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 Victorian Football League's administrative director Eric McCutchan. The event rose to prominence in the 1970s when the breakfast began to be televised across Victoria, and it was officially endorsed by the VFL as the official pre-match Grand Final function. Since then, the event has grown into a significant fundraiser for North Melbourne, and the guest list has grown to include prime ministers, state premiers, and other celebrities. [1]

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

YearLocationGuest speakerFootball Personality of the YearNorth Melbourne's Media AwardSponsor
1967 Southern Cross Hotel Eric McCutchan Not AwardedNot Awarded
1968Southern Cross HotelBruce Andrews Ted Whitten
1969Southern Cross Hotel Henry Winneke Kevin Murray
1970Southern Cross Hotel Don Chipp Norm Smith
1971Southern Cross Hotel Bob Hawke Ron Barrassi
1972Southern Cross Hotel John Gorton Ron Casey
1973Southern Cross Hotel Jack Galbally Keith Greig
1974Southern Cross Hotel Jim Cairns Doug Wade
1975Southern Cross Hotel Rupert Hamer Lou Richards
1976Southern Cross Hotel Malcolm Fraser Eric McCutchan
1977Southern Cross Hotel Phillip Adams John Kennedy
1978Southern Cross Hotel Norman Banks HSV7's World of Sport
1979Southern Cross Hotel Peter Thompson Barry Cable
1980Southern Cross Hotel Jack Thompson Jack Hamilton
1981Southern Cross Hotel Kevin Bartlett Jack Dyer
1982Southern Cross HotelMalcolm Fraser Tom Hafey & Malcolm Blight
1983Southern Cross HotelBob Hawke Kevin Bartlett Doug Heywood
1984Southern Cross Hotel Olympic medallists Bernie Quinlan Scott Palmer
1985Southern Cross Hotel Allen Aylett John Kennedy Harry Beitzel
1986Southern Cross Hotel Jack Hamilton Leigh Matthews Ron Carter
1987Southern Cross Hotel John Winneke Wayne Schimmelbusch Tom Lahiff
1988Southern Cross Hotel Llew Edwards Allan Jeans Graham Dawson & Peter Booth
1989Southern Cross Hotel Tony Fitzgerald Simon Madden Ian Major
1990Southern Cross Hotel Professor Geoffrey Blainey Michael Tuck Bill Jacobs
1991Southern Cross Hotel Thomas Keneally Jim Stynes Bob Davis
1992Southern Cross Hotel Dr. Don Cordner Collingwood FC Centenary Rex Hunt
1993Southern Cross Hotel Malcolm Turnbull Alan Schwab Harry Beitzel & Tom Lahiff
1994Southern Cross HotelJohn Dugan Tony Shaw & Doug Hawkins Coodabeen Champions
1995Exhibition Building David Hill Tony Lockett Mike Sheahan
1996 Melbourne Park Function Centre Bryce Courtenay Ross Oakley Eddie McGuire Toshiba
1997Melbourne Park Function Centre
1998Melbourne Park Function Centre
1999
2000 Crown Melbourne John Howard Paul Salmon [4]
2001 Axa
2002 Docklands Stadium John HowardAxa
2003 Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre Peter Costello Axa
2004Melbourne Convention & Exhibition CentreJohn Howard Glenn Archer & Anthony Stevens Axa
2005Melbourne Convention & Exhibition CentreJohn Howard Bryan Strauchan
2006Melbourne Convention & Exhibition CentreJohn Howard TAC
2007TAC
2008The Grand Hyatt Leigh Matthews
2009Melbourne Convention & Exhibition CentreInteractive
2010Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre Julia Gillard Bruce McAvaney [5]
2011Docklands StadiumJulia Gillard Barry Hall
2012Docklands Stadium Stephen Conroy [6] Blackwoods [7]
2013Docklands Stadium Tony Abbott Kevin Sheedy [8] Blackwoods
2014Docklands Stadium [9] Julie Bishop Lenny Hayes [10] Blackwoods
2015 [11] Melbourne Convention & Exhibition CentreMalcolm Turnbull Julie Corletto Jonathan Brown Blackwoods
2016Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre [12] Malcolm Turnbull Kyle Chalmers (Sports Personality) [13] Sarah Jones Mazda
2017 [14] Melbourne Convention & Exhibition CentreMalcolm Turnbull Erin Phillips Nick Dal Santo Mazda
2018 [15] Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre Scott Morrison Mazda
2019 [16] Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre Josh Frydenberg Mazda
2020 [17] Online (due to the COVID-19 pandemic)Scott MorrisonMazda
2021 [18] Online (due to the COVID-19 pandemic)Scott MorrisonMazda
2022 [19] Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre Anthony Albanese Mazda

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Clubs – The Complete History of Every Club in the VFL/AFL ISBN   0-670-87858-8
  2. ↑ "AFL Grand Final Breakfast". www.starlight.org.au. Archived from the original on 20 September 2008.
  3. ↑ "The Grand Final Breakfast". www.thegrandfinalbreakfast.com.au. Archived from the original on 8 August 2002. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "Getty Images". Getty Images. 12 July 2002. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  5. ↑ Dennehy, Luke (25 September 2010). "GF Breakfast before the bounce". News Corporation. Herald Sun . Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  6. ↑ Silmalis, Linda (29 September 2012). "Abbott's star turn at North Melbourne Grand Final breakfast". News Corporation. The Sunday Telegraph. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  7. ↑ "Iconic Breakfast on sale". North Melbourne Football Club. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  8. ↑ Twomey, Callum (28 September 2013). "Record crowd at North Melbourne GF breakfast". AFL.com. Australian Football League. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  9. ↑ "Grand Final Breakfast". Etihad Stadium. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  10. ↑ Guthrie, Ben (27 September 2014). "A Grand beginning". AFL.com. North Melbourne Football Club. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  11. ↑ Whiting, Michael (3 October 2015). "Laughs on the menu". North Melbourne Football Club. AFL.com.au. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  12. ↑ "Iconic Breakfast on sale". 27 May 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  13. ↑ Whiting, Michael (1 October 2016). "North hosts Grand Final Breakfast" . Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  14. ↑ "Mazda North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast wrap, 2017". North Melbourne Football Club. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  15. ↑ Wilson, Amber (29 September 2018). "PM recognises 'religious' AFL Grand Final". Coastal Leader. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  16. ↑ Loussikian, Kylar (26 September 2019). "CBD Melbourne: PM skips breakfast, but Treasurer ready to serve it up". The Age . Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  17. ↑ Vaughan, Roger (24 October 2020). "'You're on mute': Jokes galore as AFL grand final breakfast goes virtual". Seven News . Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  18. ↑ "North's Grand events". North Melbourne Football Club. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  19. ↑ "Secure your seat at the DrinkWise Grand Final Breakfast". North Melbourne Football Club. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
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