Thanks Thanks:  2
Likes Likes:  9
Page 8 of 11 FirstFirst 1234567891011 LastLast
Results 106 to 120 of 154
  1. #106
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Hobart
    Posts
    5,864
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: Bulldoze The Debt

    Quote Originally Posted by Bulldog4life View Post
    Info which we heard at the AGM at end of Dec 2010 which I posted in another thread.

    Currently about 40% of Bulldog For Life Members are contributing to Bulldoze the Debt and they are hoping that the total figure will be about 10,000 members who agree to this. This April they will be starting the "Decade of the Bulldog" and they are planning in "one night" to eradicate the $5 million debt.
    Hoping to have 250 of the "wealthiest supporters" to attend a night whereas for $10,000 they will have membership for 10 years, same seat for 10 years and ticket to GF for 10 years....I imagine if we make it.
    Each guest of the night will be asked to buy 2 of these packages. Cam Rose started the ball rolling by saying that he will be buying 3 of these packages. Without mentioning any names Cam also said that someone connected to the Club has put their name down for
    "17" of these packages and a number of the Directors have agreed to purchase packages already too.
    Sounds very promising.

    There are plenty of things the club could offer that are near priceless, as they are simply not available at the moment no matter the price. BB is on the right track, but $20 or $25 a person could be more like $200 or $250.

    Bulldoze the debt could instead of being a flat donation be the option to participate in a special event through the year, such as a training session, the club rooms on gameday, a signed guernsey or footy, training centre tour, player entry in SC league, raffle ticket to win special merchandise.

    A 10,000 person take up at $200 a piece would raise $2 million. 40 players by 5 leagues in both SC and DT would be 400, 50 x 20 person training centre tours another 1000, 10 x 20 people in the gameday rooms 200, 10 x 50 people in training sessions 500, and unlimited signed guernseys, footy's and raffle tickets.

    Even a bulldoze the debt scarf, cap or shirt would be some acknowledgment and unique entitlement that contributors could be offered, which may help justify it for more people.
    If you kicked five goals and Tom Boyd kicked five goals, Tom Boyd kicked more goals than you.

    Formerly gogriff

  2. #107
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    8,900
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: Bulldoze The Debt

    Quote Originally Posted by ledge View Post
    What about something that our muticultural suburb can intergrate with, something Asian or Africans can relate to sports wise, make them feel that little bit closer to us.
    I mention those 2 because they are what I see most in the area.
    This is more a long term idea (and maybe it already exists) but one way to get people new to the country interested in the game (and specifically our club) would be to buddy them up with a fan willing to take them to a game and show them what it's all about. You could probably get some money from the government to support this and has potential for some good press??

  3. #108
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Mount Martha, Victoria
    Posts
    2,602
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: Bulldoze The Debt

    Quote Originally Posted by Jasper View Post
    All good idea's BB but you are putting the onus on the players to drive this and I don't think this is their job to make themselves available. It really is up to the fans to dig a little deeper without getting much more back in return.

    The real secret is to shame our Bulldog mates who haven't taken out club memberships to get off their backsides and take even the most basic of membership packages.

    3,000 returning members would be huge for the club.
    Sorry Jasper, I cant agree here as it is the problem of the Bulldogs board and I truly think they all have the best intentions with what they do, I think that money is their to be had but it's up to the administration to get everyone on board and find ways to get us all to part with it. Why couldn't they have a sponsor a super goal in the NAB cup? WQe could have set up a site were people could register to pay XX for every 9 point goal scored.

    Bring out Chris Grant as an example he stayed with us for 20c (I think). Again it's not the money but it's the heart strings. We all love the romance and need something to get us off our buts but I'm sorry a printed flyer doesn't hit the spot for me.

    I have passed on details (my brother) to a number of current players and asked them to get Barry Hall to call him as he would buy a membership. After 3 years I have given up a brought it for him myself. He works in the area that Barry parents live and has said that if he got a call from Johno or Barry he would sign up. How many people do we know like this.

