Formation and early years The Collingwood Football Club was established on 12 February 1892. Collingwood played its first game in the
Victorian Football Association (VFA) against
Carlton on 7 May 1892. The club won the VFA Premiership in 1896. In 1897, Collingwood, along with fellow VFA clubs
Fitzroy,
Melbourne,
St Kilda, Carlton,
Essendon,
South Melbourne and
Geelong split from the VFA and formed the
Victorian Football League (VFL). Collingwood won its first
premiership in 1902, defeating Essendon by 33 points in the
1902 VFL Grand Final.
1920s and 1930s: Four consecutive premierships Collingwood was the most successful Victorian club of the 1920s and 1930s, appearing in 13 out of a possible 20 Grand Finals during the period. Collingwood were premiers six times during this time, including four consecutive premierships between 1927 and 1930, a VFL record, and two consecutive premierships in 1935 and 1936. The club's coach during this period was
Jock McHale, who served as coach from 1912 to 1949. Collingwood also had three
Brownlow Medallists during the period, with
Syd Coventry winning in 1927,
Albert Collier in 1929 and
Harry Collier in 1930. The club's ruthlessly successful period later earned the club the nickname "The Machine". American journalist and author Sam Walker included the Machine team in his book
The Captain Class, which listed some the author's greatest teams in the history of world sport. The Collingwood team of 1927–1930 not only achieved four straight premierships, but did so with a winning percentage of around 86% across the four seasons, and an average winning margin of about five goals. In 1929 they also became the only team in history to go through a home-and-away season undefeated. Whether this perception is accurate remains a subject of debate; having won two, drawn one and lost four of its last seven Grand Finals.
Lou Richards ceremoniously buried the Colliwobbles at
Victoria Park after the club's 1990 premiership.
1990–1999: Long-awaited premiership and struggles The
1990 premiership team, coached by
Leigh Matthews and captained by
Tony Shaw, had a one-sided grand final win against
Essendon, the Magpies recording a 48-point victory and ending a 32-year premiership drought which included eight
grand final losses and one draw. The sight of club great
Darren Millane, who died in a car-crash one year later, holding the ball aloft in triumph at the final siren is one of the indelible images of the match. After the drought-breaking premiership, the club lapsed into a state of decline for the remainder of the decade, culminating with the club's second
wooden spoon in 1999. The Magpies returned to finals, though were quickly eliminated, in the
1992 season against
St Kilda and in the
1994 AFL season against
West Coast. Matthews left as head coach at the end of the
1995 season and was replaced at the start of the following year by 1990 premiership captain Tony Shaw, who had only retired from football 18 months earlier. Mid-table finishes under Shaw were achieved for the next two seasons, before poor results in 1998 and 1999 saw Shaw announce his resignation.
2000–2011: The Malthouse era Media personality, sports journalist and administrator
Eddie McGuire was elected
President in October 1998. He oversaw the installation of new head coach
Michael Malthouse in October 1999, whose appointment proved to be a masterstroke in reviving the club on-field. Under Malthouse, the acquisition and emergence of players such as
Paul Licuria,
Alan Didak,
Anthony Rocca and
Nathan Buckley resulted in Collingwood quickly moving up the ladder in the
2000 AFL season and in the
2001 AFL season, only narrowly missing the finals in the latter year. Collingwood met reigning premiers
Brisbane in the
2002 Grand Final and were regarded as massive underdogs, eventually falling just 9 points short of an improbable premiership. Buckley, the captain, became just the third player to win the
Norm Smith Medal as best afield in the Grand Final despite being a member of the losing side. Despite a very successful home-and-away next season, they were again defeated by the Lions in the
2003 Grand Final, this time in thoroughly convincingly fashion. Following those Grand Final losses, Collingwood struggled for the next two years, finishing 13th in 2004 and second-last in 2005; the latter meant Collingwood was eligible for a priority pick which the club used to recruit
Dale Thomas. Collingwood made a return to the finals in 2006, finishing fifth, but were defeated by the
Western Bulldogs by 41 points in its elimination final. A loss to (who were on the bottom of the ladder at the time) late in the season ultimately cost them the double chance. The 2007 season saw them finish sixth on the ladder at season's conclusion, and in the finals they knocked out the grand finalists of the past two years,
Sydney, in the elimination final and then
