Carlton's tight finances compelled the club to receive AFL assistance in February, with the Blues having received a five-figure advance from their annual AFL distribution.

While many clubs receive advances on their multimillion-dollar annual dividend – often to make ends meet in the off-season – Carlton's need for a "small" five-figure cash injection was a direct consequence of the club's struggles in membership.

The advance payment from the AFL – common among clubs with tight finances, but rare for the competition's power clubs – comes as the Blues deal with a diminished sponsorship from the Pratt family, whose company Visy has reduced its outlay from $1.5million four years ago to $500,000 this year.

Visy, whose late owner Richard Pratt came back to the Carlton board in 2007 and, as president, helped revive the club's then-dismal on- and off-field positions, had sponsored the Blues to the tune of $1.5million in return for the naming rights of what is now Ikon Park.

The Visy sponsorship was reduced to about $1million in 2012, and remained at that level until this year.