Collingwood Football Club facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Collingwood Football Club
Names
Full name	Collingwood Football Club Limited
Nickname(s)	Magpies, Pies, Woods, Woodsmen
Motto	Floreat Pica (May The Magpie Flourish)
2024 season
Home-and-away season	9th
Leading goalkicker	Bobby Hill (30 goals)
Copeland Trophy	Nick Daicos
Club details
Founded	12 February 1892; 133 years ago (1892-02-12)
Colours	Black, white
Competition	AFL: Senior men AFLW: Senior women VFL: Reserves men VFLW: Reserves women
President	Jeff Browne
CEO	Craig Kelly
Coach	AFL: Craig McRae AFLW: Sam Wright VFL: Josh Fraser VFLW: Tom Cashin
Captain(s)	AFL: Darcy Moore AFLW: Brianna Davey VFL: Campbell Hustwaite & Lachlan Tardrew VFLW: Caitlin Bunker
Premierships	Seniors VFL/AFL (16) 1902 1903 1910 1917 1919 1927 1928 1929 1930 1935 1936 1953 1958 1990 2010 2023 VFA/VFL (1) 1896 Reserves VFL/AFL Reserves (7) 1919 1920 1922 1925 1940 1965 1976 VFLW (1) 2019
Ground(s)	AFL: Melbourne Cricket Ground (100,024) AFLW/VFLW: Victoria Park (10,000) VFL: Victoria Park & Olympic Park (3,500)
Former ground(s)	Victoria Park (1892–1999)
Training ground(s)	AIA Centre (indoor) Olympic Park Oval (outdoor)
Uniforms
Home Away Clash
Other information
Official website	collingwoodfc.com.au
Current season

The Collingwood Football Club, often called the Magpies or Pies, is a professional Australian rules football team. It's based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), which is the top competition for the sport.

Collingwood was started in 1892 in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood. It first played in the Victorian Football Association (VFA). In 1896, it joined seven other teams to form the Victorian Football League (VFL), which is now known as the AFL.

The club used to play its home games at Victoria Park. Now, Collingwood plays its home games at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Its main offices and training areas are at Olympic Park Oval and the AIA Centre.

Collingwood has played in a record 45 Grand Finals in the VFL/AFL. They have won 16 premierships, which ties them for the most wins with two other clubs. They have also lost 27 Grand Finals, which is also a record. Many people consider Collingwood to be one of Australia's most popular sports teams. In 2023, they had the most members in the AFL, with 106,470 fans joining the club.

The club's song, "Good Old Collingwood Forever", is the oldest team song still used in the AFL, dating back to 1906. Their home uniform, called a guernsey, has black and white stripes. These colours are inspired by the Australian magpie. Historically, Collingwood's biggest rivals are nearby clubs Carlton and Richmond. They also have a special Anzac Day rivalry with Essendon every year since 1995.

Collingwood also has a reserves team that plays in the Victorian Football League (VFL). They also have women's teams in the AFL Women's (AFLW) and VFL Women's (VFLW) competitions. From 2017 to 2023, the club also had a netball team called Collingwood Magpies in the National Netball League.

Club History

How the Club Started

The Collingwood Football Club was officially formed on 12 February 1892.

Collingwood played its very first game in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) on 7 May 1892. They played against the Carlton team. In 1896, Collingwood won its first VFA Premiership.

In 1897, Collingwood and seven other VFA clubs decided to create a new league. This new league was called the Victorian Football League (VFL). Today, this league is known as the Australian Football League (AFL).

Collingwood won its first VFL premiership in 1902. They beat Essendon by 33 points in the 1902 VFL Grand Final.

The "Machine" Years: 1920s and 1930s

The 1920s and 1930s were a very successful time for Collingwood. They played in 13 Grand Finals during this period. Collingwood won six premierships, including a record-breaking four in a row from 1927 to 1930. They also won two more in a row in 1935 and 1936.

The coach during these successful years was Jock McHale. He coached the team for a very long time, from 1912 to 1949. Three Collingwood players won the Brownlow Medal during this period: Syd Coventry (1927), Albert Collier (1929), and Harry Collier (1930). Because of their strong performance, the team was nicknamed "The Machine."

The Collingwood team from 1927–30 not only won four premierships in a row, but they also won about 86% of their games. In 1929, they made history by being the only team to go through the regular season without losing a single game. Collingwood is still the only club in VFL/AFL history to win four premierships in a row.

Success in the 1950s

In the 1950s, the Melbourne Football Club was very strong, winning five premierships. Collingwood lost two Grand Finals to Melbourne during this time. However, Collingwood managed to win premierships in 1953 and 1958. The 1958 win was very special because it stopped Melbourne from matching Collingwood's record of four premierships in a row.

After 1958, Collingwood would not win another premiership for 32 years. They lost many Grand Finals in the following decades.

The "Colliwobbles" (1959–1989)

Between 1960 and 1981, Collingwood lost eight Grand Finals, often by small differences. This led to the idea that the club struggled in big games, which fans jokingly called the "Colliwobbles."

After Collingwood won the premiership in 1990, club legend Lou Richards symbolically "buried" the Colliwobbles at Victoria Park.

The 1990 Premiership and Later Years

The 1990 premiership team was coached by Leigh Matthews and captained by Tony Shaw. They had a big win against Essendon, winning by 48 points. This ended a 32-year wait for a premiership. A memorable moment from the game was club great Darren Millane holding the ball up high when the final siren sounded. Sadly, Millane passed away in a car crash a year later.

After this big win, the club had some tough years. They finished last in 1999. Leigh Matthews left as coach in 1995. Tony Shaw, the 1990 premiership captain, took over as coach. After a few difficult seasons, Shaw resigned.

