A FEW familiar voices graced the airwaves throughout the Round 1 clash between Richmond and Carlton on Friday night. 

One of those was Carlton CEO Cain Liddle, who spoke to 3AW before the game.

Liddle was impressed with the turnout from both supporter bases, reiterating that Carlton’s membership numbers are climbing at an unprecedented rate. 

“The crowd numbers are outstanding,” Liddle said. 

“Last year, we actually had our biggest membership growth in 155 years and that’s a huge testament to our supporters.”

The Blues had a membership base of 64,269 in 2019 and broke their pre-Christmas membership record at the end of the year. 

With membership numbers higher than ever, Liddle said the Club was committed to giving its football programs every opportunity to pursue success.

“We’ve actually increased our investment in football over the last three years by over four million dollars,” he said. 

“Now we’ve got the investment right, it’s important that we continue to grow our men's and women's programs.” 

“We’re back up on our feet but now the hard work begins.

“We have to compete every week, we have to be in games longer, and the expectation - rightly so - from our members will increase and we need to meet that expectation.”