AFL chief Gillon McLachlan has declared that Queensland is "becoming an AFL state", as participation and viewership grows in Australia's northeast.
The AFL boss is confident that Australian rules football can match rugby league in the maroon state, despite its passionate NRL following.
“The growth in the football in Queensland has been dramatic, on the Gold Coast particularly," McLachlan began on 3AW Melbourne.
"We’ll have more participants this year in Queensland than the NRL – the first time we’ll break that record."
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Australian Rules Football participation in Queensland
The AFL reported 58,000 registered Australian Rules Football participants in Queensland in its 2022 Annual Report, which is a record number for the eastern state.
There were approximately 1200 youth/junior clubs and 300 senior Aussie Rules Football clubs across the state.
Five Queenslanders made their way to the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns through last year's draft, including No.2 pick and Southport junior Will Ashcroft.
In the AFLW, eight locals were drafted to the Lions or Suns in 2022.
AFL Queensland attendance & membership numbers
Brisbane has averaged 26,120 attendees in nine home games this season, while Gold Coast has seen 13,087 spectators on average at eight home games.
Both numbers are up from last year, and it's a similar story in memberships.
The Lions have already broken their 2022 membership tally, and continue to push toward 50k total members. The Suns are yet to eclipse last season's record but appear on track for growth again in 2023.
Brisbane and Gold Coast, however, ranked 16th and 18th respectively in total membership last season. It was a similar story in the AFLW, with the Queensland clubs ranking in the bottom two for total club membership.
| Club | Average Attendance 2022 | Average Attendance 2023 | Total members 2022 | Total members 2023 |
| Brisbane Lions | 25,818 | 26,120 | 43,319 | 43,319+ |
| Gold Coast Suns | 11,298 | 13,087 | 21,422 | 20,000 |
| Brisbane Lions AFLW | 1207 | N/A | 2323 | N/A |
| Gold Coast Suns AFLW | 1056 | N/A | 1194 | N/A |
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Queensland AFL TV ratings
With participation and attendance growing in Queensland, the AFL is expecting TV ratings to match that of rugby league within the next decade.
"Ratings now are comparable to South Australia, we'll be the biggest sport in that market within five to ten years across most metrics," McLachlan said of Queensland on Friday.
An average TV audience of 101,869 viewers during Brisbane vs Collingwood in Round 5 last year was the state's highest-rated game.
