http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsid=63354

ADULT MEMBERS

Adelaide 37,747

West Coast 33,565

Fremantle 31,286

Collingwood 29,985

Hawthorn 27,546

Essendon 26,517

Port Adelaide 26,125

Carlton 25,476

Geelong 24,139

Melbourne 21,925

North Melbourne 20,379

St Kilda 20,175

Sydney 18,842

Richmond 18,585

W Bulldogs 18,520

Brisbane 17,235

Fantastic effort for adult members which provides the most revenue.

Bravo Dees

Total Memberships for each Club

CROWS

48,720 (This Year)

50,976 (Last Year)

-4.4% (Change)

LIONS

22,737

21,976

3.5%

BLUES

39,360

35,431

11.1%

MAGPIES

42,498

38,587

10.1%

BOMBERS

41,947

32,759

28.0%

FREMANTLE

43,366

43,343

0.1%

CATS

36,850

30,169

22.1%

HAWKS

41,436

31,064

33.4%

KANGAROOS

32,600

22,366

45.8%

DEMONS

29,619

28,077

5.5%

POWER

34,185

34,073

0.3%

TIGERS

30,820

30,044

2.6%

SAINTS

30,063

30,394

-1.1%

SWANS

26,721

28,764

-7.1%

EAGLES

44,863

45,949

-2.4%

BULLDOGS

28,306

28,725

-1.5%

Interesting Points:

1. Carlton gets a sniff of upside and they get nearly 40,000 members.

2. Bombers have had an incredible unherald increase in a post Sheedy era.

3. Freo has over 40,000 members. So much pain so little culture.

4. Hawks and Cats have really turn things around in the past few years. I wonder how much m/ship upside there is for the Cats.

5. I would have expected the Bullies to be higher this year. Interesting to see the numbers they get for 2009.

  Rhino Richards said:

Interesting Points:

1. Carlton gets a sniff of upside and they get nearly 40,000 members.

2. Bombers have had an incredible unherald increase in a post Sheedy era.

3. Freo has over 40,000 members. So much pain so little culture.

4. Hawks and Cats have really turn things around in the past few years. I wonder how much m/ship upside there is for the Cats.

5. I would have expected the Bullies to be higher this year. Interesting to see the numbers they get for 2009.

The other interesting thing is in fact quite a worrying thing that I know Jim has made a priority, and that is that we are quite high up relatively speaking on adults, yet near the bottom all up. This obviously suggests an alarmingly low number of kids, which augurs badly for the future. I think it's quite obvious from this that youth has to be a priority. Explains the Casey Fields undertaking as well.

Still good to see us compete fairly well against the other vic clubs

  Choko said:

The other interesting thing is in fact quite a worrying thing that I know Jim has made a priority, and that is that we are quite high up relatively speaking on adults, yet near the bottom all up. This obviously suggests an alarmingly low number of kids, which augurs badly for the future. I think it's quite obvious from this that youth has to be a priority. Explains the Casey Fields undertaking as well.

When Melbourne starts winning games regulairly Kids will come on board. Gimmicks will only keep kids interested for a certain time. Melbourne have a low child membership because our trophy cupboard is empty. I almost jumpred back in the seventies simply because i got tired of being stirred up & ridiculled, it was tough, and yhat was almost 30 years ago-and still we are winless. If jim and the board can sort things out i am confident that kids will return.

Salient Demons-related points and some opinions/commentary:

- 13th on overall tally, 29,619 total members (5.5% up on 2007's 28,077 members)

Closest teams are WB (~1500 behind), while we're not far off St. Kilda, and ~1200 off Richmond.

- 7th best membership increase (as % of past year, ( and number of members)

Given last year was a record, and our terrible form 2007-08, that's pretty good.

- Ninth on adult tally (21,925 members)

Might suggest that our money from membership takings is likely to be better than you'd expect from our 13th ranking overall, although we do sell $40 MCC/MFC memberships. However, the flip-side to a high % of adult members...

- 13th junior tally (5,541), 16th concession* tally (2,153)

This is a worry, as others have mentioned. However, our number of junior members as a % of our overall membership tally is comparable to several other Victorian teams (ie. Magpies, Cats, Saints), and comparable to or better than all interstate Clubs (although that's probably a moot point; they're not going anywhere). I wonder if juniors are a more 'fickle' membership category, as 'why you little' suggests.

As for other teams:

I'm surprised by the massive increase in Bombers membership! It doesn't seem that the loss of Sheedy has hurt things. I'm sure Essendon's pre-season form was a factor.

