Just now, stuie said:

Somehow I don't think he needs your help...

 

Profound...

I'm actually in favour of the $20 increase to compensate for the revenue loss.

Let's be realistic $20 is stuff all  for most people. Just sacrifice 4 coffees, a trip to the movies, 2 pints of beer at the pub etc...

The NT arrangement is a joke. It's like we save our worst 2 performances of the year for the NT games and then are too buggered to perorm the week after.

Surely PJ can make the money elsewhere as it's impacting our core business - onfield results.

1 hour ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

I'm actually in favour of the $20 increase to compensate for the revenue loss.

Let's be realistic $20 is stuff all  for most people. Just sacrifice 4 coffees, a trip to the movies, 2 pints of beer at the pub etc...

The NT arrangement is a joke. It's like we save our worst 2 performances of the year for the NT games and then are too buggered to perorm the week after.

Surely PJ can make the money elsewhere as it's impacting our core business - onfield results.

I'm an MCC/MFC member and the problem with the MFC for too many years is that it has pandered to a financial elite and that's it. We need to diversify our fan base, not alienate people. $20 is not a lot, but if you look at it in the context of multiple people (families), on top of multiple expenses, they all add up. It shows a really ignorant attitude towards, well, living really if you fail to see that. 

5 hours ago, stuie said:

Good for you mate, but for families it's a bigger deal. An extra $100+ a year for the same thing you were already getting can make a difference.

Don't you think there's a reason successful clubs haven't gone down this path already?

 

Stuie, I think that if families are that hardly hit by $100+ a year (to use your figure) they would likely have bigger financial concerns and priorities than footy memberships. Rent, food on the table, school books (and other school-related expenses such as uniforms), health-related expenses, etc.

 If my financial position was that tight, I would be saving the original/existing membership costs in a rainy day fund in case of an unexpected expense or emergency.  I know people who are in such a position, and, unfortunately, they aren't thinking of footy tickets because they can't afford to go to a single game together as a family.

To answer your question, these successful clubs also have more expensive membership categories than the Demons.

Lastly, I never said that I took issue if people simply didn't want to pay an extra $20 a year. To each their own. Footy memberships usually go up each year anyways and people make the decision for themselves and their families whether or not they are happy to continue paying for them.

From where I come from, the cost of both a single game ticket and season memberships for AFL games are significantly lower than those for professional sports in North America. To me, I find them reasonable.

While at face value adding $20/year to the cost of memberships doesn't seem like much, I'm sure a great deal of research has gone into it to find what the tipping point for most people is. We've been a struggling club on and off the field for many years, and while it seems that the tide is beginning to turn, increasing the cost of memberships so significantly is something that I doubt we can afford to do at the moment. We're trying to attract more supporters and members, and increasing the price of memberships would not only cause many to not sign up, but I'm sure it would also drive some current members away. When we become a successful club this is something that we will probably consider, but at this stage I don't think it's worthwhile.

On a similar note, it would be interesting to know how many people from the NT are MFC members, and how many of them had signed up due to our deal with them. 

Melbourne hoping to extend NT deal until 2018.

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2016-03-17/melbourne-hoping-to-extend-nt-deal-until-2018.mobileapp

2 minutes ago, RedLegs23 said:

Melbourne hoping to extend NT deal until 2018.

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2016-03-17/melbourne-hoping-to-extend-nt-deal-until-2018.mobileapp

Quick SWYL, you better put a rush on your meeting with PJ so you can tell him what a mistake this is....

 

3 hours ago, Good Times Grimes said:

While at face value adding $20/year to the cost of memberships doesn't seem like much, I'm sure a great deal of research has gone into it to find what the tipping point for most people is. We've been a struggling club on and off the field for many years, and while it seems that the tide is beginning to turn, increasing the cost of memberships so significantly is something that I doubt we can afford to do at the moment. We're trying to attract more supporters and members, and increasing the price of memberships would not only cause many to not sign up, but I'm sure it would also drive some current members away. When we become a successful club this is something that we will probably consider, but at this stage I don't think it's worthwhile.

