2025 Membership Thread

[Bulldog Brent]

Good to see we've reached 50,000 members. Remember only a few years back 50,000 was a goal, and it took pretty much all season to get there.

Anyone know where we were at after Round 3 last year?

We're aiming for 70,000 so where will the 20K come from? Only way is to keep winning ....

 

[Bulldog Brent]

How do you reckon we’re travelling? 51,500 so far with a public target of 70,000.

 

[maddog37]

How do you reckon we’re travelling? 51,500 so far with a public target of 70,000.

Not great. Tough economy though.

 

[Mantis Toboggan]

Anybody else frustrated with the fixtures this year? Just looking ahead to R11, 13 & 14. Three Thursday night games in a row either side of the bye.

At R9 we will only have played two home games at Marvel. Games at atmosphere-less Norwood, Manuka, Darwin and bloody Ballarat.

I feel like members are getting shafted.

 

[lachy]

Anybody else frustrated with the fixtures this year? Just looking ahead to R11, 13 & 14. Three Thursday night games in a row either side of the bye.

At R9 we will only have played two home games at Marvel. Games at atmosphere-less Norwood, Manuka, Darwin and bloody Ballarat.

I feel like members are getting shafted.

Givem we as a club choose the play 2 of our 11 games at Ballarat and this year the game against the pies at the G, not sure you can say the Members are being shafted when we would have played 4 out of 9 home games and the odd one was gather round.

We shaft ourselves that being the case

 

[Mantis Toboggan]

Givem we as a club choose the play 2 of our 11 games at Ballarat and this year the game against the pies at the G, not sure you can say the Members are being shafted when we would have played 4 out of 9 home games and the odd one was gather round.

We shaft ourselves that being the case

Yes, I am absolutely blaming the club as much as the AFL.

 

[lachy]

Yes, I am absolutely blaming the club as much as the AFL.

Whilst I am against the Ballarat games, and therefore agree with your premise, unfortunately due to historical circumstances we need significant funds selling the games brings

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Yes, I am absolutely blaming the club as much as the AFL.

Yeah I'm not really sure what the point is?

Gather round exists (so knock out one of the 9 round), and to have 3 of our first 8 games otherwise be home games is not all that unusual. Some teams have 4 and 5 just to make the fixture work.

We then elected to turn one of those 3 into the MCG.

Of the Thursday games you mention at least you can say that only 1 of the 3 is our home games. And some team has to play them, the new TV has more Thursday games.

I don't see how that's us getting "shafted" more than just the natural variance of the fixture.

 

[Dogs 13]

Anybody else frustrated with the fixtures this year? Just looking ahead to R11, 13 & 14. Three Thursday night games in a row either side of the bye.

At R9 we will only have played two home games at Marvel. Games at atmosphere-less Norwood, Manuka, Darwin and bloody Ballarat.

I feel like members are getting shafted.

Yeah I'm not really sure what the point is?

Gather round exists (so knock out one of the 9 round), and to have 3 of our first 8 games otherwise be home games is not all that unusual. Some teams have 4 and 5 just to make the fixture work.

We then elected to turn one of those 3 into the MCG.

Of the Thursday games you mention at least you can say that only 1 of the 3 is our home games. And some team has to play them, the new TV has more Thursday games.

I don't see how that's us getting "shafted" more than just the natural variance of the fixture.

For members who actually attend matches the first half of the season is a bit of a disaster. I understand the Gather round, selling games to Mars and the MCG 100th anniversary match (which was a great financial decision) reasons (although I hate Gather Media Junket round and I've never made a secret of my dislike of playing games in Ballarat.

However we just aren't getting any continuity in being able to go to games so far.

