AFL Members/Supporters Association?

[mattys123]

Was just wondering, is there actually a proper organisation that looks after the rights, but more importantly the wants and needs of the "average" AFL club supporter or member.

If so, who are they, and what the hell are they doing about Grand Final tickets, timing of games, access to players for all supporters at given times, and other key areas that supporters need to be heard on.

It just seems that the AFL has become so corporate that it's supporters and especially it's paying members require an organisation that can look after the "voice" of the supporter/member and get that "voice" to be heard by the AFL itself.

So does anyone know if there is such an organisation, and if not, why the hell not and someone should organise one quickly.

 

[DeanoT]

Thoroughly agree. Red carpet treatment for each game, caviar and honey brought to me at each interval, brought to me by waitresses who refer to me as Sir. My choice of player to speak with whenever I want, and I want it all to be paid for by someone else, preferably a corporate.

Some people can find nothing better to do than whinge. If you desperately want to go to the Grand Final, then you will fork out the money for it. On average, your team should play off in a grand final once every 8 years. Save your money and pay for Centre Square, and you are guaranteed to go.

Club/AFL members just don't know how good they have it when compared to the cost of attending other top tier sports. In the NFL in the USA there are wait lists estimated at 100 years for some teams, just to go to "Home and Away" games, let alone the SuperBowl.

 

[mattys123]

Some people can find nothing better to do than whinge. If you desperately want to go to the Grand Final, then you will fork out the money for it.

If my side makes the Grand Final, and it will, I will be there, because I am a Full AFL Club Support member, I am more thinking about the "average" member who has to go into a ballot and have a 1 in 100 chance of getting in next week.

Not every one can afford $1300 + for a grand final seat.

 

[DeanoT]

If my side makes the Grand Final, and it will, I will be there, because I am a Full AFL Club Support member, I am more thinking about the "average" member who has to go into a ballot and have a 1 in 100 chance of getting in next week.

Not every one can afford $1300 + for a grand final seat.

Which club has a 1 in 100 chance of winning a ticket through a ballot ? Not my club, it is about 1 in 3. Maybe you should have a gripe with Collingwood, rather than the AFL.

The absence of such a supporters group should tell you that the vast majority of people are happy with their entitlements. Those who aren't love to whinge about not being able to afford $1,300. Until the MCG is extended to accommodate 250,000 fans, demand will exceed supply, and people will miss out.

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

It just seems that the AFL has become so corporate that its supporters and especially its paying members require an organisation that can look after the "voice" of the supporter/member and get that "voice" to be heard by the AFL itself.

So does anyone know if there is such an organisation, and if not, why the hell not and someone should organise one quickly.

YES - it's a great idea and certainly much-needed, for a variety of reasons.

As always with these things, the key is to get together a critical mass of people who are committed enough to band together and start working to build such an organisation. I know I'd be interested if this was a real possibility.

 

[daicos4ever]

Which club has a 1 in 100 chance of winning a ticket through a ballot ? Not my club, it is about 1 in 3. Maybe you should have a gripe with Collingwood, rather than the AFL.

The absence of such a supporters group should tell you that the vast majority of people are happy with their entitlements. Those who aren't love to whinge about not being able to afford $1,300. Until the MCG is extended to accommodate 250,000 fans, demand will exceed supply, and people will miss out.

Is it fair that in a 100,000 capacity stadium, only 25,000 tickets go to the members of the two competing clubs? And most of these tickets are either seats in the heavens or standing room?

"Prime" seats go to corporate packages. There are approximately 30,000 tickets allocated to corporate packages or the 16 clubs to allocate at their own initiative. The average cost of a package is $1700. How much is that worth to the AFL? $50 million!

Put it this way, there are still tickets left for the games this weekend. Saturday's game will draw 90,000. Anyone who wants to can go. Then all of the sudden, just a week later, it is nigh on impossible to get grand final tickets? Why? The AFL's greed. All it can see is dollar signs, and common people are the ones that suffer.

I can't wait until one day it's a Gold Coast v West Sydney Grand Final and there are empty seats everywhere.

