News: Fans hand out a $25m war chest

[ManlyBacker]

<p>RUGBY League's working-class army of fans has dug deep to rescue ailing Sydney clubs from financial disaster.</p>


<a href="http://www.silvertails.net/news/4566-fans-hand-out-a-25m-war-chest.html">Read the full article</a>

 

[nita]

You're welcome, Manly.

We have always been a bit rubbish with our membership packages/numbers. We're never going to get decent numbers with the kind of packages we have at the moment.

 

[DailyTerrorgraphHater]

You're welcome, Manly.

We have always been a bit rubbish with our membership packages/numbers. We're never going to get decent numbers with the kind of packages we have at the moment.

Normally I'd agree with you Nita but actually your wrong. The Manly 6 game pass that I got was cheaper than the 5 game pass my Bunnies friend was looking at. And the free stuff (cap, stickers) is the same. The only difference is the quality of the bunnies cap is a bit better. Plus i'd rather watch games at brookie than at anz.

 

[DSM5]

I fork over my money, not for the cap or anything else, but so I don't have to line up for a match ticket and to give the club some money for the year.  It's not much, but if 10K thousand Manly fans did it, then I would feel more secure in the knowledge that we'd survive any future financial ructions, and future generations of DSMs could follow Manly.  Hasn't this topic been done to death on this site before?

 

[ManlyBacker]

Hasn't this topic been done to death on this site before?

It gets raised occasionally on here but the real bitchin' is usually done on another Manly site.
Future generations of DSMs? - oooh, I think I just had a weird feeling and Orford's future kids started twitching in the womb.

 

[Guest]

Where are all the Manly fans who packed out Homebush stadium for the 2008 grand final and why aren't they members? 

 

[The Wheel]

I recall this (membership) was given a good flogging in a presentation to the club about 5 0r 6 years ago by a couple of well known ST posters.  I think there are a a few reasons;

1/  A hell of a lot more promotion of membership at Brookie games and not just Grant Goldman reading a few lines from a sheet during half time.  It has to be a interactive, inventive presentation to engage the fans eg past greats getting on the field at half time pleading with the crowd to join up

2/ The confusing membership/ownership structure currently in place (this has been done to death)

3/  Other clubs tend to have a real cheap full season package but they can do this as they get incentives to play at SFS/ANZ etc

4/  Also our application form has to be simplified to a very basic form

5/ The concorse seats/beaches on the hill side of the ground need to become individual seating that had to be pre purchased/reserve,  Fans are not going to become members when they can turn up on game day and get a spot on the half way line.  Not sure if this is in the plans for the next phase of redevelopment but it should be.

 

[eagle-rock08]

I'd like to be a member but where is the value for me?

I live (exist) in the Newcastle area -been a Manly fan for over forty years.

I may get down to Brookie once a year if that.

So a multi-game pass is worthless to me.  When I can sit in front of the box turn off the sippid commentary and watch manly each week with abeer  in my hna

The club should put together and market a package for out of towners to intice membership.

If they do have an outer towner package I dont know about it and it hasn't therefore been marketed properly.

My thoughts a basic membership of around $25 - $50 get some fan gear and a 10% dicount on the games I attend.  With that I'dlook at being a member to help the club.  (Just a thought.)

 

[Fro]

doesnt this old chestnut deserve to die a dignified death.

People have all sorts of reasons for being/ not being members. and each is as vaild as all the others.

 

[Zep]

Manly should open sports bars around the place or do partnerships with existing pubs. Out of towners membership guarantees you entry plus a free drink or two every game day. Good for the pub, good for manly membership, good for supporter moral if you have 20-30 people meeting up for every game in a pub in NC or GC or Brisbane. Just my $0.02

 

[The Gronk]

I refuse to become a member until seat C23 in the Jane Try stand is painted orange. 

 

[Canteen Worker]

There are memberships for out of towners which have one match entry, ones which have six game flexi passes and as well as those that give seats or general entry for just six games a year. 

Each are basically what you would pay for the seats/entry anyway. The best part for me is that I am guaranteed first pick at semi-final tickets, Origin and test tickets etc before the general public.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

I'd like to be a member but where is the value for me?

I live (exist) in the Newcastle area -been a Manly fan for over forty years.

I may get down to Brookie once a year if that.

So a multi-game pass is worthless to me.  When I can sit in front of the box turn off the sippid commentary and watch manly each week with abeer  in my hna

The club should put together and market a package for out of towners to intice membership.

If they do have an outer towner package I dont know about it and it hasn't therefore been marketed properly.

My thoughts a basic membership of around $25 - $50 get some fan gear and a 10% dicount on the games I attend.  With that I'dlook at being a member to help the club.  (Just a thought.)

from mwse site:

"Maroon Membership
Do you love the Sea Eagles and want to show your support for the team but can't get to the game? Well Maroon Sea Eagles membership is for you. Perfect for fans who live interstate, or outside of Sydney, Maroon membership is the perfect supporter membership.

The Maroon Sea Eagles membership comes with the full range of membership benefits including access to pre-purchase periods for NSW State of Origin, International, Home Semi-Final, Semi Final and Grand Final tickets – PLUS FREE entry into the Sea Eagles first home game at Brookvale in 2010 7

All the benefits of Sea Eagles Membership
$69"


e_r08 that is only $19 more than you said you would pay. You could look at it as a donation but there are also some benefits attached as you can see.

Fans' attitudes about joining as members won't change overnight. AFL clubs are way ahead of us in this regard but when you look at them the benefits to the club are pretty significant, so it does seem the way of the future.

