Open training miscommunication - another MFC unforced error

[Dee1987 277]

Can't be that bad Jones Vince and Viney said they were wrapt with today's turn out people are making it to be the end of the world!!! Harden up and get on with it!!!!

[beelzebub 23,383]

Ffs..it was a training session with snags. How bloody hard can it be ?

Not like a well organised pr exercise. That might have required more.

Was a complete and utter fiasco.

Those who cant see it...well...can't see it.

[Moonshadow 17,677]

People are too precious and over reacting something shocking!!!

Comments like: The club wont get 35K by round 1, Kids wont barrack for us anymore all because the players were running late today are rubbish!! Fair enough you take your kids and drive all that way for them to be running late is disappointing but its not the be all and end all! Fine email/Call the club about it!

My missues follows Richmond had a similar situation happen a few weeks back with lack of communication there fans certainly weren't slashing their wrist over it!!!!

What will increase membership is better brand of footy and winning games..... Not Rocket Science!!

I would hate to think that if someone went today that now might be thinking twice about joining as a member shouldn't be following us!! YOU ARE ONLY HURTING THE CLUB BY NOT JOINING AS MEMBERS!!!!!!!!

The likes of Hawthorn and Collingwood are loaded with cash due to high membership and sponsorship/Success so they can afford to splurge and make training sessions for kids exciting!!

It was Only 18 months ago the club was going to the AFL asking for bail out money to give us some breathing space!!!

Does it cross peoples minds that today is a public Holiday most people go away for long weekends so that makes it harder to get volunteers to run membership tents and merchandise stalls otherwise its penalty rates!!

GET A GRIP

There's something ironic about claiming others are overreacting something shocking and need to get a grip whilst writing a response like that. You must have used about 50 exclamation marks deefella, not to mention shouting in capitals.

No one has said the club will not get to 35,000 or that kids won't support the Dees simply because the players were running late. However, I agree with you on one point: a better brand of football and more wins will do wonders for membership numbers.

[Dee1987 277]

There's something ironic about claiming others are overreacting something shocking and need to get a grip whilst writing a response like that. You must have used about 50 exclamation marks deefella, not to mention shouting in capitals.

No one has said the club will not get to 35,000 or that kids won't support the Dees simply because the players were running late. However, I agree with you on one point: a better brand of football and more wins will do wonders for membership numbers.

On the training page from today first page or 2 people are re iterating that will be case

[DeeVoted 583]

I feel for all those that made the effort to get to Goschs only to leave disappointed.

Promoting the club is just another area where we need to lift our game. Its not rocket science.

On a public holiday where Melbourne promotes one of its biggest attractions of the year. People travel from interstate, visitors from overseas all wandering around enjoying the day.

Yet we (MFC) sit on our hands and leave a perfect opportunity to entice potential new members go begging.

Too make the club bigger, we have to think big.

WELCOME to MELBOURNE the Home of the Melbourne Football Club.

1: Place posters around to inform everyone after the parade, see a AFL football team go through its paces,meet the players

2: Hand out leaflets at various points to make people aware, where they will be training.

3: Have a couple BBQ's setup with hamburgers,snags, right next to both, have a membership tent. Injured players helping and giveouts for the kids.

4: After training interact with the players, kids love this.

As for penatly rates, min 4 hrs pay for a few hours work, those that gave up a few hours, could have get off work early the next day.If they signed up a couple of hundred or least hand out the details for all membership packages, then it was worth it, but also might just pay in the long term.if quoted they got a reference they attented the public day training session, they get a discount or something extra (merchanise).

At worst it makes people aware of the MFC, Some may not know we even exist, but they would if we put it out there. Certainly would go a long way to offset the wages for a handful of the staff.

And so much more could be done, but oh no, its a public holiday stuff that. Our PR division needs to have a good hard look at itself.

One can only hope, today might be a wakeup call, that we can /could do it much better. We should be going hard at every chance we get.

[Outside fifty 967]

Can't be that bad Jones Vince and Viney said they were wrapt with today's turn out people are making it to be the end of the world!!! Harden up and get on with it!!!!

I take it you were there?

Edited March 9, 2015 by Outside fifty

[Barney Rubble 1,576]

I didn't go, but it sounds like a total PR stuff up.

The question needs to be asked of the people at the top that were in charge of the organising.

You just can't treat the supporters like rubbish.

We have been treated like rubbish for so many years, it has obviously become 2nd nature.

[beelzebub 23,383]

Its not that hard is it Deevoted.

Hardly rocket science. For a multimillion business outfit quite frankly its laughable. ..it it wasn't lamentable.

Maybe all the ducks DON'T line up as we were lead to think now ?

To those that suggest otherwise its not that its a simple open training gone awry, it's that it speaks to the interested/potential Dees and says.. we're a bunch of cowboys.

[old dee 23,872]

Just in case the MFC have forgotten the family day is at Luna Park St Kilda on Sunday morning.

I hope they have not forgotten there is a GP going on 500 metres away and traffic and parking down there will be horrendous.

