Well if we needed any sign of how this bloke might think a bit differently....wait no longer. Not in the seat for 5 mins...in fact..not sure if he's actually sat down yet !! lol... and he is already starting the rethink of how MFC can go about its destiny.

I have no idea whether this bloke will succeed but you have to like his game...lol; he organised his own sessions with AFL and MCC.. made a mock ad.. just to impress the lads in the suits.. and now he's going to turn our supposed "weakness" into our strength.

hang on folks.. this tram's going UPTOWN !!!

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/dees...5602483679.html

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl...4-19742,00.html

and

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,2...5-23211,00.html

at last... I can scream... I SKI !!!!!!!!!!!!!! and I dont give a damn who knows it.!! :D

ok..thats not really the length and breadth of it.. We are Melbourne.. so lets go after everything thats Melbourne !!

He doesnt start officially til the 7th of April but you cant help but feel he's already on the job !! You have to respect his idiosyncracies...he did ressussitate the Tennis Open ... he rescued the Golf...now its our turn .

So in a nutshell.. we're SPECIAL...and ought to be damn proud of it... damn straight we should be too !!

Fasten your seatbelts...might be a little bumpy on the way to the top with The Three Amigos : Bailey Connolly & McNamee

McNamee's designs on the CBD and the commercial opportunites that it presents are only one aspect to the notion of upsizing. We have an extremely low membership base compared to the "big" clubs in this state - it's well and truly time to build on that rather than use it as an excuse for doing nothing as we have often seen in the past. The easiest way is through success on field and developing stars and personalities among the players but it also needs a supporter friendly administration that is passionate and committed and appears to be doing the right thing by its members.

Well i'm excited.

good post. melbourne needs to be "sexed" up, this is the man to do it

Golf is an incredibly lucrative business. The money involved is astronomical, especially in the USA. Why would McNamee be interested in being involved in an AFL team?

Are we offering a lot of cash? I'm not against it, but why would he go to such lengths to secure employment? Why would he leave after just 18 months in the job?

McNamee's designs on the CBD and the commercial opportunites that it presents are only one aspect to the notion of upsizing. We have an extremely low membership base compared to the "big" clubs in this state - it's well and truly time to build on that rather than use it as an excuse for doing nothing as we have often seen in the past. The easiest way is through success on field and developing stars and personalities among the players but it also needs a supporter friendly administration that is passionate and committed and appears to be doing the right thing by its members.

thats true..

I think the jist is that for years and years as a club we've always taken a backward semi -apologists step when it comes to describing our ilk. Here McNamee is turning that on its arse and saying.. "Yeah...you bet were different..WE"RE MELBOURNE !!"

I mean no one suspects for a moment that we all really do drive Landies etc., or that we ALL go skiing.. all that we all do this or that!! I think the point he might be that instead of denying that we have any of this etc.. no matter how 'stereotypical' in drivel it is..is to turn it around and throw it back as " Yeah Buddy..what of it !!"

To use a cricket analogy we're ( MFC ) going to change from backfoot to frontfoot..We're going on the attack. Its going to be very interesting where this attitutude might take us.

All the other things are true..but on-field success might not come for a while..being realistic. However much can be done whilst that develops.

Ive been rather scathngly critical of the club with its efforts so far to drive the 150 aspect.. Im very interested to see what Mac ( even as a paul come lately ) does here.

I think he's going to be rather different from what were used to...................t-f-f-t !!!!

We have an extremely low membership base compared to the "big" clubs in this state - it's well and truly time to build on that rather than use it as an excuse for doing nothing as we have often seen in the past.

Yeah you're right. All we need is a membership base the size of the bigger clubs. Piece of cake! Let's get cracking.

Alternatively, lets find ways of making our much smaller membership base a more profitable one, which is what I believe McNamee is getting at. As rosy as the notion of building our membership base sounds, I reckon 95% percent of kids these days are just brainwashed in to supporting the same team as their parents. The time for "recruiting" supporters was in the 70s. We missed the boat there. Time to try something else.

Rather than trying to expand our membership base, which I believe is going to be a completely fruitless task, we should be trying to increase revenue streams despite our small membership base. If McNamee is capable of doing that then I believe that long term our club will be much, much better off.

Golf is an incredibly lucrative business.

But golf in Australia has huge trouble getting sponsors. The Australian PGA Tour is shrinking to miniscule proportions compared to what it was a decade ago. It has reduced television coverage and ratings are down.

McNamee was responsible for the Australian Open, the national championship run by Golf Australia. After the debacle of the Moonah Links experiment, McNamee revived this event somewhat by centering it in Sydney for five years, maximising sponsorships and stabilising the costs. He introduced innovative ideas like the "pub hole" as a way of getting publicity and "sexing up" the event ... if that is possible with golf.

Unfortunately the current major sponsor, MFS, is in huge financial trouble and looks like selling off assets (like the Falls Creek and Mt Hotham ski resorts*) and dropping sponsorships to survive. Maybe now isn't a good time for McNamee to stay with the event.

* Hey, there's an idea ... perhaps the new owners of these resorts could sponsor Melbournefc with "bottom of the ladder" winter packages.

* Hey, there's an idea ... perhaps the new owners of these resorts could sponsor Melbournefc with "bottom of the ladder" winter packages.

aaahhh..lolo.... bugger off you...pmsl !!! hehehhe hey...havent got their number ???

To tell truth..Ive no real idea ( nor would we really ) what is going to transpire. But , as silly as this sounds, Im almost as interested in the club's direction as it s on field perormance this year.

