North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos or The Roos, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. As one of the oldest clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL), North Melbourne has a long, rich history and a loyal supporter base.
Quick Answer
As of October 2023, North Melbourne Football Club has around 28,000 members. This makes them the club with the 8th largest membership in the AFL.
With 18 premierships to their name, North Melbourne is one of the most successful clubs in VFL/AFL history. They entered the competition in 1925 as one of the founding members of the VFL and have participated in every season since. The club is based at Arden Street Oval in North Melbourne and plays its home games at Marvel Stadium.
North Melbourne has a reputation for having a parochial and passionate supporter base. This is reflected in their membership numbers, which have remained strong even during periods of on-field struggles. Understanding the ebb and flow of North Melbourne’s membership provides insight into the loyalty of their fans.
History of North Melbourne Membership Numbers
In the early years of the VFL, North Melbourne struggled on-field and their membership numbers were miniscule compared to powerhouse clubs like Carlton and Collingwood. In 1925, their inaugural VFL season, the club only had around 300 members.
Membership grew slowly over the next few decades, but was stalled by North Melbourne’s lack of on-field success. They made the finals just four times from 1925 to 1964. By the mid-1960s, their membership was still below 5,000 members.
North Melbourne’s membership growth accelerated through the late 1960s and 1970s. This coincided with the club entering its ‘golden era’ under coach Ron Barassi. Premiership success in 1975 galvanised the club’s supporter base and membership numbers cracked five figures for the first time by the end of the decade.
In the 1980s North Melbourne membership numbers plateaued around 15,000-20,000. They were a consistently strong club, playing in preliminary finals from 1984-1990, but struggled to increase their membership further. This changed in the 1990s.
Membership growth in 1990s
The 1990s was a period of exponential membership growth for North Melbourne. Some key events that catalysed this growth include:
- Winning the 1996 AFL Premiership under Denis Pagan
- Relocation from Arden Street to Docklands Stadium from 2000
- Successful marketing campaigns like “Shinboners” to attract new fans
By 1999, on the back of their 1990s success, North Melbourne cracked 30,000 members for the first time. They continued this momentum into the early 2000s, reaching a membership high of 35,283 in 2007.
Membership decline from 2008-2016
From 2008 to 2016 North Melbourne experienced a membership decline, driven by the following factors:
- Lack of on-field success, failing to reach finals from 2009-2014
- Loss of star players to expansion clubs Gold Coast and GWS
- Increased competition in Melbourne sports market
Their membership bottomed out at 22,319 in 2016, a loss of over 13,000 members within a decade. However, North Melbourne have rebounded strongly in the last five years.
North Melbourne Membership Numbers 2017-2023
Here is a table showing North Melbourne’s membership numbers from 2017 to 2023:
Year | Membership Number |
---|---|
2017 | 28,019 |
2018 | 28,394 |
2019 | 29,732 |
2020 | 31,655 |
2021 | 33,621 |
2022 | 34,112 |
2023 | 28,000 |
This table shows how North Melbourne’s membership has rebounded since 2016. Some key reasons for this resurgence include:
- Making finals in 2016 and 2020
- Full ownership of Arden Street ground from 2017
- Affordable family membership packages
- Strong social media engagement and marketing
Overall, North Melbourne has managed to stabilise and gradually grow their membership base in recent seasons. Their 2023 membership number is an estimate based on current numbers and growth trends.
Where do North Melbourne membership numbers rank in AFL?
As of 2023, North Melbourne has around 28,000 members which ranks them 8th out of the 18 AFL clubs for membership numbers. Here is a table showing the top 10 AFL club membership numbers in 2023:
Club | Membership Number |
---|---|
Collingwood | 95,000 |
Richmond | 113,743 |
West Coast Eagles | 103,496 |
Adelaide | 72,831 |
Essendon | 89,114 |
Carlton | 69,621 |
Hawthorn | 75,684 |
Geelong | 50,272 |
North Melbourne | 28,000 |
Fremantle | 55,283 |
While North Melbourne has one of the larger memberships in the AFL, they are still well behind the biggest clubs like Collingwood, Richmond and West Coast Eagles who all boast over 100,000 members.
How does North Melbourne membership compare to cross-town rivals?
North Melbourne often competes with cross-town Victorian AFL rivals for members and fans. Here is a comparison of their membership numbers:
- Carlton – 69,621 members, over 40,000 more than North Melbourne
- Collingwood – 95,000 members, over 65,000 more than North Melbourne
- Essendon – 89,114 members, over 60,000 more than North Melbourne
- Melbourne – 51,174 members, over 20,000 more than North Melbourne
Of the Victorian AFL clubs, only St Kilda with 21,808 members in 2023 has fewer members than North Melbourne. The data shows they lag behind their cross-town rivals considerably in terms of membership reach.
Why does North Melbourne have fewer members than rivals?
There are several reasons why North Melbourne has struggled to match the membership base of other Melbourne AFL clubs:
- Less on-field success – clubs like Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon have richer histories of premiership wins
- Smaller fan catchment – located outside CBD with less exposure than inner clubs
- Lower population base – inner Melbourne has grown faster than North Melbourne area
- Competition from AFL expansion clubs over last 30 years
However, North Melbourne has a loyal core fanbase that has stuck by the club, even during extended periods of poor on-field performance and off-field issues.
How does North Melbourne membership revenue compare?
In addition to membership numbers, it is also informative to compare the membership revenue North Melbourne generates versus other clubs. This accounts for differences in membership fee pricing between clubs.
According to the AFL Annual Report, in 2022 North Melbourne generated $6.4 million in membership revenue. This ranked them 10th out of 18 clubs for membership revenue. Here is a table of the top 10 AFL clubs for membership revenue in 2022:
Club | Membership Revenue |
---|---|
Richmond | $18.3 million |
West Coast Eagles | $18.1 million |
Collingwood | $15.4 million |
Adelaide | $13.4 million |
Hawthorn | $11.5 million |
Essendon | $11.1 million |
Geelong | $10.9 million |
Carlton | $10.1 million |
Fremantle | $8.8 million |
North Melbourne | $6.4 million |
The key takeaway is that North Melbourne’s membership revenue significantly trails clubs like Richmond, Collingwood, West Coast and Adelaide. This highlights that North Melbourne not only has fewer overall members, but generates less revenue from its membership program than most other AFL clubs.
How can North Melbourne increase membership?
Here are some strategies North Melbourne could adopt to help boost membership numbers and revenue:
- Improve on-field performance to reach finals more consistently
- Focus on family-friendly membership packages
- Increase engagement through social media
- Target multicultural communities in North Melbourne region
- Make Arden Street ground a destination via pre/post match entertainment
- Run more community outreach programs
Strong membership growth will rely on a combination of on-field performance, business development, community engagement and digital innovation.
Conclusion
North Melbourne currently has around 28,000 members, ranking in the bottom half of AFL clubs for membership numbers. They have struggled to match cross-town rivals like Collingwood, Carlton and Essendon who boast over 60,000 members each. This disparity is also reflected in membership revenue, where North Melbourne trails the top Victorian clubs by over $5 million per year.
However, North Melbourne still maintains a loyal core fanbase willing to stick by the club during challenging periods. With some focused business strategies around membership packages and community engagement, plus sustained on-field competitiveness, North Melbourne has opportunities to grow its membership and achieve greater financial sustainability into the future.