Mach5

The length people will go to, to stick their head in the sand is well beyond my comprehension.

Humour me - if this was incorrect, it would be maddening, would it not? How are we not taking up this opportunity to engage with thousands upon thousands of AFL playing kids at an age where they are known to switch allegiances to winning teams, where sponsors would pay for all the branding and merch just they can get their products under the kids noses at the same time?

Thank you - perfect example.

Investment in the future. Some detailed strategic planning. Investment in resources to implement said strategy. Tapping into the markets that are under our nose, but snobbery seems to stop us from doing anything with them.

There isn’t any fun in this. I’m just agitating towards getting people to ask the right questions, but I’m not sure I can give this the time it needs to coherently work towards that. And there’s reasons why I have to be careful what I say. If it’s not already obvious, I’m not really interested in my “reputation” on this board. The perception of personal vendettas aside, I don’t care who does it; I just want our club to capitalise on these opportunities like other strong clubs have done in the past. If Pert does it, I’ll lick his boots. But I want it done.

so the club should rely on the supporters to do this?

For those not clever enough to read between the lines, clearly I have information that I’m not willing to divulge, but it appears most will only find out after the fact. If you ever realise at all, I guess. Maybe I expected too much in the way of others knowing these details and being able to tease them out. It’s also clear that there aren’t many willing to play devil’s advocate or objectively ask questions. The general response is that this is an attack on the club & must be defended. Winning a flag papers over a myriad of sins.

Who said I’m unhappy? Obviously though, the answer to my question is - yes, we are doing enough for most. Time will tell on this thread.

Is in the act of doing so, and I’m calling for action to be taken.

Ok, but should we now be pouring resources into this area? Have we?

Do you guys not understand these numbers and where they come from? I’m talking about going forward from the flag and what the club as a whole is doing to sustain this.

This isn’t about focusing on Pert, or any one individual. I’m looking at the actions or inaction of the club as a whole. But PJ & Roos changed the culture. I believe that in footy, you generally reap what has been sewn 5 years prior. If you want to focus on Pert, I’m not exactly a fan, but I’ve been more critical of how he was appointed, which is actually a criticism of Bartlett.

It’s a matter of opinion, so I’m not sure what evidence you’d like provided. The afore-mentioned soiled bed? Garry parroting Pert’s opinion is also not evidence either way. Ok, how about this - despite being reigning premiers, we lag behind the majority of the league in terms of sponsorship revenue. The primary product we sell is footy and our footy has delivered the ultimate prize - a flag (and hopefully more to come) - so now is the time to maximise our return on sponsorship. Sponsors want to buy into the type of success we’ve just had and our commercial team need to pull their socks up, instead of sitting back & basking in the on-field success as if they’ve contributed to them. We’re an exciting young team & no longer a hard sell. I sincerely hope the commercial team are being made to work hard on their own patch for their bonuses. Longterm sponsorship deals should have been avoided so as not to harm our ability to maximise revenue in this period.

That was in reference to the bulldogs. Our return on merchandise from the flag has been very impressive, but at the same time it is not sustainable. My concern is utilising the opportunities to generate further longterm successes.

Not bad. But does my past criticism of Pert make any of my points invalid? He is a key figure, but he’s not the only decision-maker at the club.

I’m not interested in winning 1, then back to obscurity for 57 years. You don’t want a sustained period of success? I don’t understand the blind faith. Why are so many afraid to have a conversation?

Richmond have been able to do it - a presence at Punt Rd and also hit the Cardinia region hard, even spreading into our region where they shouldn’t. They have carpet bombed the area & converted. Have we decided that it’s too hard? I don’t think they will ever say it, but I think at the top levels the decision has been made that Casey is too hard & it’s now just tokenistic to maintain funding from the City of Casey.

It’s only an obsession for others. What facts or details are you after?

Agree on the opportunities presented to us. The dogs example is one the AFL use, not mine. They made minimal money on the flag & didn’t convert many additional members.

I can tell you right now it looks like we are sh*tting the bed behind the scenes. Now is when the work needs to be done.

I won’t derail the thread by focusing on one person that you have an obsession with. Stick to the topic.

I should also say - there are a myriad of issues here, but all fall under the same general umbrella. And producing a new line of cheap merch (that I’ll still buy) and supporter packages is not enough.

The cats tried to poach Daisy pre-AFLW and have not lost their desire over time. They have played a long game & I’d expect them to convert, although it’s a long drive from Bright to Geelong. Ergo: it might be a short stay.

I think the thread title says it all. Our on-field successes have presented opportunities that we must capitalise on. The Western Bulldogs from 2016 are held up to all AFL clubs as a textbook example of not converting the opportunities created by winning a flag. Are we following in their footsteps? Has our sponsorship remuneration come into line with a premiership winning club? My mail would indicate that we are not. Are we cementing our foothold in Casey? Living in the area, I just don’t see it. The club has put minimal resources into Casey & there appears to still be some contempt towards the place in spite of the playing group embracing it. What are we doing to convert young fans? Now is the time when kids will switch to follow the dees because kids follow winners. Are we making inroads at the junior levels? I’m sure there’ll be the usual suspects blindly supporting the administration. I’ll be interested to hear any considered and/or informed responses.

Ugh. Comes across very much like something dreamt up by a corporate type with no feeling for the club culture and it’s supporter base at all. Underwhelming to say the least.