Editing North Melbourne Football Club (section)

==Corporate==

===Ownership===
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2018}}
[[File:James Brayshaw.jpg|200px|thumb|[[James Brayshaw]] was club chairman from 2007 to 2017]]

`The North Melbourne Football Club is a non-profit organisation limited by guarantee. Members of the club serve as the guarantees of capital and have full voting rights at AGMs to elect directors to the club's board.

The club's board of directors has nine members, with each director serving a three-year term before their position is put up for re-election at an AGM. Only one-third of the board is contested at each AGM due to the rolling structure of the terms of the directors. This structure safeguards the entire board from being ousted at a single AGM and has made North Melbourne immune to a lot of the in-house fighting witnessed at other AFL football clubs. The board governs the club as well as selecting a chairman to head the club through a majority vote of directors.

North Melbourne is unique in its structure, because from 1986 to 2006 the club was privately owned and limited by shares. The club was floated in 1986 through a membership vote led by then chairman Bob Ansett. At the meeting, members were encouraged to buy into the club by purchasing shares. The float ended up raising over $3&nbsp;million and helped to keep the club solvent through the next decade.

In 1991, the [[John Elliott (businessman)|John Elliott]]-led [[Carlton Football Club]] attempted a hostile take over North Melbourne by purchasing a large parcel of shares formerly owned by [[Robert Ansett|Bob Ansett]]. The Blues acquired 20 per cent of the capital but that stake was eventually bought back in 2001 by [[John Magowan]], the former head of Merrill Lynch Australia. The resulting melodrama saw the formation of B-Class shareholders who had the effective power of veto over any attempt to merge or relocate the club.

{{further|Proposed relocation of the North Melbourne Football Club}}
Further takeover attempts were made in the first decade of the 21st century by the [[Southport Sharks]]. Then chairman Allan Aylett knocked back a proposal from the Sharks that would have seen them gain a majority stake in the club in exchange for an injection of capital. In early 2006, another proposal from Sharks to underwrite the Kangaroos' games on the Gold Coast, in exchange for a slice of the shareholder structure at the club was knocked back after AFL intervention.

Due to an [[Australian Taxation Office]] ruling in 2006, the club proposed a shareholder restructure that would have seen the B Class shareholders power reduced significantly and some voting rights returned to members. This was done to avoid extraordinary taxes being placed on the club, but the move was blocked in December by Bob Ansett and his proxies who feared that the restructure would make the club vulnerable to further takeover bids.

On 28 February 2007, another meeting was called to resolve the shareholder issue. A motion was passed that would return see some voting rights return to members and stop any future tax increments.

In April 2007 it was revealed the AFL was attempting to buy out the shareholders of the club in a bid to gain full ownership, and force a relocation of the club to the Gold Coast.

During October 2007, a group called [[We Are North Melbourne]] (WANM) emerged and launched a public campaign, calling for ordinary members to be given the final say on the relocation issue. While the group became synonymous with the push to keep the club in Melbourne, its first priority was to see the club's shareholder structure wound-up and control returned to ordinary members.

North Melbourne reverted to public company in November 2008. A moratorium was passed at an extraordinary general meeting that allowed [[James Brayshaw]]'s board to serve unopposed until 2010, so as to allow his ticket the maximum time to enact their policies to make the North Melbourne Football Club financially viable.

On 20 November 2016, former Aussie Rules footballer and Football Federation Australia chairman [[Ben Buckley]] replaced James Brayshaw as the new chairman of the club.

In 2022, North Melbourne appointed Jen Watt as CEO, joining President Dr Sonja Hood in the first all-female AFL leadership team.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/870305/north-melbourne-appoints-jennifer-watt-as-new-ceo | title=Roos appoint MCC executive as new CEO | date=29 November 2022 }}</ref>

Previously a club with issues about financial sustainability, North became debt free in 2021 and through to 2023 has posted multiple consecutive surpluses.<ref> {{Cite web |title=Financial Report Year Ended 31 October 2023 |url=https://resources.nmfc.com.au/aflc-nmfc/document/2023/12/08/9f94571a-c5b0-4277-b7d5-84078573173c/2023-Financial-Report.pdf |website=resources.nmfc.com.au}}</ref> In 2022, North established the Arden Fund to boost the club's long term financial sustainability.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nmfc.com.au/news/1216833/roos-launch-game-changer-arden-fund | title=Roos launch 'game-changer' Arden Fund | date=8 September 2022 }}</ref>

