The North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast is a breakfast function organised by the North Melbourne Football Club

North Melbourne Football Club

The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...

 on the morning of the AFL Grand Final

AFL Grand Final

The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...

. 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.

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

Eric McCutchan

Eric McCutchan was a leading Australian rules football administrator in the Victorian Football League .Beginning his administrative career with the VFL in 1932, McCutchan gave 44 years service to the league. From 1945 to 1955 he was Assistant Secretary of the VFL, and from 1956 he was Secretary,...

. The event rose to prominence in the 1970s when the breakfast began to be televised across Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, 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.

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

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

. 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.

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”.

Venues

Year	Location	Guest speaker	Football Personality of the Year	North Melbourne's Media Award	Sponsor
1967	Southern Cross Hotel	Eric McCutchan Eric McCutchan Eric McCutchan was a leading Australian rules football administrator in the Victorian Football League .Beginning his administrative career with the VFL in 1932, McCutchan gave 44 years service to the league. From 1945 to 1955 he was Assistant Secretary of the VFL, and from 1956 he was Secretary,...	Not Awarded	Not Awarded
1968	Southern Cross Hotel	Bruce Andrews Bruce Andrews Bruce Andrews is a U.S. poet who is one of the key figures associated with the Language poets .-Life and work:...	Ted Whitten Ted Whitten Edward James "EJ" Whitten was an Australian rules football player and media personality. He played a then-record 321 Victorian Football League games for the Footscray Football Club between 1951 and 1970...
1969	Southern Cross Hotel	Sir Henry Winneke Henry Winneke Sir Henry Arthur Winneke AC, KCMG, KCVO, OBE, KStJ, QC was a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria and Governor of Victoria.- Early life and career :...	Kevin Murray
1970	Southern Cross Hotel	Honourable Donald Chipp Don Chipp Donald Leslie Chipp, AO was an Australian politician, and the inaugural leader of the Australian Democrats.-Early life:...	Norm Smith Norm Smith Norman Walter "Norm" Smith was an Australian rules football player and coach in the Victorian Football League. After 200 games as a player with Melbourne and Fitzroy, Smith began a twenty year coaching career, including a fifteen year stint at Melbourne...
1971	Southern Cross Hotel	Bob Hawke Bob Hawke Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....	Ron Barrassi
1972	Southern Cross Hotel	Sir John Gorton John Gorton Sir John Grey Gorton, GCMG, AC, CH , Australian politician, was the 19th Prime Minister of Australia.-Early life:...	Ron Casey
1973	Southern Cross Hotel	Jack Galbally	Keith Greig Keith Greig Keith Greig played on the wing for the Australian rules football North Melbourne Football Club from 1971 to 1985. He is considered as one of the most exciting players of the era, earning the nickname "Racehorse" because of his blistering speed on the field.Greig was recruited from Brunswick in 1971...
1974	Southern Cross Hotel	Jim Cairns Jim Cairns James Ford "J. F." Cairns , Australian politician, was prominent in the Labor movement through the 1960s and 1970s, and was briefly Deputy Prime Minister in the Whitlam government...	Doug Wade Doug Wade Douglas Graeme Wade is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club....
1975	Southern Cross Hotel	Sir Rupert Hamer Rupert Hamer Sir Rupert James Hamer, AC, KCMG, ED , generally known until he was knighted in 1982 as Dick Hamer, Australian Liberal Party politician, was the 39th Premier of Victoria, serving from 1972 to 1981.-Early years:...	Lou Richards Lou Richards Lewis Thomas Charles "Lou" Richards is a retired Australian rules footballer, who played 250 games with the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1941 and 1955...
1976	Southern Cross Hotel	Malcolm Fraser Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...	Eric McCutchan Eric McCutchan Eric McCutchan was a leading Australian rules football administrator in the Victorian Football League .Beginning his administrative career with the VFL in 1932, McCutchan gave 44 years service to the league. From 1945 to 1955 he was Assistant Secretary of the VFL, and from 1956 he was Secretary,...
1977	Southern Cross Hotel	Phillip Adams Phillip Adams Phillip Andrew Hedley Adams, AO is an Australian broadcaster, film producer, writer, social commentator, satirist and left-wing pundit. He currently hosts a radio program, Late Night Live, four nights a week on the ABC, and he also writes a weekly column for the News Limited-owned newspaper, The...	John Kennedy
1978	Southern Cross Hotel	Norman Banks Norman Banks Norman Tyrell Banks, MBE was a pioneering radio broadcaster of Australian rules football in Melbourne for over 50 years from the 1930s...	HSV7's World of Sport
1979	Southern Cross Hotel	Peter Thompson	Barry Cable Barry Cable Barry Cable is an Australian former Australian rules footballer who played in the West Australian National Football League and Victorian Football League . Cable played as a rover. He won the Sandover Medal three times while playing with the Perth Football Club.-Club career:Cable played 225 games...
1980	Southern Cross Hotel	Jack Thompson Jack Thompson (actor) Jack Thompson, AM is an Australian actor and one of the major figures of Australian cinema. He was educated at University of Queensland, before embarking on his acting career. In 2002, he was made an honorary member of the Australian Cinematographers Society...	Jack Hamilton Jack Hamilton (footballer) Jack Hamilton was an Australian rules football player in the Victorian Football League before becoming a prominent administrator....