Anyone going don't plan on taking the light rail to st Kilda.

[Moonshadow 17,677]

On the training page from today first page or 2 people are re iterating that will be case

Deefella, one poster on page 3 after more than 50 posts said the club can kiss 35,000 by round 1. Big deal. Hardly being "precious and overreacting something shocking". I couldn't find anyone who said their kids wouldn't follow the Dees because the players were late.

Me thinks you are the overreactor.

[praha 11,240]

It wasn't great. The session itself was good but 90% of people there obviously didn't know of the 1pm start because the crowd was the same at 12pm than it was at 1pm.

It's great that people volunteer their time but the sausage sizzle was a shambles. They needed to rush out to buy more sausages, and the people managing it were clueless. It was just sausages and bread: why not just pre-make them so people can grab and pay? The ladies looked at me like as if they wanted to take my intricately detailed order: yeah, I want 4 sausages, How'd you guess? On top of that, they ran out of cans of drinks, and there was no mustard or sauce left. Waited 30 minutes for dried sausages in bread. Never seen so many people have to line up for so long for a sausage! Except maybe during the Mardi Gras broadcast!

As I said, the training session itself was great to watch, but no merchandise and membership stand was a bit bizarre.

It seemed like a bbq run by a suburban football club, which coincidentally took place at the same time and place as an AFL team training.

It was my first training session since the 2000 GF and my second overall since I started supporting in 1990 and it was strangely ameteurish. But just to reinforce, the team trained fine. But as a fan and support exercise, it was embarrassing.

[Outside fifty 967]

Can't be that bad Jones Vince and Viney said they were wrapt with today's turn out people are making it to be the end of the world!!! Harden up and get on with it!!!!

Imagine Viney's and Jones delight with a much larger crowd too train in front of, pity a sizeable number of people had already left by the time those two players came out. Obviously you weren't there. This isn't about hardening up,or getting a grip. It is about expecting professional behaviour from a sporting organisation that seeks our financially support. To me it sounds like that you have become conditioned to accepting the mediocre standards of professional behaviour that this club has become renowned for over the last decade.

[beelzebub 23,383]

Just in case the MFC have forgotten the family day is at Luna Park St Kilda on Sunday morning.

I hope they have not forgotten there is a GP going on 500 metres away and traffic and parking down there will be horrendous.

Anyone going don't plan on taking the light rail to st Kilda.

Strikes me who ever is in charge of this is an idiot. Esp if today us any guide.

Harsh ?

Im being circumspect actually.

[Dee1987 277]

Deefella, one poster on page 3 after more than 50 posts said the club can kiss 35,000 by round 1. Big deal. Hardly being "precious and overreacting something shocking". I couldn't find anyone who said their kids wouldn't follow the Dees because the players were late.

Me thinks you are the overreactor.

Moonshadow did you even read some of the other comments about still being a poorly run club

: 1 step forwards 2 steps backwards, welcome back to season 2012 someone may have even said schwab and conolley wouldn't have stuffed this up?

[beelzebub 23,383]

Deefella, one poster on page 3 after more than 50 posts said the club can kiss 35,000 by round 1. Big deal. Hardly being "precious and overreacting something shocking". I couldn't find anyone who said their kids wouldn't follow the Dees because the players were late.

Me thinks you are the overreactor.

Moon..thete was no setup to sign on anyone who wanted today or sell them something. Quite frankly the local kindergarten would have been better prepared. This is supposed to be a professional outfit. Id be embarrassed.

[Dee1987 277]

Imagine Viney's and Jones delight with a much larger crowd too train in front of, pity a sizeable number of people had already left by the time those two players came out. Obviously you weren't there. This isn't about hardening up,or getting a grip. It is about expecting professional behaviour from a sporting organisation that seeks our financially support. To me it sounds like that you have become conditioned to accepting the mediocre standards of professional behaviour that this club has become renowned for over the last decade.

. Would rather see team winning games than supporters complaining about players being late to a training sesh

[beelzebub 23,383]

. Would rather see team winning games than supporters complaining about players being late to a training sesh

it all goes to attention to detail. If they can fcuk this up m...what else ?

Many will dismiss this out of hand. So be it. I don't. Many won't. ..it was clumsy to the nth.

[Outside fifty 967]

. Would rather see team winning games than supporters complaining about players being late to a training sesh

Call me crazy but I want and expect both. The two aren't mutually exclusive.

[Moonshadow 17,677]

Moon..thete was no setup to sign on anyone who wanted today or sell them something. Quite frankly the local kindergarten would have been better prepared. This is supposed to be a professional outfit. Id be embarrassed.

Agree bub, absolutely. I was there and left about 1.20. Too hard to keep my young one interested, wanted to sign up for kid membership. As the promo email was from MFC membership I thought there would be a membership/merchandise tent. Would easily have spent $200+. Oh well, it will have to be another day.

[beelzebub 23,383]

Moon...youll be another day... others can just walk Opportunity lost.