The Michael Malthouse Era (2000–2011)

President Eddie McGuire was elected in 1998. He brought in Michael Malthouse as the new head coach in 1999. This was a great move for the club. With new players like Paul Licuria, Alan Didak, Anthony Rocca, and Nathan Buckley, Collingwood quickly improved.

In 2002, Collingwood played against the reigning champions, Brisbane, in the Grand Final. They were not expected to win but only lost by 9 points. Their captain, Buckley, won the Norm Smith Medal for being the best player in the Grand Final, even though his team lost. In 2003, they reached the Grand Final again but were beaten by Brisbane.

After these Grand Final losses, Collingwood had a couple of tough years, finishing low on the ladder. They returned to the finals in 2006 and 2007. In 2007, they had a very close preliminary final against Geelong, losing by just five points. Nathan Buckley retired at the end of 2007 due to injury.

In 2010, Collingwood finished first on the ladder. They reached the Grand Final against St Kilda. The game ended in a draw, which meant they had to play a grand final replay a week later. Collingwood won the replay by 56 points! Nick Maxwell was the captain, and midfielder Scott Pendlebury won the Norm Smith Medal.

In 2011, Collingwood finished first again and made it to the Grand Final. However, they were beaten by Geelong. After this, coach Michael Malthouse left the club. During his 12 years, he led the club to eight finals series and four Grand Finals. Star player Dane Swan won the 2011 Brownlow Medal in 2011.

Nathan Buckley as Coach (2012–2021)

Nathan Buckley, one of Collingwood's greatest players, became the head coach in 2012. Under Buckley, Collingwood continued to do well at first. They made the top four in 2012 but lost in the preliminary final. In 2013, they made the finals again but were surprisingly knocked out early.

After 2013, the club made changes to its team, and many premiership players left. For the next four years (2014-2017), Collingwood struggled and missed the finals. Buckley faced a lot of pressure, but the club decided to keep him as coach.

New players like Taylor Adams, Adam Treloar, and Jordan De Goey, along with key players Brodie Grundy and Mason Cox, joined forces with experienced players like Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom. Collingwood improved a lot in 2018, jumping from 13th to 3rd place. They famously beat Richmond in the preliminary final. In the Grand Final, they led for most of the game but lost to West Coast by just five points.

In 2019, Collingwood had another strong season, finishing fourth. They lost a very close preliminary final by four points. In 2020, they finished 8th.

The club also made big changes off the field. In 2017, they became a founding member of the AFL Women's competition. In the same year, they started the Collingwood Magpies Netball team. Collingwood also got a new permanent logo in 2017, which was their 125th anniversary year.

"Do Better" Report

In 2020, Collingwood asked for an independent review about claims of racism at the club. The report found that racism had caused "profound and enduring harm" to First Nations and African players. The club's president at the time, Eddie McGuire, initially said it was a "historic and proud day" for the club, which was working to fix issues. Many people criticized his comments, and he later apologized.

On 4 February, 150 Collingwood players from both the men's and women's teams wrote an open letter. They apologized "to anyone who, through their association with our club, has been marginalised, hurt or discriminated against due to their race." Player Darcy Moore said the team was "humiliated and shocked" by the report's findings. Eddie McGuire stepped down as President of the Collingwood Football Club on 9 February 2021.

Buckley left his coaching role after Round 13 of the 2021 AFL season. Assistant coach Robert Harvey took over for the rest of the season. Harvey focused on helping younger players develop.

Craig McRae as Coach (2022–Present)

In September 2021, Craig McRae was appointed as the new head coach for the 2022 season and beyond. In his first year, McRae led the club from 17th place to 4th place. They had an amazing 11-game winning streak and set an AFL record with 11 wins by less than 12 points. In the 2022 finals, Collingwood lost two games by a goal or less. McRae won the AFL Coaches Association's Coach of the Year award for 2022.

The 2023 season brought a change in leadership. Long-time captain Scott Pendlebury stepped down. Darcy Moore was voted as the club's new captain for 2023.

The Magpies aimed to build on their strong 2022 season. They added new players like Tom Mitchell, Bobby Hill, and Billy Frampton. They also signed Dan McStay. Collingwood had a very successful 2023 season under Craig McRae, winning 18 games and finishing first on the ladder.

In the 2023 AFL Finals, Collingwood beat Melbourne by 7 points in the Qualifying Final. In the preliminary final, they beat the Giants by just 1 point to reach the 2023 AFL Grand Final. In a very close game, Collingwood beat Brisbane by 4 points to win the 2023 AFL Premiership! This win meant they now have 16 VFL/AFL premierships, tying the league record.

The 2024 season was not as successful for the reigning champions. Collingwood started by losing their first three games. They then recovered, losing only once in the next eleven games. However, they finished the season poorly, winning only four of their last nine matches. They ended up in ninth place, missing the finals. This made Collingwood the third reigning premier in four years to miss the finals.

Club Identity

Guernsey (Jumper)

Collingwood has always worn a guernsey with black and white vertical stripes. The most famous design is mostly white with three black vertical stripes. The current home guernsey is mostly black, with white stripes on the front and lower back. It also has white numbers.

The main away guernsey is the opposite: mostly white with black stripes and black numbers. They wear this when playing against teams with dark uniforms. In 2011, a third guernsey was introduced for games against North Melbourne because their uniforms are similar. This alternate uniform is black with only two white stripes on each side.

Traditionally, Collingwood wore a white guernsey with black stripes. In 2001, they switched to the black guernsey with white stripes.

Nike makes the Magpies' uniforms.

Song

"Good Old Collingwood Forever" is the team song of the Collingwood Football Club. A player named Tom Nelson wrote the words in 1906. This makes it the oldest team song still used in the AFL. The song uses the tune of "Goodbye, Dolly Gray", a popular song from the early 1900s. It's the only AFL team song that mentions the "barracker," which is an Australian rules football term for a fan.

