AFL fans are usually bragging about the fact their club is the best in the league, and their fans are the most loyal and supportive, but what do the statistics say?
Digital Sports Labs, an Australian website dealing with sports, business and technology, has crunched the numbers, looking at each NRL club’s social media following to determine which club is, in fact, the most followed across the country.
They looked at each side’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram followers as well as the club’s YouTube subscribers, and some of the results are a little interesting.
No surprises that the Brisbane Broncos come out on top of the list, with a combined following of 953,853 across their social media accounts which dwarfs the rest of the competition.
The second and third teams though will surprise many, with the Melbourne Storm (732,135) and New Zealand Warriors (726,004) well clear of their NSW counterparts.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs (658,996) are the highest ranked Sydney-based team coming in fifth place, with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (472,767) and Parramatta Eels (472,040) neck and neck in seventh and eighth place.
Most Brisbane fans will take this as another feather in their cap in the battle of the cities but it should be considered there are actually nine clubs based in Sydney and their combined total is over 3.5 million fans.
At the other end of the table, the Canberra Raiders have the lowest combined following of only 250,421.
The Newcastle Knights (251,956) have the second lowest following but taking into account their population, it could be considered they are actually doing quite well.
| # | Club | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane Broncos | 953,853 |
| 2 | Melbourne Storm | 732,135 |
| 3 | New Zealand Warriors | 726,004 |
| 4 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 658,996 |
| 5 | North Queensland Cowboys | 485,808 |
| 6 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 472,767 |
| 7 | Parramatta Eels | 472,040 |
| 8 | Wests Tigers | 408,234 |
| 9 | Sydney Roosters | 383,340 |
| 10 | Gold Coast Titans | 310,346 |
| 11 | Manly Sea Eagles | 307,754 |
| 12 | Cronulla Sharks | 303,039 |
| 13 | St George Illawarra Dragons | 295,822 |
| 14 | Penrith Panthers | 258,600 |
| 15 | Newcastle Knights | 251,956 |
| 16 | Canberra Raiders | 250,421 |
| State/Country | Total |
|---|---|
| NSW | 3,812,548 |
| QLD | 1,750,007 |
| VIC | 732,135 |
| New Zealand | 726,004 |
| ACT | 250,421 |
| City | Total | Population | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 3,560,592 | 5,029,768 | 70.79% |
| Brisbane | 953,853 | 2,360,241 | 40.41% |
| Melbourne | 732,135 | 4,725,316 | 15.49% |
| Gold Coast | 310,346 | 638,090 | 48.64% |
| Newcastle | 251,956 | 322,278 | 78.18% |
| Canberra | 250,421 | 403,468 | 62.07% |