39 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Cry me a river. First game of the year. First chance to support the team live in 18 months. Chance to make a statement with a decent crowd at OUR home. Chance to support the CLUB with a decent turnout. 21k is laughable, the other clubs will rightly be looking at that and asking questions.

What questions would these be? FMD.

On a more serious note, I know for me as I have had a family, my commitments to AFL are no longer the priority - as it may be for some... and that's ok.

Not every person lives their entire life fully committed to attending games, or can justify it to themselves or their family members. The options of how we spend our lives on weekends is not so myopic as it may have been 20 years ago (in my 20's).

You're merely putting your own expectations on how a life should be lived, onto others, and I'd argue it's far too inflexible.

Edited March 21, 20214 yr by Engorged Onion

35 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Cry me a river. First game of the year. First chance to support the team live in 18 months. Chance to make a statement with a decent crowd at OUR home. Chance to support the CLUB with a decent turnout. 21k is laughable, the other clubs will rightly be looking at that and asking questions.

The other clubs spend no time thinking about us.

All I was trying to say is that isn’t the supporters fault, it’s the clubs. They are different things. One has shown up for a very long time with little to no reward, while the other one at the very least draws an income. I don’t think it’s ok to blame supporters. My old man is in his 70’s and he’s not going to be bothered to show up, because he had to sit through crap losses for most of his life. If you think of it like a relationship - at a certain point if you don’t feel like you’re getting much from it, you stop giving much to it.

I appreciate your passion Dr. I agree it’s super disappointing, but I just also completely understand and emphasise with other Melbourne supporters who feel somewhat disenfranchised. ?

19 minutes ago, boydie said:

We never get crowds against interstate sides, matches against Freo, GWS, Gold Coast, Port etc and always around the mark that turned up yesterday.

Theres a myth that we have large supporter base in hiding after the Geelong and Hawthorn finals. There were lots people at those matches who were neutrals just supporting Melbourne out of pity after years of failure. A few of my friends who support other sides came to those games and did exactly that.

Glad to see you have a idea of what is going on the MFC. While we have 40k members a few thousand live interstate plus a number in the country. 40k equals 30k at most games. 

4 minutes ago, Engorged Onion said:

What questions would these be? FMD.

On a more serious note, I know for me as I have had a family, my commitments to AFL are no longer the priority - as it may be for some... and that's ok.

Not every person lives their entire life fully committed to attending games, or can justify it to themselves or their family members. The options of how we spend our lives on weekends is not so myopic as it may have been 20 years ago (in my 20's).

You're merely putting your own expectations on how a life should be lived, onto others, and I'd argue it's far too inflexible.

Well said.

Don't worry, if we win our first 20 matches, our membership will sore to new heights.

2 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

R23 2018 vs GWS 37k

R1 2019 vs Port 38k

If this was a random game in a normal season I could understand though still be disappointed.

This was round 1 and the first game we had the chance to go to the footy in 18 months that is what makes it incredibly disappointing. 35k should have been the minimum and as I've said anyone who couldve gone but didn't should question their loyalty to the club. I'm not talking about people worried about covid, or travelling from regional areas, or have young kids etc. I'm talking about those who otherwise would've gone but didn't because of "disenchantment" with the club.

GWS we were playing to get into finals, port have a lot of supporters in Victoria. Friend of mine who is X SA goes to all Vic Port games . Of those I doubt we were more than 30k.

2 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

This was round 1 and the first game we had the chance to go to the footy in 18 months that is what makes it incredibly disappointing. 35k should have been the minimum and as I've said anyone who couldve gone but didn't should question their loyalty to the club. I'm not talking about people worried about covid, or travelling from regional areas, or have young kids etc. I'm talking about those who otherwise would've gone but didn't because of "disenchantment" with the club.

A minimum of 25% more than our highest ever Freo crowd at the 'G?  No wonder you're angry - trying to reconcile reality with that fantasy wouldn't be easy.

19 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

No excuses for people staying away 21k is an embarrassment.

No excuses at all!

Except for the deadly global pandemic, of course. 

I think MFC supporters have a great sense of humour. The joke is on EFC. 

4 hours ago, waynewussell said:

Yesterday’s attendance of 21365 was the 4th highest out of a total of 15 occasions that Melbourne have met Freo at the MCG (3^rd highest on a Sat aft). Here is the complete list.

