It has been on the cards for a little while, but confirmation today of new netball theam, the Melbourne Vixens entering into a partnership with Collingwood.

The alliance will involve the two Clubs working together to:

- Generate strong corporate and membership support for the Vixens

- Raise the profile of netball in the media and in the community

- Initiate valuable cross promotions and joint sponsorship packages

- Develop exciting new community programs and partnerships involving Vixens and Collingwood players

- Generate strong financial support for the Club.

Source: http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/Season2007...px?newsId=54239

Which makes me wonder why did the Demons go to all that effort to get TeamMelbourne of the ground?

I remember a couple of people said Netball Victoria was part of Team Melbourne, and not the Vixens.

So how does that explain this comment?:

Netball Victoria CEO Susan Crow said, “The alliance is a natural fit for both our clubs. In Australian sport Collingwood is recognised as a leader on and off the field - its commercial expertise will be invaluable to the Melbourne Vixens

It is incredibly frustrating that the club puts a lot of money and effort into lifting its profile through something like TeamMelbourne, and this happens.

WTF !!!

what a rip off , those slimey bloody filth have stolen our march!! Strangely i dont blame the wobblies but cast a glaring eye toward the skirt wearers and wonder what sort of about face they have performed.

what a total joke team Melbourne is turning ot to be

The Vixens didn't even exist 6 months ago when TeamMelbourne was brought in.

The now extinct Melbourne Phoenix were in, were even going to change their dress to match our jumpers, but I guess with the new netball leagues and clubs the deal is off.

Collingwood and Netball Victoria are clearly taking our initiative though....

stuff em they are all sluts!!

Thoughtful response.

http://www.teamelbourne.com.au/

there for all to see is an inference that the Vixens are on board with team Melbourne.. not the bloody Magpies !!

What sort of toothless piece of cr@p is teammelbourne then ??

its laughable !!...all fizz ...no substance !!

Collingwood does not have access to the details of the 110,000 strong netball players information...

TEAMelbourne does.

Collingwood does not have access to the details of the 110,000 strong netball players information...

TEAMelbourne does.

supposition ?? or fact.. just asking.

Collingwood will no doubt have access to any thing that portends towards Vixens membership and promotion. This will be Victorian based which is exactly what I thought WE were aiming at !!

I applaud the magpies and can only deem Netball Victoria a bunch of turncoats !!

I had thought Team Melbourne a clever and fresh effort with results based upon aligned Melbourne synergies.

I am now starting to think we have been sold a pup !!

I'm sure I don't know what to make of this.

I joined up as a TEAMelbourne 'Legends Member' under the impression I was going to make some contribution to our profile in an increasingly cut-throat market for all sports.

Has the MFC been asleep while the Vixens have done the Eddie deal? I always thought it was an initiative worth a go but if this can happen so easily I'm not all that confident that this won't turn into a fizzer.

Well I'm heart broken that we're not involved with Netball side. I don't know what I'll do.

this was all talked about months ago, even before the vixens were official.

something about team eddie telecasting the new series?

is very dissapointing though. dunno if I can barrack for the collingwood vixens.

Well I'm heart broken that we're not involved with Netball side. I don't know what I'll do.

Thinking the same thing!

A peripheral nice to have issue at best.

Pies probably see it as another place to recruit players.......

Pies probably see it as another place to recruit players.......

...or girlfriends for their own players.

...or girlfriends for their own players.

aha! its a thinly disguised breeding program!!

aha! its a thinly disguised breeding program!!

Team Melbourne was always

just a distraction to cover up the inadequacies of our real issues - declining revenue and sponsorship - not to mention the on-field performance (or lack of it!).

Well Collingwood immediately jumped onto the Vixens in the old Netball league after we got on board with the Pheonix, bloody annoying that they are the ones who take it to the next level after being second to the cake.

Does sort of make a mokery of TEAMelbourne, they can't exactly be seen hanging around with one of Collingwood's oldest rivals.

as long as we can share our [censored] (ie, knowledge and training facilities) with the melbourne storm ( who are good btw) we should be fine.

netballers, no offence girls, but they are not on the same level....its still an amateur competition with girls who have to go to work to earn a living - by this i mean legitimate jobs - and while they might be the best in the world at what they do, they arent on the same level as us and the storm. AND YES I THINK WE CAN LEARN PLENTY FROM MELBOURNE STORM

As i understood it apart from some shared admin , training and some shared infrastructure the real plus were synergies in the marketing and cross promotional areas.. Netball has a bloody big following in this country. You can lampoon it all you like but its truly a lost opportunity.

