MELBOURNE president Jim Stynes has urged the AFL to introduce a minimum expenditure on football departments to help bridge the gap between the richest and poorest clubs in the competition.

Stynes said while the Demons situation had improved in recent years following their move from the rat-infested Junction Oval to the MCG and AAMI Park, they were still behind the league's big boys in facilities. 

He said there needed to be a rule that ensured clubs weren't left behind those such as Collingwood, which turned over $75.5 million last year.

"We're still not on an even keel with everybody else and I think that needs to be the number one priority for the AFL - to get all the clubs having a minimum standard," he said on Wednesday at the Demons' season launch lunch at the MCG.

"Once we get to the minimum standard, we can all win a flag from that."

He said it was imperative to ensure the bottom clubs didn't fall away from the competition's powerhouses.

"You've got to bring it up a little bit or we will lose clubs," he said.

"You can't stop the strong clubs getting stronger because that's good for the competition, but I do know it's difficult to compete with Collingwood.

"It is a challenge, there's no doubt about it, but we do need to look after the bottom [teams] and make sure it doesn't get too wide, the gap."