The version of the song played at games today was recorded in 1972 by the Fable Singers. Here are the words:

Good old Collingwood forever,

They know how to play the game.

Side by side, they stick together,

To uphold the Magpies name.

See, the barrackers are shouting,

As all barrackers should.

Oh, the premiership's a cakewalk,

For the good old Collingwood.

In 1983, the line "Oh, the premiership's a cakewalk" was briefly changed. This was because the club hadn't won a premiership in a long time, and it felt a bit embarrassing. But fans didn't like the change, so the original line was quickly brought back.

Rivalries

Carlton is considered Collingwood's biggest rival. Richmond is also a close rival.

Collingwood also has a strong Anzac Day rivalry with the Essendon Football Club. This special game has been played every year since 1995. After the 2024 match, Collingwood has won this game 17 times, Essendon 11 times, and two games have been draws.

Rivalry with Richmond

Richmond and Collingwood are neighbouring clubs and were both very successful in the late 1920s and early 1930s. They played against each other in five Grand Finals between 1919 and 1929. Collingwood won four of these, and Richmond won one. In the 1980 Grand Final, Richmond beat Collingwood by a large margin, which was a record at the time.

Games between these two clubs always attract large crowds. In 2018, they played three times, and all games had huge crowds. Richmond won both regular season games. However, Collingwood caused a big upset by beating Richmond in the preliminary final in front of nearly 95,000 fans. This made the rivalry even stronger.

Rivalry with Essendon

Collingwood has a special Anzac Day rivalry with the Essendon Football Club. This game started in 1995. It is a very important match each year.

Rivalry with Melbourne

The rivalry between Collingwood and Melbourne was strongest between 1955 and 1964. They played against each other in five Grand Finals during this time. The 1958 Grand Final was very important because Collingwood's win stopped Melbourne from matching Collingwood's record of four premierships in a row.

This rivalry has become less intense in recent years because Melbourne has not been as successful. However, it is still a strong rivalry, and they play each other every year on the King's Birthday public holiday.

Home Grounds and Training

Collingwood Football Club's first training and office base was at Victoria Park from 1892 until 2004. In 2004, the club moved its main offices and training to the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre at the Olympic Park Complex. This facility is now known as 'The AIA Centre' due to sponsorship.

The club also used Olympic Park Stadium for outdoor training until it was taken down in 2012. After that, Collingwood moved its outdoor training to the new Olympic Park Oval.

The club's main home ground for AFL games was Victoria Park from 1892 until 1999. Since 2000, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) has been their primary home ground. They had already started playing some home games at the MCG in 1993. Since 2014, they also play two home games a year at Marvel Stadium.

Supporters

Collingwood is a working-class suburb, and the club's supporters traditionally came from working-class backgrounds. Even today, many fans who regularly attend games come from these groups.

Collingwood is often disliked by supporters of other clubs. This dislike is thought to have started in the 1920s and 1930s when the club was very successful, which made other clubs envious.

Collingwood has been involved in some important moments regarding racial issues in Australian football. For example, incidents involving Indigenous players Nicky Winmar in 1993 and Adam Goodes in 2013. In 1995, Michael Long accused Collingwood player Damian Monkhorst of racial abuse. This led directly to the AFL creating rules against racial vilification. In 2010, Australian fashion designer Shanaaz Copeland created a Collingwood-inspired hijab for Muslim women, supporting more inclusive sports. The club has since worked to address these issues and promote a welcoming environment for everyone.

Club Information

Membership

Collingwood Membership 1984–present

Year	Members	Ladder Position	%
1984	16,313	3rd	—
1985	16,857	7th	3.28%
1986	13,971	6th	20.65%
1987	9,500	12th	47.06%
1988	11,985	4th	20.73%
1989	13,620	5th	12.00%
1990	14,808	1st	8.02%
1991	18,469	7th	19.82%
1992	18,921	5th	2.38%
1993	21,882	8th	13.53%
1994	20,843	8th	4.98%
1995	22,543	10th	7.54%
1996	20,752	11th	8.63%
1997	22,761	10th	8.82%
1998	27,099	14th	16.00%
1999	32,358	16th	16.25%
2000	28,932	15th	11.84%
2001	31,455	9th	8.02%
2002	32,549	4th	3.36%
2003	40,445	2nd	19.54%
2004	41,128	13th	1.66%
2005	38,612	15th	6.51%
2006	38,038	7th	1.50%
2007	38,587	4th	1.42%
2008	26,320	6th	46.60%
2009	45,972	4th	42.74%
2010	57,617	1st	20.21%
2011	71,271	1st	19.15%
2012	72,688	4th	1.94%
2013	80,000	6th	9.14%
2014	80,793	11th	0.98%
2015	76,497	12th	5.61%
2016	74,643	12th	2.48%
2017	75,879	13th	1.62%
2018	75,507	3rd	0.49%
2019	85,226	4th	12.87%
2020	76,862	8th	9.8%
2021	82,527	17th	7.37%
2022	100,384	4th	21.63%
2023	106,470	1st	6.06%
2024	110,628	9th	3.90%

In 2011, Collingwood reached 70,000 members for the first time. This set a new AFL record.

In 2023, the year they won their 16th premiership, they broke the AFL membership record again. They had 106,470 members.

Because Collingwood has so many members, their games often draw large crowds. Some people say the AFL favors Collingwood when scheduling games to get more people to attend. However, the AFL says this is because other clubs ask to play home games against Collingwood at the MCG.

