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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
36,159
Disappointing increase really given the 12 days since the last update and that their have been two AFW home games (albeit one badly rain affected) and a fine Marsh Marvel performance during this period.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Prince Imperial
36,159
Disappointing increase really given the 12 days since the last update and that their have been two AFW home games (albeit one badly rain affected) and a fine Marsh Marvel performance during this period.
It looks like it might be a struggle to get close to the 50K mark but a fast start in the home and away series might kick start it.
14K is a lot of ground to make up.
I wonder what might be stopping some people from joining up early?
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
It is disappointing. Saints hit 40k prior to their 1st pre-season fixture.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GVGjr
I wonder what might be stopping some people from joining up early?
Finances? Or just our apathetic supporter base
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bornadog
Finances? Or just our apathetic supporter base
There has to be a few reasons why but I'm not sure what they might be
Did winning the flag provide a reason for some to back off with their commitment just a bit?
I've been reaching out contacting inactive WOOF members over the last month or so and a lot of them ironically dropped off contributing or went into almost semi retirement from about March 2017.
Everyone is apparently time poor now and most just want to be readers of the forum so maybe from a WB membership perspective it's easier for people to listen to the radio and watch the footy on the television or check Twitter rather than committing to a number of home and away games.
The tricky part is that other clubs aren't facing that challenge. AFL memberships are growing and the likes of the Saints have rallied their numbers even after some average performances.
Perplexing issue to say the least
I guess as long as we get good crowds attending games the membership numbers might not be the be all.
Perhaps a good old fashioned stoush with the AFL is in order? Nothing rallies the fans more than an us versus them campaign
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
A lot of us (and much of the media) are very optimistic about our immediate on field prospects so it's hard to fathom. The only things I can think of are:
- the Elimination Final belting brought back bad memories;
- our AFLW numbers may be down due to the loss of so many of our best players in the last two seasons (though our home crowd on the weekend was so much better than what any of the big clubs get);
- demographically we may disproportionately have a lot of elderly supporters who are passing away or not now able to attend games.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
It would be great to see the $ generated not just raw numbers.
I'm an AFL member with club support - no idea how much of my $ go to the club.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Go_Dogs
It would be great to see the $ generated not just raw numbers.
I'm an AFL member with club support - no idea how much of my $ go to the club.
The club sets out the $ in its financial statements - last year it was $8m.
I recall reading a number of years ago the amount that the AFL gives to clubs and it was less than the price of a general admission membership. It was a key reason that I dropped my own AFL membership and invested in a reserved seat social club membership to ensure that my money went directly to the club.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
I haven't joined yet, that's because I'm a do things at the last minute sort of person.
We have had an amazing off-season, with new recruits who wanted to play for us coming at the right price, and a changing of the guard in terms of captaincy. But, I just haven't picked up on the hype that's out there amongst the media being reciprocated through the clubs messaging. Perhaps I've had my head up my backside, which can happen, and missed it though I don't think that's the case.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Hopefully we can still get 50K but looking a bit more difficult at this stage. A good start to the season would certainly help. I’m all signed up for 2020 Silver Reserve + EJ Whitten Social Club and also a member of the East West Bulldogs supporter group.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Prince Imperial
A lot of us (and much of the media) are very optimistic about our immediate on field prospects so it's hard to fathom. The only things I can think of are:
- the Elimination Final belting brought back bad memories;
- our AFLW numbers may be down due to the loss of so many of our best players in the last two seasons (though our home crowd on the weekend was so much better than what any of the big clubs get);
- demographically we may disproportionately have a lot of elderly supporters who are passing away or not now able to attend games.
You would hope that given our history our members are made from sterner stuff than just one poor game in the finals might alter.
If anything this has been spur for my expectations for 2020.
We have recruited well and addressed the gaps, perhaps we just haven't sold that story strongly enough
The one thing that has probably worked against us is the lack of actual engagement with the fans so far. Practice games and training sessions are a big part (well for me anyway) of following the club and so far it's been a struggle for the Melbourne based fans
Perhaps this weekend might be a spark
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
A couple of further points to the discussion.
For some reason yesterdays training session and practice game was poorly attended by (at a guess) around 400 members.
There were some activities for the children, the Barkers cafe was well stocked and the players made themselves available for photo opportunities plus for long term footy nerds like me I saw one of the best training sessions I have ever seen and a quality practice game which has whetted my appetite for the season ahead.
