- Apr 4, 2006
- 4,788
- 9,240
- AFL Club
- Western Bulldogs
Sorry this one isn't a neat fit under our 2023 membership thread, or even in the media thread, I think it deserves its own thread (hope Mods agree!).
Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson with some more quality media analysis (and as we all know, there is far too little of that in our sport).
www.abc.net.au
I'll let everyone read and form their own conclusions, but the one that initially caught my eye is the table below the heading "A snapshot history of the club membership race".
In 1925, we entered the VFL on a wave of optimism, and were ranked 5th of 12 clubs in memberships (amazingly Collingwood were 8th, and Melb 12th):
By 1949, we'd dropped to 6th:
1984, even before the 1985 finals surge, we were 7th of 12 (total numbers for all clubs incredibly low):
By 2003, with some powerhouse interstate additions, and bigger Vic clubs mobilising, we'd dropped to 15th of 16, with only Melbourne below us (although Sydney and North effectively the same at those small margins):
And on to 2022, where we sat 14 of 18:
Happy reading!
Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson with some more quality media analysis (and as we all know, there is far too little of that in our sport).
Dollars and democracy — what your membership actually means to your AFL club
Every season it seems a new record is set for memberships across the AFL — but what impact is growing sign ups actually having? Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson explain.
www.abc.net.au
I'll let everyone read and form their own conclusions, but the one that initially caught my eye is the table below the heading "A snapshot history of the club membership race".
In 1925, we entered the VFL on a wave of optimism, and were ranked 5th of 12 clubs in memberships (amazingly Collingwood were 8th, and Melb 12th):
By 1949, we'd dropped to 6th:
1984, even before the 1985 finals surge, we were 7th of 12 (total numbers for all clubs incredibly low):
By 2003, with some powerhouse interstate additions, and bigger Vic clubs mobilising, we'd dropped to 15th of 16, with only Melbourne below us (although Sydney and North effectively the same at those small margins):
And on to 2022, where we sat 14 of 18:
Happy reading!