Sponsorship

The Collingwood guernsey is considered the most valuable sports sponsorship in Australia. Collingwood has different sponsors for home and away games. These sponsorships are ranked first and second in Australia for media exposure. Some well-known sponsors have included Emirates, Holden, CGU Insurance, and Westpac.

AFL Sponsors

Year	Kit Manufacturer	Major Sponsor	Shorts Sponsor	Bottom Back Sponsor	Top Back Sponsor
1977–85	–	Hard Yakka	–	–	–
1986–88		MiniSkips
1989–92		Spicers Paper
1993			Spicers
1994			Delta	Spicers
1995–97			Thrifty
1998	Adidas	Primus (Home) Spicers Paper (Away)	Spicers Paper (Home) Primus (Away)	Spicers (Home) Primus (Away)
1999–2001		Emirates (Home) Primus (Away)	Primus (Home) Emirates (Away)	Primus (Home) Emirates (Away)
2002–05		Emirates (Home) Wipe Off 5 TAC (Away)	Wipe Off 5 TAC (Home) Emirates (Away)	Wipe Off 5 TAC (Home) Emirates (Away)
2006–08		Emirates (Home) Wizard Homes Loans (Away)	Wizard Homes Loans (Home) Emirates (Away)	Wizard Homes Loans (Home) Emirates (Away)
2009–10		Emirates (Home) Aussie (Away)	Aussie (Home) Emirates (Away)	Aussie (Home) Emirates (Away)
2011–12		Emirates (Home) CGU Insurance (Away)	CGU Insurance (Home) Emirates (Away)	CGU Insurance (Home) Emirates (Away)
2013–16	Star Athletic
2017–19	ISC
2020					Emirates (Home) CGU Insurance (Away)
2021	Nike
2022–		Emirates (Home) KFC (Away)	KFC (Home) Emirates (Away)	KFC (Home) Emirates (Away)	Emirates (Home) KFC (Away)

AFL Women's Sponsors

Year	Kit Manufacturer	Major Sponsor	Shorts Sponsor	Bottom Back Sponsor	Top Back Sponsor
2017–18	Cotton On	Holden (Home) CGU Insurance (Away)	Three Threes Condiments	CGU Insurance (Home) Holden (Away)	—
2019		Optus (Home/Away) CGU Insurance (Clash)	Towards Zero	CGU Insurance (Home/Away) Optus (Clash)
2020		Avid Property Group (Home/Away) CGU Insurance (Clash)		CGU Insurance (Home/Away) Avid Property Group (Clash)
2021		AIA (Home/Away) CGU Insurance (Clash)	TAC	CGU Insurance (Home/Away) AIA (Clash)	Avid Property Group
2022 S6–S7		AIA (Home/Away) KFC (Clash)	Sharp	KFC (Home/Away) AIA (Clash)	Sharp
2023			Kangan Institute		Kangan Institute

Club Honours

Premierships and Other Titles

Premierships
Competition	Team	Wins	Years Won
Australian Football League	Seniors (1897–present)	16	1902, 1903, 1910, 1917, 1919, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1935, 1936, 1953, 1958, 1990, 2010, 2023
	Reserves (1919–1999)	7	1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1940, 1965, 1976
	Under 19s (1946–1991)	4	1960, 1965, 1974, 1986
VFL Women's	Reserves (2018–present)	1	2019
Victorian Football Association	Seniors (1892–1896)	1	1896
Other Titles
McClelland Trophy	Seniors	8	1959, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1970, 2010, 2011
AFL pre-season competition	Seniors (1988–2013)	1	2011
AFC Night Series	Seniors (1979–1986)	1	1979
Lightning Premiership	Seniors	2	1941, 1951
Championship of Australia	Seniors	1	1896
Finishing Positions
Australian Football League	Minor premiership	20	1902, 1903, 1905, 1915, 1917, 1919, 1922, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1977, 2010, 2011, 2023
	Grand Finalist	27	1901, 1905, 1911, 1915, 1918, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1926, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 2002, 2003, 2011, 2018
	Wooden spoons	2	1976, 1999
AFL Women's	Wooden spoons	2	2019, 2024
VFL Women's	Minor premiership	4	2018, 2019, 2021, 2023
	Grand Finalist	2	2021, 2023

Head-to-Head Results

Collingwood has played 2,672 games in total. They have won 1,612 games, drawn 30, and lost 1,030.

R		GP	W	D	L	GF-BF	For	GA-BA	Agn	%	Win%	100+F	100+A
1	Adelaide	50	34	1	15	673.568	4606	573.598	4036	114.12	69.00	19	7
2	Brisbane Bears	15	13		2	251.232	1738	170.187	1207	143.99	86.67	12	2
3	Brisbane Lions	41	18		23	515.500	3590	568.475	3883	92.45	43.90	14	15
4	Carlton	266	133	4	129	3061.3213	21579	3000.3088	21088	102.33	50.75	73	64
5	Essendon	248	136	5	107	2902.3008	20420	2771.2930	19556	104.42	55.85	65	62
6	Fitzroy	209	131	3	75	2338.2683	16711	2058.2374	14722	113.51	63.40	66	31
7	Fremantle	37	22	1	14	520.430	3550	454.367	3091	114.85	60.81	16	7
8	Geelong	242	136	1	105	2753.3008	19526	2593.2835	18393	106.16	56.40	62	46
9	Gold Coast	15	11		4	220.198	1518	145.151	1021	148.68	73.33	8	1
10	Greater Western Sydney	16	9		7	209.191	1445	186.134	1250	115.60	56.25	5	3
11	Hawthorn	171	100		71	2286.2423	16139	2124.2053	14797	109.07	58.48	67	59
12	Melbourne	246	156	5	85	2929.3178	20752	2568.2822	18230	113.83	64.43	75	49
13	North Melbourne	166	112	2	52	2341.2417	16463	1883.2018	13316	123.63	68.07	74	40
14	Port Adelaide	38	20		18	507.442	3484	450.435	3135	111.13	52.63	15	5
15	Richmond	216	122	2	92	2587.2789	18311	2427.2607	17169	106.65	56.94	53	48
16	St Kilda	225	162	2	61	2933.3137	20735	2264.2459	16043	129.25	72.44	92	37
17	Sydney	234	144	1	89	2806.3086	19922	2374.2787	17031	116.97	61.75	66	44
18	University	14	13	1		132.199	991	72.110	542	182.84	96.43	2	0
19	West Coast	61	29	1	31	772.671	5303	783.708	5406	98.09	48.36	17	21
20	Western Bulldogs	162	111	1	50	2190.2098	15238	1794.1934	12698	120.00	68.83	59	30

