As we near the madness that is grand final season, we thought it only fitting that we feature an article written by our CD, Bruce Williams on AFL memberships and predictions as to what next year may hold.

RECENTLY, the AFL completed its official membership audit, following the June 30 deadline for member numbers to be submitted by clubs.

Officially, the AFL has smashed yet another record with the results. Total membership was up on last year’s record of 614,251 members, to weigh in at 650,373, an overall increase of 5.5 per cent.

Even with an extra club adding to the mix, it’s an increase of 24,981, which is a great achievement for the AFL, which has experienced a rise nearly every year since 1999, and testament to the ability of clubs to convert supporters into members.

Some do it better than others, including Collingwood, which not surprisingly has once again smashed yet another AFL record, registering a phenomenal 71,271 members for season 2011. This time last year it also broke the record, registering 57,408 members. So this year represents a 13,863 jump, or nearly a 20 per cent increase.
The figure itself doesn’t appear to be much (or actually as good as last year’s increase) given it won the premiership and could be heading for two in a row. But what is remarkable is the divide it represents over the other clubs.

Last year, Hawthorn proudly boasted it was only 3430 members behind Collingwood. This year it is a staggering 15,047 in arrears, even though it has added nearly 3000 new members.

Apart from Hawthorn, no other team even looks like cracking the 60,000 mark, and when the gulf between first and second goes beyond 20,000, you have to think what that sort of revenue can do for the club’s fortunes on the field. Then again, good membership doesn’t always equate to great success.

As the Collingwood Magpies continue to enjoy it, the former Port Adelaide Magpies are at the other end of the spectrum.

Despite ironically recording the second highest membership increase of 12 per cent (a figure up 3489 to 32,581, largely through the merger with the SANFL Port Adelaide Magpies, the club now faces a financial crisis — and an uphill marketing battle that membership increases alone can’t fix.

Collingwood, Hawthorn and Port aside, seven other clubs also recorded increases on their 2010 membership tally including Richmond (up 4224 to 40,184), Melbourne (up 3579 to 36,937), Carlton (up 3311 to 43,791), Fremantle (up 2908 to 42,762), Essendon (up 1970 to 42,559), North Melbourne (up 1808 to 28,761), and St Kilda (up 255 to 39,276).

Seven clubs boast membership bases beyond 40,000 — Adelaide, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Hawthorn, Richmond and West Coast.

The big drops were to Brisbane (down 5987 to 20,792), Bulldogs (down 2367 to 29,710), Sydney (down 1565 to 27,106), Geelong (down 983 to 39,343), West Coast (down 944 to 43,216) and Adelaide (down 826 to 44,719).
Of course for Gold Coast, the only way was up, and to register 11,141 members in an inaugural year in an area where AFL is not favoured isn’t bad considering some of the NRL heavyweights attract less in terms of paid-up members and even numbers on game day.

But it’s scary to think they are 60,000 members short of the competition heavyweights, even with 119 years of history, last year’s flag and 14 other premiership cups separating the teams.

You have to wonder that even with all the money, equalisation schemes, and measures the AFL keeps throwing at the game to keep the playing field level, there is still the fact that it can’t buy instant support. As the numbers show in this year more than others it’s the clubs with the strongest cultures — and the ability to make these cultures resonate with supporters on a marketing level — that ultimately leads to their engagement as members. And that is a powerful resource for clubs as the competition tightens.

Next year I imagine the AFL would be expecting yet another increase in the total numbers, and who knows if Collingwood can get more than 80,000 then maybe the AFL will.

One thing I doubt is whether GWS will trouble the auditors that much, but for the sake of competition, I’d like to be proven wrong.

Tags: AFL, collingwood, hawthorn, magpie army, memberships