    Should we get a list of all expired members and ask all the players to call 5 a day and see how many they can sign up. the player with the most can have a trip away, (Donated by one of the sponsors)
    BB.

    Looking forward - Naughton, Darcy and JUH. It will be the envy of everyone.

  4. #109
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    8,900
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: Bulldoze The Debt

    Quote Originally Posted by Bumper Bulldogs View Post
    I have passed on details (my brother) to a number of current players and asked them to get Barry Hall to call him as he would buy a membership. After 3 years I have given up a brought it for him myself. He works in the area that Barry parents live and has said that if he got a call from Johno or Barry he would sign up. How many people do we know like this.

    Should we get a list of all expired members and ask all the players to call 5 a day and see how many they can sign up. the player with the most can have a trip away, (Donated by one of the sponsors)
    Haha I loved the idea initially... but perhaps it sets a dangerous precedent, so next year I hold off buying my membership until I get a call from big Will.

  5. #110
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Posts
    3,147
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: Bulldoze The Debt

    I have not contributed to Bulldoze the debt yet.

    I am a bulldog for life and simply upgraded from family silver to family gold and figured that would achieve a similar result.

    One idea is to have a player review where all the plyers come out doing the elephant walk and then shake their frank and beans around for some screaming old ladies.

    Then we could sell the video to the Herald Sun as an exclusive for big bucks....maybe we could get Ricky Nixon to market the night and Fev to host it.

  6. #111
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Wherever the dogs are playing
    Posts
    60,879
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: Bulldoze The Debt

    Quote Originally Posted by arkie View Post
    No. I do want a club to support. But why do we have such a large debt in the first place? I've been a Western Bulldogs member all my life. I do my bit to support this club and so does my family.

    It just seems kind of negligent that the club has had this debt for so long and is only worrying about all of the interest that's coming along with it now? Why wasn't this debt dealt with years ago? Maybe then it wouldn't be as large?

    Just because I've taken a very strong liking to American football doesn't mean I don't want a club to support. I just don't like Aussie Rules as much as I used to. That doesn't mean I'm still not going to go to every home game this year.
    You are one ignorant supporter, how can you comment this way.

    The AFL has ripped us off for years, with Stadium deals, no block busters, interstate trips, etc etc. The past 5 years we have posted profits and therefore the debt has not grown.

    We are lucky to be still in the AFL and not bankrupt. It costs millions and millions to run the club and with a small supporter base we have struggled to keep up and therefore had to borrow money to stay alive. This isnot negligence, this is a fact of running a club.

    We have now finaly started to get on top of the debt with 30,000 plus supporters and good attendances at alot of games, but we are still worse off than Collingwood, Essendon Carlton in regards to stadium deals, block busters , prime time TV. Yes the AFL compensate us with some money but the exposure these other teams get, they end up getting bigger and bigger and we are constantly trying to catch up.

    If you prefer not to pay extra to help, that is fine, but don't post rubbish about things you do not understand.
    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.

  7. #112
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Doglands
    Posts
    39,499
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: Bulldoze The Debt

    Quote Originally Posted by bornadog View Post

    The AFL has ripped us off for years, with Stadium deals, no block busters, interstate trips, etc etc. The past 5 years we have posted profits and therefore the debt has not grown.

    We are lucky to be still in the AFL and not bankrupt. It costs millions and millions to run the club and with a small supporter base we have struggled to keep up and therefore had to borrow money to stay alive. This isnot negligence, this is a fact of running a club.
    I couldn't disagree with you more BAD. We control our own destiny not the AFL and yuo more than most would know that posting operating profits isn't necessarily linked to reducing debt.

    If the AFL has ripped us off why is Smorgo coming out and saying so at the time when things like the stadium deals are struck? He certainly has a go at the old deals when new deals need to be worked through but once they are done he is more often than not singing their praises.

    We have been initiating the sale of home games to the interstate markets to get the profits that you are actually applauding.
    Western Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"

  8. #113
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Behind the goals, Geelong Rd end
    Posts
    6,465
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: Bulldoze The Debt

    Quote Originally Posted by GVGjr View Post
    I couldn't disagree with you more BAD. We control our own destiny not the AFL and yuo more than most would know that posting operating profits isn't necessarily linked to reducing debt.

