Does anyone here know how many members the Rebels had last year? Do we know what their goal is this year?
Around 9000, I think. Goal will be to break 10k.
Another factor in the name would be that it is the norm, at least in Victoria, for teams to be named for the city/suburb rather than the state. This tradition stems largely from VFL/AFL, but is now present in almost every other professional sport.
A-League: Melbourne Victory, Melbourne Heart
ABL: Melbourne Aces
AFL: Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong, Hawthorn, Melbourne, North Melbourne, Richmond, St Kilda
Basketball: Melbourne Tigers, Bulleen Boomers, Dandenong Rangers
Cricket: Melbourne Stars, Melbourne Renegades
Netball: Melbourne Vixens
NRL: Melbourne Storm
Really, the only professional club to use the state moniker are the Bushrangers in the Shield and ODI Cup, and the Vic Spirit, the ladies' representative cricket team.