2014 Fixture - Screwed again by AFL

[bulldogtragic]

Maybe not 35,000, but trying to stop people giving up their membership because of stupid excuses may be a start.

7,000 supporters a year, every year, have stupid excuses on not renewing.

It's bigger than some 14 year olds saying they won't renew. Just read the threads, gold member die hards are finding it hard to justify the cost. If we are seeing fractures at this level, then we have some issues as a club, not to mention if I was Mission CEO I'd be thinking my bang for buck just deteriorated.

But I don't have the solution, apart from discussing Tasmania.

[westdog54]

Buddy Revenge to wait until round eight

A discussion on some of the former players playing against their old teams, and not one mention of Crameri despite the bitter circumstances surrounding the split.

People, we are officially out in the cold in this fixture.

[G-Mo77]

What else can you say? Or should he come out punching?

Personally I'd like to see him more demanding on our needs rather than the whole "working with them" cliché.

[FrediKanoute]

I appreciate the draw isn't great, but I think that it is a favourable draw in terms of who we play. We have based on this draw and our finish to 2013 an ability to sneak a spot in the finals and that is a good thing.

What I would say about the Sunday scheduling is maybe we should embrace it. Yes twilight games suck currently, but they are preferable to a lunchtime start. Maybe if the AFL is looking to stick us there we use it to our advantage and market around the number of twilight games - great chance to get to the footy and have dinner straight after at the Social Club; or grab a takeaway on the way home from XYZ.

You have to play the cards you are dealt and sometimes as a club we have been a little quick to moan poor us. On balance as a side that was God Awful at times last year and only had the season rescued by some good performances at the end, its hardly surprising we aren't being handed blockbuster slots.

[Ghost Dog]

Well posted Fredi
I don't mind watching other games of footy. If I was an opposition fan looking for entertainment in the first half of 2013, I would have been steering clear of our games as well.
We were awful.

[chef]

Buddy Revenge to wait until round eight

A discussion on some of the former players playing against their old teams, and not one mention of Crameri despite the bitter circumstances surrounding the split.

People, we are officially out in the cold in this fixture.

Yep, I noticed that in the H/S. Even Longer and Pods got a mention

[Murphy'sLore]

Welcome to the Twilight Zone.

[always right]

My concern is not whether we deserved a more favourable fixture based on our recent performance but whether we will still get served this shit sandwich in future even if our performance justifies it. I get the feeling we are simply irrelevant in the AFL's eyes.

Giving us more money is one thing.....giving us the ability to build our club on the back of membership and corporate sponsorship is another thing altogether. The fixture we have been given for 2014 is bereft of anything positive from a marketing perspective. We will be buggered if our only means of survival is to go cap in hand to the AFL every year.

[LostDoggy]

It's going to be an interesting season for sure. Many are saying we have the softest draw from a competitive position, and given the way we finished 2013 and our expected improvement in 2014 I can see us being right in the mix come finals time a la Port Adelaide. When we're up and about neutrals love watching us because we're always the underdog. Shame no one will be able to though.

[Bulldog4life]

They are not real members. A real member buys a membership to be part of the club, not just to get a discount to games.

Yep agree. I'm in the minority but I don't mind Sunday games from a personal perspective but I understand it is not great from a commercial aspect.

[Bulldog Joe]

They are not real members. A real member buys a membership to be part of the club, not just to get a discount to games.

Agree with this and I have always bought memberships for my grandchildren even though they have only attended about 3 games in 5 years due to their location.

Will look to add by buying memberships for my children. Even the 2 who aren't Bulldog supporters.

[always right]

Agree with this and I have always bought memberships for my grandchildren even though they have only attended about 3 games in 5 years due to their location.

Will look to add by buying memberships for my children. Even the 2 who aren't Bulldog supporters.

Good on you Joe.....a supporter as opposed to a fan.

[Remi Moses]

I think there's been a tad over reaction to be honest.
I think most look at the membership as a financial donation to the club, and to be honest our membership like all clubs is linked to how we are going.
The issue I have with the AFL is I'm a sceptic of the notion of earning Friday night games.
I 'll put the house on the big boys still getting the prime time plumb spot even if they 're not going well!'

[bulldogtragic]

I think there's been a tad over reaction to be honest.
I think most look at the membership as a financial donation to the club, and to be honest our membership like all clubs is linked to how we are going.
The issue I have with the AFL is I'm a sceptic of the notion of earning Friday night games.
I 'll put the house on the big boys still getting the prime time plumb spot even if they 're not going well!'

I don't want to seem disagreeable, but we had 1,000 more members this year than 2009. Still sub 30,000 and just about the worst outside the expansion clubs.

At best the bandwagon effect is worth about 2,500 members based on 2010 figures. Bugger all in the scheme of things.

[Bulldog Joe]

I think there's been a tad over reaction to be honest.
I think most look at the membership as a financial donation to the club, and to be honest our membership like all clubs is linked to how we are going.
The issue I have with the AFL is I'm a sceptic of the notion of earning Friday night games.
I 'll put the house on the big boys still getting the prime time plumb spot even if they 're not going well!'

Unfortunately true. With bigger supporter bases they just generate better ratings, which gets them better time slots, which gets them more supporters and better sponsorships, thereby preserving the better time slots.

Equalisation along the NFL model is looking more and more imperative.