OK so the MCC has come to our aid this time, but like other MCC members on this forum, I think the club does not do enough to support the MFC and is too willing to use the footy club as a bargaining chip.

Demon supporters comprise around 28 per cent, maybe more, of the MCC members. If we were organised, and we voted as a bloc, we could comfortably unseat any on the MCC who are insufficiently supportive of the Demons, who let's face it, played a huge role in the making of the ground and the MCC (where would it be without football?!).

Potentially we have influence and power. If we were organised, and scrutinised candidates for the committee, we might be able to prevent our football club being used as a pawn by the MCC in future.

(Before anyone points out that 28% is nothing like a majority, I should point out that the participation rate in MCC elections is so low you could win with a fraction of 28 per cent.)

Am I giving anyone ideas?

They just threw us a big lifeline and saved the club. What more do you want them to do?

Read it again: "the MCC...is too willing to use the footy club as a bargaining chip."

I just read it again. You want to organise a group of MCC members to try and vote out members of the MCC board who are not giving the Demons full support.

The MCC board who just doubled their financial support from $500,000 to $1,000,000.

Really smart.

Didn't say that.

I am suggesting it's time to get organised to keep the pressure on in future so we have more support where and when it counts.

Without the Demons those MCC memberships would not be worth anywhere near as much as they are now.

Or we can sit back and wait for the next time we are on the outer...

It's actually only 21% as seen in the most recent MCC magazine.

As at August 2008, there were 99,932 MCC members, which comprised 60,550 Full members and 39,382 Restricted members. There were also 184,974 waiting list candidates.

I don't think that the MCC relies on MFC supporters anymore, and I'd say that you could be certain that there aren't 28% (or even 21%) of the waiting list who are MFC supporters.

  casey scorp said:

As at August 2008, there were 99,932 MCC members, which comprised 60,550 Full members and 39,382 Restricted members. There were also 184,974 waiting list candidates.

I don't think that the MCC relies on MFC supporters anymore, and I'd say that you could be certain that there aren't 28% (or even 21%) of the waiting list who are MFC supporters.

Might as well use what power we have whilst we have it.

I'm all for using any influence i have to get the MFC a better deal, i think i'd be stupid not to.

The only problem is getting my message across & figuring out which particular MCC board members are the ones that don't wish to support MFC.

I think you'd find its not so much they they do or don't support the dees, rather, they are all happy to support the dees to a certain extent, as long as it isn't detrimental to the MCC itself.

And each board member will have differing views on this subject that we will probably never know until a vote on funding for MFC comes up.

So... not really sure what we can actually do, other than use our voices & make sure they know the survival of our club is still very much at the forefront of our minds.

The MCC does support this football club. It has been a case of the club shooting itself for the best part of 45 years. The MCC is not to blame WE ARE! The club has been run into the ground by years of mismanagement trading off a name that lost it's lustre long ago. We appear to finally have a good mix of people in charge. We have somewhere to train(F**k me that took along time). We look to have repaired the relationships with both the MCC and AFL. Now is not the time to be lobbying anyone except other supporters, and maybe a sponsor or two!

  Roost It said:

The MCC does support this football club. It has been a case of the club shooting itself for the best part of 45 years. The MCC is not to blame WE ARE! The club has been run into the ground by years of mismanagement trading off a name that lost it's lustre long ago. We appear to finally have a good mix of people in charge. We have somewhere to train(F**k me that took along time). We look to have repaired the relationships with both the MCC and AFL. Now is not the time to be lobbying anyone except other supporters, and maybe a sponsor or two!

We've shot ourselves in the foot by accepting a crappy deal to play at the MCG and receive a pittance from the gate receipts in return... and who exactly did we make that agreement with?

We are in poor shape because we have to work twice as hard as many other clubs to turn a profit.

Now whose fault exactly is that? Partly ours for accepting the crappy deal put to us... but also part of the blame belongs to the MCC. The majority in my view.

Their greed & our stupidity has hamstrung us.

  TheShaft said:

We've shot ourselves in the foot by accepting a crappy deal to play at the MCG and receive a pittance from the gate receipts in return... and who exactly did we make that agreement with?

We are in poor shape because we have to work twice as hard as many other clubs to turn a profit.

Now whose fault exactly is that? Partly ours for accepting the crappy deal put to us... but also part of the blame belongs to the MCC. The majority in my view.

Their greed & our stupidity has hamstrung us.

I see your point but the fact remains we made the bed we currently lie in, blaming others is not the answer.

I am delighted with the $1m subsidy.

But I'm afraid I don't think it is especially generous when you think of the part the MFC played in the development of the MCC and the MCG itself. $1m is small bikkies to the MCC.

The MCC cashes in on the history of the MFC everytime it parades its guests past the MFC trophy cabinet in the members stand.

At the very least I think the MCC owes the MFC financial security - and I agree that we should use our votes to keep reminding them of that.

  TheShaft said:

We've shot ourselves in the foot by accepting a crappy deal to play at the MCG and receive a pittance from the gate receipts in return... and who exactly did we make that agreement with?

We are in poor shape because we have to work twice as hard as many other clubs to turn a profit.

Now whose fault exactly is that? Partly ours for accepting the crappy deal put to us... but also part of the blame belongs to the MCC. The majority in my view.

Their greed & our stupidity has hamstrung us.

I do agree with you re the deals that have been made. I think that could well be why we are getting a hand out from the MCC this year. Is our deal with them any different from any other club re gate receipts? I would be supprised if it was.

  Roost It said:

I see your point but the fact remains we made the bed we currently lie in, blaming others is not the answer.

Agree with that. Some of the revisionist history of MCC/MFC is self serving to the interests

However I think its in the long term interests of MFC and MCC that we seek a mutually productive relationship that as close as possible.

I dont buy the "MCC you owe us" mentality in this regard. The MCC has much more broader and diverse interest base than just MFC supporters.

  Davis333 said:

I just read it again. You want to organise a group of MCC members to try and vote out members of the MCC board who are not giving the Demons full support.

The MCC board who just doubled their financial support from $500,000 to $1,000,000.

Really smart.

No, he did not say "lets get together & vote out the MCC Board.

I read it that he wants to organise the melbourne Mcc members so as to be vigilant.

  dee-luded said:

No, he did not say "lets get together & vote out the MCC Board.

I read it that he wants to organise the melbourne Mcc members so as to be vigilant.

If this could be done, we would well be on the way to becoming a powerhouse of the competition once again off field. You always read about the richmond and stkilda factions that have ruined their clubs over the years but I feel ours has been worse in my lifetime. Time to band together and work towards the great good! 1st step get any mfc supporting MCC members who don't have duel memberships to do so ASAP!

I wonder if the MCC would look at offering a MFC supporter package similar to the afl memberships? with the money going directly to our great club?

  Rhino Richards said:

I dont buy the "MCC you owe us" mentality in this regard. The MCC has much more broader and diverse interest base than just MFC supporters.

I know the MFC has braoder stakeholders - but all of these stakeholders have benefitted from the revenue generated by the MFC for over 100 years - and continue to benefit from a sports museum that features the glory days of the MFC.

All members enjoy being part of an institution which would not exist in its present form if it had not been for the MFC. It is in that sense that I think they remain indebted to us

  Rhino Richards said:

However I think its in the long term interests of MFC and MCC that we seek a mutually productive relationship that as close as possible.

Pretty sure that what Schwab's up to on a daily basis. If you read his remarks today an announcement MAY be imminent. Here's hoping. Amongst the obvious benefits lies the great PR an agreement would have.