The next generation of younger Dees supporters

[pitchfork 181]

Character Building

[DeeZee 7,399]

With all the good work the club has done over the past couple of years rebuilding. and saving the club, thanks to Jim.

My biggest fear is we are now going backwards again.

This is mainly due to how the team is performing.

At some stage you do have to have on field success,or the club will never be a success, or respected.

Now had we had some encouraging performances, 40,000 members could have still been a reality.

Now it is a dream so far off its not funny.

Not one genuine superstar footballer at the club, getting our pants pulled down every week.

When will it end?

My son and i walking away depressed game after game after game....come on! This is truly hell for footy lovers.

Been waiting an awful long time.

What makes this coaching regime different to the last, or the one before that?

[Footynut 302]

Sadly I'm with many in this thread - my youngest today after the game informed me I "now barrack for Hawthorn - Dad". However, after dinner tonight she is 50/50 but if we dont turn this around soon she is gone.

I have barracked for the dees all my life.

when i was 5 I was the only kid at school barracking for the dees.

We were a rabble then and got beaten every week.

Meanwhile Hawthorn and Essendon were winning premierships.

I told my dad I'm sick of losing I'm thinking of barracking for Hawthorn.

Had I made the change then I'd have seen 3 eras of Hawthorn getting to the top and winning premierships.

In the meantime I have watched us mainly sit around the bottom apart from 87-late nighties. I'm beginning to believe thats only time I will see this club be any good.

I look at kids now and think if they made a decision to support another club including GC and even perhaps GWS they may be more likely to see success before us.

I dont regret my decision but I do understand that kids will be swayed by team success or lack of it.

Our club needs to at least be competitive for us to have any hope.

There is a severe lack of light at the end of this tunnel right now.

[Hellaintabadplacetobe 4,294]

My wife is from England and she quickly became a passionate Dees fan after we met in 2005 and came to many games with me. she is losing interest by the week and said yesterday she wants to take the stickers off the car, she is so embarrassed to follow this club.

I totally agree about the kids wanting to jump ship and it is a major concern. I have 2 boys who are too young to know how bad we are right now and I hope by the time they are interested our players show a little bit of pride for playing at MFC.

[mauriesy 7,299]

Melbourne has existed for 150 years. The club has been down a lot over nearly fifty years since the last premiership, somethimes a struggle i know, but it has survived. It will survive for the next 150 years.

The only danger to its eventual survival is supporters throwing in the towel.

You are as proud of your club as you allow yourself to be.

[timD 994]

My father came from SA and followed Melbourne after barracking for norwood over there.

He was raised in a family that barracked for collingwood.

All three boys (i.e., my brothers and I) barrack for the Dees.

Our kids barrack for the dees. They have no say. I'm not going to suffer alone.

All you do is try to make it fun. Try to engage them in Dees stuff away from the game. Make is about 'us'. When we start winning, and we will, then it will just cement the loyalty.

[timD 994]

Pathetic fear-mongering.

Absolutely embarrassing.

And you, where the hell is the webjet reference.

Standards, Jose, standards.

[3031 11]

Dad (finally realising we were old enough not to be annoying) took us to our first game at the G when I was 10. 1997. I fell in love with the G and the Dees that day, even though we got absolutely trumped by Adelaide. Over the next few years, I would travel down (2 hours away) to more and more games, until eventually I would be giving up social weekends with high school friends to see the footy. Sure, I was bullied by more fairweather fans when we were down, but I never really cared, because I knew I belonged at the G, barracking for Melbourne.

Kids these days can be very impatient and are always jumping on the next big thing, whether it be technological, a footy team, or otherwise. This is what is driving them away from Melbourne, not the parents who can't convince them to stay.

In the meantime, when I have my own army, they'll be dressed in red and blue from day one and, as they get older, the message will be clear... "If you want to go to the games, you need to go with us. And we only go to Melbourne games.". That's how my dad convinced my ex-Fitzroy supporting brother when he was considering Brisbane after the merge.

Fantastic for the Dees to have you WhateverItTakes. Authenticity and loyalty. Great to see in these tough times Edited April 15, 2012 by 3031

[Guest José Mourinho]

And you, where the hell is the webjet reference.

Standards, Jose, standards.

Oops.

It's easy to forget.

Webjet.

Webjet.

[Guest Dr Who]

My 11 year old son is scared to wear his melboune jumper to school on footy day because the other kids laugh at him

This is exactly my experience. My eldest can take it - but my youngest just is near breaking point - its not losing as such it the manner in which you lose. She started crying on Thursday night when she was doing her footy tips - "Dad I want to pick the Demons but I cant - I dont want to look stupid"

What do you say? Its heart breaking - Thank the lord James Frawley her favorite player played well - I have to focus on the positives for her.

Edited April 15, 2012 by Dr Who

[P-man 13,366]

Melbourne has existed for 150 years. The club has been down a lot over nearly fifty years since the last premiership, somethimes a struggle i know, but it has survived. It will survive for the next 150 years.

The only danger to its eventual survival is supporters throwing in the towel.

Which they are already. What kind of membership can be expected if this is the brand of footy we produce all year? Who will pay to go watch it?

[Guest Dr Who]

Pathetic fear-mongering.

Absolutely embarrassing.

Jose its just honesty. Hopefully as RR does say CS & the club may read - maybe its something we all need to get our heads around.

Ok - if we cant turn around the on-field performance today - we need some other strategy to hold the kids. Maybe it a "parents" think tank - I and I'm sure others would help. We need to engage the kids thru this period.

