2 hours ago, Wiseblood said:

I can only speak for myself, OD, but I buy a membership to support the club.  While they have given me plenty of lows, they have also given me plenty of great memories, and I will continue to buy my memberships (two of which are for my parents who aren't alive anymore) as I love the club.  If I can't go to games then so be it - it's not the clubs fault that COVID happened the way it did and stopped us from going to the footy.  Of course, it would have been great to take my five year to her first few games this year, but that can hopefully happen next year.

Again, I am only speaking for myself, but with my Kayo subscription I was happy as I could watch all games that way.  I don't expect any kind of discount from this year as it was something that was out of the clubs hands.  If we had finished last with no wins... then that might be different.  But I get my money's worth every year by supporting the club from home or from the stands.  Makes no difference to me.

And yes, I am happy to be 'rusted on [censored]' like yourself. :)

While you're at it, can I slip you my two to pay?!!! ?

I acknowledge that the GFG is notional and not a cost within my dues. I am very pleased there was a freeze for 2021

However, for me the live game experience is the biggest single reason I buy 2 memberships. Otherwise I'd just donate the money. I have a good seat L2 Northern stand that isn't cheap but has an excellent view and great atmosphere (aside from @Bitter but optimistic being there)

I'm disappointed that there have been no crowd games at the G this year. I've come to the realisation this may not change for much of 2021.

Will I continue my 20+ year membership next year given this scenario?

Probably, but other things in life will need to take a hit, which atm is tough. 

One thing I know for sure, the Neeld years nearly killed my love for the Dees. We can't go back to that level of performance. It made watching games live a really poor experience. There are other competing interests in life of greater value than this. The team needs to be more competitive for supporters to buy memberships. It's pretty simple really.

I also got 2 emails, as did my Dad, and we are both on the same level of membership.

I can't remember what I paid last year, but I am trusting the club that the prices have not changed, and that my price includes a GF guarantee. 

I agree with many of you that given the hundreds of dollars each of us spend on a membership that gave us virtually nothing this season, some sort of discount, gift, token of appreciation for our ongoing support would have been nice. I pay for reserved seating at the G, which was a total waste of money this season, so even having that price taken off the membership for 2021 would have been nice.

Totally understand that the club is struggling, but so many of us have lost jobs, or seen massive declines in our businesses, or are on jobkeeper, and to fork upwards of $500 for a footy membership is not a necessary expense for people doing it very tough. I will be renewing, as I have for the past 21 years, but gees it is going to be tough justifying the spend. 

 

 

56 minutes ago, Moonshadow said:

While you're at it, can I slip you my two to pay?!!! ?

I acknowledge that the GFG is notional and not a cost within my dues. I am very pleased there was a freeze for 2021

However, for me the live game experience is the biggest single reason I buy 2 memberships. Otherwise I'd just donate the money. I have a good seat L2 Northern stand that isn't cheap but has an excellent view and great atmosphere (aside from @Bitter but optimistic being there)

I'm disappointed that there have been no crowd games at the G this year. I've come to the realisation this may not change for much of 2021.

Will I continue my 20+ year membership next year given this scenario?

Probably, but other things in life will need to take a hit, which atm is tough. 

One thing I know for sure, the Neeld years nearly killed my love for the Dees. We can't go back to that level of performance. It made watching games live a really poor experience. There are other competing interests in life of greater value than this. The team needs to be more competitive for supporters to buy memberships. It's pretty simple really.

The atmosphere would be even better if you bought a round occasionally Moonie !!

6 minutes ago, Bitter but optimistic said:

The atmosphere would be even better if you bought a round occasionally Moonie !!

Heineken zero is a lovely drop!

@old dee @layzie @Moonshadow

You guys all make some great points in your posts.

I totally understand that some place great importance on going to the games as a reason for their membership.

I also see that the financial aspect for some will be far more difficult than it was in previous years, and that a membership (or multiple memberships) may not be something they can commit to in 2021.  I wouldn't blame anyone for taking a step away from it for a year or two with everything that has gone on this year.

So, for me, I am not expecting anything from the club as they will have their financial problems as well (even though it sounds like we have come out quite well on the other side of COVID) and I'll still be able to back the club as I have done in the past, regardless of what footy looks like next year.  But then I would not blame anyone for not buying a membership if they aren't in a position to do so.

6 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

@old dee @layzie @Moonshadow

You guys all make some great points in your posts.

