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View Poll Results: What will you do about your membership

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  • Let it ride - the club can keep it

    25 86.21%
  • WAit for the Club Options and then decide

    4 13.79%
  • I need the funds - ask for my money back

    0 0%
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  1. #1
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    AFL clubs hope to have membership options within a fortnight

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    AFL clubs hope to be able to give their members a range of options to consider in the next fortnight as they scramble to make suitable arrangements for supporters in an interrupted season.

    Club CEOs including Carlton's Cain Liddle and Richmond's Brendon Gale have been working together to create a uniform position across the 18 clubs with the clubs agreeing early in the piece that it would be not help anyone if wealthier clubs used their financial position to make offers to members that other clubs couldn't match.

    The working group is understood to be considering offering members options such as credits on future memberships, converting memberships into tax deductible donations, as well as offering refunds where needed although nothing has been finalised as yet.

    With the game suspended until at least May 31 (although few expect it to return that early) and a new fixture to be developed if the season does get underway, significant uncertainty remains as to what lies ahead with AFL CEO Gill McLachlan saying he is prepared for the season to extend until the end of the year to ensure the remaining 144 games plus finals are played.

    Geelong CEO Brian Cook told a KRock podcast that the Cats had been overwhelmed with support from members as the industry dealt with the myriad of decisions required after the game was cancelled due to government restrictions in place to control the spread of the coronavirus.

    "We’ve been working towards a common strategy for all clubs, and it will involve, eventually, several options for their members to consider," Cook said.

    Cook expected club members would have about five options to consider once clubs and the AFL had approved the approach with the veteran CEO also anticipating it would need the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's tick of approval.

    "I’m expecting [in] about a week or so, we’ll be able to go out to members and say, 'Look, here is our offer'," Cook said.

    The AFL said at their season launch that one in 24 Australians are members of clubs. The range of membership options provided by clubs are enormous, ranging from three-game memberships to digital memberships, season ticket holders, reserve seats, season ticket holders and corporate packages or social club memberships.

    Membership has been one of the game's biggest growth areas with club bosses describing members as the "lifeblood" of clubs before the coronavirus crisis.

    Club officials have been heartened by the response of members with more people happy to leave their money with the club at this stage than wanting refunds. All clubs have had people buy memberships since the season cancelled too.

    However they are also conscious there are many people, like clubs, who have suddenly been hit with significant financial troubles as jobs disappear so they are attempting to work out a suitable solution.

    It's unclear at this stage what approach will be taken with AFL members.
    FFC: Established 1883

    Premierships: AFL 1954, 2016 VFA - 1898,99,1900, 1908, 1913, 1919-20, 1923-24, VFL: 2014, 2016 . Champions of Victoria 1924. AFLW - 2018.

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  3. #2
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    Re: AFL clubs hope to have membership options within a fortnight

    Can understand if those doing it tough requested a refund, personally, I'd never consider it.

    Hopefully the clubs can put together a really attractive option that keeps the money within club coffers AND provides value for members.
    Our 1954 premiership players are our heroes, and it has to be said that Charlie was their hero.

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  5. #3
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    Re: AFL clubs hope to have membership options within a fortnight

    They should do what politicians and political parties do for real money. Sell access.

    "Fight Back 2". After all this, every member who stays on get to use their membership card for entrance into the Western Oval and the club gets as many past players and past coaches and all current players to give access to the members. Well known members (Merv, Hemsworth etc asked to come along). Half day event festival feel. Some music by our big name Bulldogs music folks. Like Fightback, all the people packing out the WO are there having put money into the club when it really needed us. Entrance by membership only, even its its a scaled back membership (ie someone with a 11 game membership could drop down to a 3 game membership, having returned the balance of cash to them and still get in to FB2, and the value of a three game membership staying with the club which is better than nothing). And social club members that stay on still get their end of year event should they keep their social club membership.

  6. #4
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    Re: AFL clubs hope to have membership options within a fortnight

    I'm in a position where I don't need to ask for money back or credit for next year. I totally understand people who will not be and therefore need this sort of offer ... no judgement from me; I get it.
    WOOF Member 422

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  8. #5
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    Re: AFL clubs hope to have membership options within a fortnight

    The "tax deductable donation" option is an interesting development.
    Western Bulldogs: 2016 Premiers

  9. #6
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    Re: AFL clubs hope to have membership options within a fortnight

    Quote Originally Posted by Mofra View Post
    The "tax deductable donation" option is an interesting development.
    I'm not quite sure what their angle is with this. Clubs are not for profit, however they are not deductible gift recipients to my knowledge.

    The club will get my money regardless, if I can claim a tax deduction for it that's a bonus.

  10. #7
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    Re: AFL clubs hope to have membership options within a fortnight

    Didn't players about 20 years ago, to keep us a float, donate their wages back to our foundation to get the deduction and the club balance things out?

  11. #8
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    Re: AFL clubs hope to have membership options within a fortnight

    Quote Originally Posted by bulldogtragic View Post
    Didn't players about 20 years ago, to keep us a float, donate their wages back to our foundation to get the deduction and the club balance things out?
    It's why Nathan Brown left.
    Have you been reading those Roddy Doyle books again, Dougal!?


    I have, yeah Ted, you big gobshite

  12. #9
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    Re: AFL clubs hope to have membership options within a fortnight

    I love that movie "Let it ride".

  13. #10
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    Re: AFL clubs hope to have membership options within a fortnight

    I have an AFL membership with Bulldogs Club Support, and I would be interested to see what refunds are available from that.

    I would prefer to reinvest whatever I can get back from the AFL, directly into the Bulldogs.

  14. #11
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    Re: AFL clubs hope to have membership options within a fortnight

    The club is really poor at promoting this to the general membership (there is no link to it on the club's website) but anyone can make a tax deductible donation to the club through the Australian Sports Foundation. I'm not sure they can convert paid memberships but maybe there is a way for a refund to be made and an automatic donation from members who consent.

    A number of years back I made donation and received a letter from the club stating that it had been used on GPS equipment for the players.

    https://asf.org.au/projects/western-bulldogs/

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  16. #12
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    Re: AFL clubs hope to have membership options within a fortnight


  17. #13
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    Re: AFL clubs hope to have membership options within a fortnight

    Quote Originally Posted by Prince Imperial View Post
    The club is really poor at promoting this to the general membership (there is no link to it on the club's website) but anyone can make a tax deductible donation to the club through the Australian Sports Foundation. I'm not sure they can convert paid memberships but maybe there is a way for a refund to be made and an automatic donation from members who consent.

    A number of years back I made donation and received a letter from the club stating that it had been used on GPS equipment for the players.

    https://asf.org.au/projects/western-bulldogs/
    Quote Originally Posted by bulldogtragic View Post
    http://www.abn.business.gov.au/ABN/View?abn=26160537459

    Registered to receive tax-deductible donations.

  18. #14
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    Re: AFL clubs hope to have membership options within a fortnight

    Quote Originally Posted by westdog54 View Post
    http://www.abn.business.gov.au/ABN/View?abn=26160537459

    Registered to receive tax-deductible donations.
    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.

  19. #15
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    Re: AFL clubs hope to have membership options within a fortnight

    It's obviously different for everyone and we should all do what is right for us but the club won't get a request for a refund from me.
    Western Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"

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