I think I have spoken to more non member supporters than Members since becoming a suporter myself I spoke to I think 4 on one train all dress up in red and blue but not memebers cause they couldnt be bothered.

Why do you find that strange?

Next time you go to the footy, loiter outside the ticket boxes for a couple of minutes and have a look at how many people have to buy tickets to the match, rather than just scan their membership card on the way in.

45hotgod knows the score.

Weird you say that I would like to see those stats.

Here's an article on the Ray Morgan research I referred to - http://www.roymorgan.com/news/press-releases/2008/760/

That's where Casey may help, but we won't see the fruits of our labour for decades.

As for lapsed supporters, I've heard from someone involved in membership at the Dees that we've had the lowest churn rate the past few years.

According to a national survey done yearly, we've got a relatively small supporter base, but do relatively well when it comes to % of supporters as members.

I've heard that too. Just trying to think where I heard it....It may have been included as information conducted on an AFL or Herald-Sun based survey for fans earlier this year. Pretty sure Paul Gardener used that stat in a speech earlier in the season too.

I'd be a little cautious about MCC bashing. They are probably our best chance for an ongoing MFC after Jim's tin rattle is finished.

P.S. We had record membership last year as well (again, notwithstanding our on-field struggle).

No bashing of the MCC intended - I was simply stating that as the years go by the % of Melbourne supporters in the MCC will be less and less compared to historical numbers. This is a simple fact based on

1. Our "new" supporter uptake dropping

2. Other clubs now calling the MCG home.

Simple fact the MCC will become less and less aligned to MFC over the next 10 - 20 yrs. They would be a "nice to have" but longterm they are not our saviours.

People will sit up and listen when we become the only club to have THREE triple premierships.

Looking forward to it. For now, they'se c'n all git stuffd.

No bashing of the MCC intended - I was simply stating that as the years go by the % of Melbourne supporters in the MCC will be less and less compared to historical numbers. This is a simple fact based on

1. Our "new" supporter uptake dropping

2. Other clubs now calling the MCG home.

Simple fact the MCC will become less and less aligned to MFC over the next 10 - 20 yrs. They would be a "nice to have" but longterm they are not our saviours.

Well my comment wasn't aimed at you personally but given that you like simple facts try these ones on for size, posted by "Rflowerwing" in another thread I started:

This year the MFC has budgeted revenues of $29.7 million and will incur a projected operating loss of $2 million ending the year with negative net assets of $5 million. In contrast last year Collingwood's revenues were $54.6 million. We have to compete with a competitor who earns nearly $500k a week more than us. The gap between the haves and the have nots widens each year.

MFC Football Dept expenditure this year will be in the order of $13.5 million. That is, if the MCC were to field a team resourced similarly to the current Melbourne Football Department (and did not have to support overheads like corporate, functions, membership, administration etc) it would cost the MCC $13.5 million. Revenue in the form of AFL Club dividends, gate, major sponsorship and "seasons ticket sales" (to former MFC members) should ensure a tidy profit to the MCC on its football operations.

Then we have the MCC itself. In the recent MCC annual report for 2007-08 the MCC booked total revenues of $115 million, profit of $11.2 million and has net assets of $211 million.

Sort of puts our financial woes into some sort of perspective, doesn't it? Our "crippling" debt of $5 million and operating loss of $2 million is tea money when compared with the financial health and scale of the MCC.

I agree that over time and given that nothing major happens, the MCC membership will trend away from MFC support in percentage terms. However, I also know that the proportion of high ranking MCC members is strongly skewed to Demon allegiance. I say make the most of it while this remains the case! If they won't be our longterm saviours then what will?

Let’s put the MCC aside for a second, and maybe we can forget that some clubs like the Filth may have a yearly budget of $60million, and a home.

We poor punters can give and give but at days end will not make any difference to club survival. Don’t let that stop you because every little bit helps. That $200 you forego on your grocery bill… well that means a lot to a club.

It’s not the volume of membership Collingwood and Essendon have that ensures their survival. It is the broad barracking numbers, populace if you like, that the marketeers want so they can sell them stuff. 100 poor people are better value to a soap seller than 5 wealthy people.

There used to be drafting zones in Victoria. If you lived in Shepparton, for example, you might barrack for Melbourne. This zone connection was more value than most people might think. I know, in my area around Wangaratta there are disproportionate Nth Melbourne supporters still. The kids? - well, auskick for some, soccer for others. Trend black and white because of the strength of Wang Magpies - sorry I digress, I played maggies.

When you think about the MFC now, where is their populace connection? No roots in a suburb, only historic roots in inner suburban affluence - "ding" "ding", could this be why the perception is Range Rover snow bunny? Of course you already know that!

Where are the Collingwood supporters? Well, take any toothless fool in any town, in any part of the country, and chances are s/he’ll be a Collingwood supporter because the lower eco-social meat is drawn to colorless fabric, and if you have a clean shaven Broady boy as president who has made good but talks low…well, what cloth-less person would not go that way?

Then there are teams like Melbourne… Demo/cultural/broad/socio is the answer.

What was the question again? Oh yeh, do we go to Casey Fields? Indeed, why not. How can it hurt?