- Moderator
- #701
2015 Memberships
- Thread starter Aphrodite
- Start date
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GCNavyBlue
Cancelled
- Jan 23, 2010
- 781
- 1,271
- AFL Club
- Carlton
I got my 10 year pin. Wear em proud baggers
Navy Cream
Club Legend
It really is baffling as to why we have such crap membership numbers. What do people want to entice them to get a membership? 3 game membership? Discount based on auto-renewal from past year?
What do the club need to do to entice "supporters" to become "members"? The longer our flagging totals remain, the more and more I start to feel we are not in the " Big 4".
What do the club need to do to entice "supporters" to become "members"? The longer our flagging totals remain, the more and more I start to feel we are not in the " Big 4".
thylacine60
Premium Platinum
- Banned
- #705
Haven't been for quite a while.
TigerTime3
Cancelled
- Aug 19, 2014
- 1,658
- 3,562
- AFL Club
- Richmond
- Banned
- #706
Sorry for the intrusion. Honestly, would it be a possibility the club was hoping to reach out for support from the Pratt family? Mods please delete this post if you feel it's intruding, but I just thought it's a strong possibility the club was seeking some powerful support behind the scenes, and the number might suddenly jump up soon. They're just waiting to see how it goes first, then they'll get some powerful support to take it up to 4,800 or so and let the fans push it over 5k.
I say this because when Benny Gale did his Fighting Tiger Fund goal of raising $6 million or so, we had someone (Clinton Casey) donate a relatively large sum of money, along with a few other corporates - and that type of thing is often discussed and known before the launch of the goal to help the club before they announce the official target.
thylacine60
Premium Platinum
- Banned
- #707
We're weaning off wealthy benefactors and hopefully all other quick fix saviourites.
AceAndy
Hall of Famer
- Jun 18, 2013
- 31,711
- 35,488
- AFL Club
- Carlton
- Other Teams
- Newcastle United, Dragons FFC
It seems we have always had a large disparity between the supporter base and the membership base, that is we have not been successful in getting supporters to take up membership. I am not sure how competitive membership options are compared to other clubs.
I have always wondered if the 'average supporter' sees the club benefactors/board as coming from the big end of town and money is not an issue for the club and hence they don't feel buying a membership really does anything for the club.
Having 15 crappy years has not helped the cause either.
HBF
Flying Scotsman
- Sep 24, 2002
- 156,160
- 100,963
- AFL Club
- Carlton
Most of us are looking for the complete opposite.
We don't want to rely on the Pratts and Mathisons of the world now.
They have far too much power at the club.
I use to be a carlton member, I dunno maybe for 6 years or so. Probably haven't been for at least 5 years. I just remember having such bad experience with the membership department. The last time I paid was by cheque and they claimed they never received it and the bank clearly said carlton had cashed it. It was one of the most frustrating experiences I ever had. They were totally incompetent and didn't give a s**t, after that I swore I would never bother again.
Navy Cream
Club Legend
Seems to be an ongoing theme that Tenner mentions. Membership department letting people down. I'd hope after 5 Years they may have improved, Tenner. Get on board again buddy. We miss you and all other past members.
BTW, I ain't got nothing to do with membership. I just wanna be loud and proud. Go Blues!!
I have been challenging my club on it's below expected numbers as well. We share Ethihad as a factor impacting numbers but I believe Carlton's challenge is much deeper.
It has been a club closed and separated from it's fan base for some time now. I read it on forums like this. These days supporters want engagement and feel involved. Open training sessions, coaches videos to members weekly, inner sanctum experiences etc. Carlton has been left behind on so many levels.
Ethhad. Unlike Essendon, I don't think Carlton have ever made a genuine attempt to make Ethihad a home ground and an attractive proposition for Blues fans. Essendon has tried banners outside the ground, air raid sirens, naming ends, flags unfurled etc. Carlton has been open for years about it's MCG preference and I think this belief has been to the detriment if it's supporters experience of match day.
It's coach via the media is a closed shop and arrogant in his approach. To the media yes. But the media is Micks conduit to his supporters and members so this is a detractor to the clubs ability around engagement because in effect he is treating his supporters with disdain.
I have read about terrible customer services from an under resources membership etc. It's latest attempt to get 5,000 in 5 wks is window dressing and doesn't address Carlton's fundamental flaws and central issues.
Trigg seems to recognize these issues which is important. I suspect this year in membership us effectively written off and the Blues will be looking to do much work across all areas of the club that impact the supporters relationship and experience to ensure that other than form, Carlton fans have a reason to become a member and importantly, feel like they are an important and valued asset the club truly wants to service and provide a great experience at all levels. All these feed into a supporters appetite to want a relationship it become a club member. Oh, and if course form helps!
The Club now needs to address these issues.
It has been a club closed and separated from it's fan base for some time now. I read it on forums like this. These days supporters want engagement and feel involved. Open training sessions, coaches videos to members weekly, inner sanctum experiences etc. Carlton has been left behind on so many levels.