Team of the Century

Collingwood announced its Team of the Century on 14 June 1997. This celebrated 100 years since the start of the VFL. Gavin Brown was added in 2002 as a fourth interchange player. This was because when the team was first named in 1997, only three interchange players were allowed.

Collingwood Team of the Century

B:	Harold Rumney	Jack Regan	Syd Coventry (Captain)
HB:	Billy Picken	Albert Collier	Nathan Buckley
C:	Thorold Merrett	Bob Rose	Darren Millane
HF:	Des Fothergill	Murray Weideman	Dick Lee
F:	Phonse Kyne	Gordon Coventry	Peter Daicos
Foll:	Len Thompson	Des Tuddenham	Harry Collier
Int:	Tony Shaw	Wayne Richardson	Marcus Whelan
	Gavin Brown
Coach:	James "Jock" McHale

Captains

This list includes every captain of the club. It does not include temporary captains who filled in for an injured player. It does include captains named after a player retired or stepped down during the season.

Presidents

There have been twelve presidents of the Collingwood Football Club. The first president was William Beazley, who was also a mayor and a member of parliament. He was president from 1892 until 1911. The second president was Alfred Cross, but only for a short time. The third was former player Jim Sharp, who served for ten years.

The fourth president was another former player, Harry Curtis. He is currently the longest-serving president, for twenty-six years. Former player Syd Coventry was the fifth president, serving for twelve years.

Eddie McGuire, a well-known radio and TV personality, was the twelfth and second-longest serving president. He was president from 1998 to 2021. After him, Mark Korda became the thirteenth president of Collingwood in April 2021.

List of Collingwood presidents

No.	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Occupation / Notes	Premierships	Ref(s).
1	William Beazley	1892	1912	20 years, 123 days	Politician; involved with precursor club, Britannia Football Club.	3 (1902, 1903, 1910)
2	Alfred Cross	1913		1 year	Tailor; former Collingwood vice-president.
3	Jim Sharp	1914	1924	10 years, 209 days	Former VFL player; former Collingwood vice-president.	2 (1917, 1919)
4	Harry Curtis	1925	1950	25 years, 112 days	Accountant; former VFL player.	6 (1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1935, 1936)
–	Gordon Carlyon	24 May – 28 June 1950		35 days
5	Sydney Coventry Sr.	1950	1963	12 years, 246 days	Former VFL player; former Collingwood vice-president.	2 (1953, 1958)
6	Tom Sherrin	1963	1974	11 years, 214 days	Manufacturer; former Collingwood vice-president.
7	Ern Clarke	1974	1976	1 year, 213 days	Businessman
8	John Hickey	1976	1982	6 years, 153 days	RAAF pilot; former Collingwood vice-president.
9	Ranald Macdonald	1982	1986	3 years, 208 days	Journalist; lecturer
10	Allan McAlister	1986	1995	9 years, 157 days	Businessman; former Collingwood treasurer	1 (1990)
11	Kevin Rose	1995	1998	2 years, 253 days	Businessman; former VFL player, coach
12	Eddie McGuire	1998	2021	22 years, 103 days	Commentator; journalist; businessman.	1 (2010)
–	Peter Murphy Mark Korda	10 February – 21 April 2021		70 days	Collingwood vice-president(s).
13	Mark Korda	21 April – 16 December 2021		239 days	Businessman; former Collingwood vice-president.
14	Jeff Browne	2021		3 years, 181 days	Lawyer

Notes

Current Playing Squad

Senior list						Rookie list		Coaching staff
1 Patrick Lipinski  2 Jordan De Goey  3 Isaac Quaynor  4 Brayden Maynard  5 Jamie Elliott  6 Tom Mitchell  7 Josh Daicos  8 Trent Bianco 10 Scott Pendlebury 11 Daniel McStay 13 Taylor Adams 14 Darcy Cameron 15 Nathan Kreuger 16 Ed Allan 17 Billy Frampton 18 Finlay Macrae 19 Arlo Draper 20 Will Kelly		21 Trey Ruscoe 22 Steele Sidebottom 23 Bobby Hill 24 Jakob Ryan 25 Jack Crisp 26 Reef McInnes 28 Nathan Murphy 29 Joe Richards 30 Darcy Moore 31 Beau McCreery 32 Will Hoskin-Elliott 33 Jack Ginnivan 35 Nick Daicos 36 Harvey Harrison 38 Jeremy Howe 41 Brody Mihocek 46 Mason Cox				9 John Noble 12 Tom Wilson (B) 27 Cooper Murley 39 Aiden Begg 40 Ash Johnson 43 Charlie Dean 45 Josh Carmichael		Head coach Craig McRae Assistant coaches Brendon Bolton (director of coaching and backline) Hayden Skipworth (midfield) Scott Selwood (midfield) Justin Leppitsch (head of strategy and forward line) Mark Jamar (ruck) Andy Otten (backline development) Neville Jetta (forward line development) Josh Fraser (head of academy) Nick Maxwell (leadership and culture manager) Legend: (c) Captain(s) (vc) Vice captain(s) Long-term injury list Upgraded rookie (B) Category B rookie Updated: 8 June 2025 Source(s): Playing list, Coaching staff