All-in-all I suspect this was well received by those who attended but there should have been a lot more members there when compared to previous years.
I caught up with a couple of WOOF members who were there and said hello to a few of the fans that I have gotten to know over the years. The WOOF members yesterday are rightly optimistic about our chances in 2020 but a few of the members I talked to were vastly more cautious and less than enthusiastic.
To be fair though they haven't been logging on here and getting expert analysis from the likes of MJP, Bulldogtragic, Bornadog, Mofra, Bulldog Joe, Go_Dogs, Axe Man, Twodogs and a host of others. Apologies to those I have missed but I can't name everyone.
One of the fans I have been seeing at the club training sessions over the years is a real character called Cath who was linked to the Bulldogs Taskforce supporter group who I don't think exist anymore but I might be wrong. She is a very friendly and approachable lady and tries to meet as many people at the training sessions as she can and yesterday was no exception.
Many of you who go to the occasional training session have probably met her.
Over the years Cath attended training each week or as many as she could get to and then send out a bit of a news letter to those privileged to be on her mailing list and she signed off on those emails with 'Doggie Cath' with a red, white and blue signature which always a nice touch.
I was one of the first to enter the ground yesterday and was delighted to see her again and have a quick talk.
Later I saw her chatting away to people and of course taking notes so I suspect she might still be sending the occasional email now.
It's fair to say she is an older lady and she's always been as passionate about the Dogs as anyone I have ever met. She mentioned to me that she is just a 3 game member now and she also said she's lost a bit of passion for going to the games over the last couple of years. Now she might have trouble finding someone to go to the games with her consistently and her age might be a factor as well etc but I must admit I felt more than a bit sorry to hear that she had lost some of the passion to attend the games.
When someone like Cath is lacking a bit of passion for the game it's a worrying sign for me. We do spend so much time and effort to attract new members I wonder if there is a way of reaching out and providing some support for our older members who played such a significant part in make the Footscray/Western Bulldogs the best damn sporting club in Australia?
When I mentioned to her that I thought we were in for a big year, Cath immediately sparked up. I said "I might be optimistic but everything I'm seeing is indicating a top four finish this year Cath" I sensed that is what she wanted to hear but more importantly needed to hear.
It struck me then but perhaps we haven't been strong enough in talking up our chances and it might be one of the reasons why our membership numbers are just a bit light on at the moment when compared to our ambitious 50K target.
Perhaps we need to go hard about our chances and be bold enough to even fall short of the mark. It's no good spruiking false hope for the sake of it, our members won't buy that anyway, but I do think there is a level of complacency out there with our membership base that needs a spark and I think we are a genuinely strong chance to be right in the mix come the end of the season.
Maybe the WOOF members could start talking up our chances to other Western Bulldog fans and create a bit more excitement around the WB community? We are getting close to the first home and away game of the year which is exciting for me but I'm not sensing it with our fans at the moment.
It's time to start talking it up. Who's with me?
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GVGjr
A couple of further points to the discussion.
For some reason yesterdays training session and practice game was poorly attended by (at a guess) around 400 members.
There were some activities for the children, the Barkers cafe was well stocked and the players made themselves available for photo opportunities plus for long term footy nerds like me I saw one of the best training sessions I have ever seen and a quality practice game which has whetted my appetite for the season ahead.
All-in-all I suspect this was well received by those who attended but there should have been a lot more members there when compared to previous years.
I caught up with a couple of WOOF members who were there and said hello to a few of the fans that I have gotten to know over the years. The WOOF members yesterday are rightly optimistic about our chances in 2020 but a few of the members I talked to were vastly more cautious and less than enthusiastic.
To be fair though they haven't been logging on here and getting expert analysis from the likes of MJP, Bulldogtragic, Bornadog, Mofra, Bulldog Joe, Go_Dogs, Axe Man, Twodogs and a host of others. Apologies to those I have missed but I can't name everyone.
One of the fans I have been seeing at the club training sessions over the years is a real character called Cath who was linked to the Bulldogs Taskforce supporter group who I don't think exist anymore but I might be wrong. She is a very friendly and approachable lady and tries to meet as many people at the training sessions as she can and yesterday was no exception.
Many of you who go to the occasional training session have probably met her.
Over the years Cath attended training each week or as many as she could get to and then send out a bit of a news letter to those privileged to be on her mailing list and she signed off on those emails with 'Doggie Cath' with a red, white and blue signature which always a nice touch.