 

[DeanoT]

Is it fair that in a 100,000 capacity stadium, only 25,000 tickets go to the members of the two competing clubs? And most of these tickets are either seats in the heavens or standing room?

"Prime" seats go to corporate packages. There are approximately 30,000 tickets allocated to corporate packages or the 16 clubs to allocate at their own initiative. The average cost of a package is $1700. How much is that worth to the AFL? $50 million!

Put it this way, there are still tickets left for the games this weekend. Saturday's game will draw 90,000. Anyone who wants to can go. Then all of the sudden, just a week later, it is nigh on impossible to get grand final tickets? Why? The AFL's greed. All it can see is dollar signs, and common people are the ones that suffer.

I can't wait until one day it's a Gold Coast v West Sydney Grand Final and there are empty seats everywhere.

Life isn't fair. So what ?

I know lots of neutrals who are MCC and AFL members who have no interest in attending the Prelims, but will go to the GF, because that's what they pay their subs for. Should they not go to the GF too, so that more supporters of participating clubs can go ?

You can take the GF tickets off the corporates if you want to, and the sponsors will walk away, taking their $ with them. Those dollars already go to subsidising the cost of attending games for the "average" football fan. If you want to pay $100+ for ordinary seats for home and away games, sure, send the corporates packing.

As I've said, if a true fan REALLY wants to go to the GF, they will find a way. Using excuses like "there are no tickets available" or "I can't afford it" are the excuses of non-committed supporters.

Sign up to AFL membership, pay your subs and in 7-10 years you have a guarenteed seat at the GF each year for a very reasonable price. There are options available, but it is much easier to whinge and cry poor right ?

 

[demondeb]

Which club has a 1 in 100 chance of winning a ticket through a ballot ? Not my club, it is about 1 in 3. Maybe you should have a gripe with Collingwood, rather than the AFL.

The absence of such a supporters group should tell you that the vast majority of people are happy with their entitlements. Those who aren't love to whinge about not being able to afford $1,300. Until the MCG is extended to accommodate 250,000 fans, demand will exceed supply, and people will miss out.

I disagree. The game would not be in existence if it werent for the average joe supporter and his loyalty to his club and the game. There would be no corporate sponsors and no game at all if there were no fans. The AFL is, especially at finals time, particularly money hungry and sucking up the corporate sponsors butts and they are the ones getting the seats when Harry and Sally who have followed the dogs or the saints, cats or pies will miss out on seeing their team play. In the case of the Saints and the Doggies they would, if they make it, play off for only their second ever flag next week.

Why should the members of the competing clubs miss out on seeing their team play? Most corporate sponsors wouldnt even follow the teams in the GF but go along cos its the GRAND FINAL Prob wouldnt see that many during the H & A season.

I believe that has to change - the two clubs competing should be able to get tickets for all the members that can go along. After that the remaining tickets can then be distributed whatever way the AFL chooses but to miss out on a ticket so some fatcat can go along would just kill me.

I have paid social club membership at Melbourne every year for the last 7 or 8 for the guarantee of a GF seat should the Dees make it so basically it is a donation to the club as I live on the Gold Coast and hardly get to Melb to take advantage of the social club facilities. Plus the small fact that we havent been in the finals or close to a GF for the past 3 years!

I shall be renewing the same membership next year too.

 

[Black Panther]

http://www.aflma.com/

 

[LongBomb]

Pretty easy to start a facebook group and take it from there.

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

http://www.aflma.com/

Looking at their website, this particular group seems to have been mostly dormant since August 2006, at least if their newsletters are anything to go by...

 

[Giants FC]

I can't wait until one day it's a Gold Coast v West Sydney Grand Final and there are empty seats everywhere.

Would there be empty seats everywhere?
Who wouldn't go? The corporates will still be there. Gold Coast and West Sydney's members will use their full allocation. Maybe the MCC members and AFL members, but I suspect they'd still turn up.

 

[DeanoT]

Looking at their website, this particular group seems to have been mostly dormant since August 2006, at least if their newsletters are anything to go by...

It is also only for AFL members, not members of AFL clubs.