Reserves Team

Collingwood
Names
Full name	Collingwood Football Club Limited
2023 season
Home-and-away season	8th
Club details
Founded	1939 2008 (re-founded)
Competition	VFL
Coach	Josh Fraser
Captain(s)	Campbell Lane & Sam Glover
Premierships	VFL/AFL reserves (7) 1919 1920 1922 1925 1940 1965 1976
Ground(s)	Victoria Park (10,000) Olympic Park (3,000)
Uniforms
Home Away Clash

The Collingwood reserves team is a second team for the club. It was re-established in 2008 and plays in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Reserves Team History

The VFL/AFL used to have a reserves competition from 1919 to 1991. Collingwood had a reserves team in these competitions. This allowed players who weren't chosen for the main team to still play for Collingwood in a lower league.

After the AFL reserves competition ended in 1999, the club's reserves team played in the Victorian Football League during the 2000 season.

In 2001, Collingwood's reserves team was stopped. Instead, Collingwood partnered with the Williamstown Football Club in the VFL. This meant Collingwood's reserves players played for Williamstown. Williamstown won a VFL premiership in 2003 during this partnership.

Collingwood ended its partnership with Williamstown after the 2007 season. The reserves team was started again and has played in the VFL since 2008. Their best result so far was reaching a preliminary final in 2016.

The reserves team plays its home games at Olympic Park Oval and Victoria Park. Sometimes, they also play at the MCG before a main Collingwood game. The Collingwood VFL team includes both reserves players from the main AFL team and other players who only play for the VFL team.

Reserves Coaches

No.	Name	Years
1	Brad Gotch, Dean Laidley	2000
2	Gavin Brown	2008–10
3	Tarkyn Lockyer	2011–12
4	Dale Tapping	2013–16
5	Jared Rivers	2017–19
6	Craig Black	2021–2022
7	Josh Fraser	2023–

Note: Garry Hocking was appointed coach for the 2020 season, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reserves Captains

No.	Name	Years
1	Nigel Carmody	2008
2	Damien Peverill	2009
3	Kris Pendlebury	2010–12
4	Jack Hellier, Nick Riddle	2013
5	Jack Hellier	2014–18
6	Jack Hellier, Alex Woodward	2019
7	Lachlan Tardrew, Campbell Hustwaite	2021–23
8	Campbell Lane, Sam Glover	2024–present

Reserves Season Summaries

Season	Win–loss	Ladder position	Finals result	Best & Fairest	Leading goalkicker
2000	9–10	11th	DNQ	Shane Watson	Brad Obourne (20)
2008	5–11	12th	DNQ	Justin Crow & Brent Macaffer	Brent Macaffer (38)
2009	10–8	7th	Preliminary Final	Ryan Cook	Chris Bryan (34)
2010	10–8	7th	Elimination Final	Tom Young	Scott Reed (38)
2011	4–14	12th	DNQ	Tom Sundberg	Brett Eddy (21)
2012	4–14	12th	DNQ	Kris Pendlebury	Caolan Mooney & Jackson Paine (17)
2013	10–8	6th	Elimination Final	Kyle Martin	Jackson Paine (45)
2014	12–6	5th	Elimination Final	Kyle Martin	Patrick Karnezis (31)
2015	12–6	6th	semi-final	Ben Moloney	Patrick Karnezis (30)
2016	14–4	2nd	Preliminary Final	Brent Macaffer	Travis Cloke & Jordan Collopy (18)
2017	8–10	8th	Elimination Final	Marty Hore	Kayle Kirby (42)
2018	12–6	5th	Elimination Final	Marty Hore	Unknown
2019	7–11	11th	DNQ	Alex Woodward	Andrew Gallucci (18)
2021	6–3	7th	Cancelled	Lachlan Tardrew	Jack Ginnivan (16)
2022	11–7	6th	Elimination Final	Finlay Macrae	Sam Fowler (25)
2023	11–7	8th	Elimination Final	Campbell Hustwaite	Reef McInnes (32)

Sources: Collingwood Football Club VFL Honour Roll, Collingwood Reserves Honour Roll 1919–2022, VFL Stats

Women's Teams

AFL Women's Team

In April 2016, Collingwood decided to try and get a team into the first-ever AFL Women's (AFLW) season in 2017. They were given a license in June 2016, becoming one of eight teams in the new league.

Meg Hutchins became one of the club's first players, along with star players Moana Hope and Emma King. The team also picked 19 more players in the draft. Wayne Siekman was named the team's first head coach in July 2016.

The AFL Women's team trains at the club's facilities at Olympic Park. They often play their matches there or at the club's traditional home, Victoria Park.