I was one of the first to enter the ground yesterday and was delighted to see her again and have a quick talk.
Later I saw her chatting away to people and of course taking notes so I suspect she might still be sending the occasional email now.
It's fair to say she is an older lady and she's always been as passionate about the Dogs as anyone I have ever met. She mentioned to me that she is just a 3 game member now and she also said she's lost a bit of passion for going to the games over the last couple of years. Now she might have trouble finding someone to go to the games with her consistently and her age might be a factor as well etc but I must admit I felt more than a bit sorry to hear that she had lost some of the passion to attend the games.
When someone like Cath is lacking a bit of passion for the game it's a worrying sign for me. We do spend so much time and effort to attract new members I wonder if there is a way of reaching out and providing some support for our older members who played such a significant part in make the Footscray/Western Bulldogs the best damn sporting club in Australia?
When I mentioned to her that I thought we were in for a big year, Cath immediately sparked up. I said "I might be optimistic but everything I'm seeing is indicating a top four finish this year Cath" I sensed that is what she wanted to hear but more importantly needed to hear.
It struck me then but perhaps we haven't been strong enough in talking up our chances and it might be one of the reasons why our membership numbers are just a bit light on at the moment when compared to our ambitious 50K target.
Perhaps we need to go hard about our chances and be bold enough to even fall short of the mark. It's no good spruiking false hope for the sake of it, our members won't buy that anyway, but I do think there is a level of complacency out there with our membership base that needs a spark and I think we are a genuinely strong chance to be right in the mix come the end of the season.
Maybe the WOOF members could start talking up our chances to other Western Bulldog fans and create a bit more excitement around the WB community? We are getting close to the first home and away game of the year which is exciting for me but I'm not sensing it with our fans at the moment.
It's time to start talking it up. Who's with me?
Me. I've been talking us up on Twitter.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Great post G
Will say that Saturday morning kid sports take a bit of the crowd away though
Lot of parents then get the shopping out the way on a Saturday after that as well
I’m disappointed we haven’t gone ahead of Stkilda In membership to be honest
We seem to have a lot of “ see how they go” members sadly
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Remi Moses
Great post G
Will say that Saturday morning kid sports take a bit of the crowd away though
Lot of parents then get the shopping out the way on a Saturday after that as well
I’m disappointed we haven’t gone ahead of Stkilda In membership to be honest
We seem to have a lot of “ see how they go” members sadly
Remi good point about the timing, Saturday early morning training is not ideal. I think the club would have been better off calling it family day and incorporating the practise match with various family day activities.
On GVGjr post - great post. I am really struggling after all these years to understand why our members are so reluctant to commit to the club until they see if we are going well or not.
I had a quick look at the other clubs that struggle to get members and we have North around 32k, Melbourne 34k and Saints are now over 41k. The Saints are an interesting one as I believe they have a huge supporter base and come out of the wood work when the club is winning and looks like they feel the Saints are on the verge of some success.
Back to GVGjr's post - Sad to see some older members not as passionate as they once were. maybe there needs to be a special membership category for the older supporters with some extra rewards on game day, or something and make them feel more part of the club.
Hopefully we do live up to our own hype on here, and then supporters start to buy memberships.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Saints fans are riding the wave of being big players in the trade period, along with getting rid of Richo. It's the 'new car smell' that's drawing them in.
Our secret squirrel approach to pre-season doesn't help build hype but once we start performing, the johnny come lately types will sign up.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bornadog
Remi good point about the timing, Saturday early morning training is not ideal. I think the club would have been better off calling it family day and incorporating the practise match with various family day activities.
On GVGjr post - great post. I am really struggling after all these years to understand why our members are so reluctant to commit to the club until they see if we are going well or not.
I had a quick look at the other clubs that struggle to get members and we have North around 32k, Melbourne 34k and Saints are now over 41k. The Saints are an interesting one as I believe they have a huge supporter base and come out of the wood work when the club is winning and looks like they feel the Saints are on the verge of some success.
Back to GVGjr's post - Sad to see some older members not as passionate as they once were. maybe there needs to be a special membership category for the older supporters with some extra rewards on game day, or something and make them feel more part of the club.
Hopefully we do live up to our own hype on here, and then supporters start to buy memberships.
