Richmond's drought-breaking premiership saw the Tigers roar up the AFL's revenue ladder in 2017, with their 37 per cent revenue increase pushing them to fifth on the table.

Collingwood remained the top revenue-earner despite missing the finals for the fourth year in succession, slightly ahead of powerhouses Hawthorn, West Coast and Essendon, who filled the top four.

The Tigers not only managed a massive increase in home-ground attendances, they also earned increased sponsorship revenue and are one of the few AFL clubs making a success of a non-football revenue source other than gaming, with their health and recreation business Aligned Leisure making money.

The information, contained in annual research from IBISWorld on club financial reports, saw 14 of the 18 AFL clubs post an operating profit in 2017, up from 10 in 2016.

IBISWorld's senior industry analyst Nick Tarrant said many AFL clubs still relied heavily on gaming revenue to make a profit.