===Sponsorship===
{| border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%; border-collapse:collapse; width:75%;"
|-
! colspan="7"| Guernsey details
|- style="background:#C1D8FF;"
! width="3%"| Season
! width="8%"| Manufacturer
! width="5%"| Guernsey sponsor(s)
! width="8%"| Short sponsor
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 1975–1978
| —
| [[Courage (brewery)|Courage]]
| —
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 1979–1984
| —
| [[Budget Rent a Car|Budget]]
| —
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 1985–1992
| —
| [[Qantas]]
| —
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 1993–1995
| —
| [[NZI|NZI Insurance]]
| —
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 1996
|rowspan="5"| [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]]
| Hypertec PCs
| NZI Insurance
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 1997
|rowspan="2"| [[Hewlett-Packard]]
|rowspan="2"| SmokeFree
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 1998
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 1999
|rowspan="3"| [[Mazda]], SmokeFree
|rowspan="2"| Wentworth
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2000
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2001
|rowspan="3"| [[Russell Athletic]]
| rowspan="7" | [[iPrimus]]
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2002
|rowspan="2"| Mazda
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2003
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2004
|rowspan="2"| Bont
|rowspan="4"| Mazda, [[iPrimus]]
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2005
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2006
|rowspan="3"| [[Reebok]]
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2007
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2008
| Mazda, [[Vodafone Australia|Vodafone]]
|rowspan="8"| Blackwoods
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2009
| rowspan="6" |[[XBlades]]
| rowspan="13" |Mazda
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2010
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2011
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2012
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2013
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2014
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2015
| rowspan="7" |[[Canterbury of New Zealand|Canterbury]]
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2016
|[[Anytime Fitness]]
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| 2017
| rowspan="5" |Hello Solar
|-
|2018
|-
|2019
|-
|2020
|-
|2021
|-
|2022
|[[Puma (brand)|Puma]]
|[[Mazda]]
|
|-
|2023
| [[Puma (brand)|Puma]]
|[[Mazda]]
|[[Spirit of Tasmania]]
|-
|2024
| [[Puma (brand)|Puma]]
|[[Mazda]]
|[[Spirit of Tasmania]]
|-
|
|
|}

