We did actually have a pre-season win last year.

So it's more like an appalling first straight year of NO pre-season wins.

Yeah I think we may have beaten Sydney in a NAB game last year, but my point remains that poor pre/early season performances aren't good for membership numbers. Lowers expectations for the year and puts some bandwagon fans off.

It was Brisbane in Cairns.

Just clicked over 28500 - another 2500 needed to beat last years tally.

Only another 100 by next Tuesday to go ahead of last year's tally.

Only another 100 by next Tuesday to go ahead of last year's tally.

so lat years tally was 28,199?? I thought i was more. Is this a mistake?

Last year's tally at the same time.

Edited April 8, 201015 yr by Inner Demon

Last year's tally at the same time.

Thanks ID !! Thought i must have been reading it incorrectly. It's not great that we are behind last years but i think after last weeks performance and hopefully 2 wins in the next 2 weeks this will pick up and we will hit the magic number!! If we win the next 2 I will be signing up my cat for an MFC/MCC associate deal!!! So c'mon Dees !!!!!!!!!

See post # 171 in this thread.

See post # 171 in this thread.

Cheers! All over it now

Current membership is at 28875 and with the win against the Crows and a big game against the Tigers this week, we stand a great chance of bursting through the magical 30000 barrier this weekend. Another good win against the Tigers would give us a good base to then attack our membership record.

I think it will register between the Richmond and Brisbane game Redleg, if not the Round 5 weekend.

There is another Membership thread Redleg. I'll merge. (Indicator on...)

Don't understand why supporters rely on the team to win games to decide whether they take out a membership!

I take out mine & the families, win lose or draw!

Edited April 12, 201015 yr by MrMoose

Don't understand why supporters rely on the team to win games to decide whether they take out a membership!

I take out mine & the families, win lose or draw!

I got to the game a little late on Sunday and we just made the first bounce but on the way in there were a heap of Dees supporters signing up at the Tent. Like you I cannot understand why you would wait and more importantly why you would leave it to the last minute as these supporters did.

I think it will register between the Richmond and Brisbane game Redleg, if not the Round 5 weekend.

There is another Membership thread Redleg. I'll merge. (Indicator on...)

Whoops, sorry. It feels nice to be merged.

Don't understand why supporters rely on the team to win games to decide whether they take out a membership!

I take out mine & the families, win lose or draw!

I would imagine that when you get down to the last couple of thousand members they are what can be called the "swinging voters". If the team looks like it will have a reasonable year and depending on multiple other factors and scenarios, these people then decide whether to join or not. Finances would play a big part in the decision of many. The fact that we are blooding so many new players should help with more members. Hopefully we can beat our record and keep the positive vibe going.

I wouldn't say they would be "swinging voters" as such because many have followed Melbourne for some time and would be consecutive members - even though a small portion of them might be "swinging", so that may hold true to a small degree.

I think many just do things at the last minute, ie. like paying a bill on the day it's due or overdue. Perhaps there are quite a few long time supporters who just pay on the day of the 1st game they can rock up to.

I don't have hard evidence Redleg, although my dad (who is a grandad) was one of these. So, based on assumption only, I believe there would be many others in his position (some even at his age).

I wouldn't say they would be "swinging voters" as such because many have followed Melbourne for some time and would be consecutive members - even though a small portion of them might be "swinging", so that may hold true to a small degree.

I think many just do things at the last minute, ie. like paying a bill on the day it's due or overdue. Perhaps there are quite a few long time supporters who just pay on the day of the 1st game they can rock up to.

I don't have hard evidence Redleg, although my dad (who is a grandad) was one of these. So, based on assumption only, I believe there would be many others in his position (some even at his age).

Dad/Grandad probably comes under the "multiple factors and scenarios" of my post as one who joins when he goes to his first game. There is one group identified by clubs as the "churn". These are people who are members one year but not the next and I believe a fair bit of research has been done on how to reduce the churn.

As a side issue, we are apparently the most successful club in the AFL for converting supporters to members.

Edited April 12, 201015 yr by Redleg

Some benchmarks from last year (some of the dates are a few days off because people often posted the tracker which his moved onto the debt demolition):

March 16: 24,200

March 23: 25,006

March 30: 27,128 27,595 (+467)

April 6: 28,174 28,099 (-75)

April 13: 28,601 29,055(+454)

April 20: 29,035

April 27: 29,815

April 29: 30,000

May 4: 30,275

May 11: 30,479

May 18: 30,630

May 25: 30,855

June 1: 31,000

June 8: 31,094

June 15: 31,294

July 1 (finale): 31,508

There's a good chance that the April 6th wasn't the actual member tally as we're back to being about as far ahead as we were the week before. Good signs.