R.1 v North home all good
R2. v Pies MCG all good
R.3 v Blues away at Marvel all good

From R.4 it becomes much more difficult.
R.4 v Freo in Perth
R.5 v Brisbane in Adelaide
R.6 v Saints home all good (although not convinced about an Easter Sunday night match)
R.7 v Giants in Canberra
R.8 v Port at Mars with maybe 5k capacity
R.9 v Suns in Darwin
R.10 v Bombres home all good
R.11 v Cats at Vic Govt/Health Fund Park (every year and who actually goes there and a Thursday night)
R.13 v Hawks back to Marvel all good

So from R.4 to R.11 there's only 2 games out of 8 that are convenient, easier to get to, feasible and realistic for the average member to go to. I think this is what Mantis is getting at. I know I feel like I'm hardly going this year. It'll be 3 matches I will attend until R.10. I don't think we're being shafted it's just a very "frustrating" first half of the fixture, i's just the way the "draw" fell

From round 13 things do improve significantly with good runs at Marvel although Thursday nights will be difficult for some families.

 

[Mantis Toboggan]

For members who actually attend matches the first half of the season is a bit of a disaster. I understand the Gather round, selling games to Mars and the MCG 100th anniversary match (which was a great financial decision) reasons (although I hate Gather Media Junket round and I've never made a secret of my dislike of playing games in Ballarat.

However we just aren't getting any continuity in being able to go to games so far.

R.1 v North home all good
R2. v Pies MCG all good
R.3 v Blues away at Marvel all good

From R.4 it becomes much more difficult.
R.4 v Freo in Perth
R.5 v Brisbane in Adelaide
R.6 v Saints home all good (although not convinced about an Easter Sunday night match)
R.7 v Giants in Canberra
R.8 v Port at Mars with maybe 5k capacity
R.9 v Suns in Darwin
R.10 v Bombres home all good
R.11 v Cats at Vic Govt/Health Fund Park (every year and who actually goes there and a Thursday night)
R.13 v Hawks back to Marvel all good

So from R.4 to R.11 there's only 2 games out of 8 that are convenient, easier to get to, feasible and realistic for the average member to go to. I think this is what Mantis is getting at. I know I feel like I'm hardly going this year. It'll be 3 matches I will attend until R.10. I don't think we're being shafted it's just a very "frustrating" first half of the fixture, i's just the way the "draw" fell

From round 13 things do improve significantly with good runs at Marvel although Thursday nights will be difficult for some families.

Thank you for articulating this better than I did.

Getting ‘shafted’ possibly not the right word in retrospect. Don’t forget the tremendous language barrier I have to overcome being a Yorkshireman.

 

[Dogs 13]

Thank you for articulating this better than I did.

Getting ‘shafted’ possibly not the right word in retrospect. Don’t forget the tremendous language barrier I have to overcome being a Yorkshireman.

Born in Middlesbrough so what’s my excuse

 

[BallaratBulldog]

I reckon our last few games of the year vs Giants, Eagles and Freo will be the earliest game on either Sat or Sun.

 

[mackem]

Born in Middlesbrough so what’s my excuse

I was born in High Wycombe. Buckinghamshire but lived most of my childhood in Billingham before becoming a 10 pound pom in 1969.

 

[Dogs 13]

I was born in High Wycombe. Buckinghamshire but lived most of my childhood in Billingham before becoming a 10 pound pom in 1969.

I also lived in Billingham until I was 10. Then we came here in 1963, kids were free

 

[mackem]

I also lived in Billingham until I was 10. Then we came here in 1963, kids were free

Where abouts? I lived in Sandown Road.

 

[Dogs 13]

Where abouts? I lived in Sandown Road.

Really really small world I lived in Guildford Rd.
Google says it’s about half a mile from Sandown Rd.
My memory of it is very hazy leaving there almost 62 yrs ago.

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

For members who actually attend matches the first half of the season is a bit of a disaster. I understand the Gather round, selling games to Mars and the MCG 100th anniversary match (which was a great financial decision) reasons (although I hate Gather Media Junket round and I've never made a secret of my dislike of playing games in Ballarat.

However we just aren't getting any continuity in being able to go to games so far.