There are no good times for a practice game and training session's. Do it later in the day and then it's potentially weather conditions that will make it harder for the players and some fans.
Unfortunately the early starts gives us the best chance for those who have the time in their calendar to see the players in full swing like we did yesterday. It wasn't a half arsed effort and the fans saw the players at close to their best.
Regarding the older members and fans, upon reflection I wonder with some of the likely lower attended games through the year if there is an opportunity to close off a section and invite them to sit with other like minded and long term fans in an organised manner?
I sense they are probably over sitting alongside of mouthy opposition supporters and the chance to sit alongside of our supporters might appeal to them. Just a thought though
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
comrade
Saints fans are riding the wave of being big players in the trade period, along with getting rid of Richo. It's the 'new car smell' that's drawing them in.
Our secret squirrel approach to pre-season doesn't help build hype but once we start performing, the johnny come lately types will sign up.
It basically comes down to Hill and Howard vs Bruce and Keath so given our top eight finish last year and the ongoing positive message in the media at the moment but I agree with you that there is a potential that we haven't sold the story as well as we might have.
It's why I think we can all do our bit, perhaps on Twitter, and just talk up our chances a bit. Some might just need a bit of prompting to awake from their slumber.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
A week or so back on SEN the Saints were advertising a two for one season ticket. Buy one get two.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GVGjr
A couple of further points to the discussion.
For some reason yesterdays training session and practice game was poorly attended by (at a guess) around 400 members.
There were some activities for the children, the Barkers cafe was well stocked and the players made themselves available for photo opportunities plus for long term footy nerds like me I saw one of the best training sessions I have ever seen and a quality practice game which has whetted my appetite for the season ahead.
All-in-all I suspect this was well received by those who attended but there should have been a lot more members there when compared to previous years.
I caught up with a couple of WOOF members who were there and said hello to a few of the fans that I have gotten to know over the years. The WOOF members yesterday are rightly optimistic about our chances in 2020 but a few of the members I talked to were vastly more cautious and less than enthusiastic.
To be fair though they haven't been logging on here and getting expert analysis from the likes of MJP, Bulldogtragic, Bornadog, Mofra, Bulldog Joe, Go_Dogs, Axe Man, Twodogs and a host of others. Apologies to those I have missed but I can't name everyone.
One of the fans I have been seeing at the club training sessions over the years is a real character called Cath who was linked to the Bulldogs Taskforce supporter group who I don't think exist anymore but I might be wrong. She is a very friendly and approachable lady and tries to meet as many people at the training sessions as she can and yesterday was no exception.
Many of you who go to the occasional training session have probably met her.
Over the years Cath attended training each week or as many as she could get to and then send out a bit of a news letter to those privileged to be on her mailing list and she signed off on those emails with 'Doggie Cath' with a red, white and blue signature which always a nice touch.
I was one of the first to enter the ground yesterday and was delighted to see her again and have a quick talk.
Later I saw her chatting away to people and of course taking notes so I suspect she might still be sending the occasional email now.
It's fair to say she is an older lady and she's always been as passionate about the Dogs as anyone I have ever met. She mentioned to me that she is just a 3 game member now and she also said she's lost a bit of passion for going to the games over the last couple of years. Now she might have trouble finding someone to go to the games with her consistently and her age might be a factor as well etc but I must admit I felt more than a bit sorry to hear that she had lost some of the passion to attend the games.
When someone like Cath is lacking a bit of passion for the game it's a worrying sign for me. We do spend so much time and effort to attract new members I wonder if there is a way of reaching out and providing some support for our older members who played such a significant part in make the Footscray/Western Bulldogs the best damn sporting club in Australia?
When I mentioned to her that I thought we were in for a big year, Cath immediately sparked up. I said "I might be optimistic but everything I'm seeing is indicating a top four finish this year Cath" I sensed that is what she wanted to hear but more importantly needed to hear.
It struck me then but perhaps we haven't been strong enough in talking up our chances and it might be one of the reasons why our membership numbers are just a bit light on at the moment when compared to our ambitious 50K target.
Perhaps we need to go hard about our chances and be bold enough to even fall short of the mark. It's no good spruiking false hope for the sake of it, our members won't buy that anyway, but I do think there is a level of complacency out there with our membership base that needs a spark and I think we are a genuinely strong chance to be right in the mix come the end of the season.