Year	Result	Attendance	Day / Time
1996	W	15494	Fr (n)
1997	W	15036	Sat (aft)
1998	W	20365	Sat (aft)
1999	L	19178	Fr (n)
2003	L	17009	Sat (aft)
2005	L	21963	Sun (aft)
2006	W	23368	Sat (aft)
2007	L	16654	Sun (aft)
2008	W	19423	Sun (aft)
2009	W	13004	Sun (aft)
2011	W	19092	Sun (aft)
2013	L	13768	Sun (aft)
2017	L	27829	Sat (aft)
2019	W	20211	Sat (aft)
2021	W	21365	Sat (aft)

 

So???

This is a good thing?

Anyone who questions my loyalty to the MFC because I didn't attend the match yesterday - and in 15 posts states that this was a "disgusting performance", that I was "pathetic", "disgraceful", an "embarrassment" to the Club, full of "pissweak excuses", and that I should "take my head out of my [censored]" - needs to get down off his high horse, take a few chill pills and perhaps consider why so many members did not turn up. 

The 20K members who didn't attend the game certainly do not deserve to be labelled in such an appalling manner no matter what our reason for non attendance may have been. Giving us labels and name calling will not get us back to the G. Addressing the reasons for the non attendance certainly will.

 

7 hours ago, Kent said:

My point is that you dont need ticketek in the members

There were no checks on who was sitting in each seat. It was beyond a joke. We were placed in seats crowded together no social distancing while acres of spare seats were all around us 

Then you go to the bar and they are counting how many have entered but not checking how many have left

It is Monty Python stuff

This is what I don't get. Fair enough the Government has limits (which hopefuly will be eased in the coming weeks) but it's all just theatre in the way seats are allocated. They didn't seat anyone next to us presumably because I could pass on something to them or vice versa but there was someone in front of me that I was yelling directly into and also someone behind me that was yelling directly into me.

12 minutes ago, Billy said:

So???

This is a good thing?

When opinion is being tossed around I like to provide perspective. You are entitled to read the facts as you want. From my POV, I'm not surprised by the crowd numbers, nor do I see them as evidence that the sky is falling.

Please note that this is an automatically generated post, replies will not be answered.

5 hours ago, Engorged Onion said:

What questions would these be? FMD.

 

Whether we deserve games at the G. Whether we deserve prime time games. Whether we even deserve a spot in the national competition.

8 hours ago, JJJ said:

I was at the Presidents Function and spoke to about 20-25 people and the lack of crowd came up in conversations as it became obvious that we were going to have a small crowd. 
 

Only 3 people were critical of supporters for not turning up that I can remember. Most signalled unhappiness with the club in one way or another as a reason that they could’ve stayed home if they didn’t have the lunch to attend. There was a sense of empathy to supporters who watched from home.

I also found theres a decent amount of apathy regarding the club, the poor list after Roos began the rebuild almost a decade ago, the coach, the board, the President, lack of marketing, untrustworthy playing group etc etc.

Whilst I don’t share all of those opinions, I couldn’t blame anybody for feeling that way. When asked to rise to the occasion, this coach and playing group have repeatedly failed.So even against an injury riddled team, I was not confident of a good result.

When you throw in the ticketing (when some fans in their 60-70’s are receiving QR code’s for tickets you can expect confusion) and a global pandemic you get 21,000 people turn up.

It’s up to the club to fix this. Win games. Get on the front foot publicly. Don’t be a doormat for other clubs and the AFL. Who knows, it might galvanise the weary.

Earlier in this thread it was mentioned that the President did not attend yesterday's match. Very rare for a sitting President to miss the first home game of the season. Out of interest JJJ as you attended the President's Function, was his absence addressed/reason given and who actually spoke on his behalf?

22 hours ago, jane02 said:

I was surprised by the low crowd attendance but there is still a lot of local cricket being played and my elderly neighbour told me the bowls club had lots of final events on this weekend.

Where else would you want to be on a warm Saturday afternoon though? The best time to watch footy IMO.

The local bowls crowd, right in our membership wheelhouse. 

2 hours ago, Neil Crompton said:

Anyone who questions my loyalty to the MFC because I didn't attend the match yesterday - and in 15 posts states that this was a "disgusting performance", that I was "pathetic", "disgraceful", an "embarrassment" to the Club, full of "pissweak excuses", and that I should "take my head out of my [censored]" - needs to get down off his high horse, take a few chill pills and perhaps consider why so many members did not turn up. 

The 20K members who didn't attend the game certainly do not deserve to be labelled in such an appalling manner no matter what our reason for non attendance may have been. Giving us labels and name calling will not get us back to the G. Addressing the reasons for the non attendance certainly will.

 

Ok what are the reasons for not turning up a the G (personal reasons withstanding)

What has the club done for this non attendance.