===Membership base===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#C1D8FF;"
! width="3%"| Season
! width="4%"| Members
! width="8%"| Change from previous season
! width="4%"| Finishing position
! width="8%"| Average Attendance
! width="8%"| Total Attendance
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[1984 VFL season|1984]]
| 6,374
| —
| 11th
| 17,675
| 388,856
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[1985 VFL season|1985]]
| 6,520
| align=left| {{increase}} 146 (+2.29%)
| 4th
| 24,042
| 577,019
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[1986 VFL season|1986]]
| 5,318
| align=left| {{decrease}} 1202 (−18.44%)
| 7th
| 21,592
| 475,032
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[1987 VFL season|1987]]
| 3,430
| align=left| {{decrease}} 1888 (−35.50%)
| 5th
| 21,108
| 485,491
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[1988 VFL season|1988]]
| 4,415
| align=left| {{increase}} 985 (+28.72%)
| 11th
| 15,662
| 344,558
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[1989 VFL season|1989]]
| 3,411
| align=left| {{decrease}} 1004 (−22.74%)
| 9th
| 17,759
| 390,693
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[1990 AFL season|1990]]
| 5,201
| align=left| {{increase}} 1790 (+52.48%)
| 6th
| 19,526
| 429,565
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[1991 AFL season|1991]]
| 6,683
| align=left| {{increase}} 1482 (+28.49%)
| 8th
| 20,574
| 452,617
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[1992 AFL season|1992]]
| 6,083
| align=left| {{decrease}} 600 (−8.98%)
| 12th
| 19,652
| 432,350
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[1993 AFL season|1993]]
| 6,851
| align=left| {{increase}} 768 (+12.63%)
| 5th
| 27,213
| 571,481
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[1994 AFL season|1994]]
| 10,296
| align=left| {{increase}} 3445 (+50.28%)
| 3rd
| 33,177
| 796,254
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[1995 AFL season|1995]]
| 14,027
| align=left| {{increase}} 3731 (+36.24%)
| 3rd
| 35,379
| 884,477
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[1996 AFL season|1996]]
| 14,438
| align=left| {{increase}} 411 (+2.93%)
| 2nd
| 37,827
| 945,678
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[1997 AFL season|1997]]
| 19,368
| align=left| {{increase}} 4930 (+34.15%)
| 4th
| 36,873
| 921,829
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[1998 AFL season|1998]]
| 20,196
| align=left| {{increase}} 828 (+4.26%)
| '''1'''<sup>'''st'''</sup>
| '''38,336'''
| '''958,394'''
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[1999 AFL season|1999]]
| 22,080
| align=left| {{increase}} 1884 (+9.33%)
| 2nd
| 34,814
| 870,349
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[2000 AFL season|2000]]
| 22,156
| align=left| {{increase}} 76 (+0.34%)
| 4th
| 33,471
| 836,765
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[2001 AFL season|2001]]
| 21,409
| align=left| {{decrease}} 747 (−3.37%)
| 13th
| 30,209
| 664,601
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[2002 AFL season|2002]]
| 20,831
| align=left| {{decrease}} 578 (−2.70%)
| 7th
| 26,879
| 618,211
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[2003 AFL season|2003]]
| 21,403
| align=left| {{increase}} 572 (+2.76%)
| 10th
| 29,812
| 655,854
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[2004 AFL season|2004]]
| 23,420
| align=left| {{increase}} 2017 (+9.42%)
| 10th
| 28,300
| 622,580
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[2005 AFL season|2005]]
| 24,154
| align=left| {{increase}} 734 (+3.13%)
| 7th
| 31,511
| 724,757
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[2006 AFL season|2006]]
| 24,700
| align=left| {{increase}} 546 (+2.26%)
| 14th
| 28,849
| 634,686
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[2007 AFL season|2007]]
| 22,372
| align=left| {{decrease}} 2328 (−9.43%)
| 3rd
| 33,458
| 836,445
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[2008 AFL season|2008]]
| 34,342
| align=left| {{increase}} 11970 (+53.50%)
| 8th
| 29,569
| 680,095
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[2009 AFL season|2009]]
| 30,613
| align=left| {{decrease}} 3729 (−10.86%)
| 13th
| 27,028
| 594,606
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[2010 AFL season|2010]]
| 29,272
| align=left| {{decrease}} 1341 (−4.38%)
| 9th
| 27,435
| 603,586
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[2011 AFL season|2011]]
