Football Club response to Sea Eagles request for less than 10 games at Brookie

[Chip and Chase]

That article seemed to me to be about:

The Sea Eagles want council to decrease the ground hire fee. Discussions between the two parties are expected to continue within the next two to three weeks.

So why didn't the MWSE inform their membership that they were requesting the Football Club allow them to move an unspecified number of games away from Brookvale and change the constitution to weaken the preference share ?? If they have a plan why not communicate it to the members to gauge their response ?? If they have a workable solution then lets see it, but just saying "hey how about you let us play games wherever we want" does tend to raise suspicion about their motives. Well it does with me.

 

[manlyfan76]

Going to be hard to sell memberships when we are not playing at Brookvale.

And while we have been growing our memberships and having the sort of onfield success most of the other clubs dream of many clubs are going backwards in attendences, members and financially. Clubs like the titans, canberra, newcastle, and parra have all gone to sh it in the past 8 years. So while we are not leading the nrl in memberships, and crowd numbers we have the most members we have ever had, 10 years of dominance on the field, and owners who are not going broke like tinkler ( even though they are so far removed from the fan base) the club has actually done really well in the last ten years. It does feel however that the owners are losing the fans ( customers) but the millions the nrl are going to pay them seems to mean that the fans dont matter.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

One of the most important things you can do to have your say (if you are not already) is to become a member of the Football Club. It doesn't cost much and after a three years you do get to vote on who represents us on the board and in turn where we play, what colours we wear. I joined after Northern Eagles debacle as I never wanted to ever feel again powerless and that I didn't have any say in what happened to the Sea Eagles.

Like 150%

Cannot understand why there's only 900 members !!

I've been a member since 2005

 

[Loobs]

So why didn't the MWSE inform their membership that they were requesting the Football Club allow them to move an unspecified number of games away from Brookvale and change the constitution to weaken the preference share ?? If they have a plan why not communicate it to the members to gauge their response ?? If they have a workable solution then lets see it, but just saying "hey how about you let us play games wherever we want" does tend to raise suspicion about their motives. Well it does with me.

I don't agree with giving them carte blanche as far as moving games go. I've said a few times what I'd be happy with as far as a workable solution till the ground issues are sorted out once and for all.

I also think the airing of this kind of stuff doesn't help. If the conversation is going to be open it needs to happen in the offseason (although perhaps they were trying to finalise membership packs or at least get a jump on it for 2016 because they also sent out the tyre kicking email to members today - giving benefit of the doubt there)

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

This is what I think. The Penns brought the leagues club and at the time they said they wanted to build a place for us all to go to and they would put money into making it the hart of manly.. Move forward and they do nothing, sit on it and sell to the highest bidder for over 3 times what they paid for it. NEXT ..
The sea eagles then get the rules to play games away removed. That then puts millions more worth to the franchise. Then some one from Perth or qld offers big profits for it and they will be off with the cash again ,like they did at the leagues club and we will be playing out of god knows where..
Its all about the money guys . Dont you see it.

Not all of us are blind mate!!

 

[mjb136]

Like 150%

Cannot understand why there's only 900 members !!

I've been a member since 2005

Mate is the 900 count for voting Members or members in entirety?

 

[Loobs]

Not all of us are blind mate!!

You couldn't make that leagues club space the heart of the area because it's a hideous industrial area. On the NORTHERN BEACHES. The beaches are the heart. The fact they got what they did - take it!

People around here have much better things to do then sit in a leaguesy pumping dole cheques down the pokies. Why would you pour good money into something that isn't wanted and would lose out to DY riss anyway?

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Why is it that one side of the board continues to communicate with its members and the other side doesn't?

I've been a MWSE and Football Club member for 10 years now, and in recent times I have had a lot of contact from the FC and almost Zero ( unless they want to sell me something) from MWSE.

Wouldn't take much for Mr Fluffy to draft up a letter detailing his views and send it out to the members would it??

I'm not Northern Beaches based so it's unfair of me to comment too much above moving games away but from a purely financial viewpoint I can see where they are coming from, so how about it Mr Fluffy, apart from letting Dean Ritchie ( your PR Manager) inform us members as to why, how many and how it might affect the ticketed membership, stop the media barrage and maybe you come direct to us, not that we are important or anything!

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Mate is the 900 count for voting Members or members in entirety?

@vidmar would be able to give you the exact numbers but my understanding is it's about 900 members all up, and a number of those wouldn't yet have voting rights.