 

[eagle-rock08]

[quote author=eagle-rock08 link=topic=182472.msg252185#msg252185 date=1266537625]
I'd like to be a member but where is the value for me?

I live (exist) in the Newcastle area -been a Manly fan for over forty years.

I may get down to Brookie once a year if that.

So a multi-game pass is worthless to me.  When I can sit in front of the box turn off the sippid commentary and watch manly each week with abeer  in my hna

The club should put together and market a package for out of towners to intice membership.

If they do have an outer towner package I dont know about it and it hasn't therefore been marketed properly.

My thoughts a basic membership of around $25 - $50 get some fan gear and a 10% dicount on the games I attend.  With that I'dlook at being a member to help the club.  (Just a thought.)

from mwse site:

"Maroon Membership
Do you love the Sea Eagles and want to show your support for the team but can't get to the game? Well Maroon Sea Eagles membership is for you. Perfect for fans who live interstate, or outside of Sydney, Maroon membership is the perfect supporter membership.

The Maroon Sea Eagles membership comes with the full range of membership benefits including access to pre-purchase periods for NSW State of Origin, International, Home Semi-Final, Semi Final and Grand Final tickets – PLUS FREE entry into the Sea Eagles first home game at Brookvale in 2010 7

All the benefits of Sea Eagles Membership
$69"


e_r08 that is only $19 more than you said you would pay. You could look at it as a donation but there are also some benefits attached as you can see.

Fans' attitudes about joining as members won't change overnight. AFL clubs are way ahead of us in this regard but when you look at them the benefits to the club are pretty significant, so it does seem the way of the future.


[/quote]

Points out some things doesnt it, NOT WELL PUBLICISED - NOT WELL MARKETTED - DIDN'T KNOW IT EXISTED

Maybe this should be taken up by the Manly Marketing people.

 

[ManlyBacker]

How did you want it marketed ER08? It has been on the mwse web site (which if you visit this one I presume you go there) since October. The last few weeks at least the front page of their web site has been devoted to getting visitors to click on the available membership options. If you have put yourself on Mark Tramby's supporter tours then he has sent the options as a PDF attachment more than once. I don't know where you live but I am at a slight loss that if you were keen on taking up an out-of-town membership that you couldn't find it. If it is too expensive or doesn't meet your needs then I could understand.

 

[Guest]

I refuse to become a member until seat C23 in the Jane Try stand is painted orange. 

What about if we can organise you a date with snake?

 

[nita]

[quote author=nita link=topic=182472.msg252170#msg252170 date=1266528968]
You're welcome, Manly.

We have always been a bit rubbish with our membership packages/numbers. We're never going to get decent numbers with the kind of packages we have at the moment.

Normally I'd agree with you Nita but actually your wrong. The Manly 6 game pass that I got was cheaper than the 5 game pass my Bunnies friend was looking at. And the free stuff (cap, stickers) is the same. The only difference is the quality of the bunnies cap is a bit better. Plus i'd rather watch games at brookie than at anz.
[/quote]

The ticketed options we have are quite good value - I agree there. Its the non-ticketed memberships that there is a lot of opportunity for imo. They need to think about the ole' economies of scale a bit better.

I think that there's a good niche out there of "fairweathered" type supporters who may or may not go to games, still like to hear all the news on whats going on, special access to origin/GF tickets, be able to view interviews with players, maybe throw in a little discount on tickets if they do decide to come down to a game etc. - I know a lot of people (who aren't manly supporters though) that would fall into this category. I think out of town fans would be attracted to something like this too.

The kinda of features this type of supporter demands are one off costs for the club - You invest once in producing these comms/manly tv/feature articles.. and the cost per membership decreases as more people join.

Conversely, ticketed memberships with all of that "stuff" (lanyards, hats etc.) will cost pretty much the same per membership regardless whether we have 2500 or 5000 members.

I reckon if you push hard on the non-ticketed memberships rather than the pricey ticketed ones (which they wouldn't make as good of a margin on) you get a much bigger bang for your buck.

 

[Jethro]

I still think that they should have an option as to whether you want to have all of the extras (hats, lanyards etc.) to reduce your membership costs. They would even save money on postage as well. Me personally, as an interstate fan, I would like to see a low cost package that is basically a donation to the club without all of the extras and that only gives you membership recognition.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Hi everyone

Old chestnuts or not, it's been worth reading.

As MB has said if you are on my list you would have recieved the details of this not once, or twice but at least three times. I have also sent out the Football Club membership (seperate to the Sea Eagles membership) as many times.

If you are not on my list just send me an e-mail saying "add me to your Sea Eagles Data base", I only sent stuff out about the Sea Eagles / tours / membership etc etc so it's not just to add you to a data base that I can advertise everything else I do, so even if you don't visit www.mwse.com.au you'll still get the information.

That e-mail address again is [email protected]

I know that membership is not for everyone, and many will think that buying a Jersey from Rebel Sport  helps (and maybe it does by a very small amount) but in my opinion I am very proud to support the club and if a few of my hard earned dollars can save a debacle like the Northern Eagles again then it's money well spent.

Membership starts from $69.00 and whilst you don't get a lot of "return" from that you can say to yourself "I am doing my bit to keep the Sea Eagles brand alive", and if that makes you feel better then good o, it sure makes me feel better I know that for sure.

 

[Jatz Crackers]

[quote author=The Gronk link=topic=182472.msg252188#msg252188 date=1266538795]
I refuse to become a member until seat C23 in the Jane Try stand is painted orange.  

What about if we can organise you a date with snake?
[/quote]

With Nicci and Gronk so keen it suggests to me that Snake should go to the highest bidder. A new revenue stream.

Instead of a reverse auction the more appropriate name can be a perverse auction.