Ethhad. Unlike Essendon, I don't think Carlton have ever made a genuine attempt to make Ethihad a home ground and an attractive proposition for Blues fans. Essendon has tried banners outside the ground, air raid sirens, naming ends, flags unfurled etc. Carlton has been open for years about it's MCG preference and I think this belief has been to the detriment if it's supporters experience of match day.
It's coach via the media is a closed shop and arrogant in his approach. To the media yes. But the media is Micks conduit to his supporters and members so this is a detractor to the clubs ability around engagement because in effect he is treating his supporters with disdain.
I have read about terrible customer services from an under resources membership etc. It's latest attempt to get 5,000 in 5 wks is window dressing and doesn't address Carlton's fundamental flaws and central issues.
Trigg seems to recognize these issues which is important. I suspect this year in membership us effectively written off and the Blues will be looking to do much work across all areas of the club that impact the supporters relationship and experience to ensure that other than form, Carlton fans have a reason to become a member and importantly, feel like they are an important and valued asset the club truly wants to service and provide a great experience at all levels. All these feed into a supporters appetite to want a relationship it become a club member. Oh, and if course form helps!
The Club now needs to address these issues.
thylacine60
Premium Platinum
- Banned
- #714
thylacine60
Premium Platinum
- Banned
- #715
Jesus wept, even a Bomber supporter gets it.
This is true. From day dot we've heard how much the club doesn't want to be at Etihad. I wonder how much of an impact that's made on the wider supporter base's perception of the ground. To me we've always been counting down the days until MCG is our main home ground again, not embracing the opportunity. The club certainly hasn't done anything to 'dress up' the fact that it is our home game and they really feel no different from away games there.
BluStreak
Norm Smith Medallist
Actually Navy Cream that discount idea for loyalty maybe a reasonable idea. The more years you are a member the better the discount on membership price.
It could be grouped in lots of 5 years, start at 2% capped at 10% with reasonable increments in between. At each 10 year membership a gift from a selected range of merchandise.
- Sep 5, 2011
- 8,256
- 15,935
- AFL Club
- Carlton
- Other Teams
- Dallas Cowboys, STL Blues
Its an appealing idea to anyone who is already a member, but wont introduce new members, which is where the club clearly struggles.
I think the 3 game membership should be better value for money. For $95 you get GA to 3 games, but standard GA is only $25 a game ($75 total for 3 games) - so you get a cap, scarf and a couple other trinkets that many people dont want for another $20. At least with the 11 game membership, if you attend every match, if works out cheaper.
The 3 game membership is critical to beinging people to the club, and giving them a feel for what being a member is like. This should in turn (along with some success) encourage them to increase their membership to make sure they access grand final tickets and the like. We're obviously failing in this area.
thylacine60
Premium Platinum
- Banned
- #719
Other than the obvious revenue, does it make so much difference that our supporters - who fill the grounds at games - haven't signed? It would be more worrying I reckon if our attendances were falling. They can only rise from here as we do.
I would be interested in seeing how many lapsed and new members we have each year. Perhaps we are getting new members, but we are losing just as many?
Don't we have some of the more expensive memberships in Melbourne? I know when I used to buy my cousin a 3 game Richmond m'ship it was $15 cheaper than the Carlton equivalent.
$10 cheaper for a Richmond 3-gamer this year (bought before Christmas, apparently RFC are putting up prices around now).
I've given them this feedback - why are we paying more, when we get less value than some of the other memberships. Plus the need to fork out more money for the bigger matches at Etihad (for the general pleb member).
BluStreak
Norm Smith Medallist
slashin_velvet it would have to be part of the whole rather than that one item.
As you say this would reward loyal members but there would be those on the fringe of membership who would see it as a plus.
Also may go towards deterring those members who are umming and arrring about buying again.
As I said it would have to be part of the whole package.
I am one of those members who buys the 3 game options knowing that I will not be using it to actually see the team play. SO any work done here to make that more valued would be good.
menzel case
Debutant
- Aug 7, 2013
- 103
- 90
- AFL Club
- Geelong
while i agree with most of the stuff you have written, im not sure the argument re: malthouse stands up when you consider collingwood were easily the most dominant in vic memberships in his time there
- Moderator
- #725
The problem with that is that at Collingwood Mick wasn't the clubs main representative in the media, he had Eddie McGuire to run interference. Carlton have no such luxuries. You can hate on McGuire all you like, but he's a passionate believer in the club and he's outspoken as hell about it - see also David Koch at Port Adelaide. I would kill for someone like that at Carlton - and its something we havent had at the club since Elliot.
At Carlton, we have Mick talking to the press, and I dont think that cuts the mustard in the media for the Blues. We need a friendly face to put on the club, that balances out Micks grumpiness. We dont have that person at the moment.
Collingwood have their weekly programming on tv, as does Essendon, and now Adelaide. Carlton had the Blueprint which didnt even run every week during the season.