On a similar note, it would be interesting to know how many people from the NT are MFC members, and how many of them had signed up due to our deal with them. 

Forget NT members until we start winning games and move up the ladder. Winners are grinners and every thing flows front that.

1 minute ago, old dee said:

Forget NT members until we start winning games and move up the ladder. Winners are grinners and every thing flows front that.

I'm just curious as to how many members we've netted as a direct result of this partnership as we are likely benefitting more than just the $500k that we get as part of the deal.

5 hours ago, Maple Demon said:

Stuie, I think that if families are that hardly hit by $100+ a year (to use your figure) they would likely have bigger financial concerns and priorities than footy memberships. Rent, food on the table, school books (and other school-related expenses such as uniforms), health-related expenses, etc.

 If my financial position was that tight, I would be saving the original/existing membership costs in a rainy day fund in case of an unexpected expense or emergency.  I know people who are in such a position, and, unfortunately, they aren't thinking of footy tickets because they can't afford to go to a single game together as a family.

To answer your question, these successful clubs also have more expensive membership categories than the Demons.

Lastly, I never said that I took issue if people simply didn't want to pay an extra $20 a year. To each their own. Footy memberships usually go up each year anyways and people make the decision for themselves and their families whether or not they are happy to continue paying for them.

From where I come from, the cost of both a single game ticket and season memberships for AFL games are significantly lower than those for professional sports in North America. To me, I find them reasonable.

I get where you're coming from, but to me it's more about the tipping point as GTG has pointed out. Sure if you buy memberships for your whole family you might not be in a perilous financial situation, but families have budgets, and that extra $100 for a family of 5 might be enough to make them reconsider taking out a membership, and just like that there goes 5 members. It's not a matter of if they actually have the money for it rather than saving it for emergencies, it's about the sudden increase with no extra value.

If more successful clubs (let's use Hawthorn as an example hey?) have more expensive memberships then why are they still playing home games interstate when they have more than twice as many members as us?

I get that it's way more expensive in the US, some of the prices there are unbelievable, but I think the prices and family nature of our game are what makes it so special. At an NBA game you have to be Jay-Z to sit down the front with maybe 20,000 people packed in to watch 10 guys on court getting at least a few million each. whereas with our game it's generally the most grassroots supporters that get to sit down the front with sometimes 80,000 people watching 36 guys run around trying their guts out, that's just very Australian to me.

 

6 minutes ago, Good Times Grimes said:

I'm just curious as to how many members we've netted as a direct result of this partnership as we are likely benefitting more than just the $500k that we get as part of the deal.

Didn't we also get a pretty good recruiting/academy zone up there?

 

7 minutes ago, stuie said:

Didn't we also get a pretty good recruiting/academy zone up there?

 

Yeah we've got the area around Alice, though I'm not sure we'll see the benefits of that for quite a while

1 hour ago, stuie said:

Quick SWYL, you better put a rush on your meeting with PJ so you can tell him what a mistake this is....

 

What a shame. Puts 4 games at risk immediately each season

Makes the journey up the ladder far more difficult

hope the deal increases far more than half a mill a per visit, because for a $20 levy it aint worth it for me

 

Geez SWYL........No need to get a bee in your bonnet....Stuie has a fair point....We need to encourage members and not price families out.

If the NT deal is of benefit to the club and keeps us solvent then I trust the club to do the right thing.

These are hard times for a lot of people and club membership is a luxuary for some, whilst you and I can probably afford the extra, many cannot.

No need for petty insults to a poster who has a different opinion or stance to you. 

6 hours ago, Bossdog said:

Geez SWYL........No need to get a bee in your bonnet....Stuie has a fair point....We need to encourage members and not price families out.

If the NT deal is of benefit to the club and keeps us solvent then I trust the club to do the right thing.

These are hard times for a lot of people and club membership is a luxuary for some, whilst you and I can probably afford the extra, many cannot.

No need for petty insults to a poster who has a different opinion or stance to you. 

