Dees’ plan to rival Magpies, TigersLAUREN WOOD,
Herald Sun
March 9, 2019 Melbourne has joined forces with the MCC in an effort to boost its membership to record levels that chief executive Gary Pert says could rival the likes of Richmond and Collingwood.
Hoping to build on the momentum from its preliminary finals berth last year, Melbourne has been working closely with the Melbourne Cricket Club in order to convert Demons fans into financial backers to help the club rid its debt and become a force.
Pert said the MCC had been “really supportive” in facilitating conversations between the club and members listed as Demons supporters.
“What they’re saying is ‘we’ve got those supporters, and they’re coming to the game’,” he said.
“And the MCC agree that they want us to be and they’re actually helping us connect and communicate with the Melbourne supporters who are coming along to Melbourne games, watching Melbourne players, dressed up in their Melbourne gear, but they’re actually not a Melbourne Football Club member.
“It’s working. We’re getting a lot of MCC members saying ‘now is the time for me to throw the support in’, and I think one of the things with the MCC’s members … is they are becoming more aware is that they are the financial resilience of the club.”
The MCC asks members which team they support. A portion of their membership is then passed on to that club, but it is s percentage of a full membership value.
Pert estimated that conversion of all MCC members listed as Demons supporters could result in tens of thousands of additional club members.
Pert said there was no reason why Melbourne — whose membership is up on this time last year — could not hit numbers set by the likes of Collingwood and Richmond.
“(If the MCC members also join the club), we’re a different club,” he said.
“We pay down our debt, we’re not being compromised in our strategic planning and thinking and that’ll come from having a stronger membership base. There’s no reason why we can’t be pushing into the 60s and 70s and maybe 70-plus thousand members. The reason I say that is because I watched the finals and 65 or 70,000 Melbourne people roll up — passionately screaming and celebrating and singing the song after we won those finals games.”
The club remains committed to developing an elite training and administration facility within the “heartland” of Melbourne, Pert said, with conversations ongoing regarding a development in the Yarra Park or Olympic Park precinct.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/melbourne/melbourne-joins-forces-with-the-mcc-in-an-effort-to-boost-its-membership-to-record-levels/news-story/1cfe89d0abd0dc44d350cdeb62d6d6c3
