Browne’s bold plan for Pies
COLLINGWOOD president Jeff Browne has implored the Magpie Army to push through the 100,000 membership barrier to “stamp our authority as the best, most envied club in the AFL”.
In his new year call to arms to fans, the newly elected Magpies chief urged Collingwood supporters to make a statement by “driving that number well beyond the 100 (000) mark”.
“We need to punch through so we can stamp our authority as the best, most envied club in the AFL,” Browne said in a video message.
“That’s the right position for Collingwood and it’s the one I’m determined to achieve.”
West Coast and Richmond sat atop the membership ladder in 2021, with 106,422 and 105,084 members.
Collingwood was a distant third, locked in a neck-andneck race with fellow big Victorian clubs Essendon and Carlton.
Browne said he wanted a big spike in 2022 to coincide with a new era at Collingwood under himself and new coach Craig McRae.
“We’re presently running at just over 60,000 members (and) we had about 82,500 last year, but I know there are millions of Collingwood supporters out there and we need you to sign up to show the players, the hardworking staff and everybody here at headquarters that there is an enormous army behind us,” the president said.
“That will instil great confidence into our young group of players, our new coaches who have come on board.
“I want them to feel the strength of the organisation.
“We are a big club as it is, but I want to make us an absolutely bigger club.
“I want to be able to be the most envied club in the AFL and it starts with our numbers and it starts with the revenue we can derive from membership, and how we can apply those funds to make our club even stronger.”
Browne spoke glowingly of the club’s recent redevelopment of its Olympic Park training base, describing the renovated facilities as “best in class in the league for our players, coaches, medical and all our support staff”.