma | Adelaide Casino | |||
| 2014 | OTR | ||||
| 2015–16 | BLK | Domain | |||
| 2017–18 | ISC | ||||
| 2019 | Optus | Optus | |||
| 2020 | Optus | ||||
| 2021 | O'Neills | ||||
| 2022–24 | Thomas Foods | Hungry Jack's | Crypto.com | ||
| 2025 | Adelaide University |
AFL Women's Team Sponsors
| Year | Kit manufacturer | Major sponsor | Shorts sponsor | Bottom rear sponsor | Top rear sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Cotton On | Workskil Australia | Thomas Farms | Harris Scarfe | N/A |
| 2018–19 | BHP | ||||
| 2020–21 | Optus | ||||
| 2022–24 | Thomas Farms | Crypto.com | |||
| 2025 | Adelaide University |
Other Sponsors
| Major Partner | Toyota | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Principal Partner | Hungry Jack's | |||||
| Premier Partners | Adelaide University | Balfours | Bendigo Bank | Bridgestone | Coopers | Foodland |
| LiSTNR | RAA | Rite Price | SAFM | Thomas Foods | Triple M | |
| Official Partners | Bird in Hand | Cool Ridge | Country Blinds | Farmer's Union Iced Coffee | Flight Centre | Gatorade |
| Hentley Farm | Here For The Game | Hoka | Jones Radiology | Mitre 10 | O'Neills | |
| OpSys | Pepsi Max | Ray White | San Remo | Seven Network | Sterling Homes | |
| Think! Road Safety | Thomson Geer Lawyers | Variety SA | Viatek | Viterra | ||
Honours and Records
Club Achievements
| Premierships | |||
| Competition | Level | Wins | Years Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Football League | Seniors | 2 | 1997, 1998 |
| AFL Women's | Seniors | 3 | 2017, 2019, 2022 (S6) |
| Other Titles and Honours | |||
| AFL pre-season competition | Seniors | 2 | 2003, 2012 |
| AFLX Tournament | Seniors | 1 | 2018 |
| Finishing Positions | |||
| Australian Football League | Minor premiership | 2 | 2005, 2017 |
| Grand Finalist | 1 | 2017 | |
| Wooden spoons | 1 | 2020 | |
| AFL Women's | Minor premiership | 3 | 2021, 2022 (S6), 2023 |
| Grand Finalist | 1 | 2021 | |
| Wooden spoons | 0 | Nil | |
| SANFL | Minor premiership | 0 | Nil |
| Grand Finalist | 0 | Nil | |
| Wooden spoons | 1 | 2018 | |
Hall of Fame
The Adelaide Football Club started its Hall of Fame in 2015 to celebrate its 25th year in the AFL. It honors people who have made a "profound" (very important) impact on the club. 12 members have been inducted, including players, administrators, and a coach.
| Adelaide Football Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hall of Fame | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Individuals
|
Club Records
| Highest Score For | 30.8 (188) v Essendon, Round 10, 2006, Football Park |
| Lowest Score For | 2.9 (21) v Essendon, Round 17, 2021, Docklands Stadium |
| Highest Score Against | 32.18 (210) v Geelong, Round 8, 1992, Kardinia Park |
| Lowest Score Against | 1.7 (13) v Fremantle, Round 15, 2009, Football Park |
| Highest Aggregate Score | 44.33 (297) v Geelong, Round 8, 1992, Kardinia Park |
| Lowest Aggregate Score | 11.19 (85) v Melbourne, Round 5, 2009, Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Lowest Winning Score | 6.12 (48) v Collingwood, Round 21, 1997, Football Park |
| Highest Losing Score | 19.11 (125) v Kangaroos, Round 9, 2000, Football Park |
| Highest Quarter Score | 14.2 (86) v Fitzroy, 2nd Quarter, Round 9, 1996, Football Park |
| Greatest Winning Margin | 139 points v Richmond, Round 16, 1993, Football Park |
| Greatest Losing Margin | 141 points v Brisbane Lions, Round 17, 2004, The Gabba |
| Longest Winning Streak | 10 matches from June 18, 2005 (Round 13, v Richmond, Telstra Dome) to August 27, 2005 (Round 22, v West Coast, Subiaco Oval) |
| Longest Losing Streak | 16 matches from August 11, 2019 (Round 21, v West Coast, Optus Stadium) to August 23, 2020 (Round 13, v Geelong, Adelaide Oval) |
| Longest Winning Streak Against An Opponent | 13 matches v Gold Coast from May 14, 2011 (Round 8, Football Park) to July 13, 2019 (Round 17, Metricon Stadium) |
