North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast facts for kids
The North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast is a special event. It is organized by the North Melbourne Football Club. This breakfast happens on the morning of the AFL Grand Final. It marks the traditional start to Grand Final day. It is also one of the biggest social events in Australian sport. Many football fans make watching it a ritual. The breakfast plays a huge part in getting ready for the Grand Final.
Contents
A Look Back: How It Started
The very first Grand Final Breakfast took place in 1967. It was held at the Southern Cross Hotel. The event was created to help raise money for the club. The first person to speak there was Eric McCutchan. He was an important director for the Victorian Football League.
The breakfast became very popular in the 1970s. This was when it started to be shown on TV across Victoria. The VFL officially approved it as the main pre-match Grand Final event. Since then, the breakfast has grown a lot. It raises a significant amount of money for North Melbourne. Many important people now attend. This includes prime ministers, state leaders, and other famous people.
What Happens at the Breakfast?
Many football clubs have their own Grand Final breakfasts. However, the North Melbourne Breakfast was the first. It is still the only one officially supported by the AFL. This means that many important people attend. The guest list includes leaders from Australian business, sport, entertainment, and politics.
The breakfast also includes a Grand Auction. All the money raised from this auction goes to the Starlight Children's Foundation. This charity helps seriously ill children and their families.
Famous People's Thoughts
Many important leaders have spoken about the breakfast. Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke called it "one of this nation’s great traditions." Paul Keating, another former Prime Minister, said it was "a tradition in itself." Prime Minister John Howard described it as "a tremendous institution." He also said it was "the most eclectic gathering of people you could possibly imagine." This means it brings together a very wide variety of people.
Where the Breakfast Has Been Held
The Grand Final Breakfast has been held at several different places over the years. The table below shows where it has taken place. It also lists some of the special guests and award winners.
| 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 | Henry Winneke | Kevin Murray | ||
| 1970 | Southern Cross Hotel | Don Chipp | Norm Smith | ||
| 1971 | Southern Cross Hotel | Bob Hawke | Ron Barrassi | ||
| 1972 | Southern Cross Hotel | John Gorton | Ron Casey | ||
| 1973 | Southern Cross Hotel | Jack Galbally | Keith Greig | ||
| 1974 | Southern Cross Hotel | Jim Cairns | Doug Wade | ||
| 1975 | Southern Cross Hotel | 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 | Llew Edwards | Allan Jeans | Graham Dawson & Peter Booth | |
| 1989 | Southern Cross Hotel | Tony Fitzgerald | 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 Dugan | Tony Shaw & Doug Hawkins | Coodabeen Champions | |
| 1995 | Exhibition Building | David Hill | Tony Lockett | Mike Sheahan | |
| 1996 | Melbourne Park Function Centre | Bryce Courtenay | Ross Oakley | Eddie McGuire | Toshiba |
| 1997 | Melbourne Park Function Centre | ||||
| 1998 | Melbourne Park Function Centre | ||||
| 1999 | |||||
| 2000 | Crown Melbourne | John Howard | Paul Salmon | ||
| 2001 | Axa | ||||
| 2002 | Docklands Stadium | John Howard | Axa | ||
| 2003 | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre | Peter Costello | Axa | ||
| 2004 | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre | John Howard | Glenn Archer & Anthony Stevens | Axa | |
| 2005 | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre | John Howard | Bryan Strauchan | ||
| 2006 | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre | John Howard | TAC | ||
| 2007 | TAC | ||||
| 2008 | The Grand Hyatt | Leigh Matthews | |||
| 2009 | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre | Interactive | |||
| 2010 | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre | Julia Gillard | Bruce McAvaney | ||
| 2011 | Docklands Stadium | Julia Gillard | Barry Hall | ||
| 2012 | Docklands Stadium | Stephen Conroy | Blackwoods | ||
| 2013 | Docklands Stadium | Tony Abbott | Kevin Sheedy | Blackwoods | |
| 2014 | Docklands Stadium | Julie Bishop | Lenny Hayes | Blackwoods | |
| 2015 | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre | Malcolm Turnbull | Julie Corletto | Jonathan Brown | Blackwoods |
| 2016 | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre | Malcolm Turnbull | Kyle Chalmers (Sports Personality) | Sarah Jones | Mazda |
| 2017 | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre | Malcolm Turnbull | Erin Phillips | Nick Dal Santo | Mazda |
| 2018 | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre | Scott Morrison | Mazda | ||
| 2019 | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre | Josh Frydenberg | Mazda | ||
| 2020 | Online (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) | Scott Morrison | Mazda | ||
| 2021 | Online (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) | Scott Morrison | Mazda | ||
| 2022 | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre | Anthony Albanese | Mazda |
See also
