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Starting the season with five straight losses limited the financial gains the Hawks were able to make in 2024, but they now expect to surpass last year’s million-dollar profit.
The Hawks will move out of Waverley and into the new Kennedy Centre facility at Dingley midway through next year.
Veteran Luke Breust is one of just four Hawks players aged over 30. Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
“We were seen as an older demographic, but the take-up in the last year has particularly been younger. The fans at games are younger because they are energised by the team, and seeing it as fun,” Hawthorn chief executive Ash Klein said
“We are creating fun out there on the field, and that has been really important for us connecting with our fans. Yes, the winning is important but the way we were doing it was fun and connecting with people.
“For us, it was always going to be about growth through youth and through development, and we were determined to try and take the fans through that journey with us on the field and off the field.
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“The playing list is still young, we only have four players over 30 (Jack Gunston, Luke Breust, James Sicily and Sam Frost).
“A massive focus for us was on our members. We wanted to open up the club, but it was also about what we wanted to stand for on the field, and both teams (AFL and AFLW) play attacking footy that we hope is good to watch and fun to watch.”
That style of football drew its own name, “Hokball”, a play on Hawkball, a name that became as popular with Hawks fans as the game style.
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It also prompted Ginnivan and Watson to produce their own merchandise through the finals, selling apparel with “Hok” printed on it, a move that prompted questions over whether they breached AFL licensing. The website selling the shirts and hoodies has since closed.
The club, which has endured a troubling period with the legal action from Indigenous former players, has tried harder to reconnect with its past players. Lance Franklin returned to the club this year, Jarryd Roughead is now in list management after working at St Kilda, while premiership defender Andy Collins is one of the assistant coaches.
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