Zero Hanger can exclusively reveal that North Melbourne is actively distancing themselves from two key pillars of its rebirth as a football club 15 years ago.
Documents below, obtained by Zero Hanger show that, in a drastic shift in policy, North have quietly but gradually dialled down the prominence of the phrase “Shinboner Spirit” and the name “North Melbourne”, instead preferring to use “Fighting Spirit” and “Kangaroos” respectively in their place, in what is an eyebrow-raising case of history repeating.
When the AFL came knocking with a godfather offer to relocate to the Gold Coast in 2007, a return to the name “North Melbourne” became central to their famous pushback, led by then-incoming chairman James Brayshaw and his new board, after being officially known as the generic-sounding Kangaroos for the previous nine seasons.
It was an announcement that elicited a euphoric reaction from the 2500 North diehards who attended the historic club information meeting at Melbourne's Dallas Brooks Hall where Brayshaw announced North had rejected the Gold Coast deal.
Later on, the iconic phrase “Shinboner Spirit” was also proudly re-embraced by North and worn as a badge of honour – so much so that the word “Shinboner” was woven into the players’ jumpers and the sentence “Home Of Shinboner Spirit” was emblazoned outside the refurbished Arden Street headquarters.
But internal communications from the club clearly outline the shift in policy, both regarding the phrase “Shinboner Spirit” and the name “North Melbourne”.
“Our club name written in full is ‘North Melbourne Kangaroos’,” the directive - titled "SOME TWEAKS TO OUR COMMS HIERARCHY" - reads.
“Our preferred short-name is Kangaroos, secondary nickname is ‘Roos’ (as per the 1990s).
“Internally and externally we refer to our ‘fighting spirit’.
“Internal culture and to existing fans base, we refer to the Shinboner Spirit.
“The four things we would like all of Australia to think of when they come across our club: Kangaroos; fighting spirit; urban and grit; diverse. We need to reflect this across every touchpoint of the club to make this a reality.
“External facing comms aimed at new fan acquisition will use the term fighting spirit to help educate and make shinboner relevant to new audiences or those who don’t understand.”
North’s strategy for targeting children includes a graphic that expresses a desire to focus on the “Kangaroos” name, rather than “North” which is reserved for older fans.
There’s no strong push from the club to educate children and prospective members about the proud history of the Shinboner Spirit, or presenting it as one of the few assets the Kangaroos have that differentiates them from other clubs.
“Being relevant to all stakeholders. eg. Sponsors, organisations, media, government, kids, Australia,” the directive read.
“We will still be relevant to our existing fans with a new positioning.”
The club’s positioning statement reads: “At the Kangaroos we are known for our fighting spirit ... North Melbourne Kangaroos: You can’t beat the Kangaroos’ spirit.”
The shift away from the North Melbourne name comes at a sensitive time for the club, not only given how poorly they’re performing, but also with the new Tasmanian team peering over the horizon. The possibility of a relocated team heading to the Apple Isle, as opposed to a brand new club being established there, hasn’t been ruled out yet, and the emphasis on “Kangaroos” is sure to only intensify questions regarding North’s future.
There are fears that the club’s marketing department now has too much control over the club’s name and identity, and threatens to fracture the club.
Zero Hanger understands that the policy shift has caused friction within the club, adding to the tension that has been building internally following reports of disharmony between besieged coach David Noble and his playing group, the abrupt departure of three recruiters and, of course, their insipid performances on-field.
It's a seemingly desperate bid to broaden their appeal nationally, and internationally, despite the lack of success they had in doing so two decades ago.
During that nine-year period between 1999-2007, they were colloquially referred to as the “Travelling Kangaroos” as they played home games in Canberra, the SCG and the Gold Coast.
The Kangaroos have grappled with their name and identity for the better part of 25 years, given they’re such a small club and occupy such a small heartland in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. An attempt to rebrand themselves the “Northern Kangaroos” in the late 90s was rejected, a key reason being that two of the AFL’s biggest clubs in Carlton and Essendon are also based in the city’s north.
But rather than making an announcement about the latest change in tack regarding their name preference, as was publicly done ahead of the 1999 season (albeit an official club name change on that occasion), this time around it has been done quietly and without any fanfare.
This was evident in North’s Round 12 match against St Kilda at Marvel Stadium. Instead of being referred to as “North Melbourne” on the scoreboard, they were referred to as “Kangaroos”. The smaller scoreboard even used the “KAN” abbreviation, a change from the regular “NM”.
It’s a swift and dramatic shift in policy, especially considering their newest logo, which was unveiled only six years ago, features the word “NORTH” in massive capital letters, dwarfing the “Melbourne” part of the club’s name, emphasising the club’s desire (at the time at least) to be regarded as the North Melbourne Football Club. Significantly, the word “Kangaroos” was left out of the logo, further focusing the point.
The club has changed its website name from “Kangaroos.com.au” to “NMFC.com.au” in the past and up until recently, official merchandise apparel embraced the “NMFC” letters.
Ironically, the rolling back of the “Shinboner Spirit” term and the promotion of the term “fighting spirit” has coincided with, or perhaps directly led to, a distinct lack of fight amongst the Kangaroos playing group who have lost their last 10 games by an average of 10 goals.
The sharp decline in performances by North, who have only won one game after scraping past a COVID-decimated West Coast in Round 2, has them in hot contention for a second wooden spoon in a row – something they haven’t ‘achieved’ since 1934-35.
It would appear for the time being at least North Melbourne’s famed “Shinboner Spirit” is as good as dead not only on the field, but off the field as well.
North Melbourne declined to comment when contacted.