The AFL has confirmed nine football fans have been banned from attending games for life and a further five are being investigated for racially abusing players.
Those bans come after the league introduced a zero-tolerance approach to racial abuse this season.
Previously, the penalty fans faced for racial vilification was a three-year suspension.
The nine fans — who are all men aged between 18 and 72 — will never be able to watch a match in the stands again.
As part of its crackdown on racial abuse, the AFL has also appointed a full-time investigator to focus on reports of racism in all levels of football.
The AFL's executive general manager of inclusion and social policy, Tanya Hosch, said the increase in penalty was an appropriate punishment for the behaviour.
"We have been clear: There is absolutely no place for this behaviour in our sport, and in society in general, and we want people to know that, if they behave in this way, they are not welcome at the footy again," Hosch said.
"The work will not stop in this space, and having a full-time resource committed to investigating incidents is going to assist greatly in our response at all levels of the game."
Hosch said identifying offenders, both at matches and online, was difficult but that investigative work continued to be a priority.
"It can be very difficult to find these people but, on numerous occasions, our Integrity officers have identified perpetrators and passed information to the police," she said.
The nine fans who were issued with lifetime bans were reported by patrons to either police, staff, security or via an online portal at various stadiums across the country.
Any person placed on a lifetime ban has the ability to formally apply for an official review of that ban after a minimum five-year timeframe.
"We believe people can reflect and take the opportunity to change their racist views," Hosch said.
"If people are willing to be educated, we would be happy to reconsider their return to the footy.
"There is more work to be done, especially in the online space, and we will continue to work with Australia's eSafety Commissioner."
Tackling racism with education
AFL Fans Association President Ron Issko said such a "severe" punishment should be an effective deterrent.
"This will absolutely work. A lifetime ban from football for footy fans is one of the worst things that can happen to yourself," Issko said.
"Imagine you barrack for a team playing in finals or a grand final and you can't go because you were silly enough to racially vilify someone.
"The players, the fans — no one wants it in our game, no one wants it in society so let's hit people hard, and then let's educate them."
AFL Players' Association chief executive Paul Marsh said he was pleased to see the industry working to find ways to eradicate racism from the game.
"There is no place for it in our society," Mr Marsh said.
"We're saddened that racism continues to be an issue that our players have to deal with on a regular basis."
He said racism was a "serious and devastating issue for all players" that could only be tackled with education, alongside a coordinated response from the league.
