- North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast
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The North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast is a breakfast function organised by the North Melbourne Football Club on the morning of the AFL Grand Final. The breakfast marks the traditional beginning to Grand Final day and is one of the biggest social highlights on the Australian sporting calendar. Watching the event is a ritual for many footy fans and the function plays a huge role in the pre match build up for the Grand Final.
Contents
History
The first Grand Final Breakfast was held in 1967 at the Southern Cross hotel, as a valuable fundraising event. The inaugural guest speaker was the VFL's Administrative director Eric McCutchan. The event rose to prominence in the 1970s when the breakfast began to be televised across Victoria, and was officially endorsed by the VFL as the official pre-match Grand Final function. Since then the event has grown into a significant money raiser for North Melbourne, and the guest list has grown to include Prime Ministers, State Premiers and other celebrities. [1]
The Event
Although many clubs hold their own Grand Final Breakfasts, the North Melbourne Breakfast was the first breakfast and is currently the only breakfast to be officially endorsed by the AFL. This ensures a guest list that reads as a ‘who’s who’ of Australian business, sport, entertainment and politics. The breakfast includes a Grand Auction, with all proceeds being donated to the Starlight Children's Foundation. [2]
Quotes
Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke described the event as “one of this nation’s great traditions”.
Paul Keating referred to the function as “a tradition in itself”
Prime Minister John Howard described it as “a tremendous institution …. and the most eclectic gathering of people you could possibly imagine”. [3]
Venues
Year Location Guest speaker Football Personality of the Year North Melbourne's Media Award Sponsor 1967 Southern Cross Hotel Eric McCutchan Not Awarded Not Awarded 1968 Southern Cross Hotel Bruce Andrews Ted Whitten 1969 Southern Cross Hotel Sir Henry Winneke Kevin Murray 1970 Southern Cross Hotel Honourable Donald Chipp Norm Smith 1971 Southern Cross Hotel Bob Hawke Ron Barrassi 1972 Southern Cross Hotel Sir John Gorton Ron Casey 1973 Southern Cross Hotel Jack Galbally Keith Greig 1974 Southern Cross Hotel Jim Cairns Doug Wade 1975 Southern Cross Hotel Sir Rupert Hamer Lou Richards 1976 Southern Cross Hotel Malcolm Fraser Eric McCutchan 1977 Southern Cross Hotel Phillip Adams John Kennedy 1978 Southern Cross Hotel Norman Banks HSV7's World of Sport 1979 Southern Cross Hotel Peter Thompson Barry Cable 1980 Southern Cross Hotel Jack Thompson Jack Hamilton 1981 Southern Cross Hotel Kevin Bartlett Jack Dyer 1982 Southern Cross Hotel Malcolm Fraser Tom Hafey & Malcolm Blight 1983 Southern Cross Hotel Bob Hawke Kevin Bartlett Doug Heywood 1984 Southern Cross Hotel Olympic medallists Bernie Quinlan Scott Palmer 1985 Southern Cross Hotel Allen Aylett John Kennedy Harry Beitzel 1986 Southern Cross Hotel Jack Hamilton Leigh Matthews Ron Carter 1987 Southern Cross Hotel John Winneke Wayne Schimmelbusch Tom Lahiff 1988 Southern Cross Hotel Sir Llew Edwards Allan Jeans Graham Dawson & Peter Booth 1989 Southern Cross Hotel Tony Fitzgerald QC Simon Madden Ian Major 1990 Southern Cross Hotel Professor Geoffrey Blainey Michael Tuck Bill Jacobs 1991 Southern Cross Hotel Thomas Keneally Jim Stynes Bob Davis 1992 Southern Cross Hotel Dr. Don Cordner Collingwood FC Centenary Rex Hunt 1993 Southern Cross Hotel Malcolm Turnbull Alan Schwab Harry Beitzel & Tom Lahiff 1994 Southern Cross Hotel John "Darcy" Dugan Tony Shaw & Doug Hawkins Coodabeen Champions 1995 Exhibition Building David Hill Tony Lockett Mike Sheahan 1996 Exhibition Building Bryce Courtenay Ross Oakley Eddie McGuire Toshiba 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 AXA 2002 Docklands Stadium AXA 2003 AXA 2004 Glenn Archer & Anthony Stevens AXA 2005 2006 TAC 2007 TAC 2008 The Grand Hyatt Leigh Matthews 2009 Exhibition Centre Interactive -
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References
- ^ The Clubs - The Complete History of Every Club in the VFL/AFL ISBN 0 670 87858 8
- ^ http://www.starlight.org.au/WhatsOn/Pages/AFLGrandFinalBreakfast.aspx
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20020808135032/www.thegrandfinalbreakfast.com.au/index.cfm?link=moreinfo
North Melbourne Football Club History • Records • Captains • Coaches • Players • Current Squad • Syd Barker Medal • Leading Goalkickers
Captain: Brent Harvey • Coach: Brad Scott • Nickname: KangaroosHome grounds Arden Street Oval (1925–64; 1966–85) • Coburg City Oval (1965) • Sydney Cricket Ground (1979; 1999–2002) • Melbourne Cricket Ground (1984–99) • Manuka Oval (1998; 2001–06) • Docklands Stadium (2000+) • Carrara Stadium (2007–08)Premierships (4) Seasons (86) 1925 · 1926 · 1927 · 1928 · 1929 · 1930 · 1931 · 1932 · 1933 · 1934 · 1935 · 1936 · 1937 · 1938 · 1939 · 1940 · 1941 · 1942 · 1943 · 1944 · 1945 · 1946 · 1947 · 1948 · 1949 · 1950 · 1951 · 1952 · 1953 · 1954 · 1955 · 1956 · 1957 · 1958 · 1959 · 1960 · 1961 · 1962 · 1963 · 1964 · 1965 · 1966 · 1967 · 1968 · 1969 · 1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979 · 1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989 · 1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011
Related articles Proposed relocation • Murray Kangaroos • We Are North Melbourne • Guernseys • Jason McCartney Medal • Archer–Hird Medalknown as Kangaroos Football Club from 1999–2007 Categories:- Australian Football League
- North Melbourne Football Club
- Events in Australia
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