Some benchmarks from last year (some of the dates are a few days off because people often posted the tracker which his moved onto the debt demolition):

March 16: 24,200

March 23: 25,006

March 30: 27,128 27,595 (+467)

April 6: 28,174 28,099 (-75)

April 13: 28,601 29,055(+454)

April 20: 29,035

April 27: 29,815

April 29: 30,000

May 4: 30,275

May 11: 30,479

May 18: 30,630

May 25: 30,855

June 1: 31,000

June 8: 31,094

June 15: 31,294

July 1 (finale): 31,508

There's a good chance that the April 6th wasn't the actual member tally as we're back to being about as far ahead as we were the week before. Good signs.

Thanks for those figures 45, with a few big efforts from the Team in the next month we should smash last years figures-the noise in the crowd last sunday really got me pumped, i can only imagine when 50,000 MFC supporters are in the crowd to watch an interstate team.

It will Happen B)

Thanks for that 45HG16.

The next several weeks are as follows:

R4 Rich (A) - MCG

R5 Bris (H) - MCG

R6 Nth (A) - Etihad

R7 Dogs (H) - MCG

R8 WCE (H) - MCG

R9 Port (A) - Darwin

R10 Geel (A) - Skilled

R11 Carl (A) - MCG

R12 Coll (H) - MCG

R13 Adel (A) - AAMI

The club has a great opportunity to pass last year's Membership tally with the next 5 games at the G. Three of them home games including a Friday night fixture against the Dogs which will be big. I think the club will pass the 30,000 mark sometime next week before the Brisbane game. Ahead of last year's 30,000 mark (April 29).

Small note, the North game is at Etihad.

I got to the game a little late on Sunday and we just made the first bounce but on the way in there were a heap of Dees supporters signing up at the Tent. Like you I cannot understand why you would wait and more importantly why you would leave it to the last minute as these supporters did.

I was one of the supporters that signed up on Saturday and I leave it to the last minute because it is basically a donation which I derive nothing from (minus the scarf)... I have been to four games but get there a couple of minutes into the first qtr and prefer to watch the game and give the donation later. I was happy to pay to go to the NAB cup games even though I would of got in for free had I signed up but would rather may ten bucks and get my extra ten minutes of football....

IF you use the membership to go to the games it would be more important to sign up early

I was one of the supporters that signed up on Saturday and I leave it to the last minute because it is basically a donation which I derive nothing from (minus the scarf)... I have been to four games but get there a couple of minutes into the first qtr and prefer to watch the game and give the donation later. I was happy to pay to go to the NAB cup games even though I would of got in for free had I signed up but would rather may ten bucks and get my extra ten minutes of football....

IF you use the membership to go to the games it would be more important to sign up early

I am a MCC member and dont need to have everyone signed up prior to round 1 but our memberships including cat and dog are all paid up as soon as they are available. Obviously our memberships are a donation but the sooner the club gets the money the better. I have one more member to sign up as well.

Small note, the North game is at Etihad.

Cheers, must have been excited from all the games at the G.

Update: 29,218 (~ a week or more ahead of this time last year)

I'm located in Kenya, I have worked for the UN in several years since 2006 and have taken out interstate/country membership for my wife and I every year (often late though). I have only managed to see one game in the last four years and that was the North shocker last year at the bubble dome...It was my Finnish wife's first game so she's still struggling to love the game. I knew we should get married when we we're in Finland and she jumped on the couch in her parents house and started screaming at the telly over a Finland vs Russia Ice Hockey game...I wear a Suomi jumper for the ice hockey and she wears a Wallabies top for the union.

Anyway

I contacted the club via email because I wished to renew my wife and my's membership AND buy one for our first child due in July. So that three memberships. However there was no way for the transaction to go through without processing my credit card 3 times for each membership. I object to this because I get hit with 3 forex (US$ to AUS$) charges and a crap exchange rate but the club told me there was no other way. (All up its adds about $50 to the transaction)

Does anyone else think this is daft? I'm still waiting for a solution from the club...

Mark Warne-Smith