All we've had for many years is the same ol same ol... The China thing is brave...needs a lot of time though..thats ok.. but much else needs to be done.. We all know this..We've all discussed ( argued..berated.. etce etc etc ) for some time. i think here's a bloke who might just do a few things.

Im excited bu the prospect..

now ....those numbers ??

But golf in Australia has huge trouble getting sponsors. The Australian PGA Tour is shrinking to miniscule proportions compared to what it was a decade ago. It has reduced television coverage and ratings are down.

You're right. Televised golf in Aus seems to be dying with the continued lack of local success. It needs another "Norman" far more than tennis needs other "Cash".

Thanks for the input.

Maybe we will sign sponsorship deals with Range Rover and Mt. Buller. How funny/good would that be!

Think that may be what he's thinking CB. Not a bad idea for attracting up-market sponsors. No other club fills this niche so there could be rich pickings. These companies are huge sponsors of sport, but not really AFL. The difficulty will be convincing them that they'll get value for money. Mac's golf and tennis connections will get his foot in the door at least

Golf is an incredibly lucrative business. The money involved is astronomical, especially in the USA. Why would McNamee be interested in being involved in an AFL team?

Are we offering a lot of cash? I'm not against it, but why would he go to such lengths to secure employment? Why would he leave after just 18 months in the job?

His job at Golf Australia was part-time, two days a week. The job is also not likely to be filled as it was constructed purely as a vehicle for him.

Yeah you're right. All we need is a membership base the size of the bigger clubs. Piece of cake! Let's get cracking.

Alternatively, lets find ways of making our much smaller membership base a more profitable one, which is what I believe McNamee is getting at. As rosy as the notion of building our membership base sounds, I reckon 95% percent of kids these days are just brainwashed in to supporting the same team as their parents. The time for "recruiting" supporters was in the 70s. We missed the boat there. Time to try something else.

Rather than trying to expand our membership base, which I believe is going to be a completely fruitless task, we should be trying to increase revenue streams despite our small membership base. If McNamee is capable of doing that then I believe that long term our club will be much, much better off.

The sort of attitude that ignores the need to expand your membership base will only see our small base dwindle and eventually die. That's not to say we shouldn't be seeking to increase revenue streams (far from it) but the fact is that you are more likely to attract more revenue with a stronger supporter base so in difficult economic times, the smaller, weaker clubs won't be able to compete.

Our own membership base has been gradually eroded after years of average performance both on and off the field and we have to ensure we can expand our supporter base and membership numbers through the way the club is presented.

You mightn't notice this in Tasmania but the way we're are regarded in the community suggests that we are on the nose with the public. That has to be turned around immediatley if we're going to survive, expand our support base, membership numbers and revenue streams.

from Herald SUn:

"McNamee said his focus lay off-field, "fighting for the corporate dollar", and that his mind was already ticking about the opportunities for the Demons in their 150th anniversary year.

He said the Demons had to boost their membership to 30,000, and forge stronger partnerships with the AFL, Melbourne Cricket Club and Melbourne city council. "

McNamee knows we need a broader base, bu the's not adverse obviously from makig use of what we already have..or are perceived to have !

The sort of attitude that ignores the need to expand your membership base will only see our small base dwindle and eventually die. That's not to say we shouldn't be seeking to increase revenue streams (far from it) but the fact is that you are more likely to attract more revenue with a stronger supporter base so in difficult economic times, the smaller, weaker clubs won't be able to compete.

I'm not suggesting that we don't expand our membership base Jack. I just think that if that's our only objective, or even our primary objective, then we're pushing shit uphill and we're screwed. (I recently heard this being described as a "salmon day" -- swimming upstream all day only to get screwed and die in the end).

Btw I may be "removed" from Melbourne but I've spent enough time on other forums to know how much the public looks down on our club. You don't have to be in Melbourne to recognise that.

I'm not suggesting that we don't expand our membership base Jack. I just think that if that's our only objective, or even our primary objective, then we're pushing shit uphill and we're screwed. (I recently heard this being described as a "salmon day" -- swimming upstream all day only to get screwed and die in the end).

Btw I may be "removed" from Melbourne but I've spent enough time on other forums to know how much the public looks down on our club. You don't have to be in Melbourne to recognise that.

Fair enough but I wasn't suggesting that either. Here's what I said in my post (my emphasis now added) -

"McNamee's designs on the CBD and the commercial opportunites that it presents are only one aspect to the notion of upsizing."

What I was saying was that we need to expand at all levels (including on the field).

I've actually found that people look at us as ineffective, soft (at times), inconsistent, flakey, but not with the loathing or hatred reserved for lots of other clubs. It would not take much to turn that around - look at geelong and the handbag phenomena of but a few years ago.

Yeah you're right. All we need is a membership base the size of the bigger clubs. Piece of cake! Let's get cracking.

Alternatively, lets find ways of making our much smaller membership base a more profitable one, which is what I believe McNamee is getting at. As rosy as the notion of building our membership base sounds, I reckon 95% percent of kids these days are just brainwashed in to supporting the same team as their parents. The time for "recruiting" supporters was in the 70s. We missed the boat there. Time to try something else.

Rather than trying to expand our membership base, which I believe is going to be a completely fruitless task, we should be trying to increase revenue streams despite our small membership base. If McNamee is capable of doing that then I believe that long term our club will be much, much better off.

Absolutely spot on with this view, you can have a low membership and a large sponsorship base, but when we become a successful side ( as I believe all the building blocks are now in place ) we will then enjoy both as more supporters will want to join and jump on the bandwagon.