We should’ve agreed to giving it to the Essendon v Hawthorn game, at least they’re passionate & would turn up.

Imagine how many excuses we would’ve come up with having to play at the Docklands 

25 minutes ago, Mika98_99 said:

Earlier in this thread it was mentioned that the President did not attend yesterday's match. Very rare for a sitting President to miss the first home game of the season. Out of interest JJJ as you attended the President's Function, was his absence addressed/reason given and who actually spoke on his behalf?

Good question Mika.

A couple of reasons why the crowd was disappointing:

Not everyone is comfortable just yet with going to crowded places: Some people are being a little more conservative with going out. Others are happy to hang with the masses at the footy or Chadstone. I think we need to be respectful of each individual's decision if that's their choice.

However, AFL / Ticketek / MCG management need to ensure they are providing an environment where all fans feel safe / comfortable. We're told we need to socially distance. However, where I was yesterday crowds of people were sitting close to each other while level 4 sat empty. And of course there's the rush at the end when everyone leaves. I'm sure there was an advisory to wear masks in crowded areas but perhaps that has changed.  

Hopefully it will improve once restrictions ease, but the finals-like timing for the release of tickets is also an issue. Say a couple of members want to go with friends who aren't members. Friends don't want the members to miss out on tickets, so they don't go to the game. Or even things like no crossover between the MCC and general public.  It does make a difference.

Finally, the club needs to do more to ensure fans are getting value for money. There will be fans who have had to tighten their belt a little due to COVID, or there may be people who are assessing how much footy now means to them in the greater scheme of life. Winning is obviously a good start, but showing you genuinely value your members is important as well.

53 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Whether we deserve games at the G. Whether we deserve prime time games. Whether we even deserve a spot in the national competition.

Ruthless Dr. Ruthless...

Serious question... if the AFL said that 2 clubs from Melbourne has to exit the state (exit or fold)... out of sheer pragmatism would you put forward Melbourne as one of those clubs, on the notion of your version of 'deservedness'?

Is it membership numbers?

Is it continued performance over a period of years?

Is it random facts like below?

it's been 5,892 days since Essendon won a final

Carlton have been in finals series twice in the last decade

...im off for dinner with the kids...but im sure there are useless facts for North Melbourne St Kilda, Hawthorn, Footrscrazy, etc, that would perhaps fit them into a notion of not deserving either...

Still Demonland is a great place for folk to vent that their expectations aren't being met I suppose

Very bloody disappointing crowd considering there has been no footy at the G since 2019. 
 

What the hell is going on?

Where were all the dees supporters???

Pathetic effort. 

20 hours ago, Garbo said:

Can’t speak for everyone but I know several people that passed as they couldn’t sit in there usual spot with there usual people plus the extra barrier of needing to book online

I hope you told them they are being a little silly, pandemic processes etc. “oh my god why would I go and support my team when I can’t sit in “my seats””?! Ffs 

2 hours ago, Demonland said:

This is what I don't get. Fair enough the Government has limits (which hopefuly will be eased in the coming weeks) but it's all just theatre in the way seats are allocated. They didn't seat anyone next to us presumably because I could pass on something to them or vice versa but there was someone in front of me that I was yelling directly into and also someone behind me that was yelling directly into me.

I attended on my own and had someone in the seat directly to my left, directly behind and directly in front, but no one in the 9 seats on my right. Go figure!

1 hour ago, Engorged Onion said:

Ruthless Dr. Ruthless...

Serious question... if the AFL said that 2 clubs from Melbourne has to exit the state (exit or fold)... out of sheer pragmatism would you put forward Melbourne as one of those clubs, on the notion of your version of 'deservedness'?

Is it membership numbers?

Is it continued performance over a period of years?

Is it random facts like below?

it's been 5,892 days since Essendon won a final

Carlton have been in finals series twice in the last decade

...im off for dinner with the kids...but im sure there are useless facts for North Melbourne St Kilda, Hawthorn, Footrscrazy, etc, that would perhaps fit them into a notion of not deserving either...

Still Demonland is a great place for folk to vent that their expectations aren't being met I suppose

Bums on seats. That's the only metric that counts.

20 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Yes it is a disgrace that you can't choose which seats or at least which bay you want to sit in.

I “went” with 2 mates, I had to sit in one bay while they sat in a totally different bay because we couldn’t book seats next to each other. Agree that part was a debacle, I did end up sitting next to them in a bar After half time because security was so lax. Funniest part was the boys told me to wear shirt, jeans, jacket for dress code, they both rolled up in shorts and T-shirts... we were drinking in Medallion Club bar... go figure.