Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition.
| Geelong Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Names | |||
| Full name | Geelong Football Club Limited | ||
| Nickname(s) | Cats | ||
| Former nickname(s) | Pivotonians, Seagulls | ||
| 2023 season | |||
| Home-and-away season | 12th | ||
| Leading goalkicker | Jeremy Cameron (53 goals) | ||
| Carji Greeves Medal | Tom Stewart | ||
| Club details | |||
| Founded | 1859 | ||
| Colours | White, navy blue | ||
| Competition | AFL: Senior men AFLW: Senior women (national level) VFL: Reserves men VFLW: Senior women (state level) | ||
| President | Craig Drummond | ||
| CEO | Steve Hocking | ||
| Coach | AFL: Chris Scott AFLW: Daniel Lowther VFL: Mark Corrigan VFLW: Elise Coventry | ||
| Captain(s) | AFL: Patrick Dangerfield AFLW: Meg McDonald VFL: TBC VFLW: Breanna Beckley | ||
| Premierships | VFL/AFL (10) VFA (7) Reserves/VFL (16) | ||
| Ground(s) | GMHBA Stadium (capacity: 40,000) | ||
| Melbourne Cricket Ground (capacity: 100,024) | |||
| Former ground(s) | Corio Oval (1878-1940) | ||
| Training ground(s) | Deakin University Elite Sports Precinct GMHBA Stadium | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| Other information | |||
| Official website | www.geelongcats.com.au | ||
The club formed in 1859, making it the second-oldest club in the AFL, after Melbourne, and one of the oldest football clubs in the world.
In the 1860s, Geelong participated in a series of Challenge Cup competitions, and was a foundation member of both the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1877 and the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 1897, now the national AFL. 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 in 2007. Geelong won a further three premierships in 2009, 2011 and 2022.
Geelong play most of their home games at Kardinia Park (known for sponsorship reasons as GMHBA Stadium) and play the remainder at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Geelong's traditional guernsey 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 a black cat to bring it good luck. Geelong also field teams in other competitions; a reserves men's team in the Victorian Football League (VFL), a senior women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW) and a reserves women's team in the VFL Women's (VFLW) competitions. The club's official team song and anthem is "We Are Geelong".