A Letter from President Barry Carp

A letter to members from Collingwood President Barry Carp

Dear Magpie Army,

As our AFL season comes to a close, I want to take a moment to thank you for your incredible support throughout the year. 

While we are all disappointed to miss the Grand Final, it was great to be back in contention. This is a credit to everyone at the Club, led by our Senior Coach Craig McRae, Captain Darcy Moore, and all of the incredible people in our football department. 

On the field, our players displayed resilience, unity and the spirit that has become synonymous with this group. Week after week, we saw a team that never stopped fighting for each other and for you – our 19th player.  

Make no mistake, we will not stand still in the pursuit of getting better – on and off the field – as we strive for ultimate success.  

Our younger talent continues to develop with the support and leadership of our senior players. Combined with the strength of our coaching and high-performance teams, we are laying strong foundations for seasons to come. 

Off the field, our Club continues to live by its purpose – to Connect, Win and Grow. We are strengthening connections across the entire Club – from our AFL to AFLW programs, expanding our community initiatives, improving Member engagement and growing commercial partnerships.  

None of this is possible without you. 

For the third consecutive year, you helped break the league Club Membership record with 112,491 Members signing up. You didn’t just sign up – you turned up. 

A total of 757,601 supporters filled the stands at our home games, including an incredible average of 75,000 at the MCG – an all-time league record, surpassing our 2024 record.  

To the Magpie Army who were unable to attend games or who reside across the world, thank you for tuning into Collingwood games in record-numbers – your passion is unmatched, and it fuels us. 

As the men’s season concludes, our AFLW program has reached the midpoint of theirs. I encourage you to attend our next home game at Victoria Park on October 19 and witness the same fight and spirit that defines Collingwood. 

To our Board, coaches, players, staff, corporate and community partners, and most importantly, our Members and supporters – thank you for contributing to the 2025 AFL season. 

Together, we will find that little bit more to build on this momentum into 2026 and beyond.