The potential change to a member discount that has been in place for 57 years has sent shockwaves through the Melbourne Cricket Club, with some members arguing the initial rate was too generous and others calling it a betrayal of their most loyal patrons.

On August 16, the MCC will ask their members to vote at their annual general meeting on a proposal to remove a convention under which 50-year full members have been charged just $15 a year.

Long-term members – of which there are about 4000 – have been paying this discounted fee since 1965. Under the proposed change, 50-year member rates would increase over a period of six years to half the price of general membership – a $395 annual fee up from $15.

For some within the club, a rate increase was no cause for concern, highlighting the “generosity” of the current rate, gender disparities within membership traditions, and the cost of maintaining facilities at the MCG.

Don Campbell, a full MCC member since 1986, saw no issue with a rate rise, seeing it as assurance that the ’G would remain in good condition for its paying members.

“When you consider the original discount was a 25 per cent discount, then restoring a 50 per cent discount is a pretty good deal, and it corrects a historical anomaly,” he said.

MCC member Don Campbell.Credit:Eddie Jim

“It’s fair and equitable. Facilities have improved since 1965. If you expect good facilities, then expect to pay for it.”

The MCC cited financial strains caused by growing costs of running the club and the increase in the number of older members as reasons behind the proposed fee increase.

In 1965, the $15 fee was 75 per cent of the full membership fee. The discounted figure has not changed since and currently sits at just two per cent of the annual metro full membership ($790).

Member Kerry-Anne Bentley echoed the club’s sentiment, calling the rate increase a “great proposal” that would ensure the club remained fiscally strong in the face of a growing ageing demographic within MCC membership circles.

“[The MCC] can’t sustain 33 per cent of members qualifying for $15. I think half fees would be fair,” Bentley said.

Club members will also be asked to vote on long-serving female members aged over 65 qualifying for the half-price membership if they meet certain criteria. Under current conditions, no woman could become eligible for the 50-year membership discount until 2034.

Debbie Hampton, an avid Melbourne supporter and 37-year member of the MCC, saw the proposed changes as “decent and fair,” especially where female patrons – who could only become members in the 1980s – were concerned.

“At last they’ve made this decision,” Hampton said.

“I’m a long-term member and I use it all the time. I go to every Melbourne match, all the finals, I sleep out for [the grand final].

MCC member Debbie Hampton supports the rate increase proposal, calling it “great news” for female members.Credit:Simon Schluter

“How is it fair that women have to wait 50 years when they weren’t able to be a part of it until not that long ago?” Debbie said.

“I may not be around in 13 years [when she would become eligible for the 50-year rate]. This is great news for women.”

The end of a tradition spanning nearly 60 years was not taken lightly by some members, however, with several describing it as “disgraceful,” “disgusting” and a “cash grab”. Many argued the older, long-standing members should not be those facing changes after five decades of loyalty.

Fifty-year member Ross Stansfield-Smith questioned why older patrons should pay more when they were likely to use the facilities less than younger members, and predicted “blood in the Long Room” of the MCG as eligible voters battled out a decision in August.

50-year member Ross Stansfield-Smith (left) thinks a change to the discounted fee would be disrespectful to loyal members of the club.

“It’s disrespectful to the loyal members of our great club,” Stansfield-Smith said.

“Let’s say if you were put down for membership at birth, these days you may not become a full member until you are 30. Hence, at age 80, you would become a 50-year member.

“The average 80-year-old is not going to attend many days at the football on a Thursday or Friday night, or battle around for a nighttime grand final.”

Wendy Hinson agreed that existing 50-year members should not have their fees increased, but conceded that future 50-year members should be able to more easily factor higher rates into their budget.

“They have paid their dues over a very long period, and with a significant number being pensioners this concession means they can easily retain their membership,” Hinson said.

“Aside from a small seating area and some refreshments these members get no other reward for their ‘long service’. Leave the concession as it is, at least for existing members.”

Another sour spot was the amount of money already funnelled into the club from long-term members’ pockets, according to full member Scott Drummond.

“Fifty-year members are likely to have given the club $20,000 plus over that time. Not to mention the money they spend on food and drink,” Drummond said.

“The MCC has also created multiple new membership categories in recent years to rake in more money … I’ve never been to an AGM and never voted – and I’m well off a 50-year membership – but I’ll be online and voting against the abolishing of the $15 fee.”

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