The North Melbourne Football Club has played in and around our Arden St heartland for over 150 years. 

We refer to ourselves as North Melbourne, the Kangaroos, the Kangas and the Roos, as we have done since adopting the Kangaroos nickname way back in 1950.

The club is known for its fighting qualities and our unique identity is referred to internally and among our passionate fans as the indomitable Shinboner Spirit.

At the end of 2020, the club identified a need to build our fan base, particularly among kids and in communities where Australian Football was not the traditional sport of choice. This aligned strongly with the amazing work we had been doing for over a decade in The Huddle, and addresses the fact that our club has a smaller ratio of junior members compared to other clubs.

In keeping with that approach, we took the opportunity to emphasise the different parts of our identity that best connect with our different audiences. To explain this approach, in March 2021 we distributed a video and an email to all members, and we have gradually phased this into our content, communications and marketing.

When speaking to our loyal and ardent fans, we use the terms North Melbourne Kangaroos, just North Melbourne or the Kangaroos, Roos and Shinboners. Our players will continue to proudly adopt their own unique Shinboner number upon playing their first senior game for the club.

We will place greater emphasis on the Kangaroo, the best mascot in Australian sport, as a way of connecting with kids and new audiences. Over time, today’s generation of kids will come to understand our unique identity, and the famous Shinboner Spirit will live on.

As part of this strategy, the club has invested in the development of a kids engagement program, which is geared towards securing the future of the club through growing our current and future member base.

Some of that work is already starting to bear fruit.

In 2022, after coming off a last-placed finish in ’21, the club has attracted almost 48,000 members; another record for our club. 

It was only two years ago that we sat with barely 38,000 members.

Our members and supporters are the custodians of this great football club and have been our most important asset for 153 years. We will keep listening to you as we look to build a future, at Arden St, for the next 150+ years.