Silly

[SaberFang 7,151]

Deefella, you're missing the point defending the MFC for not having staff by citing high public holiday wages. While I don't think this is a valid excuse, I'll entertain it. So it's going to be a public holiday and they decide they can't afford staffing or convince volunteers to give up their day off and attend training. For the same reason, they can't open the Demon store.

Okay, fine.

Here's an idea: maybe they shouldn't have made a big song and dance about said open training session, spending the week promoting it in newsletters and all MFC related media. Just treat it like any other nondescript training session. Don't go out of your way to invite members and non-members alike, along with their families, to a training session if you aren't prepared to stump up the cash for resources to make it a worthwhile A) membership-growing exercise or B) supporter-supporting exercise.

And while the list of ten employees within the media/communications department was earlier called out as irrelevant, I can speak with experience from working in that industry. I've never seen such a bloated list of managerial waste for a media department. No wonder we have such an embarrassing excuse for a website and our media presence is a joke. One needs only look at Collingwood's media output to see how far behind the eight ball we are.

If only Howcroft had shown any interest in the MFC when he was involved. He could rightfully have swept a broom through the whole department and use his experience in the media to give our club a genuine online presence.

[Gipsy Danger 1,067]

The club really do have a huge problem with communication, supporter engagement and involvement, online content, public relations... The list goes on.

Even as a member, I'm lucky to get the occasional email that is pretty much just a link to the website for a story I read yesterday. The only communication I can rely on is the once a month text message reminding me that my dedicated demon payment will be deducted from my account.

I pay a membership but I don't find I get anything out of it that I wouldn't get as a barracker who just buys their ticket every week.

I'm also a New England Patriots fan in the NFL. Pretty much everyday on Facebook alone there will be 4-5 stories a day about players, photos, messages to fans and general news. And that is during the off season.

I see more of what's going on at the Pats from the other side of the world then I see coming from the Dees 2 hours up the highway.

If it wasn't for this site, I would have heard next to nothing about MFC this off season.

It was only a few weeks ago that the club said that they wanted to stop neglecting their heartland supporter base but then they do things like the training today. The president made the huge statement about wanting to be a brand like the New York Yankees with a presence in the city but yet on a public holiday where 100 thousand people in the CBD for a parade didn't even have a merchandise or membership stand to take advantage of the crowds.

I actually thought they might be on to something having an open training start just after the parade, just a short walk away but that seemed to be the extent of it.

The opportunity to promote the club today really went begging.

If the club is at all serious about building their brand and supporter base, the PR, media and membership departments needs to take a huge look at themselves. Otherwise they're just going to continue to get left behind.

[DeeSpencer 26,081]

. Would rather see team winning games than supporters complaining about players being late to a training sesh

[SaberFang 7,151]

It staggers me that the MFC website doesn't even have a members section with exclusive interviews and content. Would it really be that hard to have an exclusive video interview with a player uploaded every few days? Honestly?

That said, would it even be worth watching with such thrilling questions from Burgo like, "how have you found this pre-season?", and "how have you found this club compared to your last?"

[DeeSpencer 26,081]

It wasn't great. The session itself was good but 90% of people there obviously didn't know of the 1pm start because the crowd was the same at 12pm than it was at 1pm.

It's great that people volunteer their time but the sausage sizzle was a shambles. They needed to rush out to buy more sausages, and the people managing it were clueless. It was just sausages and bread: why not just pre-make them so people can grab and pay? The ladies looked at me like as if they wanted to take my intricately detailed order: yeah, I want 4 sausages, How'd you guess? On top of that, they ran out of cans of drinks, and there was no mustard or sauce left. Waited 30 minutes for dried sausages in bread. Never seen so many people have to line up for so long for a sausage! Except maybe during the Mardi Gras broadcast!

As I said, the training session itself was great to watch, but no merchandise and membership stand was a bit bizarre.

It seemed like a bbq run by a suburban football club, which coincidentally took place at the same time and place as an AFL team training.

It was my first training session since the 2000 GF and my second overall since I started supporting in 1990 and it was strangely ameteurish. But just to reinforce, the team trained fine. But as a fan and support exercise, it was embarrassing.

If I'm correct the BBQ was run by demon army which are some kind of cheer squad. So yeah it pretty much was a suburban footy club. So I wont judge them too much because they are out there trying their best for the club. They shouldn't run out of drinks, soft drink cans last forever and they should have more of these BBQ's, same goes for sauces, mustards, even onions which if left over could just go back between the members. Under catering on bread and snags and not having a second BBQ on the go either for more snags or even burgers etc is missed opportunity as well but understandable.

Really I have to feel like these cheer squad types probably get the same stuffing around from the club as the rest of us so probably were messed around on the time and didn't have any support either.

I guess the main thing we hope for is the club learns from its mistakes. They didn't learn from the intraclub at Casey for today. Maybe for next years intraclub and/or if there's ever a labour day open training again to realise these are really important fan events that deserve appropriate planning and support from the club!