The Kangaroos have had a massive increase in members overall, but still have less adult members than us. I'm really interested to see how things pan out with North membership numbers over the next 2-3 years. Perhaps they've engaged with a huge legion of Roos-supporting juniors/students, but perhaps it's because junior memberships are cheaper to pick up as a form of donation.

* Full-time student, Aged, Single Parent or Disability Pension Card, Veteran Affairs Card, TPI

  Stigga said:

Fantastic effort for adult members which provides the most revenue.

We do have the MFC/MCC associate membership at $40, remember. I wouldn't be surprised if that netted us a couple of thousand adults.

if we can get a small increase next year, pushing 32K members, there is every possibility we will jump up to about half way on that membership ladder, passing the saints, richmond, kangaroos and even give the power a shake.

how would the afl be able to deride us if we could get to 8th or 9th on the membership ladder?

  why you little said:

When Melbourne starts winning games regulairly Kids will come on board. Gimmicks will only keep kids interested for a certain time. Melbourne have a low child membership because our trophy cupboard is empty. I almost jumpred back in the seventies simply because i got tired of being stirred up & ridiculled, it was tough, and yhat was almost 30 years ago-and still we are winless. If jim and the board can sort things out i am confident that kids will return.

Absolutely spot on WUL.

Geez it hard for young kids to follow a side like MFC that gets whopped every week. We need to build a side for sustainable success not fleeting bursts of one to two weeks of glory.

  deanox said:

if we can get a small increase next year, pushing 32K members, there is every possibility we will jump up to about half way on that membership ladder, passing the saints, richmond, kangaroos and even give the power a shake.

how would the afl be able to deride us if we could get to 8th or 9th on the membership ladder?

My prediction is a minimum of 33,000 members, possibly as high as 35,000 and a debt $3.5 million less than today. With a few years of lower than average player payments, improved form, tight fiscal controls and a couple more sponsors (bubble dome and Casey should really help here) we should be debt free by 2010, just in time for a serious crack at a flag. Gotta love optimism and the great Jimmy Stynes!!

  Rogue said:

Salient Demons-related points and some opinions/commentary:

- 13th junior tally (5,541), 16th concession* tally (2,153)

This is a worry, as others have mentioned. However, our number of junior members as a % of our overall membership tally is comparable to several other Victorian teams (ie. Magpies, Cats, Saints), and comparable to or better than all interstate Clubs (although that's probably a moot point; they're not going anywhere). I wonder if juniors are a more 'fickle' membership category, as 'why you little' suggests.

The Kangaroos have had a massive increase in members overall, but still have less adult members than us. I'm really interested to see how things pan out with North membership numbers over the next 2-3 years. Perhaps they've engaged with a huge legion of Roos-supporting juniors/students, but perhaps it's because junior memberships are cheaper to pick up as a form of donation.

* Full-time student, Aged, Single Parent or Disability Pension Card, Veteran Affairs Card, TPI

We do have the MFC/MCC associate membership at $40, remember. I wouldn't be surprised if that netted us a couple of thousand adults.

How many pets are holding NM memberships?

Membership numbers are one thing, the other important things is the mix of members and $$$$ that flow. Also how much additional business (ie function attendance, sales of official clothing, memorabilia) do we sell to those members?

The AFL will look through the overall membership numbers and see any financial holes. Taking the overall membership numbers on their own is not the sole or reliable barometer of the financial health of a football club.

Our junior membership are a worry. If you get an MCC/MFC membership for $150 you get to nominate a child as a member. Its a free membership with no direct cash flow. How many memberships are like that?

low junior memberships... move to establish a presence in growth corridor.... Gee.. I wonder !!

Much is made ( rightly so) of memberships, but keep in mind they form only part of a greater category called Revenue Streams. Brizzy make more than us with far lower membership. Granted we dont at present have too many other methods than good ol members but it does highlight the need to diversify our abilities.

  Rhino Richards said:

Absolutely spot on WUL.

Geez it hard for young kids to follow a side like MFC that gets whopped every week. We need to build a side for sustainable success not fleeting bursts of one to two weeks of glory.

Its only the last two years we have been beaten regularly. We had more wins or supposed success from 1998-2006 than most other vic clubs and more finals appearances too.

We have our fair legion of youth supporters contrary to some opposition supporters opinions of late due to our early season form.

  High Tower said:

Its only the last two years we have been beaten regularly. We had more wins or supposed success from 1998-2006 than most other vic clubs and more finals appearances too.

We have our fair legion of youth supporters contrary to some opposition supporters opinions of late due to our early season form.

