8,003 Members for GWS / 6,424 Members for Titans

[Beaussie]

Just like all the pet memberships the vfl sell

VFL pet memberships. Can you point us in the right direction to were these so called memberships for the VFL are on sale.

More BS from RL fans. Surprise, surprise.

[Raiderdave]

Just like all the pet memberships the vfl sell

VFL pet memberships. Can you point us in the right direction to were these so called memberships for the VFL are on sale.

More BS from RL fans. Surprise, surprise.

The truth about cats and dogs
DAN SILKSTONE
May 15, 2010

AFL memberships are booming and the AFL could not be more delighted. Nor could Frank and Rocky Derango, both of Kew and both signed-up Brisbane Lions members for 2010.

But behind the dazzling numbers, it can be hard to figure out what is really going on: the truth, if you like, about cats and dogs and AFL club memberships.

Two-year-old pug Rocky is a Lions member, a privilege for which owner Frank - himself a member for more than a decade - paid $40. ''He sits and watches the games with me, he is as passionate as they come,'' says Frank, 33.

But while Rocky is included in the figure of 27,981 members supplied to The Age by Brisbane - and most likely the figure pitched to potential club sponsors - he is not counted by the AFL.

Others are. The traditional 11-game membership is now merely an option **** a suite of choices. As clubs such as Hawthorn and Collingwood post membership figures of more than 50,000 - undreamed of until fairly recently - at least part of that growth can be ascribed to the rise of minor memberships, such as three and four-game packages.

Asked how many members they have, many clubs offered different sets of figures.

Collingwood said it had 55,519 ''match-day members'', a figure that includes thousands of three-match memberships.

The AFL now includes memberships of three-games or more in its official statistics. These are the ones Andrew Demetriou was talking about recently when he announced record club membership across the league.

Most clubs now keep two sets of figures - matchday memberships and non-matchday. Those that officially count and those that do not.

At the time of asking, Essendon had 39,310 members. Of those, fewer than half - just over 14,000 - were the 11-home-game packages that once constituted the bulk of club memberships. **** the remainder are five-game members, seven-game members and 10-game members. The Bombers also had 9643 ''non-matchday members''. These are membership types that do not officially count and yet are counted for bragging purposes.

The Swans membership of 31,866 includes fewer than 20,000 of the old-fashioned member types with more than 7000 Sydney fans having three-game memberships. North Melbourne have only about 8000 11-game members.

Geelong also added three-game memberships this year and more than 1000 Cats fans have taken them up. In addition, the Cats offer Melbourne four-game and country five-game memberships, which count towards their overall tally.

Within football there are whispers about some clubs offering memberships to sponsors in contra deals that beef up membership figures artificially. Collingwood is the example given most frequently, with representatives of three clubs suggesting the Magpies had given away significant numbers of three-game memberships to Westpac staff as part of a new naming rights sponsorship for their Swan Street training base.

''It's pretty shameless the way they've done it,'' one club official said. ''I'd be surprised if they are the only ones but the scale of it is impressive.'' A top man from another club agreed: "It's not unusual. A lot of clubs are doing it and the benefits are obvious," he said. ''We don't run around like some clubs handing out a thousand memberships to sponsors here and there."

Collingwood admitted to The Age that memberships were included in the Westpac deal but would not say how many.

''We won't divulge confidential agreements with sponsors other than to say that Collingwood has always included memberships in its sponsorship and corporate packages,'' a spokesman said. The club emphatically denied that memberships were ''given away'' but admitted that some were part of contra deals.

Asked how many members it currently had, St Kilda volunteered a figure of 38,538 at the time of asking, late last month. It sounds impressive, and potential sponsors may well be persuaded to get on board a growing club.

Would they be told, however, that this figure includes 1242 single-game memberships? That's right. The one-game membership ($55) has arrived. Officially, those people don't count towards the AFL's statistics but the 1140 St Kilda three-game members do.

All this change is partly about - as they say on TV's The Wire - ''juking the stats'', but it's also about offering enough options and sufficient flexibility to capture the maximum number of people.

At the Brisbane Lions, there are 16 different kinds of membership including pet membership and baby membership. The Lions, along with Collingwood, were pioneers of the three-game package but almost all clubs either offer them now or are preparing to. Hawthorn, with its four-game Tasmanian membership (of which there are 10,000 this year) was another leader.

Collingwood has also been able to boost membership by converting between 7000 and 8000 fans who were registered on a database for matchday tickets into three-game members, one source said. ''That was a clever move that instantly lifted their membership,'' the source at a rival club said.

Essendon will launch its inaugural three-game membership later this month. Port Adelaide, Richmond and others are following suit. "It gives you a second wave of your membership drive," Bombers CEO Ian Robson said. "At this point now, sales of the traditional 11-game membership would be petering out.We have packaged together three home games late in the season and now we get a second membership drive. We are looking to capture those supporters who - for one reason or another - have not signed up.''

The newer membership-lite options also reduce the "churn rate" of those who fail to renew. And they give club databases the details of supporters who can be targeted in future for upgrading to full memberships. The AFL says its research shows the explosion in small-scale memberships is attracting new fans rather than cannibalising 11-game members.

"The clubs are happy because it is a PR boost and it improves the pitch you are making to sponsors," said one club executive. "The league is happy too because it makes things look all that bit healthier."


Some ridiculous things in the article (like signing up your dog) but the NRL should be taking note of this. Plenty of people on here were critical of St George for offering 3 game memberships but this sort of approach gets people to the games and part of the club and looks great for sponsors.