AFL Women's Squad

Senior list						Rookie list		Coaching staff
1 Sabrina Frederick  2 Chloe Molloy  3 Brianna Davey (c)  4 Imogen Barnett  5 Imogen Evans  6 Jordyn Allen  7 Sarah Rowe  8 Brittany Bonnici  9 Alana Porter 10 Ashleigh Brazill 11 Charlotte Taylor 12 Stacey Livingstone 13 Jaimee Lambert 15 Erica Fowler 16 Sarah Sansonetti		17 Steph Chiocci (c) 18 Ruby Schleicher 19 Olivia Barber 20 Eliza James 21 Jordan Membrey 22 Sophie Casey 23 Lauren Butler 24 Lauren Brazzale 25 Mikala Cann 26 Tarni Brown 28 Charlotte Blair 30 Alison Downie 32 Eloise Chaston 35 Joanna Lin 40 Abbi Moloney				14 Aishling Sheridan 33 Emily Smith		Head coach Stephen Symonds Assistant coaches Sam Shaw (backline) Jordan Roughead (midfield) Jason Brown (forward line) Chloe McMillian (VFLW coach) Chris Gamble (head of development) Michael Hartley (backline development) Martha Cantwell (midfield development) Legend: (c) Captain(s) (vc) Vice captain(s) (B) Category B rookie Updated: 8 June 2025 Source(s): Playing list, Coaching staff

AFL Women's Season Summaries

Collingwood AFLW Honour Roll
Season	Ladder	W–L–D	Finals	Best & Fairest	Leading goalkicker	Captain(s)	Coach
2017	5th	3–4–0	DNQ	Nicola Stevens	Moana Hope (7)	Steph Chiocci	Wayne Siekman
2018	6th	3–4–0	DNQ	Chloe Molloy	Christina Bernardi (9)	Steph Chiocci	Wayne Siekman
2019	10th ^	1–6–0	DNQ	Jaimee Lambert	Sarah D'Arcy (4)	Steph Chiocci	Wayne Siekman
2020	5th ^	4–2–0	Semi-final	Jaimee Lambert	Jordan Membrey (7)	Steph Chiocci	Stephen Symonds
2021	3rd	7–2–0	Preliminary final	Brianna Davey	Chloe Molloy (16)	Steph Chiocci & Brianna Davey	Stephen Symonds
2022 (S6)	6th	6–4–0	Qualifying final	Jaimee Lambert	Chloe Molloy (8)	Steph Chiocci & Brianna Davey	Stephen Symonds
2022 (S7)	6th	7–3–0	Semi-final	Jordyn Allen	Eliza James (10)	Steph Chiocci & Brianna Davey	Stephen Symonds
2023	11th	5–5–0	DNQ	TBD	Nell Morris-Dalton (8)	Brianna Davey	Stephen Symonds

^ Denotes the ladder was split into two conferences. Figure refers to the club's overall finishing in the home-and-away season.

VFL Women's Team

The club started its own team in the new VFL Women's league in 2018. Many of the club's AFLW players also play for the VFLW team. However, most of the team is made up of players who haven't been drafted to an AFLW club. The VFL Women's season runs after the AFL Women's season. Collingwood quickly found success, winning their first VFLW premiership in 2019.

VFLW Team List

51. Matilda Zander 52. Nicole Hales 53. Danica Pederson 54. Tricia Cowan 55. Caitlin Bunker 56. Marla Neal 58. Kara Colborne-Veel 60. Grace Matser 61. Nyakoat Dojiok 62. Monique Dematteo 63. Georgia Ricardo 64. Shanel Camilleri 65. Elisabeth Jackson 67. Rhiannon Busch 71. Hannah Bowey 72. Katie Lee 73. Olivia Storer 74. Ebony Wroe 75. Amy Kane 76. Nicola Weston 88. Neve O'Connor 90. Cahlia Haslam 91. Demi Hallett 92. Sarah King 99. Mollie Emond Coach: Chloe McMillan

VFL Women's Season Summaries

Collingwood VFLW Honour Roll
Season	W–L–D	Ladder	Finals result	Best & Fairest	Leading goalkicker	Captain(s)	Coach
2018	12–1–1	1st	Preliminary final	Jaimee Lambert	Sophie Alexander (14)	Unknown	Penny Cula-Reid
2019	12–2–0	1st	Premiers	Jaimee Lambert	Jaimee Lambert (29)	Ruby Schleicher & Grace Buchan	Penny Cula-Reid
2020	Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021	14–0–0	1st	N/A	Imogen Barnett	Imogen Barnett (21)	Caitlin Bunker	Chloe McMillan
2022	7–7–0	6th	Elimination final	Matilda Zander	Nyakoat Dojiok & Matilda Zander (9)	Caitlin Bunker	Chloe McMillan
2023	9–5–0	1st	Runners up	Jessica Bates	Monique DeMatteo (16)	Caitlin Bunker	Chloe McMillan
2024	6–8-0	7th	DNQ	Katie Day	Kaitie Day (6)	Megan Ryan	Tom Cashin

Sources: Club historical data and VFLW Stats 2021–present

Individual Player Awards

Brownlow Medal Winners

The Brownlow Medal is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the AFL.

• Syd Coventry (1927)
• Albert Collier (1929)
• Harry Collier (1930 tied)
• Marcus Whelan (1939)
• Des Fothergill (1940 tied)
• Len Thompson (1972)
• Peter Moore (1979)
• Nathan Buckley (2003 tied)
• Dane Swan (2011)

Coleman Medal Winners (Leading Goalkicker)

The Coleman Medal is given to the player who kicks the most goals in a season. Before 1981, it was called the Leading Goalkicker Medal.

• Ian Brewer (1958)
• Peter McKenna (1972, 1973)
• Brian Taylor (1986)

Leading Goalkicker Medal Winners:

• Archie Smith 1898
• Teddy Lockwood 1900 (tied), 1903
• Charlie Pannam 1905
• Dick Lee 1907, 1908, 1909, 1914, 1916, 1917, 1919
• Gordon Coventry 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1933
• Ron Todd 1938, 1939
• Des Fothergill 1946

Norm Smith Medal Winners (Best in Grand Final)

The Norm Smith Medal is awarded to the best player on the field in the AFL Grand Final.

• Tony Shaw (1990)
• Nathan Buckley (2002)
• Scott Pendlebury (2010)
• Bobby Hill (2023)

Mark of the Year Winners

This award is for the best "mark" (catch) of the year.