The following and exposure of Netabll in this state far eclipses anything League could wish in its wildest dreams. We have been well and truly gazumped !! bloody annoying. I would want to think that the MFC would at least consider a please explain letter to Netball Victoria for its actoins.

As i understood it apart from some shared admin , training and some shared infrastructure the real plus were synergies in the marketing and cross promotional areas.. Netball has a bloody big following in this country. You can lampoon it all you like but its truly a lost opportunity.

The following and exposure of Netabll in this state far eclipses anything League could wish in its wildest dreams. We have been well and truly gazumped !! bloody annoying. I would want to think that the MFC would at least consider a please explain letter to Netball Victoria for its actoins.

If netball has such a following, why are its players paid a pittance?

No-one actually cares about the state teams, so creating an alliance with the Vixens is of little gain to the MFC.

If netball has such a following, why are its players paid a pittance?

this has any relevance ?? why.. what a ridiculous conclusion.

No-one actually cares about the state teams, so creating an alliance with the Vixens is of little gain to the MFC.

They are the MELBOURNE franchise in the new Netball league

Such sweeping generalisatons backed with what ??.. just your biased view to the sport.

Ther are huge numbers in junior sports.. last time I looked they arent paid either, but they can be feeders for promotional endeavours by clubs to garner interest and attendance etc.

this has any relevance ?? why.. what a ridiculous conclusion.

They are the MELBOURNE franchise in the new Netball league

Such sweeping generalisatons backed with what ??.. just your biased view to the sport.

Ther are huge numbers in junior sports.. last time I looked they arent paid either, but they can be feeders for promotional endeavours by clubs to garner interest and attendance etc.

You seem to think every Tom, Dick and Harry who participates in netball, follows the sport.

Sure there is a large number of registered players but take out the mixed teams at stadiums, country teams connected with footy clubs etc etc. and I think you will find the number of people who follow netball and are willing to spend money on it are quite small.

When a netball club is struggling to promote themselves, why are they going to go out of their way to promote us?

Ok..Im a little fuzzy here.. how does one play a sport and not follow it ?.. The very act of playing it is evidence you are interested in it surely ?

I realise a point is that the money per se in Netball isnt on the scale of AFL...thats not the point. The idea is to syntesize efforts,expenditures and exposures, cross promotion etc.

We lack members , agree ?

There are of the order of nearly 1/2 million folk active in netball. with about 1/3 million organised events. ( thats quite a bit more than in AFL btw !! ) about a quarter of those are in Victoria and as such come under the wachfull eye of Netball Victoria.

The largerst growth area of AFL spectaing is as it happens women. Women as it also happens will spend more on various club paraphanalia.

To discount if not wholsale dismiss this audience as potential participants in AFL audiences would be folly.

Id be very interested to know stats on AFL memberships by gender. And also any trends in those groups.

If you can get exposure to a very large group of people you chance the opportunity to have some come and watch. ( especially if some sort of promotion is embarked upon possibly offering discounted game tickets etc..and any number of other methods) . Peopel who come and watch may develop a following and those may become members.

It al lhas to start somewhere !!

as they say any foot in a door has to be an advantage !!

Who cares, all I'm concerned about is the MFC winning games, if you win games you create interest and support. Which inturn brings in revenue with more members and higher gate receipts. We need to have a 3-5 year period were we are true premiership contenders.

Let all the other teams do what they want of the field we need to start performing on it and just making up the numbers in the final 8 is not a sucessful season.

thats right..you perform , you win games and you create interest !! thats the whole bloody point.. creating interest.. the trick is to have folk primed and ready for that occurence !!

The whole point of effective marketing is to take a product , in this instance a winning Demon outfit and put it into the path of peopel who are sympathetic in an affluent way to enact upon it and spend money. For us that might be attendance leading to memberships. It might also be merchandising etc.