Toast Debt-Free NMFC

[shintemaster]

This is particularly impressive given the unfortunate majority of our club's supporters seem to only rock up to games on a very hit and miss basis. Does anyone else find it strange that we have some of the most passionate supporters on this board, and are pretty much the most active club on this forum, but only 16k of our 40+k members can be bothered rocking up to home games at Etihad? Figuring out how to overcome that is the clubs next big challenge imo

We get just as many if not more regularly turning up per supporter / member. Collingwood have what 80k members but I've seen them pull mid 20's against teams like GWS, GC, Fremantle in Melbourne. They have almost 100% more members but struggle to get 10-20% more turn up to the equivalent games.

We easily draw on par for our support base - it's all about growing that base (and not getting shafted with every single non Victorian team twice a year, every year).

 

[Rooboy 96]

Riddle me this then.

Why is a debt reduction thing still included in my membership?

Let me be clear, I have no issue giving the additional cash. But I want there to be a plan for what that money is being paid into. For the club to be clear about what that is.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

As I said in another thread, I reckon we still have 500k in debt or thereabouts.

Club would have been all over a press release saying it was at $0 if it were the case, rubbing it in the face of the haters.

Doesn't take away from the incredible work that the club has put in to get us this close to not being in debt, to the point where Caroline Wilson, someone who in the past has taken every opportunity to point out our cash strapped, debt riddled status, sees us as debt free.

It's a huge step forward, and I look forward to the day the NMFC proudly announces we are 100% Debt Free.

 

[Rooboy 96]

Now all we need are facilities that are on the level of Essendon/Richmond/ Collingwood, get our Melbourne fans to actually rock up to games and then maybe players will want to come play for us!

 

[giantroo]

http://www.nmfc.com.au/news/2017-08-10/transcript-buckley-q-a


Jarred Reaby: Hey Ben how is our debt now? Are we nearly finished paying our debt off?
Ben Buckley: We're really proud of the club that we had $8 million of debt and now we have less than $1 million which is very manageable. Thanks to all the supporters for helping us out along the way and a great job by James Brayshaw and the previous board for helping us get to this position.

 

[Firestarter]

View attachment 431417

Supporters not showing up to games is a genuine issue to be fair.

 

[Orange Peanut]

Yep. Cheap and easy, yet PROVEN and LUCRATIVE.

Social responsibility....pffft. Us not having pokies doesn't make the pokies go away. Any plaudits we get for taking our pious moral stand are backhanded at best.

I'm all for lateral thinking and diversification, but this anti pokies crusade is bordering on commercial suicide and its irresponsible.

We suicidally reduced our debt by 90% without them. Quick call the CAT team.

 

[Firestarter]

We suicidally reduced our debt by 90% without them. Quick call the CAT team.

We don't need Geelong either.

 

[ROORAGE]

We suicidally reduced our debt by 90% without them. Quick call the CAT team.

Yep and we'd be in the top 4 of revenue earners with them with zero debt. Grow and prosper or stagnate and survive. Do moral arbiters such as yourself boycott good Friday cause it falls on a religious holiday or is your morality conditional?

 

[Orange Peanut]

Yep and we'd be in the top 4 of revenue earners with them with zero debt. Grow and prosper or stagnate and survive. Do moral arbiters such as yourself boycott good Friday cause it falls on a religious holiday or is your morality conditional?

My morality is conditional on whether the activity in question preys on vulnerable members of society or not. I'm a bit of an enigma, tbh.

 

[Firestarter]

I know people whose lives have been literally ruined by the blood sucking vultures that are pokies machines.

**** them. We are missing out on exactly nothing but blood money and ridicule by not having them.

 

[Le Grille]

We'd still have debt at least in terms of an overdraft.

As stated before debt is fine as long as it is serviceable and used to expand business.

 

[ROORAGE]

shame on me for thinking people are responsible for their own actions.

Guns don't kill people, people kill people.....

 

[Cool Kangas]

That’s fg awesome.

 

[MaddAdam]

shame on me for thinking people are responsible for their own actions.

Guns don't kill people, people kill people.....

No, guns kill people.

 

[Firestarter]

No, guns kill people.

Richard Kiel kills people.

 

[Snake_Baker]

No, guns kill people.

My gun only kills people that want to kill me.

 

[GreatBradScott]

This is particularly impressive given the unfortunate majority of our club's supporters seem to only rock up to games on a very hit and miss basis. Does anyone else find it strange that we have some of the most passionate supporters on this board, and are pretty much the most active club on this forum, but only 16k of our 40+k members can be bothered rocking up to home games at Etihad? Figuring out how to overcome that is the clubs next big challenge imo

On one hand I find some weeks there's some very soft efforts in getting down to the game and there are a number of theatergoers at every club, but:

1) Wages are stagnant and the bills stack up - people are just staying home or finding other ways to follow it.

2) Etihad, while some like it, isn't exactly homely half-empty on a cold and windy night in July. Doesn't matter how drunk you get up there on level 3, it's still f***ing cold.

3) People on the weekend now have more options than ever - mates having birthdays, a gig, family party, someone's going away drinks etc. It all adds up in the end. I always try to pull the game, then go out to said occasion double, but sometimes it's unavoidable.

