Time to Appoint New Board

[red&blue&true 0]

The MCG is the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The management of the ground was deemed by Act of State Parliament to MCC as the trustee of the MCG.

Football was created as a winter pursuit for cricketers. Cricket pre dates football there. For 120 years MFC was a part of the MCC until MFC chose to cut the ties with MCC in the 1980s. MFC is a licensed entity of the AFL. MFC does not have any rights over any ground nor is it in a position to deliver without the AFL.

In answer to your question....No.

Times have changed, football sustains and builds that game more then cricket does.

The AFL may even be on our side to our claim of having a heritage type claim to the ground to get a leg in to more power there. There is no doubt football is a Victorian "culture" and Melbourne Football club was an integeral part to building this culture by the fact we were the first club, our first president actually was the one that wrote down the rules i beleive?

Anyway, like i said even as a marketing exercise to build awareness of our special relationship to football and our proud tradition it would be a good idea!

Employ the lawyers!!!

[deanox 8,642]

while i think r&b&t's post is a bit silly and extreme, i think there is some merit in talking to the mcc and seeing wat we can become again. the only problem is, i cant see what we offer the mcc.

[red&blue&true 0]

while i think r&b&t's post is a bit silly and extreme, i think there is some merit in talking to the mcc and seeing wat we can become again. the only problem is, i cant see what we offer the mcc.

yes its extreme, but why not??, if we go and talk to the MCC its like we are begging... we need to be bold and demand the whole kettle of fish, then maybe they might negotiate a reasonable deal

we have claims, 150 years the building of an entire Victorian (and Australian) tradition.

[red&blue&true 0]

Also since MFC president wrote down the rules of Australian rules.

We should also launch legal action claiming intellectual property rights to the game.

Attack the MCC and the AFL stuff them!

[The Emblem 1]

Who has annoited the MCC as all time trustees of the MCG anyway?!?!!??!!??!?!

Football has built and sustained that ground just as much as cricket has.

Melbourne football club is 150 years old, an iconic brand that was there at the creation of Australian rules Football, the lifeblood of Victoria, and has played at the MCG for 150 years..

Is it the state government that is above the MCC??? could we get anywhere with a submission for the MFC to be a co-trustee of the ground, and in fact for 6 months of the year between say Mar-Sep be in charge of the ground??

ITS OUR CLUBS BIRTHRIGHT.

Interesting angle RBT. Cricket's my favourite game by a long way but I will be the first to admit that its the footy public that makes the MCG turnstiles click.

The state government is above the MCC, it was Cain that basically legislated women into the MCC members, which has been a good thing [with the caveat that in the process many male judges, lawyers, doctors etc have lost their favourite venue in which to curse & bellow and basically let of steam - all this repression is very bad for them]. Whether or not the state government will rally to our cause specifically? I hope they will but wouldn't count on it [although the Tassie government would, then we would be the Van Diemens...not a scenario I'd like]. Co-trusteeship of the ground would have been a gun move, but we split years ago and there's little chance the other clubs would allow us to do it now.

The G is our spiritual home, but we are going to fight for our turf.

As for the Board, there is plenty of business nous there. They have made significant progress on reducing the debt, finding a new home etc. Blunders on treatment of past players [direct feedback re horror stories...I won't name them] seem to have been recognised and past players are starting to return to the fold. High staff turnover in the admin department is indicative of a morale problem that can sap the energy of even the most talented & devoted employees, misery stifles creativity & initiative. The board seems to have recognised the problem and addressed it by appointing Mac and I hope he can quickly lift morale so that the MFC admin staff will start getting great enjoyment out of being there.

So I don't think a huge board spill is necessary or particularly wise, but it might be time for Paul to go soon. He has done some very good things, but the club needs to not only reinvigourate itself, but be seen to reinvigourate itself.

[red&blue&true 0]

Interesting angle RBT. Cricket's my favourite game by a long way but I will be the first to admit that its the footy public that makes the MCG turnstiles click.

The state government is above the MCC, it was Cain that basically legislated women into the MCC members, which has been a good thing [with the caveat that in the process many male judges, lawyers, doctors etc have lost their favourite venue in which to curse & bellow and basically let of steam - all this repression is very bad for them]. Whether or not the state government will rally to our cause specifically? I hope they will but wouldn't count on it [although the Tassie government would, then we would be the Van Diemens...not a scenario I'd like]. Co-trusteeship of the ground would have been a gun move, but we split years ago and there's little chance the other clubs would allow us to do it now.

