The Club's Intentions II

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

Because it's not about if the members..?

At this stage, of course.

So do you believe we, in the initial stages were up there just for the dollars and as we are the only team up there now we will begin to start attempting to gain members now?

[old dee 22,966]

Because it's not about if the members..?

At this stage, of course.

You are wasting your energy Jose.

There are none so blind as those that do not want to see.

[Sir Why You Little 34,770]

Excuse me. Tell me why increasing a membership base in the NT should not have been a high priority from day one?

Please enlighten me....

[Guest José Mourinho]

And the Bulldogs did it again back in 2009 and 2008.

Freo did it in 2007, and the Bulldogs again in 2006.

Considering there aren't a lot of matches played there each year, I'd say the theory doesn't hold too much weight.

[Sir Why You Little 34,770]

Three times in the June - August period.

18 - 28 degrees and bugger all humidity.

Games are at night ( around 24 -5 )when the weather is no worse on players than games in Perth in March or April

It just a weak excuse.

shall disagree on that OD.

When do the leagues gun sides play in the top end Cairns or Darwin?

They don't. It's always the battling clubs.

The humidity up there thins out the blood as well as drops kg's

The gun sides don't want a bar of that added burden.

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

Excuse me. Tell me why increasing a membership base in the NT should not have been a high priority from day one?

Please enlighten me....

I would of thought that after Darwin was decided as a long term strategy some sort of membership plan would have been put in place. If it was it has failed. If it wasn't I can't understand why.

[Guest José Mourinho]

So do you believe we, in the initial stages were up there just for the dollars and as we are the only team up there now we will begin to start attempting to gain members now?

No.

I think this was a long term strategy to establish a relationship with the area, and we have done it better than the other clubs, which has seen them concede.

First establish a relationship with the govt, build one through community projects, continue over a sustained period to build it into a strong one, gradually build a following and a history, capitalise on sponsorship opportunities (Wild Geese for a start), then introduce a membership category for the historically well-established match.

A lot of it is a PR and marketing exercise, heavy on community initiatives.

There are a few positive outcomes from this: the money from NT govt for the match itself; increased sponsorship opportunities; increased membership and support.

The membership packages work best when they are formatted like the Hawthorn tassie memberships: basically just a ticket for the one single match, and at an easily affordable price.

You can't attend the match without purchasing a "membership."

For that, we need to spend years building the Demons' Darwin home match into an annual event that people look forward too.

This boosts our membership numbers, artificially as it may be, but has a snowball effect, and the groundswell should help us to build our membership base in Melbourne too.

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

You are wasting your energy Jose

There are none so blind as those that do not want to see

What am I blind to Old dee? I am not trying to pretend I know the situation as I don't. I am assuming a lot because I have very little information on the subject which is why I am asking questions. I would like to know if Darwin is a membership push or just a cash grab from the NT government? If it is a cash grab and a membership push the membership side of things is a failure at the moment.

[Sir Why You Little 34,770]

No.

I think this was a long term strategy to establish a relationship with the area, and we have done it better than the other clubs, which has seen them concede.

First establish a relationship with the govt, build one through community projects, continue over a sustained period to build it into a strong one, gradually build a following and a history, capitalise on sponsorship opportunities (Wild Geese for a start), then introduce a membership category for the historically well-established match.

A lot of it is a PR and marketing exercise, heavy on community initiatives.

There are a few positive outcomes from this: the money from NT govt for the match itself; increased sponsorship opportunities; increased membership and support.

The membership packages work best when they are formatted like the Hawthorn tassie memberships: basically just a ticket for the one single match, and at an easily affordable price.

You can't attend the match without purchasing a "membership."

For that, we need to spend years building the Demons' Darwin home match into an annual event that people look forward too.

This boosts our membership numbers, artificially as it may be, but has a snowball effect, and the groundswell should help us to build our membership base in Melbourne too.

what you say here is spot on Jose, but i still do not see why Memberships were not high priority with all you say in tandem.

We have wasted 4 years of recruitment. That is why i am astounded.

[demoniac 1,243]

I would of thought that after Darwin was decided as a long term strategy some sort of membership plan would have been put in place. If it was it has failed. If it wasn't I can't understand why.

We have to play the long game in Darwin. At first we were scheduled to play in Darwin 2 out of every 3 years along with the Tiges and the Bullies as opponents for the Power so we were not even going to be there every year. Now with the Tiges playing the Suns in Cairns we are there every year as long as the AFL deal with the NT Government is in place. And yes the reason we accepted the original deal was because we were a financial basket case for whom a loss on our home game versus the Power was guaranteed.

Now we are there every year but a longer term commitment from the NT Government a la Hawks and Tassie would be preferable. The pre season camp in the NT is a positive sign of engagment on our behalf. The longer the term of our commitment to Darwin then the more postive relationships we can build. Will this see a boost in Darwin NT Memberships? We only play one game a year in Darwin compared to the Hawks 4 in Launceston and the Roos 2 in Hobart so the membership 'sell' is obviously more difficult. What do we have to sell but a ticket to one game? Maybe the answer to that is the same as the answer to how we improve our membership. Get the team into the finals and challenge for a flag. Then a ticket to the Dees game in Darwin might become a hot ticket and we might be able to leverage off that.

