Is Too Much Choice Hurting Your Membership Recruitment?

When I arrived on Hawthorn Football Club's membership page I was presented with a list of 37 membership packages. I thought this was a lot, until I visited Port Adelaide's website where I was offered 43 different options!

On average, each AFL club has 24 membership packages (not including AFLW or anything designated as an 'add-on'). This is 50% more than the NRL, with an average of 16 packages.

Membership packages narrow depending on whether you want a child membership, a non-access membership, you live outside the state, etc. but even then the options are extensive.

This is particularly interesting because AFL clubs are incredibly successful at driving membership, with an all-time club membership record of 1,319,687 members in 2024.

The question is: could they be even more successful with fewer options?

We intuitively think that more options must be better, that people will be able to find the best option to suit their needs.

But the problem with choice is that it can make it harder for potential members to take action. It's called the paradox of choice, and the famous "jam study" proves this.

In the study, researchers set up a tasting booth in a grocery store with jars of jam. They alternated between offering a large selection (24 flavors) and a small selection (6 flavors).

❌ Booth with 24 jam varieties: Attracted 60% of shoppers but only 3% purchased

✅ Booth with just 6 jam varieties: Attracted 40% of shoppers but 31% purchased

That's a 10x difference in conversion rate!

Less choice = more action.

It's interesting that the average number of adult memberships for English Premier League clubs is two. It's a slightly different product (season tickets are usually purchased separately), but the membership pages for these clubs are refreshingly simple.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs are experimenting with a simpler, base + adds on package this season. I know another club that is preparing to trim down their membership options in 2026.