The G is our spiritual home, but we are going to fight for our turf.

As for the Board, there is plenty of business nous there. They have made significant progress on reducing the debt, finding a new home etc. Blunders on treatment of past players [direct feedback re horror stories...I won't name them] seem to have been recognised and past players are starting to return to the fold. High staff turnover in the admin department is indicative of a morale problem that can sap the energy of even the most talented & devoted employees, misery stifles creativity & initiative. The board seems to have recognised the problem and addressed it by appointing Mac and I hope he can quickly lift morale so that the MFC admin staff will start getting great enjoyment out of being there.

So I don't think a huge board spill is necessary or particularly wise, but it might be time for Paul to go soon. He has done some very good things, but the club needs to not only reinvigourate itself, but be seen to reinvigourate itself.

How often do we see buildings or parks or heaps of other things get government preference because of the heritage and the way they are icons of Victorian history.

We need to get it out there that the MFC is one of those things. And it should be given a permanent position of power in either the football world, or at the stadium that it has played at for 150 years.... seriously once you get to 150 years when you consider how short our countrys history is.. surely you'd have some real claims.

It would be an absoloute injustice, as the first club and also as the club that brought football to the MCG if we ended up relocated.

Not just an injustice to MFC supporters - but Victorian history & Australian history.

[Demon Disciple 11,020]

I agree that there needs to be some new blood introduced to the board and even a new president. The only problem is that there aren't too many people lining up for these positions.

I reckon PG has been looking to step down, there just hasn't been anyone suitable to replace him.

[The Emblem 1]

How often do we see buildings or parks or heaps of other things get government preference because of the heritage and the way they are icons of Victorian history.

We need to get it out there that the MFC is one of those things. And it should be given a permanent position of power in either the football world, or at the stadium that it has played at for 150 years.... seriously once you get to 150 years when you consider how short our countrys history is.. surely you'd have some real claims.

It would be an absoloute injustice, as the first club and also as the club that brought football to the MCG if we ended up relocated.

Not just an injustice to MFC supporters - but Victorian history & Australian history.

Cool idea if we can pull it off...who does Brumby barrack for? [i have a nasty feeling it might be the filth]

[red&blue&true 0]

Cool idea if we can pull it off...who does Brumby barrack for? [i have a nasty feeling it might be the filth]

like i posted above even as a marketing GIMMICK. its foolproof. it promotes our history.. it flexes our muscle, it shows pride in our tradition and it would inspire the club.

same with legal action on IP rights to Aussie rules... we may not get anywhere but hell we'd get a few news cycles and more free press about our history and proud tradition then we could possibly afford!

Get on it!!

Employ the lawyers!! Put a submission into Parliment. Grandstand to the media.

[Rogue 585]

Collingwood have realised that they need to diversify their income stream and went about buying up pubs, clubs and hotels.

We also need to think outside the square and not rely solely on football related income.

Get a business minded board who can secure us financially.

How do we do that when we're looking at a 500,000 loss?

[45HG 1,539]

Love the enthusiasm guys, and i know my heart agrees with you, but...

Not a chance in hell, pardon the pun. By the way, we'd need to "appoint" a new board, we could not "re-appoint" a new one

[Redleg 37,693]

Melbourne's situation is different to any other clubs.

The AFL will never let the 'Melbourne' team relocate or move.

You can not have an AFL competition without a team representing the capital city where the game was founded.

Don't bet on it. This organization ( the AFL ) is not about history, tradition or sentimentality, it is about MONEY. It is all about MONEY.

Every year a team is under threat and it appears to be us at the moment. Meanwhile North is deflecting knowing that their very existence depends on it. Before the Price Fixer ( as Patrick Smith refers to him ) took over, it was Carlton and before them Hawthorn and before them Collingwood ( pre Eddie ).

We will have to hang tough, find ways to increase Membership ( firstly by performing better on the field ) increase the financial stream especially through non-football avenues and lastly and importantly tell the AFL to "get stuffed", that we are the oldest club in the AFL and part of the reason why Demetriou gets $1.5 Million a year and we aren't going anywhere. End of story.

[Damo 2,997]

Its not the MCC you should be having a hissy fit at, it is the St Kilda Cricket Club.

These fat wankers who hardly use the Junction Oval and have stopped us from using it over summer are much more in my sights.

How many members do they have who come and watch them play cricket? how many are family of those cricketers playing?

I never see all the carparks taken up by their games yet they have kept us homeless.