Know the club have tried hard at 'supporter experience' - some ideas being great (food specials, discounts at Roos Shop, North End), to others being outright f***ing bizarre (the HindenCOCK, changing the theme song, blaring PA's over everything.)

If I was running the show (god help us if that ever happened), I'd honestly go back to basics - curtain raiser (know ground-staff at Etihad would probably have an conniption at this), more food spread, try some promotional cheaper tickets.

A lot of sports (including the FFA) just don't get people won't just fork out over any old s**t when it comes to the 'experience economy' now. People have extraordinary choice these days, especially even more with smartphones. I can have it playing at a mates drinks and still catch a good 80% of the game now.

You've got to make it 'Instagrammable' or an experience worth talking about or sharing with other people. This was part of the A-League's appeal before the FFA and active support stuffed it - you'd get an atmosphere you wouldn't get elsewhere. Now they got rid of it, most people are struggling to get into it again.

Give yourself a point of difference or people just won't cram it into their busy lives. People have less and less time, they work more hours for less money. The quicker brands get this, the quicker they solve their crowd problem (issue across many leagues and codes).

 

[GarnerSmash]

shame on me for thinking people are responsible for their own actions.

Guns don't kill people, people kill people.....

Its not really a fair comparison though.

If guns were designed in a way in which psychological triggers in humans were activated when a gun was picked up that compelled individuals to go and shoot other people then that would be a fair comparison.

Truth is pokies are designed to take advantage of people who are susceptible to specific addictive behaviours. That our governments allow their proliferation for revenue raising purposes is a disgrace.

 

[Only Forwards]

On one hand I find some weeks there's some very soft efforts in getting down to the game and there are a number of theatergoers at every club, but:

1) Wages are stagnant and the bills stack up - people are just staying home or finding other ways to follow it.

2) Etihad, while some like it, isn't exactly homely half-empty on a cold and windy night in July. Doesn't matter how drunk you get up there on level 3, it's still f***ing cold.

3) People on the weekend now have more options than ever - mates having birthdays, a gig, family party, someone's going away drinks etc. It all adds up in the end. I always try to pull the game, then go out to said occasion double, but sometimes it's unavoidable.
.

You put kids into this mix and the complexity goes up again.

My wife has been to 1 game in the past 18 months. Prior to that she missed maybe 3 games since 2009.

 

[Rooboy 96]

Supporters not showing up to games is a genuine issue to be fair.

yeah we all know, but what about we enjoy the small wins along the journey instead of constantly focussing on the negatives.

 

[Firestarter]

yeah we all know, but what about we enjoy the small wins along the journey instead of constantly focussing on the negatives.

Of course. The nonsense that went on for far too long after round 23 shouldn't have lasted ten minutes.

 

[Jindrrk]

Great news.

Now if only I CAN become debit free

 

[remfan101]

On one hand I find some weeks there's some very soft efforts in getting down to the game and there are a number of theatergoers at every club, but:

1) Wages are stagnant and the bills stack up - people are just staying home or finding other ways to follow it.

2) Etihad, while some like it, isn't exactly homely half-empty on a cold and windy night in July. Doesn't matter how drunk you get up there on level 3, it's still f***ing cold.

3) People on the weekend now have more options than ever - mates having birthdays, a gig, family party, someone's going away drinks etc. It all adds up in the end. I always try to pull the game, then go out to said occasion double, but sometimes it's unavoidable.

Know the club have tried hard at 'supporter experience' - some ideas being great (food specials, discounts at Roos Shop, North End), to others being outright f***ing bizarre (the HindenCOCK, changing the theme song, blaring PA's over everything.)

If I was running the show (god help us if that ever happened), I'd honestly go back to basics - curtain raiser (know ground-staff at Etihad would probably have an conniption at this), more food spread, try some promotional cheaper tickets.

A lot of sports (including the FFA) just don't get people won't just fork out over any old s**t when it comes to the 'experience economy' now. People have extraordinary choice these days, especially even more with smartphones. I can have it playing at a mates drinks and still catch a good 80% of the game now.

You've got to make it 'Instagrammable' or an experience worth talking about or sharing with other people. This was part of the A-League's appeal before the FFA and active support stuffed it - you'd get an atmosphere you wouldn't get elsewhere. Now they got rid of it, most people are struggling to get into it again.

Give yourself a point of difference or people just won't cram it into their busy lives. People have less and less time, they work more hours for less money. The quicker brands get this, the quicker they solve their crowd problem (issue across many leagues and codes).

Fantastic post, couldn't agree more. There's no doubt it's difficult, but I think the club could definitely improve in regards to how it sells the match day experience, both externally and in regards to our brand as a side. To be honest the best thing that could happen at this point is that guys like Wood, Gqrner and Daw start playing consistently to their potential. The average punter isn't rocking up to watch Cunners do the hard stuff, no matter how good he is. If we can get the guys I mentioned on the park consistently it makes watching us play much more attractive for the casual fan who is there for the big grabs etc. Guys like Preuss and Simpkin are part of this too.

 

[naturally north]

We can thank in part the Tassie deal............... I've always said it's near impossible to relocate someone/anything that isn't or hasn't got their arse hanging out of their pants.

Great news