Hi all

Just read this online

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl...0-19742,00.html

Definitely a great initiative to promote the club and it will great more interest for us especially if we do it for more than one year.

With Bricky being the ambassador.

I read this one very late last night, a really great sounding initiative by the club. Advertising on an entire league's guernseys? Sweet! More proof that the Dees are forward thinking in respect to attitudes towards women in sport and the wider community. I wonder how long this had been in the works before the Hun got it's 'Jimmy insulted me and the previous board' story...

I read this one very late last night, a really great sounding initiative by the club. Advertising on an entire league's guernseys? Sweet! More proof that the Dees are forward thinking in respect to attitudes towards women in sport and the wider community. I wonder how long this had been in the works before the Hun got it's 'Jimmy insulted me and the previous board' story...

Just out of interest, how many teams in the league?

The article says 1000 adult players, in the formal VWFL. Then the juniors.

Marketing wise, we just smashed our way into the young, athletic, women's market, and will gain general positive support from a much wider population as well.

Leadership wise, we just gave women's football and women's inclusion in football a significant boost that will see it become a stronger and stronger part of our game over the years.

Culture wise, we just established an ongoing relationship between our players and women athletes in a cooperative environment working on the same tasks and goals. And that will be very important when, many years from now...

On field wise, we just got first dibs on AFL's first 'Lauren Jackson' (playing HFF I would think)

The article says 1000 adult players, in the formal VWFL. Then the juniors.

Marketing wise, we just smashed our way into the young, athletic, women's market, and will gain general positive support from a much wider population as well.

Leadership wise, we just gave women's football and women's inclusion in football a significant boost that will see it become a stronger and stronger part of our game over the years.

Culture wise, we just established an ongoing relationship between our players and women athletes in a cooperative environment working on the same tasks and goals. And that will be very important when, many years from now...

On field wise, we just got first dibs on AFL's first 'Lauren Jackson' (playing HFF I would think)

DD, a large percentage of those who attend AFL games are women, but it doesn't translate into interest in women's footy. I've watched a few VWFL games at a local ground, and there'd be lucky to be 100 spectators.

A few years back when I had my own business, I wanted to offer a sponsorship to the local VWFL club. I rang the VWFL office, and the official was excited by my offer, and would pass my contact details onto the local club. I didn't hear back from them.

As I said, women are generally interested in AFL already, and I doubt that sponsorship of the VWFL will draw their attention to the MFC.

Agreed. Excellent post, and initiative by the club.

Passionate female footballers supported by the MFC will surely promote a positive image of the club to 1000+ families..

DD, a large percentage of those who attend AFL games are women, but it doesn't translate into interest in women's footy. I've watched a few VWFL games at a local ground, and there'd be lucky to be 100 spectators.

A few years back when I had my own business, I wanted to offer a sponsorship to the local VWFL club. I rang the VWFL office, and the official was excited by my offer, and would pass my contact details onto the local club. I didn't hear back from them.

As I said, women are generally interested in AFL already, and I doubt that sponsorship of the VWFL will draw their attention to the MFC.

I see it as more of a longterm investment. The move is inspired.

Loving the innovation down at MFC these days.

I would disagree, while they may not have a large number of spectators, all the players and their families in the league know they are sponsored by us. These are women with a strong interest in AFL and therefore could influence other potential members, especially with our coaching and players becoming involved. It may also spur them to attend Melbourne games if part of the sponsorship provide tickets to them. And being women they will talk about the support and what programs we run with them to their friends etc.

As for being non hearing back about sponsorship while I'm not aware how they run their club but having been on my local footy club committee for the last 6 years, things get misplaced especially if they under resourced. I'm surprised you didn't contact the local club yourself directly as we do all our own promotion and sponsorship arrangements.

I would disagree, while they may not have a large number of spectators, all the players and their families in the league know they are sponsored by us. These are women with a strong interest in AFL and therefore could influence other potential members, especially with our coaching and players becoming involved. It may also spur them to attend Melbourne games if part of the sponsorship provide tickets to them. And being women they will talk about the support and what programs we run with them to their friends etc.