| 30,362
| align=left| {{increase}} 1090 (+3.97%)
| 9th
| 25,734
| 617,625
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[2012 AFL season|2012]]
| 33,754
| align=left| {{increase}} 3392 (+11.17%)
| 8th
| 24,666
| 567,323
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| |[[2013 AFL season|2013]]
| 35,246
| align=left| {{increase}} 1492 (+2.53%)
| 10th
| 28,683
| 631,035
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| |[[2014 AFL season|2014]]
| 40,092
| align=left| {{increase}} 4846 (+13.74%)
| 6th
| 28,060
| 617,316
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| |[[2015 AFL season|2015]]
| 41,418
| align=left| {{increase}} 1326 (+3.3%)
| 8th
| 25,674
| 608,974
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| |[[2016 AFL season|2016]]
| 45,014
| align=left| {{increase}} 3596
| 8th
| 28,171
| 720,874
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| |[[2017 AFL season|2017]]
| 40,343<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/collingwood-back-on-top-of-the-afl-membership-ladder/news-story/65f26c30edb7aa13d876e6a0ca10ada5 |title=Collingwood back on top of the AFL membership ladder |newspaper=Herald Sun |date=16 August 2017 |access-date=16 August 2017}}</ref>
| align=left| {{decrease}} 4671 (10.38%)
| 15th
| 25,196
| 554,306
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| |[[2018 AFL season|2018]]
| 40,789<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/afl-club-membership-numbers-2018-over-1-million-members-richmond-surpasses-six-figures/news-story/151ae3a71dd14c48e264ac0331f57431 |title=AFL club membership numbers 2018 |newspaper=[[news.com.au]] |date=2 August 2018 |access-date=14 August 2018|last1=Waterworth |first1=Ben }}</ref>
| align=left| {{increase}} 446 (1.10%)
|9th
|25,896
|569,722
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| |[[2019 AFL season|2019]]
| 42,419<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-membership-ladder-2019-carltons-shock-rise-richmond-top-the-chart-sa-clubs-drop-off/news-story/8a5227832e7966699d48c83695ffa9cc|title=AFL membership ladder 2019: Carlton's shock rise, Richmond top the chart, SA clubs drop off|work=Fox Sports |date=6 August 2019 |access-date=6 August 2019}}</ref>
|align=left| {{increase}} 1630 (3.84%)
|12th
|27,429
|603,438
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[2020 AFL season|2020]]
| 38,667<ref name="Fox Sports">{{cite web |url=https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-membership-ladder-numbers-2020-afl-club-membership-west-coast-eagles-record-essendon-decline/news-story/c0b4ad1847f1dfd511f80de5f9b0ed37|title=Tigers dethroned as Victorian giants plummet: 2020 AFL membership ladder|work=Fox Sports |date=9 September 2020 |access-date=9 September 2020}}</ref>
| | {{decrease}} 3752 (-8.8%)
| 17th
| 2,133
| 27,731
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;
| [[2021 AFL season|2021]]
|46,357<ref name="Fox Sports"/>
| | {{increase}} 7690 (19.88%)
| 18th
| 14,339
| 24,3757
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[2022 AFL season|2022]]
|50,191<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-membership-numbers-ladder-2022-afl-club-membership-by-team-club-records-most-members-west-coast-richmond/news-story/fb533d3e5f05e6f9f757dabf4b77b0a6|title= 2022 AFL membership ladder: Battlers lead the league, three crack the ton amid 14 record hauls|website=[[Fox Sports]]|date=6 September 2022|access-date=6 September 2022}}</ref>
| | {{increase}} 3834 (8.27%)
| 18th
| 21,187
| 466,103
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[2023 AFL season|2023]]
|'''51,084'''<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.afl.com.au/news/1024903/afl-breaks-all-time-club-membership-record|title =AFL breaks all-time club membership record|website=[[Australian Football League|AFL]]|date=6 September 2023|access-date=15 February 2025}}</ref>
| | {{increase}} 893 (1.77%)
| 17th
| 25,160
| 578,674
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
| [[2024 AFL season|2024]]
|50,628<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.sportingnews.com/au/afl/news/afl-membership-numbers-2024-each-club/7fe9fa0395fd1c6777a584a4|title =AFL membership numbers 2024: Where each club ranks|website=[[Sporting News]]|date=13 September 2024|access-date=15 February 2025}}</ref>
| | {{decrease}} 456 (0.89%)
| 17th
| 24,271
| 558,230
|- style="background:#F5FAFF;"
|}

