Last week on Whiteboard Wednesday, Cameron Schwab made two telling observations

- We have the lowest supporter base in the AFL ( but the highest membership conversion rate - hence our record membership this year)

- We have the lowest number of Auskick enrolments of any club - by a significant amount.

This is consistent with statistics on the DreamTeam website - which show Melbourne with the fewest number of registrations - but with the highest average score per person. This is just a reflection of what we know already - that Melbourne supporters understand the game better than anyone else !!!

So we have a passionate intelligent supporter base - but it is small supporter base and it is not a young supporter base..... and supporter numbers influence sponsors

Now is the time for all of us to really start talking up Melbourne - to start telling the kid next door to ignore his parents and cross to the Dees to follow Skull and Trenners and the Waipiri Wizard... and get with the excitement

And we have a great story to tell newcomers to Melbourne ................ the founders of the game, the core of the peoples'ground, the community club - and of course Jimmy.

We are doing well converting supporters to members - but we need more supporters to grow our revenue.

I know the club is looking to build our supporter numbers in the Casey growth corridor - but we can help if we all continue to put out positive messages

Let's make sure we are not last on ANY table in 2011

Yes we do need to try and think about how to improve our supporter base. Although the club are doing a great push for the Casey area, they should also think about other suburbs as well. I live in the Northern suburbs and out here there are a lot demons fans,which some i have a chat to now then. I know years ago the club spent a lot of money on the Fawkner bingo club it was going to have poker machines, but the Bracks gov at the time said no to the 30 or so poker machines.

It would be great if maybe the club could think about say having mini social clubs in other areas of Melbourne or maybe hooking up with a couple of pubs in the city,There are heaps of new suburbs going up around here,the club should start thinking about such areas.

Last week on Whiteboard Wednesday, Cameron Schwab made two telling observations

- We have the lowest supporter base in the AFL ( but the highest membership conversion rate - hence our record membership this year)

- We have the lowest number of Auskick enrolments of any club - by a significant amount.

This is consistent with statistics on the DreamTeam website - which show Melbourne with the fewest number of registrations - but with the highest average score per person. This is just a reflection of what we know already - that Melbourne supporters understand the game better than anyone else !!!

So we have a passionate intelligent supporter base - but it is small supporter base and it is not a young supporter base..... and supporter numbers influence sponsors

Now is the time for all of us to really start talking up Melbourne - to start telling the kid next door to ignore his parents and cross to the Dees to follow Skull and Trenners and the Waipiri Wizard... and get with the excitement

And we have a great story to tell newcomers to Melbourne ................ the founders of the game, the core of the peoples'ground, the community club - and of course Jimmy.

We are doing well converting supporters to members - but we need more supporters to grow our revenue.

I know the club is looking to build our supporter numbers in the Casey growth corridor - but we can help if we all continue to put out positive messages

Let's make sure we are not last on ANY table in 2011

A few years of consistent success and guys like Scully, Jurrah etc becoming "superstars" will boost memberships better than anything.

How about invest in 10,000 kids jumpers at cost price for free - for Auskick clinics ? Have them distributed to all clinics (where quantities are required) by those in contact with the club from various areas. It's worth a start. The footy results should take care of promoting kids interest. Consistent footy results over decades to come.

edit:

It could be an expensive exercise though (on second thought)

Star players will also assist.

The answer is quite simple. We all need to start having lots of babies.

The answer is quite simple. We all need to start having lots of babies.

Well, I've done my fair share. Trust me, three is enough. I'm good for increasing the population.

No wonder the Pies have so many. They breed like feral cats.

Well, I've done my fair share. Trust me, three is enough. I'm good for increasing the population.

No wonder the Pies have so many. They breed like feral cats.

That is a very insulting comment -- If you happen to be a feral cat.

How about invest in 10,000 kids jumpers at cost price for free - for Auskick clinics ? Have them distributed to all clinics (where quantities are required) by those in contact with the club from various areas. It's worth a start. The footy results should take care of promoting kids interest. Consistent footy results over decades to come.

edit:

It could be an expensive exercise though (on second thought)

Star players will also assist.

Yes ... it would cost a bit..... but some sort of mass promotion within schools ( together with sustained on-field success) might be more than worth it.

On field success alone is not enough - look at North in the 90s

Perhaps $5k to every school with 50 mfc junior squadron members?

i know it’s been said, and we have done a lot in the way of it.. but there is still 1000s of MCC members who are supporters of the MFC, who are not considered members of the MFC... more needs to be done to unite our supporters... surely it’s easier to persuade supporters who attend matches as a MCC member to join the MFC than persuade supporters to start attending matches.

The club needs to offer these members more. Such as a couple of away games at Ethiad or even a reserved seat with the MFC members (obviously for a discounted price).

I think Schwab was on the money- he says our small supporter base is partly because we grew out of a stadium and not out of a suburb. We therefore never had a community behind us, like most clubs had.

46 years without any kind of success doesn't help either.

2 things will increase our supporter base

1. a period of sustained success- however Kangaroos (dominated the 90s) have shown that success does not guerantee supporters

2. developing our community relationship with Casey fields. I assume that was the reason for the 30 year commitment to that region. Lots of young families moving into that region. Lots of clinics and school visits by afl players. training there once a week and all during the summer. Surely a few of the young kids will jump on the demons.

