Resource 2025 Membership - The year of change - 72,656 as of September 10th AFL Audited

[scotty13]

They had season ticket memberships when I first moved to Sydney 30 odd years ago, but they weren't heavily promoted.

The whole licensed club membership seemed to be more important to people who followed League and went to games, and they would pay at the gate when they decided to go watch a game.

Those licensed clubs of course sold tens of thousands of $5 and $10 memberships for people who had no real interest in league, but wanted to use the food and beverage facilities of the licensed clubs, and some mainly to play the pokies.

In the VFL, club memberships were under 10,000 before expansion into a national comp and more importantly teams played at their home grounds like the NRL teams do. The move by so many Vic teams to MCG and Waverley/Docklands in the mid to late 90's and beyond changed all that. Also the AFL getting a 23,000 seat reserve in the then new Southern Stand in 1992, saw people buy AFL Memberships with Club support and that started to grow Vic club memberships.

WCE took a few years to sell lots of memberships, but once they were successful they sold out Subiaco and in SA from day 1 people nsigned up for crows memberships. Here are the figures for 1984 to 1987 - the first year of Brisbane and WCE.

	1984	1985	1986	1987
ADE	—	—	—	—
BRI	—	—	—	3,449
CAR	12,774	13,317	14,905	9,227
COL	16,313	16,857	13,971	9,500
ESS	10,231	11,376	12,607	8,129
FIT	8,085	6,909	7,952	4,503
FSC	6,491	8,030	8,433	3,452
GEE	7.709	7,718	6,985	6,981
HAW	8,051	7,713	7,335	6,516
MEL	6,297	5,801	4,511	3,122
NM	6,374	6,520	5,318	3,430
RCH	6,822	7,137	5,772	2,825
STK	4,930	5,708	4,321	3,924
SYD	2,750	2,777	4,927	3,594
WCE	—	—	—	2,800
Total	96,827	99,863	97,037	71,452

Geez, Crows are shit... Couldn't even get a single member!

 

[The_Wookie]

Confirmed by The_Wookie that clubs can hand out freebie memberships and the AFL will count them as long as data is attached to the freebie member.

The_Wookie do you know when they got rid of the minimum $50 spend criteria? Was it 2021 when you made this tweet or earlier than that?


View attachment 2313795

tweet date is at the bottom of the screenshot. 2021.

 

[Port2Power]

Membership Update - 16th May 2025



Increase of 264 members in 7 days (09/05/25)

Up by 7,989 members from same time last year (17/05/24 - 58, 051)

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

I missed this bit in the AFL's staff restructuring statement by Dillon on Thursday.

More incoming freebie memberships especially if they can get another 300k or 400k kids doing the 6-8 week Auskick programs and handing out free memberships with tickets for 3 or 4 games.

Auskick numbers were 128,000 last year and in the 2024 - 1.319m members total, 106,430 Auskickers were counted.

"In order to get to 10 million fans, two million members and one million participants, I need to set us up in the right way, and these changes announced today reflect that commitment.

"The game must always continue to be at the forefront."

There were 528,000 participants in 2024.

 

[Alberton Proud]

I reckon they might just be a little worried about crowd numbers for the rest of the year

 

[Bump Bailey]

I reckon they might just be a little worried about crowd numbers for the rest of the year

View attachment 2332608

 

[afl2004]

I reckon they might just be a little worried about crowd numbers for the rest of the year

View attachment 2332608

I wouldn't go if they paid me 125 and I start long service leave in July lol

 

[240volt]

I wouldn't go if they paid me 125 and I start long service leave in July lol

I’m surprised the crowds have been as good as it’s been considering everything.

 

[afl2004]

I’m surprised the crowds have been as good as it’s been considering everything.

Misery love company

 

[Port2Power]

Membership Update - 6th June 2025



Increase of 1,260 members in 21 days (16/05/25)

Up by 6,303 members from same time last year (12/06/24 - 60, 997)

 

[Doctor Feel]

Yeah sure, 1260 people signed up with money in the last 21 days AND we are 6.3k up on last year.

 

[all seeing eye]

If it is new AFLW members then it may be real. Assume they include both?

 

[RossFC]

If it is new AFLW members then it may be real. Assume they include both?

It's deffs AFLW memberships. I got a call the other day from the club about it.

 

[Doctor Feel]

It's deffs AFLW memberships. I got a call the other day from the club about it.

Did you tell them to sack old mate?

 

[RossFC]

Did you tell them to sack old mate?

I missed the call, they left a message in voicemail.

 

[El_Scorcho]

I missed the call, they left a message in voicemail.

Congratulations on your new AFLW membership.

I also got a call and said I didn't have time to talk but i'd think about it, so I assume i've been signed up for free.

 

[El_Scorcho]

The idea that we'd be 6k up on last year is laughable. The charade that is AFL membership numbers needs to be reined in.

The membership numbers are a complete lie, and I don't believe the attendances either. Apparently we were only a few hundred off capacity for the Showdown. Bullshit. Free seats everywhere.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

The idea that we'd be 6k up on last year is laughable. The charade that is AFL membership numbers needs to be reined in.

The membership numbers are a complete lie, and I don't believe the attendances either. Apparently we were only a few hundred off capacity for the Showdown. Bullshit. Free seats everywhere.

The SMA don't give us free kicks when it comes to our home games.

If a large chunk of the people who attend the showdown are like those who attend finals, but miss most other home games, then they would have spent half the time buying food and beverages so that's why lots of seats would have looked empty.

 

[Alberton Proud]

Congratulations on your new AFLW membership.

I also got a call and said I didn't have time to talk but i'd think about it, so I assume i've been signed up for free.

 

[Steve Dore]

I'm paying for next season's membership with a promissory note.

 

[El_Scorcho]

The SMA don't give us free kicks when it comes to our home games.

If a large chunk of the people who attend the showdown are like those who attend finals, but miss most other home games, then they would have spent half the time buying food and beverages so that's why lots of seats would have looked empty.

I've been to a lot of footy games at Adelaide Oval and it's been fuller than it was for the showdown, and comfortably so. As they've listed it that was a top 5 crowd at Adelaide Oval in the AFL. Nothing will make me believe that crowd figure.

The idea that at a Port home game the week after a 90 point loss, in the least exciting year in memory, against an in-form Crows side who we were expecting to belt us, we'd fill 99+% of the capacity for a top 5 Adelaide Oval crowd of the last 15 years isn't believable.

I can't speak to the SMA's motives but there wasn't 53000+ at that Showdown, and i'm very skeptical of any attendance or membership figure given by the AFL at this point.

 

[Port2Power]

Membership Update - 26th June 2025


Increase of 1,375 members in 20 days (06/06/25)

Up by 5,304 members from same time last year (28/06/24 - 63, 371)
Increase likely due to AFLW memberships occurring before start of season

 

[Alberton Proud]

 

[El_Scorcho]

I'm pretty sure at this point the attendance figures are as fake as the membership numbers.

I said to Cheesey Mac prior to the Carlton game that there were probably high 20s present, but the listed attendance figure will be little bit over 30,000 because they don't want to post a figure in the 20s.

It's just made up.

 

[Alberton Proud]

I'm pretty sure at this point the attendance figures are as fake as the membership numbers.

I said to Cheesey Mac prior to the Carlton game that there were probably high 20s present, but the listed attendance figure will be little bit over 30,000 because they don't want to post a figure in the 20s.

It's just made up.

Well I never ......