In the meantime there other benefits flowing from Darwin. The AFL is very keen for Aussie Rules to remain the dominant sport in Darwin and the NT, to engage with indigenous Australians and to have AFL games played in every state and territory. Playing AFL games there is important for all of those objectives so there should be a recognition from the AFL for our role in that. The same is true for government generally particularly if we maintain or boost our engagement on indiginous health issues.

If you've never been up to Darwin for the game do yourself a favor and join other Dees tragics in jumping on a plane. I've been to all of our Darwin games and the the uninhibited joy of the indigenous kids at the game is something to see. And its warm but not too humid in July. Of course its always better when we win!

You'll never never know if you never never go.

[old dee 22,966]

What am I blind to Old dee? I am not trying to pretend I know the situation as I don't. I am assuming a lot because I have very little information on the subject which is why I am asking questions. I would like to know if Darwin is a membership push or just a cash grab from the NT government? If it is a cash grab and a membership push the membership side of things is a failure at the moment.

I was not refering to you cfh.

shall disagree on that OD.

When do the leagues gun sides play in the top end Cairns or Darwin?

They don't. It's always the battling clubs.

The humidity up there thins out the blood as well as drops kg's

The gun sides don't want a bar of that added burden.

You are right wyl we will not agree on this one.

However the reason the gun sides don't play there is very simple and it has nothing to do with the weather.

They don't have to, they do not need the money.

Take Collingwood as an example.

They have money coming out of every pore.

This is about the money.

We need it desperately and they don't

It is that simple.

[rpfc 27,614]

what you say here is spot on Jose, but i still do not see why Memberships were not high priority with all you say in tandem.

We have wasted 4 years of recruitment. That is why i am astounded.

Again, memberships of what value?

It's one game! Who the f___ is going to buy a 3 game membership for $70 when they see only one game and the other games are 1000's of kms away?

[Sir Why You Little 34,770]

I was not refering to you cfh.

You are right wyl we will not agree on this one.

However the reason the gun sides don't play there is very simple and it has nothing to do with the weather.

They don't have to, they do not need the money.

Take Collingwood as an example.

They have money coming out of every pore.

This is about the money.

We need it desperately and they don't

It is that simple.

as i said earlier today. We pick up crumbs others do not want.

Only the battlers go up North.

[Guest José Mourinho]

what you say here is spot on Jose, but i still do not see why Memberships were not high priority with all you say in tandem.

We have wasted 4 years of recruitment. That is why i am astounded.

Why should they be?

It doesn't matter how much energy you put into trying to sell memberships, without the steps we are taking now in place, the effort would be wasted.

Wasted 4 years of recruitment?

You'd have us waste 4 years of energy to be in the same place we are now.

I am astounded you cannot grasp that.

As rpfc points out, it's all about incentive.

Incentive makes the world go round; we have to give the people of the NT an incentive to buy memberships, and we are currently laying the groundwork for that.

And why on earth do you think selling memberships in the NT is the be all and end all?

FMD.

[McQueen 17,864]

shall disagree on that OD.

When do the leagues gun sides play in the top end Cairns or Darwin?

They don't. It's always the battling clubs.

The humidity up there thins out the blood as well as drops kg's

The gun sides don't want a bar of that added burden.

It's hotter in Perth than bloody Darwin for the first half dozen rounds of the H&A.

The whole idea of training in Darwin was for the body to operate at higher core temperatures for longer periods. Training can be simulated for altitude but not in the heat. It's a seasonal activity and the fitness gurus plan to gain the most from it.

I don't support your comments, WYL. And I've spent a lot of time in Darwin.

[Sir Why You Little 34,770]

It's hotter in Perth than bloody Darwin for the first half dozen rounds of the H&A.

The whole idea of training in Darwin was for the body to operate at higher core temperatures for longer periods. Training can be simulated for altitude but not in the heat. It's a seasonal activity and the fitness gurus plan to gain the most from it.

I don't support your comments, WYL. And I've spent a lot of time in Darwin.

Fine..we can disagree.

[daisycutter 28,668]

Again, memberships of what value?

It's one game! Who the f___ is going to buy a 3 game membership for $70 when they see only one game and the other games are 1000's of kms away?

FCS rpfc don't bring common sense and logic into this

let me see, we have played 3 home games in 3 years in Darwin. That should be worth at least 5,000 one-game memberships.Pffft

i would be asking serious questions of the club administration if their objective up north was their solution to membership numbers.

get real folks and talk about something meaningful

[Sir Why You Little 34,770]

Why should they be?

It doesn't matter how much energy you put into trying to sell memberships, without the steps we are taking now in place, the effort would be wasted.

Wasted 4 years of recruitment?

You'd have us waste 4 years of energy to be in the same place we are now.

I am astounded you cannot grasp that.

As rpfc points out, it's all about incentive.