I think we need some social club(s) around Melbourne. We need a place to meet that is known, to watch interstate & Foxtel games

Food Drinks and Demon Functions-our kids are going to make this club THE CLUB this coming Decade.

But we need a headquarters for supporters & the club to call their own. Maybe Demonland could start it????

A venue at or near Casey & a venue somewhere close to the MCG (is their provision for this at the Bubbledome)??

Federation Square ~!

We could name it Dee Central.

Federation Square ~!

We could name it Dee Central.

That is not such a silly idea HT. A Bar/Restaurant at fed square as aSocial venue for the club would be Great.

The Cowboys in the NRL assign one player to a school, and he runs the clinics, etc, with that school. I'm not sure what the Dees do out in Casey, but I see this as a great way of building loyalty from the community, as they will see the player as one of them, and the kids will get regular updates and information, rather than a group of random players from a team who turn up every few weeks.

I also think that Melbourne should look at giving a scarf and two tickets to a match to people who gain Australian citizenship. I have no idea how this could be done, but worth looking into.

I think the club has learnt a fair bit from North Melbourne. It takes both on field success and smart marketing to build the supporter base.

Don't stop there HT, let's re-name the whole damned city!!

We'll call it "Melbourne"!

Sounds good to me!

I think Schwab was on the money- he says our small supporter base is partly because we grew out of a stadium and not out of a suburb. We therefore never had a community behind us, like most clubs had.

46 years without any kind of success doesn't help either.

2 things will increase our supporter base

1. a period of sustained success- however Kangaroos (dominated the 90s) have shown that success does not guerantee supporters

2. developing our community relationship with Casey fields. I assume that was the reason for the 30 year commitment to that region. Lots of young families moving into that region. Lots of clinics and school visits by afl players. training there once a week and all during the summer. Surely a few of the young kids will jump on the demons.

This is where it will all happen But it will take time. As our success continues so will our attractiveness to the kids. . Piggy backing HT's idea we should certainly get Reebok to come to the party here in some manner with subsidised jumpers. Maybe not to every kid we'd like to give one to at present but offer incentives at the clinics.. Some get jumpers..some balls etc...every kid gets something. We need to grab the hearts of the kids when they are still forming alliegences.

I remember when i first started barracking for the Dees.. it was 1965..coming to a new land.. and just happened to pick the team who were Premiers..( without knowing a thing about the game). Other kids approved of my selection..it was in its day cool to be a Dee. It will be again..and nows the time to grab the minds and hearts of people.

It will take some years but gradually we will build a base that has distinct local orientation..and it will slowly cliimb to 35000 then 40000...then in how ever many years will be a power with 50-60thou members. This team will mean something very special to a whole new generation. Success does influence success but you need the fields to sow...and thats just what we have

I still think there is something to gain from the China connection just havent a clear vision of how this will translate ( at various levels) into a following; but it could do. Just need a smidge of interest from that place and it would be huge.

None of this will happen overnight as the saying goes...but will happen

I have noticed that there does not seem to be any merchandise at the likes of Kmart stores, with cheap Demons t'shirts, jumpers etc, I understand that our brand probably does not sell as much however if the club can get something organised with these companies to get our colors onto there shelves, it would help get our colors onto a lot more kids backs. Does anyone think this can be done?

i know it’s been said, and we have done a lot in the way of it.. but there is still 1000s of MCC members who are supporters of the MFC, who are not considered members of the MFC...

Unfortunatley, this won't increase numbers at the game - only revenue.

If it was my decision, I would be handing out junior memberships to every child at every school in Casey & I would do this for the next five years.

After five years, especially considering the success we will be experiencing, these kids would want to renew their memberships & by that time they would be young adults paying full price (or student concession). The flow on effect would be phenomenal.

Don't stop there HT, let's re-name the whole damned city!!

We'll call it "Melbourne"!

Sounds good to me!

Even better. I'll let you and WYL run with it...

In the late 90s the Geelong council ran a program called the "Geelong, smart move" campaign. Families new to the Geelong area received a host of freebies from the council including a Cats membership

There will be plenty of new families to the Casey area in the coming years and I'm sure when the club is ready & able it will be looking for similar opportunities

With a variety of membership types, 16, 11 and 3 game memberships, 100K members would be a stretch goal within 10+ years

Well, I've done my fair share. Trust me, three is enough. I'm good for increasing the population.

No wonder the Pies have so many. They breed like feral cats.

What do you mean LIKE feral cats? They are...

Even better. I'll let you and WYL run with it...

Lets start with the Melbourne Town Hall shall we? Cover it in Red & Blue Scarves is a good Start. Then Maybe Melbourne International Airport......etc etc!!!!

Id like to see Melbourne planes landing at Tullamarine, with the demons emblem on the runway.

Working with the schools and families in casey is a very good idea.

Success will grow the membership.

Go Dees

I'd suggest everyone get along to the 'Walk to the G' on the morning of the Queens Birthday Clash. Grab a kid, mum, dad, grandparent and bring them along. The club decks you out in colours and provides flags etc. Absolutely great day and a chance to develop some networks among fellow Demons.

Id like to see Melbourne planes landing at Tullamarine, with the demons emblem on the runway.

Working with the schools and families in casey is a very good idea.

Success will grow the membership.

Go Dees

I have noticed go dees attack that you have 8 players as your best players can u put the whole team in lol.