That winter, Hawke began the practice of paying the professionals over the winter, initially £2 per week; the scheme was later modified to include bonuses [REF].
The increased appeal of the club following the reorganisation during the 1890s and its increasing success on the field resulted in the membership increasing from around 175 in 1893 to almost 1,000 in 1897 and over 3,000 in 1903 [REF].