Sport
AFL membership continues to climb with Ticketmaster Archtics
Ticketmaster’s Archtics platform has once again assisted the AFL to post record membership figures with a total of 875,197 fans signing up as a member of one of the AFL’s 18 clubs.
While the total membership number is impressive, it is just as pleasing to see 11 of the AFL’s 18 clubs using Ticketmaster’s Archtics platform to grow their membership in excess of 50,000 members.
The AFL and its 18 clubs use Ticketmaster’s powerful membership and CRM platform, Archtics, for memberships. The platform is an efficient and user-friendly product that enables clubs to renew current members, sign new members and communicate with members throughout the year.
The year-on-year growth is a major tick for the AFL given the importance of club membership for both on-field and off-field stability. The total membership figure in 2015 was 836,136 with the 2016 growth representing a 4.67% jump in club members.
On top of solid annual growth, Ticketmaster’s Archtics solution has assisted the AFL to maintain strong retention with 86% – or 716,875 – members renewing their club memberships.
Membership is the lifeblood of most sporting organisations. Strong club membership provides financial benefits, which enables clubs to perform well both on and off field.
In 2016, 13 of the AFL’s 18 clubs posted membership increases with a total of 11 clubs registering record membership numbers. The numbers are very pleasing and point to the loyalty and passion of Australia football fans.
In addition to the financial commitment, club membership highlights a fan’s emotional connection to their club. The AFL and their clubs have worked tirelessly over the past years to make fans and members feel engaged and valued. If membership numbers are anything to go by, it is working.
For the first time in a long time, Collingwood has been surpassed as the best-supported club in terms of membership figures. Three-time Premiers Hawthorn have leap-frogged the Pies, posting a record 75,351 members in 2016.
Despite posting decreased membership stats in 2016, Collingwood remains second on the membership tally with a very impressive 74,643 members. AFL powerhouse, Richmond, also exceeded the magical 70,000 member mark, finishing 2016 with a total of 72,278.
Having three AFL clubs exceeding 70,000 members is a major win for the AFL. An additional eight clubs have memberships in excess of 50,000.
Ticketmaster’s Archtics solution is used by many of the best known and biggest sports leagues and clubs throughout the world. The very same platform powers the AFL’s membership and assisted the league to grow membership steadily since first adopting the solution.
