Geelong Football Club

Guernseys

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 of Corio Bay.^[9]

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

Nickname

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

Songs

Geelong's official club song, "We Are Geelong", is set to the tune of "Toreador" from Carmen, with lyrics written by former premiership player John 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 with Barry Crocker's "C'mon the Cats!" and followed by "Cat Attack", which the team ran out to during the 1992 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.

Hawthorn

The rivalry between Hawthorn and Geelong is defined by two Grand Finals: those of 1989 and 2008. In the 1989 Grand Final, Geelong played the man, resulting in major injuries for several Hawks players, Mark Yeates knocking out Dermott 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 the 2008 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 president Jeff 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]

Collingwood

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 one en 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]

Brisbane

In the 2020s, Geelong and Brisbane 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 the Melbourne Cricket Ground.^[19]

Sponsorship

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

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

Supporter base

Current playing list and coaches

Officials

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

Premierships and awards

Win–loss record

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

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

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

Match records

Team of the Century

History

Geelong's reserves side began competing in the Victorian Junior Football League, later known as the VFL/AFL reserves, in 1922. 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 the Victorian Football League. Unlike all other Victorian AFL clubs, Geelong has never operated in a reserves 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 at GMHBA 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 with Bendigo Bank.^[50]

Club honours

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

AFL Women's team

Match records

Win–loss record

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

Same-Sex Marriage

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

Voice to Parliament

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