Haven't won a game up there since 2011 Boss & i bet you can add the week after to that figure

for a small Member increase we have a far greater chance of playing in September

That is all i am stating...

 

The AFL should be contributing a sweetener. They have much more to gain up there than us and probably no other club left to take the far-lying crumbs.

1 hour ago, Sir Why You Little said:

What a shame. Puts 4 games at risk immediately each season

Makes the journey up the ladder far more difficult

hope the deal increases far more than half a mill a per visit, because for a $20 levy it aint worth it for me

 

Can I just point out that if we're playing 2 games every year up there for 500k a piece, that's actually $33.33 each for 30,000 members.

So you can stop throwing around your $20 figure.

 

48 minutes ago, Skuit said:

The AFL should be contributing a sweetener. They have much more to gain up there than us and probably no other club left to take the far-lying crumbs.

I'm sure there is an AFL sweetener....

"Both the Demons and the AFL game and market development manager Simon Lethlean are understood to be keen for the relationship between the NT Government and Melbourne to continue with discussions between the parties progressing well."

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2016-03-17/melbourne-want-more-nt-games

 

3 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Haven't won a game up there since 2011 Boss & i bet you can add the week after to that figure

for a small Member increase we have a far greater chance of playing in September

That is all i am stating...

Stuie is a pest on most topics, wecall know that. 

We haven't  been good enough to win ANYWHERE Sir

We play in Perth S.A, Queensland and Tassie.

$1 Million into the club coffers over two years helps a lot more than 20,000 at the MCG playing the dockers or Port.

46 minutes ago, Bossdog said:

We haven't  been good enough to win ANYWHERE Sir

We play in Perth S.A, Queensland and Tassie.

$1 Million into the club coffers over two years helps a lot more than 20,000 at the MCG playing the dockers or Port.

Not getting up the ladder it doesn't

Winning brings attendance. 

Stop waiting for handouts and be proactive

i wish to see this happen in my lifetime..

4 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Not getting up the ladder it doesn't

Winning brings attendance. 

Stop waiting for handouts and be proactive

i wish to see this happen in my lifetime..

How do you see the deal as different from what Hawthorn does down in Tassy ?

I want to preempt your answer in saying - if you are going to say  - massive membership the Hawks get from Tassy - I will rebut and ask  - would Hawks get the massive injection of members if they weren't a successful club ?

3 hours ago, stuie said:

Can I just point out that if we're playing 2 games every year up there for 500k a piece, that's actually $33.33 each for 30,000 members.

So you can stop throwing around your $20 figure.

 

Can i just point out something to you?

i expect far more than 30,000 members this year ok

i understand we get $500,000 x2

BUT i will never like the fact that with this deal in place we ate putting in Jeopardy 16 points each year. 

That is a very large handicap. If explained carefully members i have no doubt a levy would be accepted. 

I give you an example. 

Fish and Chips used to be a cheap meal until Rex Hunt got involved

if you fed a family of 6 one meal of Fish and Chips on a friday night that would cover the cost of the levy...

But you keep saying our supporters are all peasants so you are prepared to accept the kick in the teeth it gives us each year...

personally i and many others on here would pay an extra $20-30 each year to keep us competitive in those 4 games. 

I lived in the kimberleys for a while back in '95 so i do know Desert heat and i remember how long it took me to aclimatise back once i got back to Melbourne. 

Our opponents must love it...

Surely if we members have to pay an extra $20-30 pa we get to go to two more matches. That's not such a bad deal in the world of sport/entertainment.

what a joke, more NT home games?!  fk me

i thought we were going to take winning seriously and our finances were under control.  this deal could well be the difference between making the finals or not. the travel, the heat, backing up the next week

9 home games out of 22 is a joke. well 8 if we continue to play one at etihad.

Thanks Guys. At least i am not alone here. 

I have never liked this arrangement. It was done at a time when we needed quick $$$ to survive. 

All the other deals around the continent had been had been stitched up. We were thrown whatever was left...

how many NT Members have we signed?

2-3 years ago i recall a poster who loved the deal posted it was around 40...

Laughable..The last remnants of Schwab are here....