I would love to stay at the Junction but we have been usurped by St Kilda Cricket Club at every turn.

[red&blue&true 0]

Its not the MCC you should be having a hissy fit at, it is the St Kilda Cricket Club.

These fat wankers who hardly use the Junction Oval and have stopped us from using it over summer are much more in my sights.

How many members do they have who come and watch them play cricket? how many are family of those cricketers playing?

I never see all the carparks taken up by their games yet they have kept us homeless.

I would love to stay at the Junction but we have been usurped by St Kilda Cricket Club at every turn.

Screw the junction.

TAKE BACK THE MCG!

The MCC need to be put in their box, they represent a summer sport with declining interest. The MFC represent a winter sport that built and sustains Victoria.

We are 150 years old and were the founding club from which all other football clubs formed, as the sport whos origins we were involved in developed into a phenomenom that has and continues to sweep the country.

the MCG is the MFC's home. and it deserves to be recognised by an ACT of parliment.

[sideshowbob 0]

I'm sorry, I just can't take this thread seriously.

Perhaps we "annoited" the wrong President. This "phenomenom" is rare I am sure. Maybe "parliment" should act quickly and "re-appoint" someone to fix it up! Anything less would be an "absoloute" injustice.

[deanox 8,642]

How do we do that when we're looking at a 500,000 loss?

best point so far in this thread.

we have a debt of what 1, 2, 3 million? as we slowly make small profits every year that debt is reduced. there is no interest repayments on the debt meaning more cash going around. once we get to the point where we can say 'hey we made a profit of 1 million this year and we have no debt' then we can start making investments.

i know it is not up to the afl to bail us out, or up to any individual BUT if we could just simply wipe that slate clean and make a small profit for a couple of years, we could quite comfortably start buying hotels pubs etc to make more of a profit.

when we have had that opportunity we got stuck ie the faulkner club where we didnt get the pokies we were hoping for.

we need to be back in black before we can make these investments, and i wish i knew how to get us there.

[beelzebub 22,225]

There have been for some time various issues that confound me regarding this club.

An unhealthy pre-occupaton with membership. This needs to be qualified.It will only be after a number of years of on field success and development of new pastures re ground roots following that we can ever hope to have decent membership numbers. To rely on this in any interim as a panacea for our ills is only to postpose the inevitable.

Alternative streams are the only plausible avenue. Getting that happening will take vision and acumen. Little by little this has to be pursued.

Some sort of healing within the corridors of the club and its older brigade and as a result too much high level networking has gone awry. Time to fix it.

At the risk of being stone or burnt the headline " Meaningless Melbourne" unfortunately rings true. Im sorry folks this whole namby pamby MELBOURNEfc thing is just a designers w@nk. Its got the balls of a mouse and impact of a grain of sand in your socks.., irritating but overcomable. What does it mean. Might as well be some leather goods label. We have a sesquicentenial and we have pissy little logos'150; you need glasses to read standing in front of !! ffs. We have a club celebration and we let the BORG assimilate it as their own.

Its been pointed out time and time again on here and in media that we have no Brand....and we dont. We used to be the DEMONS...used to be There is much that Gardner has done well and I certainly dont envy his shoes. But he does wear them. He's supposedly a guru re marketing etc.. but if our club is an example of it Im totally agog as to how he makes his money.

The board has many talents and much experience amongst it..and Id agree that probably pound as people they are as good as any other lot of people but as a board they have no distinct pattern or course about them. Directors are being replaced etc with almost impunity. If this was any other marketplace other than footy this mob called Melbourne would have been swallowed , assett stripped and spat out ages ago. The greatest value this club has are its name and longevity.... and we hide behind one and give lip servie to the latter. The board either needs to get a wiggle on or leave their seats for others to fill. Youd think it was the Melbourne CLub....Not the Melbourne FOOTBALL Club. Ive seen more pasion and fire come out of the local Bowls cub than I have from the Mfc.

Every so often a company makes a boo boo. Coke did with a number of its variants. So it quickly regroups and refocuses, repackages and rebuilds and it fiecely fights for what it considers to be theirs. No Brand or Sponsor is likely to get to widely excited about putting its sticker on a product that doesnt inspire people. The currentboard doesnt seem to inspire.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Bub,

Good point on diversification.

The need to achieve a multitude of income streams beyond membership is critical. Growing member numbers are good but that alone wont save your bacon.

North Melb bump in member numbers does not change a thing for the long term sustainability. They are still on a knife's edge like we are.