I may be wrong though on the total number .

 

[voicefromthehill]

Why is it that one side of the board continues to communicate with its members and the other side doesn't?

I've been a MWSE and Football Club member for 10 years now, and in recent times I have had a lot of contact from the FC and almost Zero ( unless they want to sell me something) from MWSE.

Wouldn't take much for Mr Fluffy to draft up a letter detailing his views and send it out to the members would it??

I'm not Northern Beaches based so it's unfair of me to comment too much above moving games away but from a purely financial viewpoint I can see where they are coming from, so how about it Mr Fluffy, apart from letting Dean Ritchie ( your PR Manager) inform us members as to why, how many and how it might affect the ticketed membership, stop the media barrage and maybe you come direct to us, not that we are important or anything!

Forgive my relative ignorance - but are you calling out our member "fluffy" as a representative of Penns or is the same moniker a reference to his (Penns) horrific beard

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Forgive my relative ignorance - but are you calling out our member "fluffy" as a representative of Penns or is the same moniker a reference to his (Penns) horrific beard

My good friend @Terry Zarsoff has named our owner ( yes due to the beard) " Mr Fluffy", and Peter Peters has become ZtH, Zorba the Hutt.

I love the names so much I can't help but use them all the time now .

 

[Rex]

I take the Penn-promoted newspaper reports of Manly profits at different grounds with a grain of salt. They are simply not credible. A good accountant can manipulate figures to tell any story you want them to tell. And it seems the Penns are doing this manipulation.

The FC has stated a very telling fact - that Warringah Council DO NOT charge a cost per game. They charge a cost per year. So taking games away from Brookie does NOT reduce Warringah Council ground hire charges. And so, for example, it is an accounting lie to claim there were zero ground costs for the Albury game. We still needed to pay Warringah Council! The whole basis of the claim of profitability of that game is therefore an accounting lie.

Similarly, it seems to me that yearly memberships may be excluded from gate takings for Brookie home games? If so, that is a lie too.

Taking more games away from Brookie doesn't reduce our Warringah Council hire fees one cent. The only way it would is if we take EVERY SINGLE game away from Brookie oval and pay Warringah Council nothing. And then we presumably would end up with significant ground fees from another venue.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Very interesting, I follow the MWSE Facebook page and they have just released the 2016 memberships.

There's about 50 comments so far NOT ONE is renewing!!

It's only been up about 2 hours , you should see some of the comments!

 

[Shoe1]

I take the Penn-promoted newspaper reports of Manly profits at different grounds with a grain of salt. They are simply not credible. A good accountant can manipulate figures to tell any story you want them to tell. And it seems the Penns are doing this manipulation.

The FC has stated a very telling fact - that Warringah Council DO NOT charge a cost per game. They charge a cost per year. So taking games away from Brookie does NOT reduce Warringah Council ground hire charges. And so, for example, it is an accounting lie to claim there were zero ground costs for the Albury game. We still needed to pay Warringah Council! The whole basis of the claim of profitability of that game is therefore an accounting lie.

Similarly, it seems to me that yearly memberships may be excluded from gate takings for Brookie home games? If so, that is a lie too.

Taking more games away from Brookie doesn't reduce our Warringah Council hire fees one cent. The only way it would is if we take EVERY SINGLE game away from Brookie oval and pay Warringah Council nothing. And then we presumably would end up with significant ground fees from another venue.

I think the footy club and the penns should be united in going to the council and getting a refund for the number of Nsw cup and Holden cup games that have had to be moved due to the state of the pitch.

 

[joeboy]

In like the vote with your feet principle. But it's only going to weaken the club and give more ammo to those who thrive on it to drive an agenda or need it to validate the machinations of the club.

I'm really torn on this, but I agree, some contact direct to fans from the owners would go along way to quelling the waters of unrest amongst the supporters.

It's hard to believe they are this lackadaisical at the most obvious and fundamental business practices.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

In like the vote with your feet principle. But it's only going to weaken the club and give more ammo to those who thrive on it to drive an agenda or need it to validate the machinations of the club.

I'm really torn on this, but I agree, some contact direct to fans from the owners would go along way to quelling the waters of unrest amongst the supporters.

It's hard to believe they are this lackadaisical at the most obvious and fundamental business practices.

Even customers deserve to know what's happening!

I get almost daily updates from being a shareholder in Australia's biggest companies.

Keeping in contact with your members / shareholders / fans isn't hard in the modern day.

Twitter/Facebook/Email , even an old fart like me can use those mediums!!