West Coast in overtime at
Subiaco Oval in the semi-final. Having earned a preliminary final against , Collingwood lost to the eventual premiers, by five points in one of the most memorable preliminary finals in over a decade. Nathan Buckley would announce his retirement at season's end after playing just five games in 2007 due to injury. Collingwood finished eighth in the
2008 AFL season and were assigned an away final against at
AAMI Stadium. After at one point trailing in the match, Collingwood went on to end Adelaide's season and earn a semi-final meeting against . Having defeated the Saints in both their regular season meetings, Collingwood lost convincingly, ending their 2008 season. The
2009 season saw Collingwood finish inside the top-four for the first time since 2003, but in the qualifying final were beaten by minor premiers St Kilda convincingly. Having won a second chance, Collingwood struggled against Adelaide for the second year in a row before John Anthony kicked the match-winning goal with a minute left to send them into another preliminary final meeting with Geelong. But the season ended abruptly for the Magpies, with a 73-point loss to Geelong. In 2010, Collingwood finished as minor premiers, and after wins in the qualifying and preliminary finals, reached the first
Grand Final against St Kilda. The match finished as a draw, forcing the first
grand final replay in 33 years. Collingwood won the replay by 56 points. Key defensive player
Nick Maxwell captained the club to victory and midfielder
Scott Pendlebury (who had already won his first of eventually three
Anzac medals earlier in the year) was awarded the Norm Smith Medal. The club won a second consecutive minor premiership in 2011, and qualified for the
Grand Final after a three-point victory against Hawthorn in the preliminary final. However, Collingwood was then beaten by Geelong by 38 points in the decider, after trailing by seven points at three-quarter time. Following the Grand Final loss, which also marked the end of the club's 2011 AFL season, Malthouse left Collingwood after deciding not to stay on as "director of coaching". Star midfielder
Dane Swan won the
2011 Brownlow Medal with a then-record 34 votes. Malthouse would leave having coached the club to eight finals series and four grand finals in 12 years.
2012–2021: Coach Nathan Buckley Nathan Buckley, regarded as one of Collingwood's greatest players, was appointed assistant coach under Malthouse for the 2010 and 2011 seasons, before assuming the head coaching position at the start of the
2012 season. Malthouse, who had been contracted to take on a "head of coaching" role, elected to leave the club rather than put Buckley in what he regarded as an awkward position. Under Buckley, Collingwood continued to be successful in the short term, qualifying inside the top-four in the 2012 season, before falling 26 points short in a preliminary final to eventual premiers the
Sydney Swans at
ANZ Stadium. The club qualified for finals once more in 2013, though were surprisingly eliminated in the first week by underdogs
Port Adelaide at home. The result prompted the Magpies coaching staff to begin making radical changes to the club's playing list, which saw premiership players
Heath Shaw,
Sharrod Wellingham,
Heritier Lumumba among others leave for other clubs or retire. Over the next four years, younger talent was drafted but the club's win–loss recorded continued to deteriorate. Collingwood failed to make finals from 2014 through to the end of the
2017 season, progressively sliding down the ladder each year. Buckley came under intense media pressure to resign or be sacked from his position, though club administrators elected to grant him a two-year extension to his contract in October 2017 after a broad-ranging internal review. The emergence of new-generation players such as
Taylor Adams,
Adam Treloar and
Jordan De Goey, alongside key talls
Brodie Grundy and
Mason Cox mixed well with veterans Pendlebury and
Steele Sidebottom. Collingwood jumped from 13th in 2017 to 3rd in 2018, sensationally knocking out reigning premiers in the preliminary final before falling five points short after leading for most of the match against
West Coast in the
2018 Grand Final, the senior team's 27th defeat in a Grand Final. Buckley's growth as a coach was partially credited for the rapid improvement. In 2020, Collingwood finished 8th at the end of the home-and-away season. The club made significant on-field and administrative changes in the late 2010s. It was a foundation member of the inaugural
AFL Women's competition in 2017 and in the same year established the
Collingwood Magpies Netball team, a division of the club competing in the professional
National Netball League. Collingwood unveiled a new permanent logo at the end of the 2017 season, which was the club's 125th anniversary year.