Maybe the WOOF members could start talking up our chances to other Western Bulldog fans and create a bit more excitement around the WB community? We are getting close to the first home and away game of the year which is exciting for me but I'm not sensing it with our fans at the moment.
It's time to start talking it up. Who's with me?
I have retweeted your tweet G. Hopefully more doggie supporters will do so too.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bulldog4life
I have retweeted your tweet G. Hopefully more doggie supporters will do so too.
Thanks and appreciated BFL, I suspect though that 'retweeting' and 'liking' doesn't quite get the message out there strongly.
It needs to be a common theme from our members 'talking up' our chances for the season ahead.
Liking a tweet that says we will finish in the top 4 is not the same as also joining in and saying we will finish in the top 4 for so many people on Twitter. The comments tend to invite other comments which helps build momentum, the likes and retweets get a nod of the head for those that read it but it doesn't necessarily excite them to take it further and taking it further is what is needed.
If anyone genuinely wants to talk up our chances then if you have time I encourage you all to write something positive on Twitter or respond to the efforts of others. We won't quite get the momentum we want with some thumbs up acknowledgement. I don't want this to sound harsh for anyone and it's certainly not my intention but I think that is what really works
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GVGjr
Thanks and appreciated BFL, I suspect though that 'retweeting' and 'liking' doesn't quite get the message out there strongly.
It needs to be a common theme from our members 'talking up' our chances for the season ahead.
Liking a tweet that says we will finish in the top 4 is not the same as also joining in and saying we will finish in the top 4 for so many people on Twitter. The comments tend to invite other comments which helps build momentum, the likes and retweets get a nod of the head for those that read it but it doesn't necessarily excite them to take it further and taking it further is what is needed.
If anyone genuinely wants to talk up our chances then if you have time I encourage you all to write something positive on Twitter or respond to the efforts of others. We won't quite get the momentum we want with some thumbs up acknowledgement. I don't want this to sound harsh for anyone and it's certainly not my intention but I think that is what really works
Good points. Agree.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GVGjr
Thanks and appreciated BFL, I suspect though that 'retweeting' and 'liking' doesn't quite get the message out there strongly.
It needs to be a common theme from our members 'talking up' our chances for the season ahead.
Liking a tweet that says we will finish in the top 4 is not the same as also joining in and saying we will finish in the top 4 for so many people on Twitter. The comments tend to invite other comments which helps build momentum, the likes and retweets get a nod of the head for those that read it but it doesn't necessarily excite them to take it further and taking it further is what is needed.
If anyone genuinely wants to talk up our chances then if you have time I encourage you all to write something positive on Twitter or respond to the efforts of others. We won't quite get the momentum we want with some thumbs up acknowledgement. I don't want this to sound harsh for anyone and it's certainly not my intention but I think that is what really works
Taken your advice. :)
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bulldog4life
A week or so back on SEN the Saints were advertising a two for one season ticket. Buy one get two.
They were doing that on Trade Radio last year too. Their 'real' number would not be nearly as good. I don't think we should compare ourselves to them.
G is right though. There's something of a lack of genuine buzz about our club or chances by those predisposed to occasionally buying memberships. I don't think any of us can change it in a meaningful way. The club had made big strides in member engagement and multi media productions. It might just be me, but my genuine belief that the 'Captain Bontempelli Years' will be the best we've ever had is based on analysis and conversing on WOOF. The clubs engagement, PR machine and media to me seems like we've missed an opportunity. I think the clubs PR Manager, Membership Manager & Digital Content folks are the ones that need to spruiking harder.
I do struggle to comprehend that with Bruce, Keath, Weightman and others, and all the myriad good news that unsigned members (or 'fans') aren't joining. Maybe being a 'prime time' club means you can sit at home without paying your dues to the club you 'love'?
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bulldogtragic
They were doing that on Trade Radio last year too. Their 'real' number would not be nearly as good. I don't think we should compare ourselves to them.
G is right though. There's something of a lack of genuine buzz about our club or chances by those predisposed to occasionally buying memberships. I don't think any of us can change it in a meaningful way. The club had made big strides in member engagement and multi media productions. It might just be me, but my genuine belief that the 'Captain Bontempelli Years' will be the best we've ever had is based on analysis and conversing on WOOF. The clubs engagement, PR machine and media to me seems like we've missed an opportunity. I think the clubs PR Manager, Membership Manager & Digital Content folks are the ones that need to spruiking harder.
