The 2017 Membership Thread

[CBDees 3,167]

The best thing about our Women's Team is that it is currently a restricted women's competition with only four Melbourne-based teams, meaning we effectively get the jump on the Hawks, Bombers, Saints, Roos and Tigers!

It is an advantage that we will only have for a short window so we must exploit this and leverage off it to the maximum in promoting MFC to a entirely new market of potential members. If we don't, the Blues, Pies and Doggies will!

With Daisy Pearce as the face of our Women's Team, we have a very good competitive advantage over the other three Melbourne-based teams as she is by far and away the most high profile and articulate ambassador for women's football in the AFL.

It is imperative that we take the initiative and get the jump on them all. Go Dees!

 

[drdrake 3,157]

Not sure when our club office shuts, I'm assuming tomorrow or Wednesday.  Looks like we will be around 29K prior to Christmas, would have been nice to tick over 30K.  I reckon we will finish in 2017 around 42,433 members

[CBDees 3,167]

1 hour ago, drdrake said:

Not sure when our club office shuts, I'm assuming tomorrow or Wednesday.  Looks like we will be around 29K prior to Christmas, would have been nice to tick over 30K.  I reckon we will finish in 2017 around 42,433 members

Then another 7,500 supporters of our AFL Women's Team will leave us seventeen tantalising members short of 50,000.

[daisycutter 29,600]

28932

[Cards13 9,117]

Just as a comparison Norf who I think had a record year last year, they're sitting on 26,895

Saints 28,170

Edited December 19, 2016 by Cards13

[praha 11,227]

What have the Doggies got?

I reckon they'll crack 50,000.

[Lucifers Hero 39,501]

41 minutes ago, praha said:

What have the Doggies got?

I reckon they'll crack 50,000.

Couldn't find numbers on their website.  If we win a GF I would think our membership will go into the strastophere, well beyond 50,000!!

I do recall the Bulldogs 2017 'premium' membership sold out within 48 hours of the Grand Final.  Their 'premium' membership guarantees access to a Grand Final ticket and it now has a waiting list a mile long.

That might be a bit of foretelling for Dees fans - this may be a good time to upgrade membership to a 'premium' option ('Redlegs', 'Trident'  or 'Legends') to guarantee a GF ticket when we play in it - and play in it we will!!.  Or buy the 'guarantee' as an add-on to other membership options. https://membership.melbournefc.com.au/packages/view/741/Grand-Final-Guarantee

When we get to the GF might be too late to get that precious ticket!! 

And we will get there (and win one or a few)!!

[daisycutter 29,600]

  28984

[Wunders 397]

Quick search of AFL linked club websites reveal:

• Brisbane - 13539
• Carlton - 32759
• Essendon - 45187
• Geelong - 40111
• Gold Coast - 7294
• GWS - 9729
• Hawthorn - 60023
• Melbourne - 28984
• North Melbourne - 26895
• Port Adelaide - 48875
• Richmond - 52130
• Saints - 29084
• Sydney -30577
• West Coast - 54476

Also in regards to what comes with the membership, the Western Bulldogs are clearly ahead. They give a choice of ticking what you want; either a hat, a scarf or a beanie (or nothing for me please donate it back to the club).https://membership.westernbulldogs.com.au/member-choice-0

[Red and Blue realist 2,051]

The saints have a novel way of signing up members, offering pay $1 now and the rest later. I know clubs have month by month, but surely this is just a way to get people in (regardless if they sign up when the rest of the money is due) and then pump up the member numbers. I'm sure others sign when they see the figure rise, the old 'I'm going to miss out' mentality. 

[CBDees 3,167]

29426 ?

Edited December 22, 2016 by CBDees
Missed a lazy 100

[daisycutter 29,600]

nice jump in one day. wonder if 30k by year end is now a possibility?

[Its Time for Another 4,187]

1 hour ago, CBDees said:

29326 ?

Actually its       29426

[Willmoy1947 4,080]

On 12/16/2016 at 5:42 PM, beelzebub said:

Im a bit old...and grumpy and belligerent...F#@! being patient !!

I'd never have guessed

[Bring-Back-Powell 14,724]

On 12/19/2016 at 10:56 PM, Cards13 said:

Just as a comparison Norf who I think had a record year last year, they're sitting on 26,895

However North have broken their record for this time of year, so expect them to at least get to their final tally of 2016.

I'd like to beat all of North, St Kilda and Bulldogs but it's possible we could have the least of all 4.

[CBDees 3,167]

1 hour ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

However North have broken their record for this time of year, so expect them to at least get to their final tally of 2016.

I'd like to beat all of North, St Kilda and Bulldogs but it's possible we could have the least of all 4.

I'd like to beat Collingwood, Carlton, Essendon and Hawthorn!

[pitmaster 3,512]

29,426.

As one who can remember former rover and premiership player Ian Ridley, later in his life speaking as president and warning us that in future clubs would need 20.000 members just to survive (I think we at the time had about 8,000 members - TOTAL) to this pre-Christmas result I can only respond: Wow!

The club has performed remarkably to keep this number rising in the past couple of weeks when most of us are winding down from work and gearing up for Christmas.

Anyone disappointed in not making 30,000 before the break should console themselves with this context. It really is a tremendous result and offers great hope.