What success. We were last truly competitive in a final campaign in 2002. Hell, how would you expect anyone under the age of 13 to remember that? And before anyone flames that comment, we made up numbers in the 2004 to 2006 finals campaigns

From my own observations, my son who barracks for the Demons does not want to go to games. I have two MFC supporting mates whose sons were "baptised" little demons but are choosing to follow other successful clubs.

My son attends an Auskick and another football clinic each week in the Melbourne south eastern suburbs. He also attended a school holiday footy camp at Melb High during the school holidays. There is a huge role out of kids there. More than they can properly handle. There are very, very few MFC supporters in evidence from the team dress worn by the kids.

I really sympathise with a young kid who is being indoctrinated with Melbourne ATM.

If there is a fair legion of youth supporters that follow MFC then they must be enjoying other sports or pursuits because they are certainly are not evident in the under 13 category.

Its a disturbing and a couple of gimmicks will not win them over.

Winning is only one aspect to garnering membership, granted it certaintly doesnt hurt. I would suggest tangibility and relevance are far greater factors in a kid following a team.

if kids can come into the ahllowed aura of a footballer(s) then they will asscoaite with them. They are REAL. It's an experience they take away and treasure. The more this happens the more personaly this relationship becomes until the kid is a 'xyz' follower. When I grew up Melb didnt do particularly well and neither did many other teams but they still had relevance in some form to the kids. ( probably relevant that Melb wasnt nearly so spread out..and the G was very easy for kids to go to ALONE )

This is why something like Casey is so very important to our future. Being in the face of a growing generation makes us real, not just some team in the middle of a city they hradly go to. yes its all very simplisitc...very grass-roots etc. But we all know...get the heart of a kid in footy and you have them for life, its just how it is.

Now combine a grass-roots effort with an improvement at the Colliseum and we have promise

  belzebub59 said:

Winning is only one aspect to garnering membership, granted it certaintly doesnt hurt. I would suggest tangibility and relevance are far greater factors in a kid following a team.

if kids can come into the ahllowed aura of a footballer(s) then they will asscoaite with them. They are REAL. It's an experience they take away and treasure. The more this happens the more personaly this relationship becomes until the kid is a 'xyz' follower. When I grew up Melb didnt do particularly well and neither did many other teams but they still had relevance in some form to the kids. ( probably relevant that Melb wasnt nearly so spread out..and the G was very easy for kids to go to ALONE )

This is why something like Casey is so very important to our future. Being in the face of a growing generation makes us real, not just some team in the middle of a city they hradly go to. yes its all very simplisitc...very grass-roots etc. But we all know...get the heart of a kid in footy and you have them for life, its just how it is.

Now combine a grass-roots effort with an improvement at the Colliseum and we have promise

Bub, from the my experience in watching and seeing first hand the interests and preferences of my sons and his friends the only relevance to them is seeing someone win. They're not so bent on associating with name footballers. Casey at this point is just a training ground with little connection of MFC with the area. Most people that have grown up in Melbourne have already some form of AFL allegance. For new arrivals it will take them a decade or generation to make any switch to AFL and then MFC before other Clubs.

I understand the need for Casey but I am dubious of the ability of MFC to make a substantive community connection in Casey and to Casey residents to embrace MFC like say Essendon people do to Essendon and Geelong residents do with Geelong.

And for MFC supporting parents who dont live near Casey it means diddly squat in trying to convert their kids to the cause.

  Rhino Richards said:

What success. We were last truly competitive in a final campaign in 2002. Hell, how would you expect anyone under the age of 13 to remember that? And before anyone flames that comment, we made up numbers in the 2004 to 2006 finals campaigns

I really sympathise with a young kid who is being indoctrinated with Melbourne ATM.

If there is a fair legion of youth supporters that follow MFC then they must be enjoying other sports or pursuits because they are certainly are not evident in the under 13 category.

Its a disturbing and a couple of gimmicks will not win them over.

We didn't just make up numbers, we had a finals win in 2006 and were competitive - but that's another story. It's hard to win interstate too.

Success = Premierships to most people. But if you want to measure success as 'a competitive' side MFC stand-up higher than alot of Vic Clubs through the last 10 years.

Kids remember.

Tigers, Saints, Bulldogs, Kangaroos, Blues and even Hawks haven't had much say in things the last 10 years. Just ask their respective fans.

What do you mean by a couple of gimmicks? Those narrow wins?

Think Positive. I have two girls, and one on the way (hopefully a Champion CHF for the Dees one day), they love the Melbourne theme song, they love the red and blue. You gotta stick fat and not be so negative. When it turns, you may as well make the most of it!