Pets & babies in prams at home

VFL memberships ... fudgey fudgey

[NSWAFL]

You were asked about VFL memberships, Dave! That article is about AFL memberships!

[Beaussie]

Are you saying rl clubs don't offer pet or baby memberships Raider?

[NSWAFL]

If they don't that's discrimination! :p

[Raiderdave]

Are you saying rl clubs don't offer pet or baby memberships Raider?

they do not

click on any of our clubs websites & see for yourself

VFL.... Fudgey Fudgey

[Raiderdave]

You were asked about VFL memberships, Dave! That article is about AFL memberships!

errrrr
whats the AFL ?

[Beaussie]

Are you saying rl clubs don't offer pet or baby memberships Raider?

they do not

click on any of our clubs websites & see for yourself

What is it with you RL supporters and BS.

BS file again please Xman.

SEA EAGLE PET MEMBERSHIP

Now everyone in the family can be a member. Sign up your cat or dog today!

Membership Benefits
- Sea Eagles pet membership certificate
- Over $50 worth of KraMar dog and cat merchandise

Pet Membership price
PET MEMBERSHIP $35

You will receive a further discount for purchasing online

SIGN UP NOW TO BE PART OF THE TEAM BEHIND THE TEAM

http://www.seaeagles.com.au/default.asp ... y&id=30092

[Raiderdave]

Are you saying rl clubs don't offer pet or baby memberships Raider?

they do not

click on any of our clubs websites & see for yourself

What is it with you RL supporters and BS.

BS file again please Xman.

SEA EAGLE PET MEMBERSHIP

Now everyone in the family can be a member. Sign up your cat or dog today!

Membership Benefits
- Sea Eagles pet membership certificate
- Over $50 worth of KraMar dog and cat merchandise

Pet Membership price
PET MEMBERSHIP $35

You will receive a further discount for purchasing online

SIGN UP NOW TO BE PART OF THE TEAM BEHIND THE TEAM

http://www.seaeagles.com.au/default.asp ... y&id=30092

VFL pet memberships. Can you point us in the right direction to were these so called memberships for the VFL are on sale.

More BS from RL fans. Surprise, surprise

words from the King of BS
on bended knee before his majesty

King Bearsy

[Beaussie]

Hey BS artist, you're the one accumulating BS points weekly. You have the all time record dopey.

Another BS point on its way.

[Xman]

He can't deny his title as BS artist of the year. He doesn't even defend his utter crap in here let alone in the BS file.

Why the hell does he bother? He must have a very very low self esteem.

[NSWAFL]

You were asked about VFL memberships, Dave! That article is about AFL memberships!

errrrr
whats the AFL ?

http://www.AFL.com.au

[Xman]

GWS on 6209 members now. The Suns are on 10000.

I wonder what the Titans are on? Not sure, but they're worried, and rightly so.

GOLD Coast boss Michael Searle has launched a call to arms declaring the Titans don't want to suffer the same fate as the defunct Gold Coast United A-League club.

The Titans have battled ongoing financial troubles and with dwindling crowds in 2011 on the back of the club's first wooden spoon, Searle knows they need a big season to lift their spirits and future prospects.

A massive recruitment drive has netted the Titans big name recruits including Jamal Idris and Nate Myles, but memberships are not flying out the door as they face a tough sell getting bums back on seats.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl ... 6286486488

[Beaussie]

GWS on 6209 members now. The Suns are on 10000.

I wonder what the Titans are on? Not sure, but they're worried, and rightly so.

GOLD Coast boss Michael Searle has launched a call to arms declaring the Titans don't want to suffer the same fate as the defunct Gold Coast United A-League club.

The Titans have battled ongoing financial troubles and with dwindling crowds in 2011 on the back of the club's first wooden spoon, Searle knows they need a big season to lift their spirits and future prospects.

A massive recruitment drive has netted the Titans big name recruits including Jamal Idris and Nate Myles, but memberships are not flying out the door as they face a tough sell getting bums back on seats.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl ... 6286486488

There have been worrying signs for the Titans for some time now. They didn't feel the need to fudge their crowd numbers last season for no reason. I wonder if PNG is still an option for them?

The article is proof of what I expected regarding memberships. Oh deary me.

[Raiderdave]

GWS on 6209 members now. The Suns are on 10000.

I wonder what the Titans are on? Not sure, but they're worried, and rightly so.

GOLD Coast boss Michael Searle has launched a call to arms declaring the Titans don't want to suffer the same fate as the defunct Gold Coast United A-League club.

The Titans have battled ongoing financial troubles and with dwindling crowds in 2011 on the back of the club's first wooden spoon, Searle knows they need a big season to lift their spirits and future prospects.

A massive recruitment drive has netted the Titans big name recruits including Jamal Idris and Nate Myles, but memberships are not flying out the door as they face a tough sell getting bums back on seats.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl ... 6286486488

up to an extra 5 million a year for the Titans .. & all NRL clubs from 2013
financial woes gone
some more success on the field ( predicted for this year ) will see the crowds return too
all on the up for the Titans

meanwhile
the thuns ...... struggling to maintain interest already .. memberships plummeting as will the crowds
as they will only finish ahead of the Midgits on the table this year ...
& the Midgits only have 1500 members in their area they are supposed to be representing

Swans interesting waning badly .... Lions are near goneskies




and we're the ones who should be worried