[stinga 556]

It's fantastic we've got nearly 30K.    Last pre season for some reason we only got 3000 members for the two months Jan/Feb.  If we maintain our current momentum for those two months (good interest from the girls matches could do it) then we could reach the high 40's.

[M_9 2,078]

I live 20km from the Cats ground, regularly travel to interstate matches (Alice, Sydney, Darwin), have a 'all Vic games' Legends membership, but refuse to go to Kardinia Park because I would have to pay.

I did go this year because my mate subscribed to the Geelong Advertiser and they threw in an 'all Vic games' membership at no extra cost which I borrowed. I suspect some club membership numbers are similarly 'dodgy'.

Edited December 23, 2016 by M_9

[Lucifers Hero 39,501]

Something to mull over - latest club by club membership figures:  http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/where-does-your-afl-club-sit-on-the-2017-membership-ladder/news-story/1a960325e0737945ffa31631aacc72f0

To make sense of it I've put the info into a table (below).  I've also shown how far each team is to reaching last years total (Carlton and North will struggle to get there).  We are at the mid point relative to other clubs of 'Latest vs 2016'. 

I've also shown the cost of an adult Home Game, General Admission season ticket. 

I wouldn't take the figures too literally as there are lots of variations in how clubs count and types of membership.  Nonetheless, the relativity is reasonable.

While it is exciting to see our club figures rising, this shows we are rising at the average rate of other clubs.  But hey, at least it is better than falling behind!

CLUB	Latest	2016	2015	Latest vs 2016	Gen Admiss Adult Cost
HAWTHORN	61,028	75,351	72,924	81%	$193
ADELAIDE	61,000	54,307	52,920	112%	$250
WEST COAST	54,661	65,188	60,221	84%	N/A
RICHMOND	52,401	72,278	70,809	72%	$199
PORT ADELAIDE	50,027	53,743	54,057	93%	$210
ESSENDON	45,536	57,494	60,818	79%	$180
GEELONG	43,007	50,571	44,312	85%	$220
CARLTON	33,270	50,130	47,305	66%	$332
SYDNEY	31,046	56,523	48,836	55%	$230
ST KILDA	31,000	38,009	32,746	82%	$240
BULLDOGS	30,000	39,459	35,222	76%	$215
MELBOURNE	29,426	39,146	35,953	75%	$215
NORTH	27,481	45,014	41,012	61%	$215
BRISBANE	14,877	25,408	0	59%	0
GWS	10,002	15,312	13,480	65%	0
GOLD COAST	7,294	12,854	13,643	57%	0
*Collingwood (2016: 74,819) and Fremantle (2016: 51,889) have not made their membership numbers public.
Things that might distort the numbers:
	Adelaide has a 'Free' Membership category
	St Kilda have a $1 membership category
	North and Hawthorn would have a lot of 3 game members in Tassie

Edited December 24, 2016 by Lucifer's Hero

[beelzebub 23,313]

what are these Free and $1 memberships all about ?   sound bogus

 

[Lucifers Hero 39,501]

23 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

what are these Free and $1 memberships all about ?   sound bogus

Saints website: Buy now. Pay later. Break records.If only we had a $1 for every comment we've received on social media! Well, starting today, you can lock in your 2017 membership for just that, $1*

Who knows how many of those end up actually taking up a full membership - In the meantime they count in the numbers.

 

Adelaide website:

I assume it is a non-game access membership for people who just want to stay in tune with what is going on at the club.  Certainly helps explain why their numbers have skyrocketed!

 

I think Collingwood has something similar for their overseas members (but I think they pay a token amount).

 

'Method in their madness':

1) Membership numbers count big time when AFL is doing the fixture with TV stations and who gets FTA prime spots.

2) They hope that one day these folk convert to full memberships.

[beelzebub 23,313]

Well it's all totally bogus......and why arent we doing it 

Pet memberships for $5  I'll  three..lol 

Fair dinkum ...It's ridiculous , but no more so than counting them !!  fmd 

[Dr. Gonzo 24,129]

14 hours ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Saints website: Buy now. Pay later. Break records.If only we had a $1 for every comment we've received on social media! Well, starting today, you can lock in your 2017 membership for just that, $1*

Who knows how many of those end up actually taking up a full membership - In the meantime they count in the numbers.

 

Adelaide website:

I assume it is a non-game access membership for people who just want to stay in tune with what is going on at the club.  Certainly helps explain why their numbers have skyrocketed!

 

I think Collingwood has something similar for their overseas members (but I think they pay a token amount).

 

'Method in their madness':

1) Membership numbers count big time when AFL is doing the fixture with TV stations and who gets FTA prime spots.

2) They hope that one day these folk convert to full memberships.

 

3) it's another name and contact details to provide to sponsors to send emails etc to

[Lucifers Hero 39,501]

Each club's slogan and part of respective membership campaign: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-12-24/on-the-campaign-trail-every-clubs-membership-slogan-plus-more

Sad to say our Sign up and be counted was one of the least inspiring (for me); along with We are Gold Coast and Be more Bulldog. 

What about: Here come the Demons! or Show your heart beats red and blue or whatever!  Reckon we can find something more inspiring to stir potential members, than Sign up and be counted.