 

[bendawkins]

Guys - I have some news for you.
Found your thread via Google cause this is an area in which I have some interest and some experience.
I too found it difficult to understand why there was no supporter group for AFL fans - Did you know that the equivalent for the EPL has 7 full time employees??
Anyway, I established (with my mates) such an organisation in 2006, properly constituted and incorporated in Melbourne. We had a website (I still own the domain name) but it has lapsed although the assoc still exists.
The name was a troublesome thing. We wanted (as you guys alluded to) Aust Football Supporters Assoc
that wasnt possible for some reason - cant remember exactly but I think it was previously used and we may have been liable for the debts of that association if we re-used that name.
Anyway the next best available name was Grass Roots Football Supporters Association
I have recently relaunched via a Facebook Group of that name but most importantly I would like you guys to help.
We severely severly lack active participants ie. I am the only one interested (maybe Jono as well) so if any of you want to do it then please get on board - you will be the National President (currently my title) in no time.
I think tthe future is as you say, ie need to really represent fans interests and sometimes it is the basics like ticket and food prices but if you deem big why not have a rep on the rules commitee
out biggest achievement was actually getting invited to a presentation by Adrian Anderson (we got our invite from the WA footy commmission) on the rule changes - se we have achieved some profile in the past
please get involved - at the very least lets catch up in melbourne sometime and have an AGM and a few drinks
Ben
ben.dawkins@optusnet.com.au

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

Great to see Ben... I'll be getting in touch, and hope others follow suit

 

[Johnson#26]

Great ideas, keep them coming.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Without the mandate to threaten a strike, and the capacity to follow through with it, any organisation such as this is absolutely useless.

 

[clarkey]

The largest stakeholder group in the game has always been, and always will be, the fans.

We are in the process of establishing the AFL Fans Association and a website is under construction.

Please join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/aflfans

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

I can't wait until one day it's a Gold Coast v West Sydney Grand Final and there are empty seats everywhere.

The 2004 Grand Final between Port and Brisbane sold out. Thats the nearest we have got so far, admittedly in a ground capacity reduced due to redevelopment.

The two Sydney-Eagles finals also sold out. The world didnt end when for three years running a Victorian team failed to make the GF and for six years running failed to win a premiership.

As distant as the possibility seems, a West Sydney-Gold Coast GF will sell out. Or close enough too.

 

[Collingwood 4 eternity]

I am not sure that such an association would be able to effect much change at all .

Re : Access to Grand Final tickets ,

In order to be eligable for access to a Grand Final ticket each AFL member ( they are still club members believe it or not ) commit to a continuioul financial outlay for at least 7-10 years until they become a Gold membership. Drop you membership for a year and you go to the back of the queue.

With a club member , a guaranteed Grand Final ticket is available to anyone at all who wants to outlay the money for the relevant club membership with GF ticket access , until a cap of that membership is reached. As teams success ebbs and flows so does the drop off of members happen , and once capped memberships are reopened due to the members who cannot continuiously commit.

MCC members firstly have to wait years to become a restricted member , with no access to a Grand Final ticket , as last years GF replay showed. They still have to commit to pay their restricted memberships every year or they will be dropped to the back of the queue , up to 20+ years of this commitment is rewarded with Full MCC membership.

Full MCC and AFL members are rewarded for their continual significant financial commitment , every year , drop your membership and you will miss out on your right to a Grand Final ticket.

So if you are not prepared or able to make the relevant financial commitment for your clubs highest membership that guarantees a GF ticket , that is just bad luck as you all have the same chance as everyone else to buy it at the relevant time.

Food prices :

Pretty simple really , don't buy food from inside the stadiums , you know that you are going to be ripped off , so don't buy any , bring your own.

At Etihad Stadium they stop you bringing in "commercially available food" , that is because the Nandos , Subway and other food outlets outside , are eating into the profits of the vendors inside the stadium.

Buy it outside if you want and eat it out there.

However plenty of that outside food is still "smuggled in" if you are clever enough.