    If the AFL has ripped us off why is Smorgo coming out and saying so at the time when things like the stadium deals are struck? He certainly has a go at the old deals when new deals need to be worked through but once they are done he is more often than not singing their praises.

    We have been initiating the sale of home games to the interstate markets to get the profits that you are actually applauding.
    I couldn't agree with you more, BAD.

    We have made the most out of impossible situations but there is absolutely no doubt we have been screwed over by the AFL.

    This fact was proved conclusively by Ernst & Young accountants a few years back. Their report put a $$$ value on things out of the clubs control - stadium deals, signage, fixturing and FTA coverage. E & Y found that we were $3.7mil/year worse off than the AFL average.

    Our board has done a brilliant job to get where we are despite the AFL, not thanks to them, but as long as we need them I'm quite sure we will never badmouth them.

    That's a lot different to singing their praises.

  9. #114
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Doglands
    Posts
    39,499
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: Bulldoze The Debt

    Quote Originally Posted by Sockeye Salmon View Post
    We have made the most out of impossible situations but there is absolutely no doubt we have been screwed over by the AFL.

    .
    We have done very well but we are never critical of the AFL for a good reason

    Quote Originally Posted by Sockeye Salmon View Post
    This fact was proved conclusively by Ernst & Young accountants a few years back. Their report put a $$$ value on things out of the clubs control - stadium deals, signage, fixturing and FTA coverage. E & Y found that we were $3.7mil/year worse off than the AFL average.
    And yet when that deal was originally struck Smorgo saw it as a step forward only to be very critical of it when the next deal was in progress.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sockeye Salmon View Post
    Our board has done a brilliant job to get where we are despite the AFL, not thanks to them, but as long as we need them I'm quite sure we will never badmouth them.
    I can't agree, we have worked with them closely and it's the reason why we have turned the corner. Fighting them was never the answer to our long term financial issues.
    Western Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"

  10. #115
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Hobart
    Posts
    5,864
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: Bulldoze The Debt

    Quote Originally Posted by Sockeye Salmon View Post
    but as long as we need them I'm quite sure we will never badmouth them.
    This is the key point IMO. Which clubs have been out bagging the AFL lately?
    If you kicked five goals and Tom Boyd kicked five goals, Tom Boyd kicked more goals than you.

    Formerly gogriff

  11. #116
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Posts
    1,461
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: Bulldoze The Debt

    Quote Originally Posted by GVGjr View Post
    And yet when that deal was originally struck Smorgo saw it as a step forward only to be very critical of it when the next deal was in progress... Fighting them was never the answer to our long term financial issues.
    I agree with the general drift of what you are saying GVG; I don’t think when all the matters are put on the table that we have been badly dealt with by the AFL, but it’s a messy arrangement and one that gives us little opportunity to celebrate achievements: nevertheless it has lead Collo to make an astonishing statement.

    “The Western Bulldogs are clearly now a force in the AFL competition, both on and off the field. We are were (sic) pleased to hold such constructive and effective discussions about how we can assist them to continue to advance their already strong brand in a variety of ways”

    That would never have come out of his mouth if we were not now a “valued customer” and considered likely to remain one.

    It is timely to remember however, that our initial deal was based on modelling presented to us that showed we would make a profit after 18,000 punters showed up, but it turned out to be.... 30,000... close to twice as many.

    In any normal business environment such misrepresentation even if not deliberately misleading would nevertheless be actionable.

    On the other hand the AFL world is not normal by a host of measures and they are compromised because post the demise of AFL Park Waverley, they depend on the stadium being able to operate... and that means profitably, but secondly and most significantly the AFL are the nominal owners with Collo and company as tenants on a 30 year lease.

    All this has meant that we have spent a long while paying them for the privilege of allowing us to play at their unfortunate muck heap. In order to avoid the fallout the AFL has been refunding us for this and other inequities that others have referred to, through the equalisation payments.