*Note: membership reference<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://afltables.com/afl/crowds/kangaroos.html|title=Crowds Kangaroos|website=AFL tables|access-date=6 September 2022}}</ref>

===Reputation===

===Night football===
In Round 1,1985, North Melbourne pioneered the concept of playing football on Friday nights. Since then, North Melbourne has played the most Friday night games of any AFL club.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://australianfootball.com/leagues/every_match/AFL/138/Premiership+Season/1?season_from=1985&season_to=2021&round=all&club1=All&club2=All&ground=All&limit=1000 | title=Australian Football - AFL - Every Match }}</ref>

Friday night matches later became the most lucrative timeslot for televised games, and North Melbourne's relatively low supporter base resulted in fewer Friday night matches. Between 2010 and 2014, North Melbourne had hosted an annual Friday night match against Carlton in recognition of its pioneering role in the concept.<ref>{{cite web |first=Mark |last=Macgugan |title=North Melbourne's 2012 draw |publisher=Australian Football League |date=28 October 2011 |access-date=6 April 2012 |url=http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=125552|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120724112022/http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=125552|archive-date=24 July 2012}}</ref>

===Good Friday football===
After years of campaigning to play on [[Good Friday]], the AFL announced on 25 October 2016 that North Melbourne would play the [[Western Bulldogs]] on Good Friday in 2017. Good Friday in Australia is a day when people raise money for Melbourne's [[Royal Children's Hospital]] and North Melbourne announced that $5 from each ticket sold would go to the charity. The game is known as the [[Good Friday Superclash]]. North Melbourne played [[Essendon Football Club|Essendon]] on Good Friday on 19 April 2019.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-10-25/good-friday-footy-arrives-roos-to-host-dogs-in-2017| title = afl.com.au| date = 25 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nmfc.com.au/news/2018-10-31/good-friday-blockbuster|title = Good Friday blockbuster| date=30 October 2018 }}</ref>

===Indigenous players===
North Melbourne has a strong history of supporting and fostering Aboriginal footballers in the VFL and AFL. The first indigenous footballer to play for the club was Percy Johnson in the 1950s, and was followed by other fan favourites such as Bertie Johnson, Barry Cable and the Krakouer brothers in the following decades.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nmfc.com.au/news/2013-05-23/Norths-indigenous-identity |title=Indigenous Identity |publisher=North Melbourne Football Club |date=23 May 2013}}</ref>

The following is a list of Indigenous footballers to have played senior football at the club:<ref>{{cite book |title=AFL's Black Stars |year=1998 |pages=138–141 |isbn=0-85091-891-X |publisher=Lothian}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://websites.mygameday.app/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-5545-0-0-0&sID=222357|title=Victorian Australian Football League - Aboriginal Football|website=GameDay}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Chris Gomez (footballer)|Chris Gomez]] † (1925)
* [[Alf Egan]] † (1934–35)
* [[Percy Johnson]] (1951–1955)
* [[Bert Johnson (Australian footballer)|Bert Johnson]] (1965–1968)
* [[Alan Bloomfield]] (1970–71)
* [[Barry Cable]] (1970, 1974–1977)
* [[Craig Holden]] † (1982–1983)
* [[Jim Krakouer]] (1982–1989)
* [[Phil Krakouer]] (1982–1989)
* [[Derek Kickett]] (1989)
* [[Andrew Krakouer (footballer, born 1971)|Andrew L. Krakouer]] (1989–1990)
* [[Adrian McAdam]] (1993–1995)
* [[Warren Campbell]] (1994–1995)
* [[Winston Abraham]] (1998–2001)
* [[Byron Pickett]] (1997–2002)
* [[Gary Dhurrkay]] (1999–2000)
* [[Shannon Motlop]] (1999–2003)
* [[Daniel Motlop]] (2001–2005)
* [[Daniel Wells (footballer)|Daniel Wells]] (2003–2016)
* [[Eddie Sansbury]] (2004–2008)
* [[Djaran Whyman]] (2007)
* [[Matt Campbell (Australian footballer)|Matt Campbell]] (2007–2012)
* [[Lindsay Thomas (footballer, born 1988)|Lindsay Thomas]] (2007–2017)
* [[Cruize Garlett]] (2009–2012)
* [[Jed Anderson]] (2016–2022)
* [[Jy Simpkin]] (2017–present)
* [[Paul Ahern]] (2018–2020)
* [[Tarryn Thomas]] (2019–2023)
* [[Kyron Hayden]] (2019–2022)
* [[Phoenix Spicer]] (2021–2023)
* [[Jason Horne-Francis]] (2022)
* [[Robert Hansen Jr.]] (2023)
<small>†: Aboriginality uncertain</small>
{{div col end}}

===Killed in action===
The following footballers were killed in action during the World Wars and played senior football for North Melbourne.

====World War I====
* [[Peter Martin (Australian footballer)|Peter Martin]]
{{Incomplete list|date=May 2010}}

====World War II====
* [[George Brock (footballer)|George Brock]]
* [[Alf Goonan]]
* [[Len Johnson (footballer)|Len Johnson]]
* [[Mo Shapir]]
* [[Len Thomas]]
* [[Beres Reilly]]
* [[Bert Peters]]