| Longest Losing Streak Against An Opponent | 10 matches v Collingwood from April 13, 2018 (Round 4, Adelaide Oval) to May 21, 2025 (Round 10, Melbourne Cricket Ground) (Ongoing) |
| Largest Home Attendance | 53,817 v Geelong, Adelaide Oval on September 22, 2017 (Preliminary Final) |
| Largest Away Non-Finals Attendance | 67,697 v Collingwood, Round 11, 2025, Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Largest Attendance | 100,021 v Richmond, Grand Final, 2017, Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Most goals in a match by an individual | 13 – Tony Modra v Richmond, Round 16, 1993, Football Park, Tony Modra v Carlton, Round 1, 1994 Football Park |
| Most disposals in a match by an individual | 51 – Scott Thompson v Gold Coast, Round 22, 2011, Metricon Stadium |
AFL Finishing Positions (1991–Present)
| Finishing Position | Year (Finals in Bold) | Tally |
|---|---|---|
| Premiers | 1997, 1998 | 2 |
| Runner-Up | 2017 | 1 |
| 3rd | 1993, 2005, 2006, 2012 | 4 |
| 4th | 2002 | 1 |
| 5th | 2003, 2009 | 2 |
| 6th | 2015, 2016 | 2 |
| 7th | 2008 | 1 |
| 8th | 2001, 2007 | 2 |
| 9th | 1991, 1992 | 2 |
| 10th | 2014, 2023 | 2 |
| 11th | 1994, 1995, 2000, 2010, 2013, 2019 | 6 |
| 12th | 1996, 2004, 2018 | 3 |
| 13th | 1999 | 1 |
| 14th | 2011, 2022 | 2 |
| 15th | 2021, 2024 | 2 |
| 16th | nil | 0 |
| 17th | nil | 0 |
| 18th | 2020 | 1 |
Premierships
| 1997 AFL Grand Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 27 September (2:30 pm) | St Kilda | def. by | Adelaide | MCG (crowd: 99,645) | |
| 3.6 (24) 7.11 (53) 9.13 (67) 13.16 (94) |
Q1 Q2 Q3 Final |
3.8 (26) 5.10 (40) 11.11 (77) 19.11 (125) |
Umpires: Kennedy (7), Sheehan (9), Nash (14) Norm Smith Medal: Andrew McLeod (Adelaide) Television broadcast: Seven Network National anthem: Marina Prior |
||
| Heatley 3, Hall 3, Loewe 2, Jones, Burke, Winmar, Peckett, Harvey | Goals | Jarman 6, Ellen 5, Bond 4, Smart, Goodwin, Rintoul, Caven | |||
| Harvey, Jones, Burke, Hall, Cook, Keogh | Best | McLeod, Jarman, Johnson, Ellen, Goodwin, Caven | |||
|
|||||
| 1998 AFL Grand Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 26 September (2:30pm) | Adelaide | def. | North Melbourne | MCG (crowd: 94,431) | |
| 3.2 (20) 4.3 (27) 9.11 (65) 15.15 (105) |
Q1 Q2 Q3 Final |
4.4 (28) 6.15 (51) 8.15 (63) 8.22 (70) |
Umpires: Coates (6), Kennedy (7), Goldspink (32) Norm Smith Medal: Andrew McLeod Television broadcast: Seven Network National anthem: Rob Guest |
||
| Jarman 5, Smart 3, Vardy 2, James, Pittman, Johnson, Thiessen, Ricciuto | Goals | Blakey, Pike, Abraham, Carey, Roberts, Bell, Allison, Simpson | |||
| McLeod, Hart, Jarman, Johnson, Rehn, Caven, Bickley | Best | Pickett, Stevens, Martyn, Abraham | |||
|
|||||
Premiership Teams
| B: | Ben Hart | Rod Jameson | Peter Caven |
| HB: | Andrew McLeod | David Pittman | Simon Goodwin |
| C: | Kym Koster | Kane Johnson | Matthew Connell |
| HF: | Troy Bond | Matthew Robran | Nigel Smart |
| F: | Chad Rintoul | Shane Ellen | Clay Sampson |
| Foll: | Shaun Rehn | Mark Bickley (Capt.) | Darren Jarman |
| Int: | Tyson Edwards | Aaron Keating | Brett James |
| Coach: | Malcolm Blight | ||
| B: | Tyson Edwards | Ben Hart | David Pittman |
| HB: | Simon Goodwin | Peter Caven | Nigel Smart |
| C: | Kym Koster | Darren Jarman | Andrew Eccles |
| HF: | Peter Vardy | Matthew Robran | Andrew McLeod |
| F: | Mark Bickley (Capt.) | Mark Stevens | Shane Ellen |
| Foll: | Shaun Rehn | Mark Ricciuto | Kane Johnson |
| Int: | Matthew Connell | Brett James | Ben Marsh |
| James Thiessen | |||
| Coach: | Malcolm Blight | ||
Team of the Decade
The Adelaide Crows joined the league in 1991, so they named their "Team of the Decade" for the years 1991 to 2000. Mark Ricciuto was named 'Player of the Decade' and Mark Bickley 'Team Man of the Decade.'
