Hawks Coach Alastair Clarkson has revealed the club will award its 70,000^th member this year a Hawthorn guernsey signed by the entire 2018 player group.

Clarkson, who enters his 14^th season in charge of the Hawks, made the announcement on Triple M on Wednesday morning as the club sits within reach of the milestone figure having already surpassed 69,000.

“Hopefully that comes somewhere in the next couple of days leading in to the Pies game, I think we’re pretty close to 70,000,” the four-time premiership coach said.

Chasing their 2017 total of 75,663 members, the Hawks will look to kickstart their season with a win over Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday night, with Clarkson urging all supporters to jump onboard.

“So many supporters have dipped into their pockets and supported the clubs, not just Hawthorn,” Clarkson said.

“But for all people out there that are anticipating whether they’re going to sign up as a member, get on board because Aussie Rules is a very, very special game and we’ve got a really, really special first round of footy coming up on the weekend.

“Hopefully Hawks fans and every other fan of the other clubs can get on board and show their support.”

As part of its ‘Dare to be Different’ five-year strategic plan announced in December last year, the Hawks are striving to reach 100,000 members by 2022.

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