"Do Better" report In 2020, the club commissioned an independent review into claims of racism at the club. In February 2021, the report was leaked to journalists and revealed that "while claims of racism have been made across the AFL, there is something distinct and egregious about Collingwood's history" and that "what is clear is that racism at the club has resulted in profound and enduring harm to First Nations and African players. The racism affected them, their communities, and set dangerous norms for the public." Collingwood President
Eddie McGuire suggested that the report signalled "a historic and proud day" for the media and club which was working towards addressing racism and that it "was not a racist club". Many criticised McGuire's response, including AFL CEO
Gillon McLachlan,
Héritier Lumumba, former Indigenous Collingwood player
Tony Armstrong and a Victorian Senator, among others. McGuire later apologised for the remarks. On 4 February, 150 Collingwood players from the men's and women's teams penned an open letter apologising "to anyone who, through their association with our club, has been marginalised, hurt or discriminated against due to their race." First-grade footballer
Darcy Moore said that the players were "humiliated and shocked" by the report's findings. Buckley stepped down after Round 13 of the
2021 AFL season, and assistant coach
Robert Harvey took over as the caretaker coach until the end of the season. Harvey focused on developing youth and letting them play, with Collingwood winning 2 out of their 9 remaining games.
2022–present: Coach Craig McRae In September 2021,
Craig McRae was appointed as head coach of the club for the
2022 season and onwards. In his first season as Senior Coach, McRae led the club from a 17th place finish in the previous year, to 4th place on the ladder at the conclusion of the 2022 regular season, which included an 11 game winning streak and an AFL record of 11 separate wins by under 12 points. Collingwood would go on to lose two of their three Finals games in 2022 by a goal or less, losing to Geelong by 6 points in the Qualifying Final, and Sydney by 1 point in the Preliminary Final. McRae was awarded the Monjon Allan Jeans Senior Coach of the Year Award by the AFL Coaches Association for the 2022 season. The 2023 season marked a shift in the club's leadership, as long-time team captain
Scott Pendlebury stepped down from the role he had held from 2014 to 2022.
Darcy Moore was voted as the club's new captain for the 2023 season and beyond. The Magpies entered the 2023 season with the aim to build upon their strong performance in the 2022 season. Key offseason additions included
Tom Mitchell (from Hawthorn),
Bobby Hill (from GWS), and
Billy Frampton (from Adelaide) through trades, and signing
Dan McStay to the club as a free agent. Collingwood had a successful second season under Craig McRae, securing a total of 18 wins and 5 losses, and ultimately finishing first overall on the ladder. In the first Qualifying Final of the 2023 AFL Finals, Collingwood (9.6.60) defeated Melbourne (7.11.53) by 7 points. In the preliminary final, Collingwood (8.10.58) defeated the Giants (8.9.57) by 1 point, to secure a spot in the
2023 AFL Grand Final. In a closely contested match, Collingwood (12.18.90) defeated Brisbane (13.8.86) by 4 points to win the 2023 AFL Premiership, equalling the league-record of 16 VFL/AFL premierships for the club. The 2024 season would prove to be a disappointment for the reigning premiers. Collingwood started the year poorly, losing the first three matches of their flag defence before recovering strongly to lose just once in the following eleven games. Despite this, the Magpies finished the season in indifferent fashion, winning just four of their last nine matches. They ultimately finished ninth with a record of 12 wins, nine losses and two draws, with percentage separating them from eighth-placed arch-rival Carlton. In doing so, Collingwood became the third reigning premier in four years (after Richmond in 2021 and Geelong in 2023) to miss the finals. ==Club symbols and identity==