R.1 v North home all good
R2. v Pies MCG all good
R.3 v Blues away at Marvel all good

From R.4 it becomes much more difficult.
R.4 v Freo in Perth
R.5 v Brisbane in Adelaide
R.6 v Saints home all good (although not convinced about an Easter Sunday night match)
R.7 v Giants in Canberra
R.8 v Port at Mars with maybe 5k capacity
R.9 v Suns in Darwin
R.10 v Bombres home all good
R.11 v Cats at Vic Govt/Health Fund Park (every year and who actually goes there and a Thursday night)
R.13 v Hawks back to Marvel all good

So from R.4 to R.11 there's only 2 games out of 8 that are convenient, easier to get to, feasible and realistic for the average member to go to. I think this is what Mantis is getting at. I know I feel like I'm hardly going this year. It'll be 3 matches I will attend until R.10. I don't think we're being shafted it's just a very "frustrating" first half of the fixture, i's just the way the "draw" fell

From round 13 things do improve significantly with good runs at Marvel although Thursday nights will be difficult for some families.

I have noticed it’s always our home game at Gather round, is this a choice made by the club or imposed by the AFL?

 

[dogwatch]

I have noticed it’s always our home game at Gather round, is this a choice made by the club or imposed by the AFL?

Well there have only been three and one of those was against Port (where we were the away side). I doubt we'd have expressed any view as to being the nominal home or away side.

The effect is minimal since it's normally a neutral venue (unless we are playing Adelaide or Port). They probably made us the nominal home side against Geelong and Brisbane because they wanted to schedule us to have away games against those sides in the 2024 and 2025 respectively.

Geelong in 2024 because we get scheduled to play a game at the KP shitheap just about every year.
And Brisbane in 2025 because grassman75 kept bitching about there being no Bulldog games in Queensland.

 

[grassman75]

Well there have only been three and one of those was against Port (where we were the away side). I doubt we'd have expressed any view as to being the nominal home or away side.

The effect is minimal since it's normally a neutral venue (unless we are playing Adelaide or Port). They probably made us the nominal home side against Geelong and Brisbane because they wanted to schedule us to have away games against those sides in the 2024 and 2025 respectively.

Geelong in 2024 because we get scheduled to play a game at the KP shitheap just about every year.
And Brisbane in 2025 because grassman75 kept bitching about there being no Bulldog games in Queensland.

F**K you Peter Harvey….Canberra….youve seen more games than us Queenslanders recently

 

[Bulldog Brent]

59,469

 

[Bulldog rick]

F**K you Peter Harvey….Canberra….youve seen more games than us Queenslanders recently

I got to see the gold coast ( a Queensland team ) play the Doggies but had to fly to Darwin to watch it. Yeah agree with Grassman. F**k you Peter Harvey.... Canberra.

 

[Raz Man]

59,469

Terrific effort Bulldogs!

 

[grassman75]

Terrific effort Bulldogs!

It’s a great number but we all know it’s not a true reflection….all the clubs do it but I wish they’d just report the real figures

 

[_Cerberus_]

It’s a great number but we all know it’s not a true reflection….all the clubs do it but I wish they’d just report the real figures

Yeah its most likely jacked up by the club offering discount 3 game memberships and such recently. They will probably do another round for the remaining home games before the cut off too. But as you said, all clubs to it. Especially the "big" clubs in their ego driven desire to hit 100k to oust each other. Single game, pet, give aways etc, shouldn't count. Or people buy multiple memberships for themselves. Buying two 3 game memberships will probably be counted as "two members", instead of the one person, as it was.

But still, given 60k looked not possible just a couple of weeks back given the number was in the low end 50k, with half the season already gone. Credit to the club and fans for jumping on in recent times to drive it up a fair bit.

 

[Bulldog Brent]

Yeah its most likely jacked up by the club offering discount 3 game memberships and such recently. They will probably do another round for the remaining home games before the cut off too. But as you said, all clubs to it. Especially the "big" clubs in their ego driven desire to hit 100k to oust each other. Single game, pet, give aways etc, shouldn't count. Or people buy multiple memberships for themselves. Buying two 3 game memberships will probably be counted as "two members", instead of the one person, as it was.

But still, given 60k looked not possible just a couple of weeks back given the number was in the low end 50k, with half the season already gone. Credit to the club and fans for jumping on in recent times to drive it up a fair bit.

Think we publicly stated a target of 70K, and last year we hit 63K, so might be viewed as a failure?