I do struggle to comprehend that with Bruce, Keath, Weightman and others, and all the myriad good news that unsigned members (or 'fans') aren't joining. Maybe being a 'prime time' club means you can sit at home without paying your dues to the club you 'love'?
BT great observations and thanks for sharing. Regarding the point I highlighted I think this is something that can be positively influenced by others because so many people genuinely hate missing out.
We are a prime time club as well especially if our fans look at the draw for 2020. We have plenty of Friday night games including Good Friday, we have plenty of Saturday night games as well. These are the things that we all thought were the only thing holding us back for many years. We wanted a stronger list so we addressed it at the end of the year by getting two quality bookends
We are good at making profits as well and we have a great Prez and coach. What more do people need?
While the 'Field of Dreams' moniker of 'If you build it they will come" hasn't quite panned out yet it might be if enough of us can drag some of the others along for the ride.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GVGjr
BT great observations and thanks for sharing. Regarding the point I highlighted I think this is something that can be positively influenced by others because so many people genuinely hate missing out.
We are a prime time club as well especially if our fans look at the draw for 2020. We have plenty of Friday night games including Good Friday, we have plenty of Saturday night games as well. These are the things that we all thought were the only thing holding us back for many years. We wanted a stronger list so we addressed it at the end of the year by getting two quality bookends
We are good at making profits as well and we have a great Prez and coach. What more do people need?
While the 'Field of Dreams' moniker of 'If you build it they will come" hasn't quite panned out yet it might be if enough of us can drag some of the others along for the ride.
A decent sizedish foot up the arse?
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
The opening 3 games will have a big impact. If we carry on from last years final few games and get some handsome wins on board it will tip the scales.
We don't need a struggle win , we need a controlled ones.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
I'm intruiged by this, because I'd say there have been more positive media articles about us this summer than many I can remember - we've had the new recruits, the draftees, the players who are about to break out. Additionally, we've got a new captain (who is coming off a player of the year award) and realistic expectations to be a top 4 side. There has been a huge amount written - albeit most of the articles are puff pieces not substantive.
I spoke to a colleague at work who went last Friday (paid for a ticket not realising she and her partner could've scanned in with their memberships) and she is as optimistic as most here. All opposition supporters I'm speaking to are talking us up, too.
A few big wins to start the year will make some difference, but I can't suggest the club hasn't done enough...
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GVGjr
BT great observations and thanks for sharing. Regarding the point I highlighted I think this is something that can be positively influenced by others because so many people genuinely hate missing out.
We are a prime time club as well especially if our fans look at the draw for 2020. We have plenty of Friday night games including Good Friday, we have plenty of Saturday night games as well. These are the things that we all thought were the only thing holding us back for many years. We wanted a stronger list so we addressed it at the end of the year by getting two quality bookends
We are good at making profits as well and we have a great Prez and coach. What more do people need?
While the 'Field of Dreams' moniker of 'If you build it they will come" hasn't quite panned out yet it might be if enough of us can drag some of the others along for the ride.
Almost everything supporters have wanted the club has delivered. Prime Time big time and a block buster game back, re-signing all our guns, Bont as captain, Hemsworth helping bring some buzz, the best KPD & KPF actually traded last year, keeping pick 13 and addressing a need, more profits, Jamarra already on the hook with other priority access kids, Ballarat turning out well with other commercial successes. Etc. Etc. Etc. If people need to see wins, other than smashing North last week and our stars in the SOO then you're not looking for a reason to join, you're actually looking for a reason not to join. If it's not a financial matter which everyone can understand with the nature of the economy and rampant underemployment, then just say you don't want to be a part of the ride. You just want to watch the ride.
I let my social club go and in 2016 i had real fear I wouldn't be able to attend with the coroporate tickets sold out. By luck, most of us without a SC/coterie etc got in. I actually renewed social club for 2017 on the Monday after the prelim and I'm not giving it up. But then the rush for social club memberships came in and a lot of members couldn't get one. Then we had a poor 2017 and social club memberships were available again...
The reason I have told this story, is our members (including me for a while) seem to have things back to front. We want social club memberships AFTER the Grand Final (even paying a nominal fee to be on a waiting list), and are not signing up as members of SCs BEFORE the next Grand Final. It's illogical when you think about it for a bit. Wait until we start winning and then people on social media sulking they can't get SC added on...