 

[ManlyMit]

One of the most important things you can do to have your say (if you are not already) is to become a member of the Football Club. It doesn't cost much and after a three years you do get to vote on who represents us on the board and in turn where we play, what colours we wear. I joined after Northern Eagles debacle as I never wanted to ever feel again powerless and that I didn't have any say in what happened to the Sea Eagles.

I signed up as a member of the football club a few years back but after one year never renewed it. But I have re-signed this year, I agree that it one of the most important things to do as a supporter of this great club which I think need us now more than ever!

 

[Essex Eagle]

I don't really agree with this. I think 8 games at Brooky is enough. 2 Gosford, one at Homebush on a big weekend and one bush (Monday nighter).

Financially it clearly doesn't make sense and with more live games on telly they will lose even more money being forced to use it. These guys blocking also gives the council the upper hand in negotiations so why they released this while the negotitations are still going is beyond me.

.

Loobs, sorry but I simply don't understand the logic /premise of your argument . I'd really appreciate if you could expand /clarify how you reached the points that you have made:

1. Regarding the points about 8 games being 'enough' at Brookie. I suppose that really depends on whether you a) believe that playing at Brookie is an advantage to us as a club in games. I believe that it does, and b) whether you subscribe to the fact that as a supporter we should be able to be engaged and actively support our chosen team should we so choose (which includes being able to attend their home games within the area that they represent), as opposed to being a passive armchair supporter

2. If moving the games is about money, why take games to the bush, or even for that matter Homebush? With a crowd of sub 7,000 watching our game in Albury earlier in the season, (and consistently lower attendances at ANZ than Brookie) it wouldn't take too many more of those types of attendances before the NRL changed funding /subsiding teams for those games; finally

3. How on earth does the movement of games away from Brookie assist within the negotiations with the council. In what way does being at Brookie leverage the council over the club

 

[Loobs]

Loobs, sorry but I simply don't understand the logic /premise of your argument . I'd really appreciate if you could expand /clarify how you reached the points that you have made:

1. Regarding the points about 8 games being 'enough' at Brookie. I suppose that really depends on whether you a) believe that playing at Brookie is an advantage to us as a club in games. I believe that it does, and b) whether you subscribe to the fact that as a supporter we should be able to be engaged and actively support our chosen team should we so choose (which includes being able to attend their home games within the area that they represent), as opposed to being a passive armchair supporter

2. If moving the games is about money, why take games to the bush, or even for that matter Homebush? With a crowd of sub 7,000 watching our game in Albury earlier in the season, (and consistently lower attendances at ANZ than Brookie) it wouldn't take too many more of those types of attendances before the NRL changed funding /subsiding teams for those games; finally

3. How on earth does the movement of games away from Brookie assist within the negotiations with the council. In what way does being at Brookie leverage the council over the club

1 & 2 have been covered a lot with the how games at different venues are funded.

3. The Council own the ground so unless you take games away, what leverage do you have with them to cut their fee? Unless you are actually willing to move them it's just an empty threat that they can see through.

Don't get me wrong - I'd like all 12 games at Brookie if the model for doing so worked but it doesn't and with more live games on TV will continue to get worse. We want the owners of the club to operate something that isn't a massive drain on finances so that this part of the club becomes a non factor and they can focus on football. But with us the finances are always hanging over our heads.

 

[lovefooty]

1 & 2 have been covered a lot with the how games at different venues are funded.

3. The Council own the ground so unless you take games away, what leverage do you have with them to cut their fee? Unless you are actually willing to move them it's just an empty threat that they can see through.

Don't get me wrong - I'd like all 12 games at Brookie if the model for doing so worked but it doesn't and with more live games on TV will continue to get worse. We want the owners of the club to operate something that isn't a massive drain on finances so that this part of the club becomes a non factor and they can focus on football. But with us the finances are always hanging over our heads.

My goodness.
They run the club all year into the ground by sacking staff and the coach causing big payouts.
They put off people going to the game and lowered morale among the fan bass.
They piss sponsors off so they all want to pull there money.
They stuff the halves contracts and then back flip and have to make a massive offer for cheery when they could of had him cheaper.
They then tell 14 players to get lost for next year including Balin who they just signed.
They then look at the balance sheet and say ,oh dear what do we do to clean up our mess .
Ah lets take something that's worth lots but not ours to cover losses. Games away from brookie that's owned by the football club members.
I say you made the mess Penn so you wright the cheque to cover it.