1981	Southern Cross Hotel	Kevin Bartlett	Jack Dyer Jack Dyer John Raymond Dyer Sr. OAM , always known as Jack Dyer, was one of the colossal figures of Australian rules football during two distinct careers, firstly as a player and coach of the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1931 and 1952, and later in the broadcast media for...
1982	Southern Cross Hotel	Malcolm Fraser Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...	Tom Hafey Tom Hafey Thomas Stanley Raymond Hafey is a former Australian rules football Victorian Football League player and coach. Hafey played for Richmond between 1953 and 1958, and coached four clubs—Richmond, Collingwood, Geelong and Sydney—between 1966 and 1988, leading teams to a total of four premierships...  & Malcolm Blight Malcolm Blight Malcolm Jack Blight AM is a former champion Australian rules football player and coach, and current television commentator. During the 1970s and 1980s Blight played for the Woodville Football Club in the South Australian National Football League and the North Melbourne Football Club in the...
1983	Southern Cross Hotel	Bob Hawke Bob Hawke Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....	Kevin Bartlett	Doug Heywood Doug Heywood Douglas 'Doug' Samuel Heywood was an Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne in the Victorian Football League during the 1940s and early 1950s before becoming a noted sports commentator....
1984	Southern Cross Hotel	Olympic medallists	Bernie Quinlan Bernie Quinlan Bernie Quinlan , was a former Australian rules footballer and coach, who enjoyed a lengthy career with Footscray and Fitzroy in the VFL. He played 366 league games in total.- Playing career :...	Scott Palmer
1985	Southern Cross Hotel	Allen Aylett Allen Aylett Dr. Allen Aylett is a former Australian rules football player and administrator. He was the chairman/president of the North Melbourne Football Club during the 1970s and then again from 2001–2005...	John Kennedy	Harry Beitzel Harry Beitzel Harry Beitzel is an Australian sports broadcaster and media personality best known for his contribution to Australian rules football.-Umpiring career:...
1986	Southern Cross Hotel	Jack Hamilton Jack Hamilton (footballer) Jack Hamilton was an Australian rules football player in the Victorian Football League before becoming a prominent administrator....	Leigh Matthews Leigh Matthews Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...	Ron Carter Ron Carter Ron Carter is an American jazz double-bassist. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that...
1987	Southern Cross Hotel	John Winneke John Winneke John Spence Winneke AC, RFD, QC, RANR is a former judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria and the President of the Court of Appeals division of the Supreme Court of Victoria, which is the highest ranking court in the Australian State of Victoria.-Early life:John Spence Winneke was born to Sir Henry...	Wayne Schimmelbusch Wayne Schimmelbusch Wayne Schimmelbusch is a former Australian Rules Footballer in the Victorian Football League .A courageous wingman and inspirational speedster who seemingly never knew when to give up, Schimmelbusch played in 306 games, including 29 finals games, for the North Melbourne Football Club...	Tom Lahiff
1988	Southern Cross Hotel	Sir Llew Edwards Llewellyn Edwards Sir Llewellyn Roy Edwards, AC was the twelfth Chancellor of the University of Queensland, a Queensland state politician and state Liberal Party leader, as well as Chair and CEO of the 1988 World Exposition, Brisbane's World Expo '88...	Allan Jeans Allan Jeans Allan Jeans was an Australian rules footballer and coach. He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame at its inception in 1996...	Graham Dawson & Peter Booth Peter Booth Peter Booth is an Australian figurative and a surrealist painter, and one of the key late-20th century Australian artists. His work is characterised by an intense emotional power of often dark narratives, and esoteric symbolism.-Life:Born the son of a steelworker, the industrial surrounds of...
1989	Southern Cross Hotel	Tony Fitzgerald QC Tony Fitzgerald Gerald Edward Fitzgerald, AC, QC is a former Australian judge, who presided over the Fitzgerald Inquiry.-Life and career:...	Simon Madden Simon Madden Simon Madden was an Australian rules footballer for the Essendon Football Club from 1974 until 1992. He was also president of the AFL Players Association from 1985 until 1989....	Ian Major Ian Major Ian Major was an Australian sports broadcaster.Chiefly known for commentary in Australian Rules football, Major broadcast Victorian Football League matches with Melbourne radio station 3XY from 1966-69. He formed an association with 3KZ for 21 years , commentating VFL/AFL matches...
1990	Southern Cross Hotel	Professor Geoffrey Blainey Geoffrey Blainey Geoffrey Norman Blainey AC , is a prominent Australian historian.Blainey was born in Melbourne and raised in a series of Victorian country towns before attending Wesley College and the University of Melbourne. While at university he was editor of Farrago, the newspaper of the University of...	Michael Tuck Michael Tuck Michael Tuck is a seven time premiership winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League / Australian Football League , where he is the games record holder....	Bill Jacobs
1991	Southern Cross Hotel	Thomas Keneally Thomas Keneally Thomas Michael Keneally, AO is an Australian novelist, playwright and author of non-fiction. He is best known for writing Schindler's Ark, the Booker Prize-winning novel of 1982 which was inspired by the efforts of Poldek Pfefferberg, a Holocaust survivor...	Jim Stynes Jim Stynes James "Jim" Stynes OAM is an Irish former professional Australian rules footballer who is currently a businessman, philanthropist, writer, youth worker, qualified teacher and chairman of Melbourne Football Club since 2008....	Bob Davis
