Geelong Football Club | |
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Names | |
Full name | Geelong Football Club |
Nickname(s) | Cats (1923–present) Past nicknames: Pivotonians, Seagulls |
2016 season | |
After finals | 3rd |
Home-and-away season | 2nd |
Leading goalkicker | Tom Hawkins (55 goals) |
Best and fairest | Patrick Dangerfield |
Club details | |
Founded | 1859 |
Colours | White Navy blue |
Competition | Australian Football League |
Chairman | Colin Carter |
Coach | Chris Scott |
Captain(s) | Joel Selwood |
Premierships |
AFL/VFL (9): 1925, 1931, 1937, 1951, 1952, 1963, 2007, 2009, 2011 VFA (7): 1878, 1879, 1880, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1886 |
Ground(s) | Simonds Stadium (capacity: 34,074) |
Training ground(s) | Simonds Stadium, Deakin University's Elite Sports Precinct |
Other information | |
Official website | www.geelongcats.com.au |
Guernsey: | |
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in the city of Geelong, Australia and playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). The Cats have been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with three in the AFL era (since 1990). They have also won nine McClelland Trophies, a record shared with Essendon.
The club was formed in 1859, making it the second oldest club in the AFL after Melbourne and one of the oldest football clubs in the world. Geelong participated in the first football competition in Australia and was a foundation club of both the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1877 and the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 1897.
The club first established itself in the VFA by winning seven premierships, making it the most successful VFA club leading up to the formation of the VFL in 1897. The club won a further six premierships by 1963, before enduring a 44-year waiting period until it won its next premiership—an AFL-record 119-point victory in the 2007 AFL Grand Final. Geelong have since won a further two premierships in 2009 and 2011.
The club's home ground is Kardinia Park, currently also known by its sponsorship name "Simonds Stadium". However, the club also hosts home matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Docklands Stadium. Geelong's traditional guernsey colours are navy blue and white hoops. The club's nickname, "The Cats", 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. The club's official team song and anthem is "We Are Geelong".