  Rhino Richards said:

Bub, from the my experience in watching and seeing first hand the interests and preferences of my sons and his friends the only relevance to them is seeing someone win. They're not so bent on associating with name footballers. Casey at this point is just a training ground with little connection of MFC with the area. Most people that have grown up in Melbourne have already some form of AFL allegance. For new arrivals it will take them a decade or generation to make any switch to AFL and then MFC before other Clubs.

It is a longer term stance..for sure. If we only ever barracked for winners.. be very little then.

What about the ppl who havent grown up yet?? thats the whole point..You want to grwo junior memberships.. to get involved with the kids.

  Rhino Richards said:

I understand the need for Casey but I am dubious of the ability of MFC to make a substantive community connection in Casey and to Casey residents to embrace MFC like say Essendon people do to Essendon and Geelong residents do with Geelong.

based on what exactly.. wide sweeping.. interested how you formulate such a view.

  Rhino Richards said:

And for MFC supporting parents who dont live near Casey it means diddly squat in trying to convert their kids to the cause.

so what.. the relevance of Casey...is to Casey !! and its environs...which at last look arre quite substantive. We can't 'focus' on everyone but we can make efforts at some territories.

  belzebub59 said:

based on what exactly.. wide sweeping.. interested how you formulate such a view.

MFC has no historical or logical connection with Casey up to the point it decided it had training facilities.

Melbourne is saturated for AFL support and we are competing with AFL supporters/followers who already have entrenched allegiances.

For new residents, there is no certainty that they will adopt AFL as part of their assimiliation to Melbourne an if they did they will take on Melbourne.

Until MFC clears the debt there is limited scope for MFC to effectively and substantively commit to involve itself in the community there. We still have not formed an alliance with the local AFL team. Even then I am not sure it will provide any significant upside in the near term. How many more Hawthorn supporters are there in Mulgrave since the Hawks moved there.

I welcome the initiative but I would not be surprised if it takes up to a generation of effort to bring forth any substantive rewards. By that time my kids and their friends will be pushing 30 and hopefully MFC has won a flag or six by then.

Great effort from us all.Next year i reckon we'll have 34k + members.You notice the spike in memberships at Carlton and Hawthorn because of the perceived success in '08?

Each club has 1000's of finals members,where they'll buy their memberships when their team is playing finals and won't sign up when their team is bottom 6.So i'm tipping Melbourne non members this year will like the improvement and all the youngsters coming on and sign for '09.

35,000 members won't be far off.We need more MCC members to join.

Stadiums have to be considered also. In WA and for the crows if you don't have a membership you don't get to watch AFL live. Same with Essendon you don't have a membership you wont get into Telstra dome. How many reseved seats at the MCG are available to tenant Club Members? Would be interesting if the Pies keep increasing Memberships at what point do the have to sell like WCE, ADL, Frem and Essendon all memberships with a reserve seat.

  Choko said:

The other interesting thing is in fact quite a worrying thing that I know Jim has made a priority, and that is that we are quite high up relatively speaking on adults, yet near the bottom all up. This obviously suggests an alarmingly low number of kids, which augurs badly for the future. I think it's quite obvious from this that youth has to be a priority. Explains the Casey Fields undertaking as well.

one for mum, one for dad, and one for the MFC

go forth and procreate...and brainwash!!

  belzebub59 said:

Winning is only one aspect to garnering membership, granted it certaintly doesnt hurt. I would suggest tangibility and relevance are far greater factors in a kid following a team.

if kids can come into the ahllowed aura of a footballer(s) then they will asscoaite with them. They are REAL. It's an experience they take away and treasure. The more this happens the more personaly this relationship becomes until the kid is a 'xyz' follower. When I grew up Melb didnt do particularly well and neither did many other teams but they still had relevance in some form to the kids. ( probably relevant that Melb wasnt nearly so spread out..and the G was very easy for kids to go to ALONE )

This is why something like Casey is so very important to our future. Being in the face of a growing generation makes us real, not just some team in the middle of a city they hradly go to. yes its all very simplisitc...very grass-roots etc. But we all know...get the heart of a kid in footy and you have them for life, its just how it is.

Now combine a grass-roots effort with an improvement at the Colliseum and we have promise

I have to disagree this once BB. Kids love Winners. And at some stage that means a cup. Hell i think i have seen every team except the Shockers Hold up that Bloody Cup at the 'G Apart From Melbourne. That has to be a huge factor in marketing terms. Scratchy old Photo's from the 50's don't always cut it (as great as they are)

Kids may like winners at a distance..but they appreciate effort and involvement at close quarters !!

Many a Brownlow winner wasnt in a winnng team..but had huge followings !! Dont underestimate the power of effort put it bearing dividends. Whos talking of old photos ?? irrelevent.