I totally understand that some place great importance on going to the games as a reason for their membership.

I also see that the financial aspect for some will be far more difficult than it was in previous years, and that a membership (or multiple memberships) may not be something they can commit to in 2021.  I wouldn't blame anyone for taking a step away from it for a year or two with everything that has gone on this year.

So, for me, I am not expecting anything from the club as they will have their financial problems as well (even though it sounds like we have come out quite well on the other side of COVID) and I'll still be able to back the club as I have done in the past, regardless of what footy looks like next year.  But then I would not blame anyone for not buying a membership if they aren't in a position to do so.

Thanks Wise. I'll renew for next year, just not sure if I can do the whole hog again or this time only the bacon

BBO might have to put off some Manor staff to pay for his. He takes up 2 seats

Edited September 18, 20204 yr by Moonshadow

16 minutes ago, Moonshadow said:

Heineken zero is a lovely drop!

I am not taking the bait!

fans-to-the-rescue

Some clubs offered members other benefits if they kept their 2020 memberships. eg  "The Western Bulldogs membership is also up, 12% {5,400) ahead of 2019 with that club one of several rewarding members' loyalty not only with club merchandise but also an automatic upgrade in 2021.

MFC didn't offer anything and membership dropped by 24% ie 12,600.  There were other issues like finishing 17th in 2019.  Covid seems to not have had a big impact on most clubs.  eg Saints and Carlton also increased membership.

If MFC wants to keep members and get the 12,600 back it won't happen if it charges full price for 2021 and gives nothing back.  It would be a fine gesture of goodwill if it found ways to reward loyal members.  There are a lot of stalwarts on DL but the general fan may not be too happy paying top $ again. 

We are now the second smallest AFL Club in Victoria, just ahead of North.  That must worry the club and I'm surprised it isn't doing more to attract members. 

Edit:  The article was written early August so doesn't have latest figures.  MFC's final figure was 40,571. 

Edited September 18, 20204 yr by Lucifer's Hero

18 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

fans-to-the-rescue

Some clubs offered members other benefits if they kept their 2020 memberships. eg  "The Western Bulldogs membership is also up, 12% {5,400) ahead of 2019 with that club one of several rewarding members' loyalty not only with club merchandise but also an automatic upgrade in 2021.

MFC didn't offer anything and membership dropped by 24% ie 12,600.  There were other issues like finishing 17th in 2019.  Covid seems to not have had a big impact on most clubs.  eg Saints and Carlton also increased membership.

If MFC wants to keep members and get the 12,600 back it won't happen if it charges full price for 2021 and gives nothing back.  It would be a fine gesture of goodwill if it found ways to reward loyal members.  There are a lot of stalwarts on DL but the general fan may not be too happy paying top $ again. 

We are now the second smallest AFL Club in Victoria, just ahead of North.  That must worry the club and I'm surprised it isn't doing more to attract members. 

Agree 100% LH. The football world seems to be up in air at the moment as far as nearly everything concerning 2021. The AFL cannot even tell us how long the length of a game will be, seems they are all living it up around the pool it QLD so that leaves little time for running the game. Seriously though the news is deafening on 2021. Seems to me that it will be another year made up on the run. Most games this year seem to have gone to a new low, the thing that IMO made Aussie rules was the scoring, the game now seems to be just a scramble between both teams half forward lines. Article in the HUN today say Tom Hawkins is set to win the Colman medal with 40 goals, the lowest total since WW1. Back to the main problem what is the MFC going to offer to members in 2021 as compensation? The club seems to just hoping things will go back to some sort of normal next year. 

Edited September 18, 20204 yr by old dee

I'm reasonably [censored] off the club would send out an auto-renew payment. I will renew (maybe on my current membership if it looks like i can go to live games or a lower level if its only tv again), but I never signed up for an autopayment.  

What have a received for my $600+ membership this year? A questionnaire about sponsorship and a request for more cash…. I know times are tough, but at least give something back to the people who are giving up their hard earned cash in trying times. A Kayo membership for the season (considering we are hardly on free-to-air) might have been nice, instead of the 1 match we got for $5….. Other clubs have done various things for members but the response from mfc has been nothing short of pathetic.