 

[flamethrower]

The AFL Members Association (AFLMA) exists for this sort of thing....
http://www.aflma.com

 

[Craigyboy]

The AFL Members Association (AFLMA) exists for this sort of thing....
http://www.aflma.com

That organisation is specifically for 'AFL Members.' What about for the ordinary 'Club Member?'

Thoroughly agree. Red carpet treatment for each game, caviar and honey brought to me at each interval, brought to me by waitresses who refer to me as Sir. My choice of player to speak with whenever I want, and I want it all to be paid for by someone else, preferably a corporate.

Some people can find nothing better to do than whinge. If you desperately want to go to the Grand Final, then you will fork out the money for it. On average, your team should play off in a grand final once every 8 years. Save your money and pay for Centre Square, and you are guaranteed to go.

Yeah, yeah. Obviously you have no problems accessing a GF Ticket through a "legit" source whenever you need one (you've made that pretty obvious with your snide remarks.) Well good luck to you. But for the rest of us who have been Club Members for in many cases 20+ years and have little or no chance of getting a ticket it's still an unjust situation.

Club/AFL members just don't know how good they have it when compared to the cost of attending other top tier sports. In the NFL in the USA there are wait lists estimated at 100 years for some teams, just to go to "Home and Away" games, let alone the SuperBowl.

Yes, by world standards the cost of membership and attendance to AFL Clubs and games is relatively affordable. This thread is referring to ticketing for the AFL Grand Final and even Blind Freddy knows that it's impossible for every Club Member of the competing teams to access a ticket simply at will. However; the AFL is greedy with it's allocation to corporates and other various ticket on-sellers, who package up deals at massively marked up prices. Also; some corporates illegally on-sell their unwanted tickets at above the face value of the tickets.....Yeah, that's completely kosher isn't it?

There will always be corporates and other various hangers-on because that is life with modern football. Regardless of that fact however; Club Members still deserve a greater slice of the pie with Grand Final Tickets.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Laughing at the idea of some self-important leader of "AFL supporters" ordering a strike.

 

[Collingwood 4 eternity]

That organisation is specifically for 'AFL Members.' What about for the ordinary 'Club Member?'




Yeah, yeah. Obviously you have no problems accessing a GF Ticket through a "legit" source whenever you need one (you've made that pretty obvious with your snide remarks.) Well good luck to you. But for the rest of us who have been Club Members for in many cases 20+ years and have little or no chance of getting a ticket it's still an unjust situation.




Yes, by world standards the cost of membership and attendance to AFL Clubs and games is relatively affordable. This thread is referring to ticketing for the AFL Grand Final and even Blind Freddy knows that it's impossible for every Club Member of the competing teams to access a ticket simply at will. However; the AFL is greedy with it's allocation to corporates and other various ticket on-sellers, who package up deals at massively marked up prices. Also; some corporates illegally on-sell their unwanted tickets at above the face value of the tickets.....Yeah, that's completely kosher isn't it?

There will always be corporates and other various hangers-on because that is life with modern football. Regardless of that fact however; Club Members still deserve a greater slice of the pie with Grand Final Tickets.

You still do not get it do you ?

If you have been a club member for 20+ years as you say , you obviously are not buying the corresponing membership that entitles you to a Grand Final ticket if your team makes it.

That option is available to anyone (provided your clubs "GF entitlement membership" has not already reached its cap) , who signs up this year or has been a club member for 20+ years like you.

Join that membership and your problems securing a ticket will be solved , for when your team next plays in the Grand Final.

 

[Koutafidamedis]

Which club has a 1 in 100 chance of winning a ticket through a ballot ? Not my club, it is about 1 in 3. Maybe you should have a gripe with Collingwood, rather than the AFL.

The absence of such a supporters group should tell you that the vast majority of people are happy with their entitlements. Those who aren't love to whinge about not being able to afford $1,300. Until the MCG is extended to accommodate 250,000 fans, demand will exceed supply, and people will miss out.

That's what the tell you.
5 of my very good mates are Geelong members. Entered the ballot 3 years in a row. Never got a ticket. That is 0/15 already. Would like to know if anyone actually got tickets to all 3.