• Alan Atkinson (1973)
• Billy Picken (1974)
• Billy Picken (1976)
• Peter Daicos (1980)
• Denis Banks (1984)
• Chris Tarrant (2003)
• Andrew Krakouer (2011)
• Jamie Elliott (2013)

Goal of the Year Winners

This award is for the best goal kicked in a season.

• Phil Manassa (1977)
• Peter Daicos (1991)
• Mick McGuane (1994)
• Leon Davis (2008)
• Josh Daicos (2020)

Anzac Day Medal Winners

This medal is awarded to the best player in the annual Anzac Day match between Collingwood and Essendon.

• Saverio Rocca (1995, 1998) ^
• Scott Russell (1996) ^
• Damian Monkhorst (1997) ^
• Chris Tarrant (2001)
• Mark McGough (2002)
• Ben Johnson (2006)
• Heath Shaw (2007)
• Paul Medhurst (2008)
• Scott Pendlebury (2010, 2011, 2019)
• Dane Swan (2012, 2014)
• Paul Seedsman (2015)
• Steele Sidebottom (2016)
• Adam Treloar (2018)
• Jack Ginnivan (2022)
• Nick Daicos (2023)

^ Awarded retrospectively in 2011

All-Australian Team Members

Being named in the All-Australian Team means a player is considered one of the best in their position across the entire league for that year.

• Des Healey (1953)
• Bob Rose (1953)
• Terry Waters (1969)
• Ricky Watt (1969)
• Peter McKenna (1972)
• Len Thompson (1972)
• Peter Moore (1979)
• Michael Richardson (1983)
• Geoff Raines (1985)
• Tony Francis (1991)
• Gavin Brown (1991, 1994)
• Mick McGuane (1992)
• Nathan Buckley (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003)
• Chris Tarrant (2003)
• James Clement (2004, 2005)
• Alan Didak (2006, 2010)
• Paul Medhurst (2008)
• Dane Swan (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
• Nick Maxwell (2009)
• Leon Davis (2009, 2011)
• Scott Pendlebury (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2019)
• Harry O'Brien (2010)
• Dale Thomas (2011)
• Ben Reid (2011)
• Travis Cloke (2011, 2013)
• Dayne Beams (2012)
• Brodie Grundy (2018, 2019)
• Steele Sidebottom (2018)
• Adam Treloar (2019)
• Darcy Moore (2020, 2023)
• Taylor Adams (2020)
• Brayden Maynard (2022)
• Josh Daicos (2023)
• Nick Daicos (2023)

Match Records

• Highest score: 32 goals, 19 behinds (211 points) against St Kilda in 1980.
• Lowest score: 0 goals, 8 behinds (8 points) against South Melbourne in 1897.
• Lowest score since 1919: 2 goals, 2 behinds (14 points) against Melbourne in the 1960 Grand Final.
• Biggest winning margin: 178 points against St Kilda in 1979.
• Biggest losing margin: 138 points against Richmond in 1942.
• Record attendance (regular season game): 99,346 fans against Melbourne in 1958 at the MCG.
• Record attendance (finals match): 121,696 fans against Carlton in the 1970 Grand Final at the MCG.

Records Set by Players

• Most matches played: Scott Pendlebury – 383 games (2006–present).
• Most consecutive matches: Jack Crisp – 214 games (2012–present).
• Most goals kicked in a match: Gordon Coventry – 17 goals, 4 behinds in 1930. This was a VFL record until 1947.
• Most Best & Fairest awards: Nathan Buckley – 6 awards (1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003).
• Most matches as coach: Jock McHale – 714 matches (1912–1949). This is a VFL/AFL record for coaching at one club.
• Most matches as captain: Scott Pendlebury – 206 matches (2014–2022).
• Most goals in a season: Peter McKenna – 143 goals (1970).
• Most career goals: Gordon Coventry – 1299 goals (1920–1937). This was a VFL/AFL record until 1999 and is still the record for most goals at one club.

Cultural Influence

• The 1977 play The Club by David Williamson was inspired by the behind-the-scenes events at the Collingwood Football Club. The 1980 film version was filmed at Victoria Park and featured Collingwood players.
• In the 2009 movie Funny People, Australian actor Eric Bana's character, a St Kilda fan, talks about disliking Collingwood while watching a game.
• In the 2009 clay-animated film Mary and Max, a school bully wears a 1970s Collingwood guernsey. A Collingwood garden gnome also appears in the film.
• The 2010 Australian film Joffa: The Movie stars Joffa Corfe and Shane McRae as handymen who love the Collingwood Football Club.
• John Brack's 1953 painting Three of the Players shows three Collingwood players.

Activism

Supporting Equality

During the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, Collingwood supported the "Yes" vote for same-sex marriage.

Voice to Parliament

Collingwood also supports the Voice to Parliament, which aims to give First Nations people a direct say in policies and laws that affect them.

Images for kids

• 

  The Collingwood team that won the VFA premiership in 1896

• 

  Jock McHale coached the club to four consecutive Grand Final victories

• 

  Nathan Buckley captained Collingwood between 1999 and 2007, and served as the club's senior coach from 2012 to 2021

• 

  Collingwood Magpies mascot

• 

  Collingwood player Tom Nelson wrote the lyrics to "Good Old Collingwood Forever" in 1906.

• 

  Gordon Coventry led the VFL in goalkicking six times.

• 

  Scott Pendlebury, winner of the 2010 Norm Smith Medal

• 

  The Collingwood team huddles prior to the inaugural AFL Women's match in February 2017.

See also

In Spanish: Collingwood Football Club para niños

• History of the Collingwood Football Club
• List of Collingwood players
• List of Collingwood Football Club coaches
• Sport in Australia
• Sport in Victoria