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FL clubs, Richmond and Carlton, have ranked as number one and two respectively for sold on-field apparel, combining for more than a quarter of the entire AFL’s sales.

Richmond topped all other clubs following their back-to-back AFL premiership wins, accounting for 15.14% of sales of on-field merchandise, while Carlton, who finished 11th in the 2020 AFL season, accounted for 11.73% of all merchandise sales.

In third place in the ranking was West Coast with 7.97% of sales, followed by Geelong with 7.7% in fourth place, and Collingwood rounding out the top five with 7.69% of sales.

Both Richmond and Carlton, who collectively combine to make up 26.87% of the entire AFL’s on-field merchandise sales, are both partnered with Puma on long-term deals, with Richmond signing a five-year deal in 2017 and Carlton signing a 10-year deal ahead of the 2020 season.

Puma general manager of Oceania, Pancho Gutstein, told AFL.com.au the placement of Richmond and Carlton in the top two exemplifies the passion showed by their supporters, even during a global pandemic.

“We’re pleased to see Richmond and Carlton leading the charge for on-field sales,” Gutstein said.

“It’s testament to the passion of the supporters of these two iconic clubs.

“We are incredibly proud to partner with both clubs and to welcome GWS to the Puma family for the 2021 season.

“And while the numbers are good, our motivation comes from working to continually provide the most innovative on-field gear for the clubs, the best service and the most stylish fan wear for their supporters,” he said.

Puma is set to begin a commercial partnership with GWS for the 2021 season, who finished at the bottom of the list with Gold Coast, being Hawthorn who finished in third last place, recording 2.52% of merchandise sales among AFL clubs.

Meanwhile, the Richmond Football Club has announced a new long-term major partnership with Latitude Financial ahead of the 2021 AFL season.

As part of the deal, Latitude will feature on the club’s match-day shorts as well as training gear and official club apparel, as well as gain a match-day presence in the change rooms, along with new digital and content initiatives targeted at Richmond members.

Richmond CEO, Brendon Gale, said he is delighted to announce Latitude as a new partner of the club.

“I’d like to extend a warm welcome to the team at Latitude Financial,” Gale said.

“It’s an exciting time to introduce a new partner to the Richmond Football Club as we embark on the 2021 AFL season.

“Like Richmond, Latitude has strong and bold plans for the future and we anticipate a partnership which can create positive experiences for not only Latitude but for our members and supporters.

“We are looking forward to working with Latitude and watching our AFL players run out for round one proudly representing their brand,” he said.

Latitude Financial managing director and CEO, Ahmed Fahour, said: “We have long admired the values, community leadership, and success both on and off the field achieved by the Richmond Football Club.”

“The alignment of Latitude, Australia’s leading provider of interest free shopping, and Richmond, Australia’s most successful sporting club of the past few years, is a fantastic fit.

“We are also very excited to be joining the enormous Tiger army and supporting Richmond’s push for a fourth successive year of 100,000+ members, at the same time as we enter the next phase of growth at Latitude,” he said.