CEO Ben Amarfio has opened up about his great satisfaction of leading North Melbourne through one of the most challenging periods in the club’s history.
“There is a great sense of responsibility, taking on a role like leading a club, and a club as special as our club,” he said.
In a special video sent to members, Amarfio said he has been increasingly amazed by the commitment of the club’s supporters and staff.
“At the moment we’re sitting around 38,000 members, so a bit shy of where we ended up last year, but I’m confident we’ll get above last year’s tally,” he explained.
“Here’s the amazing thing: since the AFL suspended the season, we are up on membership. We’ve actually grown our membership.
“That’s not the case for all clubs, but it’s certainly the case for the North Melbourne Football Club.
“That’s something we are eternally grateful for and we are very appreciative of, the fact that in a period where the season is suspended, our members can’t even get to a game, but our membership has continued to increase.”
Amarfio said the famed Shinboner Spirit was on show like never before.
“Yes, we’ve had some members enquire about whether they can suspend their membership or whatnot, but that’s been a tiny percentage,” he continued.
“For the most part we’ve had people going, ‘I want to sign up, now’s the time you really need me, I want to sign up. What can I do?’.
“We’ve been blown away by the fact our membership has gone up in this period.
“I just wanted to say thank you to all of our members … I know most of you are doing it tough as well, so it means even more … In a period where they are doing it tough themselves, they are putting the North Melbourne Football Club first, ahead of their own personal needs, which is amazing.
“We will repay our members through our effort and our deeds and our performance.”
While Amarfio only arrived at the club in November, he’s already fallen in love with its culture and people.
“I understand what it means to be a North Melbourne person,” he said.
“I understand how important it is about our culture and Shinboner Spirit. It’s lived every day, it’s real every day. These aren’t just words on a poster on wall, this is actually how the people at North Melbourne carry themselves.
“We’ve done it tough, we’ve done it hard; we’ve been through all the nonsense of re-locations and mergers and the rest of it. We’ve had the debt which we’ve effectively wiped.
“I see it in the members … our amazing members who in the last couple of weeks have really stood up. Our members have come out roaring in support, and fierce in their support and their defence of the club.
“It’s just been amazing. It’s been beautiful to watch. It’s been respectful, and it’s been us defending our patch and defending our club.”