This season is a failure. There are almost zero positives. Every player except Petracca has gone backwards. Our selections have been terrible. Gameplan seems non-existent. The tribunal shaft us at every opportunity for years. The decision to give Goodwin an extension after he arrogantly stated he didn’t need to review the ’18 prelim against west coast is damning. Mediocrity is accepted as standard. Being forced to travel to 9 different grounds is a joke. The decision to have games in Cairns was even worse. Why did we agree that round 2 bye was ok? Barely any primetime games. I get that we are the AFL whipping boy, but stand up for us at least once when it comes to...... anything!

I love this club, but damn they make it difficult.

 

16 minutes ago, wonnabeeri said:

I'm reasonably [censored] off the club would send out an auto-renew payment. I will renew (maybe on my current membership if it looks like i can go to live games or a lower level if its only tv again), but I never signed up for an autopayment.  

I can understand the frustration at this.  If you haven't signed up for it seems rather strange that it's something that is now automatically occurring.

I'd definitely give the club a call and double check all of that.  It could be an oversight - as in, it ended up in everyone's email even if you don't have it set up - or they have just made the change and not told you, which isn't good enough if that's the case.

Thinking on @old dee's point of the opportunity to watch non-FTA MFC games.

Various ways this could be achieved:

• AFL negotiate with Telstra (for AFL Pass) and its broadcast partner Foxtel (owner of Kayo) for free inclusion of a special AFL games/sports module in membership packages for all clubs.  The full Foxtel sports module is about $25 p.a.  Not sure what Kayo costs p.a.
• Not long ago the club had a 'Digital' membership where it could be bought as an 'add-on' to the chosen membership package.  Not sure if it is still an option.  It could be re-introduced as a 'free' add-on.
• Give members the option of a digital AFL Pass/Kayo/Foxtel sports membership instead of the $25 merchandise discount voucher or instead of a scarf. 

I'm sure there are many ways the club can reward loyal members at little or no cost and importantly attract back those that have left, with a bit of creative thinking. 

Od's point is really important as next year our low membership numbers and mid range ladder finishes means very few FTA games so how can fans stay tuned in...

We have a marketing group.  Time to market to members.

Edited September 18, 20204 yr by Lucifer's Hero

3 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

I can understand the frustration at this.  If you haven't signed up for it seems rather strange that it's something that is now automatically occurring.

I'd definitely give the club a call and double check all of that.  It could be an oversight - as in, it ended up in everyone's email even if you don't have it set up - or they have just made the change and not told you, which isn't good enough if that's the case.

This happened to me too. I never had auto renew set up, but last year it changed and they just deducted the money. That was fine, last year, when the economy wasn't in the toilet and finances were not this tight.

But then, anyone who gets direct debited must have,  at some point, signed up for it, because otherwise how would the club have your bank or card details to direct debit from? Any company that direct debits need an authorisation form signed. Maybe when I renewed I ticked something and now it's auto debited?

3 minutes ago, Jaded said:

This happened to me too. I never had auto renew set up, but last year it changed and they just deducted the money. That was fine, last year, when the economy wasn't in the toilet and finances were not this tight.

But then, anyone who gets direct debited must have,  at some point, signed up for it, because otherwise how would the club have your bank or card details to direct debit from? Any company that direct debits need an authorisation form signed. Maybe when I renewed I ticked something and now it's auto debited?

Yeah that's really strange, and not good practice from the club.  Did they put it in the fine print at the bottom or something?

Surprised they stuck with this rather than stopping it across the board and checking in with members if they wanted it to continue in the current climate.

12 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

I can understand the frustration at this.  If you haven't signed up for it seems rather strange that it's something that is now automatically occurring.

I'd definitely give the club a call and double check all of that.  It could be an oversight - as in, it ended up in everyone's email even if you don't have it set up - or they have just made the change and not told you, which isn't good enough if that's the case.

it's not new, auto renew occurred to me last year too, after explicitly requesting it to not happen the previous year. i rang up last year and complained and was assured i was registered as no auto renew. now it has happened this year again (not by email but by snail mail this morning).

i'm wondering if this might be an afl thing rather than a club thing. it seems to me all the clubs share a lot of the processes of membership renewal and registration.

17 minutes ago, Jaded said:

This happened to me too. I never had auto renew set up, but last year it changed and they just deducted the money. That was fine, last year, when the economy wasn't in the toilet and finances were not this tight.

But then, anyone who gets direct debited must have,  at some point, signed up for it, because otherwise how would the club have your bank or card details to direct debit from? Any company that direct debits need an authorisation form signed. Maybe when I renewed I ticked something and now it's auto debited?