Incentive makes the world go round; we have to give the people of the NT an incentive to buy memberships, and we are currently laying the groundwork for that.

And why on earth do you think selling memberships in the NT is the be all and end all?

FMD.

Incentives can start the moment you land.

Why Tip Toe for 4 years? Everything you have said can be done in Tandem with a membership push.

I am astounded you cannot grasp that,

[Guest José Mourinho]

You're like a black hole, WYL.

[Sir Why You Little 34,770]

You're like a black hole, WYL.

Why because i am underwhelmed by 160 members after 4 years....Sorry

What other club would find that acceptable?

[Pennant St Dee 11,410]

WYL FFS how many people have to tell you it's not about the memberships. Casey is our membership strategy, NT at this stage is about money and about building the club.

It takes several things to make a club strong and everything fits in to the puzzle, 2 games a year by 2015 does not bother me if we get $1.4 million a year for it, thats 1 decent sponsor a year, annual training camps in the North and PR camps with the kids and forming partnerships with the NT Government and maybe NT Tourism board jumps on as a sponsor similar to Hawks with Tassie.

That all means greater revenue for the club, to allow us to maintain a proper footy department with a view to achieving and maintaining sustained success/finals appearances & that is where the members will come from.

It's not all black & white and as for the heat, whilst I live in Perth & have spent time in the North West I agree it can be energy sapping but good sides will always find a way to win. If we are going to agree to play two games in NT a year I would want two guarantees from the AFL our bye to be a week after one of these games and whilst it kills me to say this living in Perth a second guarantee of only 1 road trip to Perth every season.

Edited February 3, 2013 by Pennant St Dee

[1858 224]

Again, memberships of what value?

It's one game! Who the f___ is going to buy a 3 game membership for $70 when they see only one game and the other games are 1000's of kms away?

You're probably best off asking the 160 existing members in Darwin that. Perhaps survey the Perth based members as well.

It goes without saying that a major part of the challenge is getting football lovers around the country (particularly Darwin as we are making a concerted effort to be apart of the community on top of just playing there) to rationalise buying a membership as a means of allegiance and connectivity with the club - to look beyond just the numbers. Being remote but still a part of a greater family. Member discounts, member functions and membership packages themselves make up part of it. Marketing is part of it and obviously our brand of footy is part of it, which has sadly let us down.

Unfortunately we have been at the wrong end of the ladder for too long but for those clubs at the top, I would think club membership with GF guarantee would be appealing. No matter where you live that one day in September is what it's all about. But it obviously varies from one supporter to another. Sadly our membership recruiters haven't had this weapon but it is another area where our numbers can grow in future.

We're coming into our 4th consecutive year now in Darwin and to put it into perspective the cost of a 3 gamer is on par with some basic merchandise like some club polo tops. Ok, so they might not all travel to Melbourne but it is the red and blue affiliation we need to tap into here and market if we want to grow numbers. Obviously the club has to weigh up the costs and benefits of these things but given the lengths we have gone to up there I would have thought much of the heavy lifting was done - we just need to be a bit smarter.

I concede that the club can only do so much and there is a very small revenue stream involved here atm but I don't think our club has the luxury of dismissing membership markets in quite the same manner as has been done here. I think we can improve markedly in the next couple of years though with 2 games and the option of a 3rd anywhere in Australia.

I'm being positive here, not critical.

[Sir Why You Little 34,770]

WYL FFS how many people have to tell you it's not about the memberships. Casey is our membership strategy, NT at this stage is about money and about building the club.

It takes several things to make a club strong and everything fits in to the puzzle, 2 games a year by 2015 does not bother me if we get $1.4 million a year for it, thats 1 decent sponsor a year, annual training camps in the North and PR camps with the kids and forming partnerships with the NT Government and maybe NT Tourism board jumps on as a sponsor similar to Hawks with Tassie.

That all means greater revenue for the club, to allow us to maintain a proper footy department with a view to achieving and maintaining sustained success/finals appearances & that is where the members will come from.

It's not all black & white and as for the heat, whilst I live in Perth & have spent time in the North West I agree it can be energy sapping but good sides will always find a way to win. If we are going to agree to play two games in NT a year I would want two guarantees from the AFL our bye to be a week after one of these games and whilst it kills me to say this living in Perth a second guarantee of only 1 road trip to Perth every season.

i have no problem with the money, but don't tell me it's not also about memberships.

I do not buy that. You may be happy, i'm not.

[Red and Bluebeard 2,048]

has any etihad home team won a flag yet?

no, its cursed

Just to be a pedant, DC, the scum in 2000 (not that I blame anyone here for forgetting that ) To get really nit-picky, St Kilda went within a certain part of a bee's anatomy in 2009, and 2010, but maybe that just proves the curse ..

[Dan Fantastik 50]

Its really quite simple why we cant get members up there.

A. Why buy a membership for $70 dollars for 1 game?

B. We are not exclusive to darwin.

C. We suck, and have sucked for a long time.....Just getting members in our home city is hard enough with our horrible form over the past 6-7 years.

Just think of the cash injection that the club gets by playing up there.