It makes no sense to me the low number. On any level. The club could've performed better this year, per my last post. But that doesn't explain what's going on. And we are not Desperados like St Kilda giving away memberships for free. But it is, what it is and I'm not worried. I have my membership and social club, so I have finals tickets and a Grand Final ticket at our next shot. I honestly believe 'The Captain Bontempelli Years' will be the best most of us will ever see. So let us die hards enjoy the ride that ownership/membership gives you, while the other 200,000 club fans come out for the Grand Final Parade.
So let's enjoy the 2020 ride and hope the club can overcome its own fans indifference that impacts our bottom line. I can't wait for the year with the cherry on top being grabbing Jamarra, Raak, MacPherson & (if I have my way) Zac Williams. There's just never been a better time to be a member.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
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Originally Posted by
bulldogtragic
So let's enjoy the 2020 ride and hope the club can overcome its own fans indifference that impacts our bottom line. I can't wait for the year with the cherry on top being grabbing Jamarra, Raak, MacPherson & (if I have my way) Zac Williams. There's just never been a better time to be a member.
Yep, it really is a matter of 'build it and they will come' with our supporter group. If things go the way I hope the do, the bandwagon will be bursting by year end.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
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Originally Posted by
bornadog
I had a quick look at the other clubs that struggle to get members and we have North around 32k, Melbourne 34k and Saints are now over 41k. The Saints are an interesting one as I believe they have a huge supporter base and come out of the wood work when the club is winning and looks like they feel the Saints are on the verge of some success.
I don't agree that the Saints have a huge supporter base. I know these figures aren't 100% accurate (not sure how 72,000 people just stop supporting us in a year?) but they probably give an indication of supporter levels:
https://i.postimg.cc/j25NFHx8/supporters.png
Link
Our supporter numbers are fairly similar to St Kilda's and higher than Melbourne and North.
Our conversion rate of supporters to members of 15.9% isn't bad but is well behind Richmond, Melbourne, Hawthorn and North.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
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Originally Posted by
Axe Man
I don't agree that the Saints have a huge supporter base. I know these figures aren't 100% accurate (not sure how 72,000 people just stop supporting us in a year?) but they probably give an indication of supporter levels:
https://i.postimg.cc/j25NFHx8/supporters.png
Link
Our supporter numbers are fairly similar to St Kilda's and higher than Melbourne and North.
Our conversion rate of supporters to members of 15.9% isn't bad but is well behind Richmond, Melbourne, Hawthorn and North.
I don't believe that graph or article by Roy Morgan? I can't see how they put that together without surveying every person in Australia.
Of course my assumption is on gut feel and no basis.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bornadog
I don't believe that graph or article by Roy Morgan? I can't see how they put that together without surveying every person in Australia.
Of course my assumption is on gut feel and no basis.
You get a statistically significant, representative sample and extrapolate. There'd be a margin of error because of course they can't survey everyone but it's probably accurate-ish enough to draw general conclusions.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
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Originally Posted by
hujsh
You get a statistically significant, representative sample and extrapolate. There'd be a margin of error because of course they can't survey everyone but it's probably accurate-ish enough to draw general conclusions.
I know how they do it, but personally I can't agree. How do you get to over 1 million. Are there really that many Sydney supporters out of 24 million Aussies.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
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Originally Posted by
bornadog
I know how they do it, but personally I can't agree. How do you get to over 1 million. Are there really that many Sydney supporters out of 24 million Aussies.
People who say when prompted, 'I support the Swans'? Yeah I'd not be surprised if that's the case. I'd say, 'I support the Storm' but will I ever go to match or buy merchandise? No.
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
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Originally Posted by
hujsh
People who say when prompted, 'I support the Swans'? Yeah I'd not be surprised if that's the case. I'd say, 'I support the Storm' but will I ever go to match or buy merchandise? No.
That is why it is a crap stat
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
hujsh
People who say when prompted, 'I support the Swans'? Yeah I'd not be surprised if that's the case. I'd say, 'I support the Storm' but will I ever go to match or buy merchandise? No.
This is true. I think the figures for the NSW and Qld teams you can take with a grain of salt but I reckon the RM figures for the Vic/SA/WA clubs are broadly accurate
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Re: 2020 WB Membership Thread - Target 50,000
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bornadog
That is why it is a crap stat
Disagree. Forget about the interstate clubs, how we compare to Melbourne teams, especially teams with similar smaller supporter bases is entirely relevant.