    How did such a gross miscalculation occur? Like the former point the explanation is twofold. The stadium has various design flaws which contribute, but an overly hierarchical management structure and ethos not only delivers a less than satisfactory experience for patrons but more importantly it leads to overmanning that creates huge additional and unnecessary costs. In most cases they have have 2 people where only 1 is needed and then at peak times they have less people behind bars etc than are needed. It’s really quite amateurish.

    Given your family's background in hospitality, you like me, must find frustration and bemusement at the complex systems which make the task of getting even a simple service such a lengthy procedure and that take the focus off the meeting of customer needs in order to meet the system needs.

    Now having got my anti Collo management rant off my chest there is no doubt in my mind that our board has done a brilliant job. They have taken a hold on our future in ways not previously imagined and produced unusual but mutually beneficial synergies with a range of partners.

    They have created a situation where we can realistically ask our members to remove our historically acquired debt in the confident expectation that the club is on a firm footing and barring unexpected catastrophes we look forward to a lengthy period of both on and off field progress and success.

    How have we got to that situation? Well trading at a profit has been the exception more than the rule for us; it’s amazing how quickly some forget the years of financial struggle and the noose it places around the neck of the football department. In the past when such things were possible we had to sell our best player Bernie Quinlan to make ends meet. More recently we’ve spent less than the full salary cap and we still don’t spend all we’d like to in this area.

    But we are not on our own; one only has to look at all the other clubs. Is there one which at some time in the last 30 years hasn’t had to go to its members for help? As just one example, the most recent premiers now mega wealthy are only a short time from their own debt reduction strategies.

    A touch over 20 years that we were being closed (merged) because the then VFL didn’t think we could meet our debt commitments. More recently Smorgo and his team came to power in the mid 90s because his predecessor Peter Gordon, as good as he had been in saving the club, hadn’t been able to stabilise the club’s finances in the longer term.

    Fortunately we have got past that point, we have come a long, long, so why should we worry about our debt? My response is that it directly affects our on field performance. Just compare how much the wollypuds spend on their football department with our expenditure, then think about the additional money that will be available when the unproductive debt interest payments cease. Does anyone think it will not be welcome and not well spent?

    If this doesn’t say we should do all we can to achieve an historic moment then I don’t know what does.

    When, not if, we are debt free I plan on holding a great big party and inviting all my Bulldog supporting friends, neighbours and rellies to celebrate a great moment in the annals of our club. One of the guests will be my 97 year old Bulldog supporting mother, who declared recently that it will be the second most important moment in her football life after the 1954 flag. Our next flag which she is sure is imminent will be the third.
    I believe there's nothing on this earth that we own. All we do is look after it for our children - Terry Wheeler

  12. #117
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Hobart
    Posts
    5,864
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: Bulldoze The Debt

    Quote Originally Posted by alwaysadog View Post
    They have taken a hold on our future in ways not previously imagined and produced unusual but mutually beneficial synergies with a range of partners.
    Thoughtful post as always AAD, I just think the innovation could continue to produce a return for the rank and file struggling to justify large donations.

    $200 as a straight out gift? Hard to justify. $200 to tour the training centre? Maybe you would give up Golfing or something for a while for such a unique experience.
    If you kicked five goals and Tom Boyd kicked five goals, Tom Boyd kicked more goals than you.

    Formerly gogriff

  13. #118
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Posts
    13,050
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: Bulldoze The Debt

    Richmond are also doing a similar thing. At a function tonight it is being reported players, coaches and board members donated $250K of own money.
    Good effort by them.

  14. #119
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    8,900
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: Bulldoze The Debt

    Up to 2.5mill now for RICHmenD

  15. #120
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Posts
    14,567
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: Bulldoze The Debt

    Quote Originally Posted by Danstar View Post
    Up to 2.5mill now for RICHmenD
    Which is almost the amount they spend more than us per year on their footy dept.

    Pretty good at tipping money down the sink at Punt Rd.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •