Being average at best for last 60 years, Why are the Pies so high profile with a high membership?

Jun 6, 2016
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I thought of posting this on the Pies board but would like opinion from all supporters:

In the last 61 years they've accumulated 3 flags, Hawthorn has 13 from 58 years yet don't have as many members and don't have as a high a profile - certainly from a media perspective.

Arguably this club has the highest profile of all 18 teams and also arguably is the highest profile sporting organization in the whole country.

GF's in 60,64,70,77,79,80,81,90,02,03,10,11,18

That's two wins from 13 attempts - not including 2 draws. Pathetic.

Given their what I would consider not even average performances in that time, why do they hold that profile billing? How is that they have over 85k members? Why do Pies fans stick phat?

From my own perspective my answer is that I'm a descendant of the late great Daniel Minogue, my family adopted Collingwood and stuck phat when he moved clubs after the war. But that puts me and my family in the minority of Pie fans - a drop in the ocean.

So Pie fans and footy followers why is it that this club albeit it's deplorable record have such a high profile, multi million dollar turnover, and a very very large membership and supporter base?
 

This Is Anfield

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Feb 23, 2009
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I thought of posting this on the Pies board but would like opinion from all supporters:

In the last 61 years they've accumulated 3 flags,
GF's in 60,64,70,77,79,80,81,90,02,03,10,11,18

That's two wins from 13 attempts - not including 2 draws. Pathetic.
Honestly I'm not sure, by the OP's own admission they are a terrible failure of a club when it matters most.
 

Belnakor

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GF's in 60,64,70,77,79,80,81,90,02,03,10,11,18

That's two wins from 13 attempts - not including 2 draws. Pathetic.

So Pie fans and footy followers why is it that this club albeit it's deplorable record have such a high profile, multi million dollar turnover, and a very very large membership and supporter base?

1) your performance isn't bad. You have made a GF every 7 years. Thats above average.
2) in the mid 90s when Collingwood was struggling you had Eddie basically running a one man promotion on Chan 9 for 20 years
3) VFL supporter bases started primarily in the 1930s when Collingwood were the dominant team
 
FUN FACT

During the great depression in the 1930's the Collingwood football club would allow people into the Magpies games without charging an entrance fee. All other Victorian clubs still charged an entrance fee. This obviously helped Collingwood build up a big supporter base that has still carried on today
 
Colonial planning decisions meant that slum housing was concentrated on the Collingwood flat.

The Collingwood area had a very high population density of working class people deeply attached to their club.

Hence that's carried through to having a traditionally large supporter base.
 
Jun 6, 2016
19,309
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Perth
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Pines Football Club
1) your performance isn't bad. You have made a GF every 7 years. Thats above average.
2) in the mid 90s when Collingwood was struggling you had Eddie basically running a one man promotion on Chan 9 for 20 years
3) VFL supporter bases started primarily in the 1930s when Collingwood were the dominant team

1/ Making GF's is not and should not be considered a measure of success
2/ Even if Eddie has influence on the club from a corporate perspective, he'd have nil if there wasn't a very large supporter base.
3/ VFL fan bases began before the inception of the VFL, most current vic clubs were around before it started
 

sprockets

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What it proves is that winning the GF isn't the only thing that matters to supporters. As long as you're often at the pointy end your supporters will be satisfied, to a point. Winning the big one is the cream on the cake.
 

Belnakor

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1/ Making GF's is not and should not be considered a measure of success
2/ Even if Eddie has influence on the club from a corporate perspective, he'd have nil if there wasn't a very large supporter base.
3/ VFL fan bases began before the inception of the VFL, most current vic clubs were around before it started

Clubs that make the GF get a similiar bounce in supporters to the premiers
Eddie had a massive influence, if you didn't have him i could see Collingwood in a similiar situation to say, Carlton. You can't understate how important he has been for Collingwood.
VFL only become the dominant competitors in the 30s. The VFA was a significant force prior to that.
 
Jun 6, 2016
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Clubs that make the GF get a similiar bounce in supporters to the premiers
Eddie had a massive influence, if you didn't have him i could see Collingwood in a similiar situation to say, Carlton. You can't understate how important he has been for Collingwood.
VFL only become the dominant competitors in the 30s. The VFA was a significant force prior to that.

Not so certain that the runners up gather similar supporter numbers, ok the year after we lost yet another GF we have record member numbers. I'm not so certain the giants from this year would gather similar numbers.

And that's the question, after decades of sustained failure how is this club so revered by it's fans and members?

Eddie has had a massive influence no doubt, but I doubt he'd have as much if any if Collingwood had similar numbers to gc and gws in that 90s period.

The VFL and VFA were similarly competing leagues before the 30's and clubs in both already had sustained fan bases before the inception of the VFL.
 
Jun 6, 2016
19,309
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Perth
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What it proves is that winning the GF isn't the only thing that matters to supporters. As long as you're often at the pointy end your supporters will be satisfied, to a point. Winning the big one is the cream on the cake.
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So by that logic then the Pies are the ultimate tease, forever look like contending but only ever really pretending. Forever making opportunities for themselves only to consistently waste them. (see prelim for most recent).
 
Apr 13, 2015
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1) They’ve been average in terms of flag yield, however, they’ve always been competitive. 13 Grand Finals is nothing to sneeze at.
2) Like Richmond, they have a large Irish-Catholic following which meant larger families in the past.
3) Having a large, diverse suburb as a base helps.
 
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Im waiting for a Richmond poster to link the reason to their 2019 flag.

and as always, the only people who do are non-Richmond supporters...

but yeah, go ahead and pretend it's Richmond fans doing it. That feeds your hate and gives us LOLs.
 
Apr 12, 2010
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What it proves is that winning the GF isn't the only thing that matters to supporters. As long as you're often at the pointy end your supporters will be satisfied, to a point. Winning the big one is the cream on the cake.

Yeah this. They are a successful team.

We deride the Pies for losing, what is it, 27? Grand finals; but there are many who would love to contend that often.

They rarely go more than two years in a row without being competetive. Footy is not all about how many flags you have. It's about going to and enjoying the game.

Collingwood have delivered their fans great value over the years.
 
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