I know that last year they were really pushing the move to auto debit and after years of resisting I reluctantly agreed to it. Maybe they got a bit trigger happy with some renewals? Who knows. All I know is I'll be changing it back now.

I believe from a few years ago; most (if not all) AFL clubs made it that you have to opt-out of auto renewal rather than opt-in.

 

29 minutes ago, Lord Nev said:

I believe from a few years ago; most (if not all) AFL clubs made it that you have to opt-out of auto renewal rather than opt-in.

 

I think it may have been an AFL directive a couple of years ago that members should be "encouraged" to renew with auto renewal.

There are two levels of MFC/MCC memberships - standard and Premium. The Premium comes with the ability to access a GF ticket but I think last year it was an additional cost. 

The decrease in membership numbers would also have a lot to do with the MCC members not taking up a combined MFC/MCC membership. The 2019 debacle year did not assist in MCC members renewing in any case and any who may have renewed prior to the season starting probably haven't as well. All in all a substantial effect on membership numbers and budget. 

3 hours ago, Wiseblood said:

@old dee @layzie @Moonshadow

You guys all make some great points in your posts.

I totally understand that some place great importance on going to the games as a reason for their membership.

I also see that the financial aspect for some will be far more difficult than it was in previous years, and that a membership (or multiple memberships) may not be something they can commit to in 2021.  I wouldn't blame anyone for taking a step away from it for a year or two with everything that has gone on this year.

So, for me, I am not expecting anything from the club as they will have their financial problems as well (even though it sounds like we have come out quite well on the other side of COVID) and I'll still be able to back the club as I have done in the past, regardless of what footy looks like next year.  But then I would not blame anyone for not buying a membership if they aren't in a position to do so.

I'm an MCC member, so I donate essentially $80 odd every year to the club to have a MFC/MCC membership. 

With the little fella on the way I might buy an extra membership for him, but it really depends on the MCC costs. They are exorbitant. With a Depression on the way next year, it might have to be a wait and see prospect on the second membership.

Clearly there is a fair portion of the membership base that is pretty unhappy with this situation. Will the club bother responding at some point? Other than fluff pieces, communication with members has been pretty ordinary this year, although I get that staffing has been reduced.

It is one thing to donate the value of a standard membership to the club. It is entirely another to fork out additional money for reserved seats, grand final guarantees and other add-ons that have provided zero value during the year. If these aren't delivered, then they should carry forward to future years at no cost. 

 

28 minutes ago, poita said:

Clearly there is a fair portion of the membership base

 

A fair portion being the 20 odd people talking about it in this thread?

We should send an email to the club with every one of these posts attached So they can get a  good cross reference on how members are feeling.

2 hours ago, A F said:

I'm an MCC member, so I donate essentially $80 odd every year to the club to have a MFC/MCC membership. 

With the little fella on the way I might buy an extra membership for him, but it really depends on the MCC costs. They are exorbitant. With a Depression on the way next year, it might have to be a wait and see prospect on the second membership.

Congrats Adam, great news mate.

6 hours ago, In Harmes Way said:

Congrats Adam, great news mate.

Thanks mate. Very excited to get a new Demon in this world. We need all the little Demons we can get. ;)

16 hours ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

fans-to-the-rescue

Some clubs offered members other benefits if they kept their 2020 memberships. eg  "The Western Bulldogs membership is also up, 12% {5,400) ahead of 2019 with that club one of several rewarding members' loyalty not only with club merchandise but also an automatic upgrade in 2021.

MFC didn't offer anything and membership dropped by 24% ie 12,600.  There were other issues like finishing 17th in 2019.  Covid seems to not have had a big impact on most clubs.  eg Saints and Carlton also increased membership.

If MFC wants to keep members and get the 12,600 back it won't happen if it charges full price for 2021 and gives nothing back.  It would be a fine gesture of goodwill if it found ways to reward loyal members.  There are a lot of stalwarts on DL but the general fan may not be too happy paying top $ again. 

We are now the second smallest AFL Club in Victoria, just ahead of North.  That must worry the club and I'm surprised it isn't doing more to attract members. 

Edit:  The article was written early August so doesn't have latest figures.  MFC's final figure was 40,571. 

 Bulldogs had about 2,000 less members this year after making the 8 last year.!!!