[Sir Why You Little 37,046]

This is exactly my experience. My eldest can take it - but my youngest just is near breaking point - its not losing as such it the manner in which you lose. She started crying on Thursday night when she was doing her footy tips - "Dad I want to pick the Demons but I cant - I dont want to look stupid"

What do you say? Its heart breaking - Thank the lord James Frawley her favorite player played well - I have to focus on the positives for her.

It really hits you when the kids cry doesn't it....Please wake up Melbourne.

[Melbournepotter 381]

This is a very pertinent thread. Where ARE the supporters coming from ? . I have supported the club since the late seventies and can honestly say that this year is my first year of not looking forward to the season. If these pathetic displays keep on occurring I won't be attending games just to sit through a game and being associated with a group of players that get laughed at for being so inept. Then we get the usual 'we must do better...players take responsibility ...blah

blah' platitudes after the game before the players dish up the same garbage the following week. Supporters will only take so much ridicule before droppping off....prehaps forever. I can take losing, but the disgraceful efforts this season is beyond just losing. It's a waste of my time.

However....on a positive note, the club have instigated a great program whereby Auskick kids (first 500 from memory) that register with the club will get a free signed guernsey. There have been quite a few kids at Brunswick West Auskick last season wearing the guernsey, so it's great to see the jumper being worn. Like many of the other kids mentioned here, my son (5) went to the game yesterday and had a great time, wearing the clubs colours. i'm hoping that it's a while before he realises what a loss is and how many we are having ! He's currently with his mum at the shops proudly wearing his guernsey...I hope i can get some of his enthusiasm.

[praha 11,240]

Kids getting bullied for following Melbourne? Not uncommon either. It's sickening.

I used to. Growing up in the North around Carlton and Collingwood supporters wasn't nice. Only 1 other Dees supporter in my year level in primary school, maybe 4-5 in High School.

Our supporter base is very fickle. Someone started a thread earlier this year (praha I think it was) bringing attention to our membership numbers, social media figures, in which we are well down the bottom with minimal, if any growth year-on-year.

[daisycutter 29,616]

Am I embarrassed? NO

Am I ashamed? NO

Am I disappointed? YES

Am I angry? YES

Today I went out a put some MORE demons stickers on my car.

Tomorrow I will get my grandson some new demons paraphenalia.

Just HTFU princesses and just go and do something to make you feel GOOD about the demons

The MFC are 'family' and you NEVER give up on family

Jimmy didn't so why should you or yours?

5c worth

[WhateverItTakes 17]

Fantastic for the Dees to have you WhateverItTakes. Authenticity and loyalty. Great to see in these tough times

I'm not the only one 3031! The best we can do is band together.

Tell the kids it'll be alright. Just teach them to love footy, and they'll come good.

[Dr. Gonzo 24,227]

Am I embarrassed? NO

Am I ashamed? NO

Am I disappointed? YES

Am I angry? YES

Today I went out a put some MORE demons stickers on my car.

Tomorrow I will get my grandson some new demons paraphenalia.

Just HTFU princesses and just go and do something to make you feel GOOD about the demons

The MFC are 'family' and you NEVER give up on family

Jimmy didn't so why should you or yours?

5c worth

That's all well and good for those in our 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's - but how do you explain this to a kid in primary school? That is the point of the thread, it's about the next generation of supporters, not those who are already well and truly beyond the point of no return.

[WhateverItTakes 17]

One way to get the kids more interested is to have more opportunities for them to interact with the players.

DeeTV having a kid reporter is a good start.

It would be a good way for kids to be able to fight back in the playground. When a Dawks supporter says "we're winning all our games", the Dees kid could turn around and say "yeah, but I got a birthday card from Colin Sylva". I know a lot of clubs do something like this, but maybe the club can think of a unique way to make the kids feel more connected with the players.

[daisycutter 29,616]

That's all well and good for those in our 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's - but how do you explain this to a kid in primary school? That is the point of the thread, it's about the next generation of supporters, not those who are already well and truly beyond the point of no return.

By making him/her feel good about being a demon supporter especially when things are tough

thats why I said "Tomorrow I will get my grandson some new demons paraphernalia."

I'm sure you can think of other things to get them or do with them if you put your mind to it

No-one is saying it is easy, but giving up is too easy

Maybe its the adult supporters who are the problem

Anyway, innovate, you can only try, and good luck

[Guest Dr Who]

One way to get the kids more interested is to have more opportunities for them to interact with the players.

DeeTV having a kid reporter is a good start.

It would be a good way for kids to be able to fight back in the playground. When a Dawks supporter says "we're winning all our games", the Dees kid could turn around and say "yeah, but I got a birthday card from Colin Sylva". I know a lot of clubs do something like this, but maybe the club can think of a unique way to make the kids feel more connected with the players.

Exactly I think OUR club/us needs to go over and above - in effect we need to massively over compensate for our poor on-field performance. NOW or damn soon.

Its clear to me we are near breaking point - lose this generation & we are "history" we are running out of time.

Edited April 15, 2012 by Dr Who

[Guest Dr Who]

Maybe its the adult supporters who are the problem

Bingo - now its up to us to sort. But we need the "clubs" help.

[daisycutter 29,616]

Bingo - now its up to us to sort. But we need the "clubs" help.

\

right on cue doc, and it only took you 6 minutes. well done

[Striker475 696]

What does worry me is that in 20 or 30 years there will barely be a supporter base left. I will be there, but how many others will be around my age? How many lads and lasses younger than me?

We do need to start winning again. Seriously.

[Guest José Mourinho]

What does worry me is that in 20 or 30 years there will barely be a supporter base left. I will be there, but how many others will be around my age? How many lads and lasses younger than me?

We do need to start winning again. Seriously.

We will.

And when we do, they will come back in droves, and bring many others with them.