THE MELBOURNE Cricket Club is proposing a new level of membership in order to slash a waiting list for admission that has stretched out to more than 40 years. 

The new provisional category will increase the MCC's membership by up to 50,000 over the next 10 years and will allow more people to use the Members' Reserve at the MCG for AFL matches and other major events. 

In a letter to members on Thursday, the MCC said that based on existing use, provisional members would have access to the reserve for every AFL match except for the finals series and the Anzac Day Collingwood-Essendon clash.

There would also be restrictions on access to premium seating on levels two and three as well as to visitors' tickets, while new dining and catering outlets will be built to cater for the larger crowds expected to attend matches in the reserve. 

There will be no increase in the number of full and restricted members admitted to the club every year.

Membership at the MCC remains one of the most coveted and exclusive in world sport and the numbers joining the waiting list each year far exceeds the number of vacancies that arise.

"The club has long been concerned, that unless action is taken now, a person who joins the waiting list today will wait at least 41 years before receiving a membership offer," the MCC said on Thursday. 

The club cited data on Thursday demonstrating that during the 2014 AFL season, the reserve was more than half-full for only 15 of the 45 home and away matches.

The proposal will be voted on by full members at next month's annual general meeting and if approved, would take effect from September 1. The annual fee for provisional adult members would be $325. 

The capacity of the Members' Reserve is 22,791.