Sorry you're getting hammered by this mate, you are 100% correct that the club should be on the front foot on this.
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Thanks - we'll be right. Maybe!
I'm frustrated by the club here. I just think they should be showing leadership and allowing their members to REAFFIRM their support rather than just doing 'nothing'.
Having someone 'OPT IN' to pay even though the product is gone is powerful...those are the 'REAL' members. You have another group of people you can create offers for over the next 50 years if you like. Further, those people having made a DECISION to be in...they will be IN. They will automatically roll into next year. For those who go 'on hold' - they will be thankful of being given the choice. Market to them in a couple of months with an early offer for 2021. You will find they will appreciate they way the club has supported them and will sign back up with payments set to start maybe a month earlier - maybe they pay an extra 10% in 2021 to make up for 2020...or something? And it is ALL ABOUT NEXT YEAR right now.
If people just pay because they aren't given an option, you wait for the drop off in 2021. The time to act is NOW!
I would imagine donations to the foundation would be required to be used for specific purposes only, not just keeping the club afloat. Not sure about the Australian Sports Foundation donations.
I'm prepared to cut the club some slack on this. It was already stated in the article that all the clubs will be taking a consistent approach to this, so the club can't act on it's own. The clubs are also now operating with a skeleton staff in absolutely unprecedented circumstances. Happy to give them some time to sort it all out. If there's one thing many of us have plenty of at the moment it's time.
Letter from Club
Dear Bulldogs Members,
We know you are all doing it tough and at the Club, things are no different.
This week, we were forced to stand down close to 70 employees and limit the hours of all of our other employees; most pretty severely. We want to thank all of our employees for their understanding and forbearance, knowing that the interruption to their jobs and their regular income comes on top of a time of unprecedented anxiety and disruption to the rest of their lives. Hopefully they will all stay well and united and in close phone and video contact in the weeks ahead. We know that our players are also facing the reality of severe cuts to all AFL player contracts as the entire football world reacts to the impact of the coronavirus. We appreciate their understanding too.
The business gurus say you’ve got to go hard and go early on efforts to stem the losses to the business at a time of catastrophic disruption like this. With very strict cost parameters instituted by the AFL, and, ultimately, accepted by our Board and Executive, we have had to conduct rapid, but robust, analysis on the minimum number of staff required to operate the business during this time. In doing so we sought to implement our changes fairly and to preserve our ability to get going as efficiently as possible whenever that is permitted.
Our venue at Victoria University Whitten Oval has now been completely locked down with our retained and limited-hours staff members all working from home. Like many of you, we’re trying new ways to connect, to stay in touch and to support each other.
The skeleton staff we still have working have a clear job to do while the game is suspended. We need to work hard to protect our existing revenues, and we need to find new and different ways to connect and engage with all of you – our loyal and passionate fans.
Football is important to all of us. It’s part of who we are. It creates memories that live on. While it might be missing from our lives for a while longer, we’ve all got a story to share, a memory that has endured.
We know that many of you will have questions about membership and membership fees. These are hard to answer at a time when we don’t know whether we will play 17 games in 2020 or no games - and whether crowds will be able to gather again this year. We have agreed to work with the other AFL clubs to find a fair and consistent approach to membership questions.
We would like to thank you for your understanding and support. The sentiment and solidarity showed by members to the Club has been amazing in such trying circumstances, and it’s appreciated by everyone at the club. Our membership tally has continued to rise over the course of the last week and we can’t thank you enough for your loyalty.
Stay strong, look out for each other, and most importantly, please follow the social distancing protocols to keep yourself, your family, and community safe.
The Bulldogs will be back on the field, and when we do, we’ll give our very best.
We’re the team of the Mighty West.
Peter and Ameet.
More than happy for my membership to roll over sometime into the future. I have Premiership Gold and I can honestly say that while things are tightening up at home I won't be asking for the money back if the club needs it, and I think they will.
I gave more and witnessed more pain in 89.
Thanks BAD. I had read the opening post about 'the same approach'...and I didn't like it. Honestly, I also don't like the clubs letter to members yesterday about questions being 'hard to answer'...they actually aren't.
The question should be:
* Do you wish to continue paying for your membership?
* Do you wish for your payments to go on hold?
nb. For members who have paid 'lump sums', should you wish to go 'on hold' whilst we are unable to provide a refund we WILL commit to proportionately reducing the cost of your 2021 membership.
Honestly, this is simple.
Like I have said, I am happy to continue paying for my membership as things stand right now. But I know from a WA perspective 40000 hospitality workers lost their jobs this past Monday...the last thing people in those circumstances need is to be spending time chasing a footy club about membership freezes when they are already dealing with 2-3 hour on-hold times for banks re- mortgages, with landlords, etc etc etc.
"Would you like us to roll over your 2020 membership to the 2021 season?"
There must be some reasons why the clubs can't provide a clearer picture for members so I can't be critical of them.
Most here will consider this years membership as payback for the 2016 premiership regardless of if there is a season or not.
Those who now can't afford it should get a refund
I don't want a consistent policy. I want our club to show the way.
I also want them to make some noise about some investment in the Whitten Oval and make some BOLD statements about hosting 3x home games there in 2021 and beyond. The club should be seriously taking the initiative here. Yes - that sort of stuff costs money (I know) but if lenders wont partner with us now when the economy is flattened and the government is offering some serious incentives for infrastructure investment then when will they ever?
I thought I read all payments would be frozen , my monthly payment came out today.
Essendon have reached out to their members
Essendon has written to its members asking them to continue paying off their memberships during the AFL’s indefinite shutdown period.
Bombers chief executive Xavier Campbell also told supporters that more than 75 per cent of the club’s workforce had been stood down without pay because of the global pandemic.
Up until James Hird hit Essendon had more money than they could poke a stick at. They would have been well suited to sit this storm out if they hadn't wasted all that money on pointless legal action and defending the indefensible.
I wonder how that's going for them now?