As for being non hearing back about sponsorship while I'm not aware how they run their club but having been on my local footy club committee for the last 6 years, things get misplaced especially if they under resourced. I'm surprised you didn't contact the local club yourself directly as we do all our own promotion and sponsorship arrangements.

Believe me, I tried to contact the local club, but to no avail. And I was only able to get a contact number of the VWFL through the AFL.

IMO, this initiative will be no different to our supposed alignment to the other Melbourne sporting clubs, or the China experiment. They sound great in theory, but never eventuate to anything.

IMO, this initiative will be no different to our supposed alignment to the other Melbourne sporting clubs, or the China experiment. They sound great in theory, but never eventuate to anything.

Better to look at avenues to increase exposure & positivity, than sit on your rear end, do nothing and implode. Much like the omission of Robbo. Our club is showing leadership and exposing themselves to gaining more revenue.

edit: - What, no Hazyshadesofgrinter today??

Believe me, I tried to contact the local club, but to no avail. And I was only able to get a contact number of the VWFL through the AFL.

IMO, this initiative will be no different to our supposed alignment to the other Melbourne sporting clubs, or the China experiment. They sound great in theory, but never eventuate to anything.

Personally, I wouldn't have gone through the league unless I wanted to sponsor the league itself.

I would've gone straight to the club.

& considering our logo is now on all of their jumpers, it has already eventuated to something.

just saying.

Great idea. Will probably give us a few extra members and supporters but will also make us much more attractive to sponsors. Will also make us very popular with the AFL.

And being women they will talk about the support and what programs we run with them to their friends etc.

Because only women talk? Or is that just sexest? Sounds like a good initative. Even if it doesn't rake in the cash, it's a positive move and typical Jimmy. Go Dees!

I marketing terms, those 1000+ women playing in Victoria would be 'champions', they would be advocates for the game and for whichever club (that would be us) gave them real support.

Being able to say 'Yeah, the players from the Demons come around to take us through some skills sessions once in a while, and for extra training before state tournaments' would give a real boost to the sense of legitimacy and significance which womens footbll has for the participants and for anyone they talk to.

Essentially, what we're doing is sending a message that we're taking women's football seriously. That will be really appreciated, will help the women's league gain new players, supporters, and sponsors, and something for which we will be remembered - particularly if the women's league really starts to grow over the next couple of years. Which, by the way, is something that was already on the cards - they are starting to get much better organised. Actually, noting that our involvement will also be at staff level, this means that the key decision-makers in the WVFL will be highly aware of and sympathetic to the Demons for some years.

And of course talk of a player emerging from the WVFL to AFL ranks is obivously very long term. But in ten years time, with a couple of premierships under our belt, a long period of late draft picks and guys like Blease and Watts getting a bit long in the tooth, it might be handy having dibs on one or two bonus decent quality players. We may even get some form of scholarship player arrangement like the NSW scholarships.

But yeah, all things going well, we would probably be talking ten years before the development pathway was properly in place and the club/fan culture was ready to cope with such controversial actions as allowing people with ovaries into the AFL.

Another thing to look forward to - the Victorian women's state representatives joining in running Auskick clinics with the Demons. Now THAT makes for good role models.

Nothin make sme happier than seeing people I'm associated with doing the right thing, creating a great win-win situation, and reaping the rewards simply because they had the initiative to do it when other's lagged behind.

Believe me, I tried to contact the local club, but to no avail. And I was only able to get a contact number of the VWFL through the AFL.

IMO, this initiative will be no different to our supposed alignment to the other Melbourne sporting clubs, or the China experiment. They sound great in theory, but never eventuate to anything.

Our involvement with the VWFL at staff and administration level will do a lot to improve that potential sponsor engagement which obvously was a long, long way from acceptable standards, as shown by your experience. It's hard to build professinalism when resources are so limited and so thinly spread.

Both the alignment with the other Melbourne clubs and the China experiment should have worked, but then CEO Steve Harris is a [censored] who doesn't follow through on his 'big picture' declarations, or sytematically analyse the appropriate strategy, so they didn't. (Yes, I'm not a fan of Harris). I'd expect better from Stynes, Connolly and Schwab.