1992	Southern Cross Hotel	Dr. Don Cordner Don Cordner Dr Donald Cordner was an Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne in the Victorian Football League during the 1940s...	Collingwood FC Centenary	Rex Hunt Rex Hunt Rex James Hunt is an Australian television and radio personality, and a former Australian rules football player. He is an Australian rules football commentator, currently on the 1116 SEN radio station with son in law Lee Raynor conducting a program called Off The Hook. He is better known around...
1993	Southern Cross Hotel	Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the Australian House of Representatives since 2004, and was Leader of the Opposition and parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party from 16 September 2008 to 1 December 2009.Turnbull has represented the Division...	Alan Schwab	Harry Beitzel Harry Beitzel Harry Beitzel is an Australian sports broadcaster and media personality best known for his contribution to Australian rules football.-Umpiring career:...  & Tom Lahiff
1994	Southern Cross Hotel	John "Darcy" Dugan	Tony Shaw Tony Shaw Anthony 'Tony' Shaw is a former Australian rules footballer, coach and media personality.-Playing career:Shaw was recruited to Collingwood from Reservoir-Lakeside to make his debut in 1977 alongside brother Ray...  & Doug Hawkins Doug Hawkins Doug Hawkins is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL who made a name for himself in the media in his post-football career.-Early career:...	Coodabeen Champions Coodabeen Champions The Coodabeen Champions are an Australian comedy team with several programs currently broadcast on ABC Radio...
1995	Exhibition Building	David Hill David Hill (businessman) David Hill is a British-born Australian businessman who has held a number of high profile senior positions with public authorities in Australia. He is also a writer....	Tony Lockett Tony Lockett Anthony Howard "Tony" Lockett is a former Australian rules football player. Lockett is the highest goal scorer in the history of the VFL/AFL with 1,360 goals in a career of 281 games, that commenced in 1983 with the St Kilda Football Club, and finished in 2002 with the Sydney Swans...	Mike Sheahan Mike Sheahan Michael "Mike" Sheahan is an Australian journalist who specialises in Australian rules football. He is Chief Football Writer and Associate Sports Editor for the Herald Sun, a panelist on the Fox Sports program "On the Couch" and former Media Director for the VFL .Sheahan attended Werribee High...
1996	Exhibition Building	Bryce Courtenay Bryce Courtenay Arthur Bryce Courtenay AM is a South-African-born naturalized Australian novelist and one of Australia's most commercially successful authors.-Background and early years:...	Ross Oakley Ross Oakley Ross Oakley is an Australian businessman and former Australian rules footballer with St Kilda in the VFL. He is CEO of the Victorian Rugby Union and was appointed CEO of the new the Melbourne Rebels rugby union franchise in September 2010.-Playing career:Oakley attended Wesley College, Melbourne ...	Eddie McGuire Eddie McGuire Edward Joseph "Eddie" McGuire AM is an Australian television presenter and businessman known for his long association with Australian rules football and the Channel 9 television network....	Toshiba Toshiba is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
1997
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2001					AXA AXA AXA S.A. is a French global insurance group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. AXA is a conglomerate of independently run businesses, operated according to the laws and regulations of many different countries. The AXA group of companies engage in life, health and other forms of...
2002	Docklands Stadium				AXA AXA AXA S.A. is a French global insurance group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. AXA is a conglomerate of independently run businesses, operated according to the laws and regulations of many different countries. The AXA group of companies engage in life, health and other forms of...
2003					AXA AXA AXA S.A. is a French global insurance group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. AXA is a conglomerate of independently run businesses, operated according to the laws and regulations of many different countries. The AXA group of companies engage in life, health and other forms of...
2004			Glenn Archer Glenn Archer Glenn Archer is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played his entire career with the North Melbourne Football Club.Archer had a reputation as one of the most courageous players ever to play the game...  & Anthony Stevens Anthony Stevens Anthony Stevens is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the North Melbourne Kangaroos. He was named as ruck rover in the club's official 'Team of the Century'....		AXA AXA AXA S.A. is a French global insurance group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. AXA is a conglomerate of independently run businesses, operated according to the laws and regulations of many different countries. The AXA group of companies engage in life, health and other forms of...
2005
2006					TAC Transport Accident Commission The Transport Accident Commission is the statutory insurer of third-party personal liability for road accidents in the State of Victoria. It was established under the Transport Accident Act 1986....
2007					TAC Transport Accident Commission The Transport Accident Commission is the statutory insurer of third-party personal liability for road accidents in the State of Victoria. It was established under the Transport Accident Act 1986....
2008	The Grand Hyatt		Leigh Matthews Leigh Matthews Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...
2009	Exhibition Centre				Interactive