[bandicoot 1,395]

Someone needs to be accountable for the state the club is in....

The boards performance has been unacceptable...

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

Melbourne's situation is different to any other clubs.

The AFL will never let the 'Melbourne' team relocate or move.

You can not have an AFL competition without a team representing the capital city where the game was founded.

It's logic like this that makes me fear for MFC...

Ever heard of London Football Club?

The logic that there must always be a Melbourne is garbage. Most supporters of other clubs are sticking their boots in to the Roos, Demons and Dogs. They want those teams moved or gone so that they can have a bigger piece of the pie, and so that they won't fear for themselves in the low years that inevitably come every so often.

I think the malaise shown by us as a group of supporters has this thinking at least partly to blame...

[red&blue&true 0]

anyone listenin to AW? they mentioned some rich guy that might be makin a run at the presidency.. forgot his name!

Also Bailey was on, was a good interview, he hedged on the questions re Robbo on it Takes Two, and will Neita play out the season though

Caro is about to jump on and sink the boot in - hopefully they remention that name!

[red&blue&true 0]

anyone listenin to AW? they mentioned some rich guy that might be makin a run at the presidency.. forgot his name!

Also Bailey was on, was a good interview, he hedged on the questions re Robbo on it Takes Two, and will Neita play out the season though

Caro is about to jump on and sink the boot in - hopefully they remention that name!

Don Argus

[Seinfeld 40]

Don Argus is very powerful man.....Chairman of BHP anong other things....He could save the club for sure.....

[Goodvibes 3,596]

It's logic like this that makes me fear for MFC...

Ever heard of London Football Club?

The logic that there must always be a Melbourne is garbage. Most supporters of other clubs are sticking their boots in to the Roos, Demons and Dogs. They want those teams moved or gone so that they can have a bigger piece of the pie, and so that they won't fear for themselves in the low years that inevitably come every so often.

I think the malaise shown by us as a group of supporters has this thinking at least partly to blame...

Great point in regards the London Football Club.

I think the use of the word malaise is a little unfair when labelling the supporters of this club. Given the number of 'supporters' we have, the number converted into 'members' is quite impressive. Let's stop stabbing each other in the back and look at the way forward. With the lack of success we've had over the past 44 years, I'm amazed sometimes that we're still going. Consider the lack of facilites and separated training, admin and social structures and it's a bloody miracle we've been competitive for so many of the last 20 years.

If we are to survive and then (as ND loved saying) thrive, unity is the key. From my perspective this club is 2 years ahead of the criticism. The plans for new Admin and training facilities is genuinely exciting. Add the fresh approach of a determined new coach, the energy of Chris Connolly and the profile of Paul McNamee and I'm convinced we're well placed to grow and again be competitive on and off the field within the next 2 seasons.

What we need to do is place a little faith in the decisions of the past 24 months and jump on board and support our team. There's a reason why some clubs are more successful than others. We throw around the word 'culture' for good reason. Culture is the key. A stable culture that promotes a strong work ethic and the avoidance of short cuts is critical. Culture is restricted to players or coaches, it applies to supporters as well! Calling for the board to be thrown out could very well signal the end. Gardner and his board have started on a journey and have every right to see many of their goals and objectives realized over the next 12 - 24 months.

The passion of every contributor to this forum cannot be questioned and the current spate of negativity is understandable but not productive. Don't meekly accept every generalized, reclycled, cliched piece of crap to be offered up by a growing band of negativity-hunting footy journos. And don't be fooled by the predictable public lashing handed out by an agenda-driven AFL.

When things are bad (in football and life) I've always been buoyed by the sentiment expressed by many of the wiser posters on this forum. It's often been said that when things are good, they're never quite as good as they seem and equally, when things are bad, they're quite as dire as they seem. The worm will turn and the reward, as always, will be all the more sweeter, if you've stuck by the team and the club when they needed you most. If easy success is what you're after, move to England and go and support Chelsea or tour with the Australian cricket team when they next head to Zimbabwe or Bangladesh.

Kipling was onto something when he wrote his popular poem 'If'. Maybe a few of the hissy fit throwing posters on Demonland and Demonology could follow his advice and maybe one day they will become men. Put simply, whinging is for petulant children. Let's become a band of supporters know for their intestinal fortune and moral fibre. Let's become doers. Let's become part of the solution and stop contibuting to the negativity that may well kill the club we claim to love.

[gOLLy 401]

Long time no see GV

Great Post!