| B: | Ben Hart | Rod Jameson | Mark Bickley |
| HB: | Nigel Smart | Peter Caven | Andrew McLeod |
| C: | Greg Anderson | Andrew Jarman | Simon Tregenza |
| HF: | Kane Johnson | Matthew Robran | Mark Ricciuto |
| F: | Darren Jarman | Tony Modra | Matthew Liptak |
| Foll: | Shaun Rehn | Chris McDermott | Tony McGuinness |
| Int: | Mark Mickan | Simon Goodwin | Rodney Maynard |
| David Pittman | |||
| Coach: | Malcolm Blight | ||
Coaches
Captains
Past Players
Pre-Season Competition Wins
| 2003 Wizard Cup Grand Final | SG | G | B | Total |
| Adelaide | 2 | 13 | 8 | 104 |
| Collingwood | 1 | 9 | 10 | 73 |
| Venue: Telstra Dome, Melbourne | Crowd: 43,571 | |||
| 2012 NAB Cup Grand Final | SG | G | B | Total |
| Adelaide | 2 | 10 | 17 | 95 |
| West Coast | 2 | 5 | 13 | 61 |
| Venue: Football Park, Adelaide | Crowd: 27,376 | |||
| 2018 AFLX Group 1 Grand Final | SG | G | B | Total |
| Adelaide | 3 | 3 | 7 | 55 |
| Geelong | 2 | 4 | 3 | 47 |
| Venue: Coopers Stadium, Adelaide | Crowd: 10,253 | |||
Player Achievements
|
Brownlow Medal (AFL best and fairest)
Coleman Medal (AFL leading goalkicker)
AFLCA Champion Player of the Year
AFL Rising Star
Norm Smith Medal (AFL Grand Final best on ground)
|
AFL Women's best and fairest
AFL Women's leading goalkicker
AFLCA Women's Champion Player of the Year
AFL Women's Rising Star
|
All-Australians
An All-Australian team is a "best-of" selection of players for each year. Players are chosen for their positions. Captains and vice-captains (marked with (c) and (vc)) are players who showed great leadership and skill during the season. A panel of experts selects each team.
AFL Men
- Nigel Smart – 1991, 1993, 1998
- Ben Hart – 1992, 1993, 1999, 2002
- Tony McGuiness – 1992, 1993
- Chris McDermott – 1992
- Greg Anderson – 1993
- Tony Modra – 1993, 1997
- Shaun Rehn – 1994, 1998
- Mark Ricciuto – 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 (c), 2005 (c)
- Darren Jarman – 1996
- Andrew McLeod – 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007 (c)
- Simon Goodwin – 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2009
- Ben Rutten – 2005
- Nathan Bassett – 2006
- Nathan Bock – 2009
- Patrick Dangerfield – 2012, 2013, 2015
- Scott Thompson – 2012
- Brodie Smith – 2014
- Daniel Talia – 2014, 2016
- Eddie Betts – 2015, 2016, 2017
- Rory Sloane – 2016 (vc)
- Matt Crouch – 2017
- Rory Laird – 2017, 2018
- Jordan Dawson – 2023
- Taylor Walker – 2023
AFL Women
- Courtney Cramey – 2017
- Chelsea Randall – 2017, 2018 (c), 2019 (vc), 2022 (S7), 2024
- Erin Phillips – 2017 (vc), 2019 (c), 2021
- Sarah Perkins – 2017
- Ebony Marinoff – 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022 (S6), 2022 (S7), 2023, 2024 (vc)
- Stevie-Lee Thompson – 2019
- Anne Hatchard – 2019, 2020, 2022 (S6), 2022 (S7)
- Sarah Allan – 2020, 2021, 2022 (S6)
- Ashleigh Woodland – 2022 (S6)
- Chelsea Biddell – 2022 (S7), 2023, 2024
- Niamh Kelly – 2023
- Danielle Ponter – 2023
- Caitlin Gould – 2024
See also
In Spanish: Adelaide Football Club para niños
- Adelaide Football Club coaches
- List of Adelaide Football Club players
- Australian rules football in South Australia
- History of the Adelaide Football Club
- Sport in Australia
- Sport in South Australia
- Category:Adelaide Football Club players
