'Demon Summit'

[The Dr]

Letter from Jimmy Stynes -

I would like to make you aware of a very important day coming up for our Club on Sunday 16 November.

When I was made President, I was overwhelmed by the number of people who wanted to help. Many of you came to me with ideas of ways in which we could make the Melbourne Football Club better, particularly in relation to our business performance. I would now like to bring all of those people together on one day who have ideas to improve our Club heading into the future.

This day will be known as 'Demon Summit 2008'. I would like to gather the best ideas from amongst all those who have expressed their eagerness to help our Club. I will be inviting a selection of MELBOURNEfc supporters to join us for a day of discussion and ideas. Club Directors, staff, key stakeholders and industry leaders will also be in attendance, in order to help facilitate discussion.

On the day, we will be dividing attendees into topic areas. Each group will have a facilitator, whose goal will be to draw the best ideas out of each group where their particular topic is concerned.

I want to ensure that our whole Club is represented on this day. In order to achieve representation of a cross-section of our supporters, we are today seeking expressions of interest from those who would like to be involved in this day. If you have an idea that you think can assist our Club to achieve our goals, then please complete the 'expression of interest form' by clicking here.

The event will be held at a Melbourne location (TBC) on Saturday 16 November, and will run from approximately 8.30 am until 2 pm. There will be no cost to attend this event.

Go Dees,

Jim Stynes
President

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Anyone thinking of going to this?
And what ideas should be thrown up to improve the club?
A good initiative by the Pres, always good to pick the brains of a mix of people.

PS I love the way Jim signs off by writing 'Go Dees'

 

[master bate]

Not very original, but lets hope they (we?) come up with some good ideas.

 

[demonfire]

anyone with ideas should probably chuck them in here. some people on here will surely go and some others might not be able to.
i might go myself, but undecided at this stage.

 

[Dez!]

Not very original, but lets hope they (we?) come up with some good ideas.

Who really cares if it's original or not? It's the ideas that the club can get from it that matter.

 

[Deenamite]

Who really cares if it's original or not? It's the ideas that the club can get from it that matter.

Seconded. It's a good idea, hopefully we can get something out of it. Number 1 on the agenda should be the clash jumper (the red one with blue MFC thanks)

 

[Devastating Boris]

Well I would like to suggest that they should send up a few players (even injured) to Canberra in the week or so before the game they play in canberra. It would be good to get a few membership drives up here going. There are plenty of supporters up here. This year it was almost 50-50 with swans supporters (unheard of in canberra). I reckon we can get at least 1,000+. even do some preseason stuff up here to boost there image.

 

[demonfan9]

Good to hear about Canberra. Wouldn't have thought we'd have much support up there to be honest. But if we do, then we should definately try tap into that market, like Hawthorn-Tasmania.

 

[nutcase5]

Seconded. It's a good idea, hopefully we can get something out of it. Number 1 on the agenda should be the clash jumper (the red one with blue MFC thanks)

Also the logo. Bring back the demon. I keep reading that we are bringing it back then that we are not. anyone know?

 

[Bartram_Class]

Canberra has been tried and failed.

I can't wait to hear how many people are going to go thinking its for on-field ideas. Can we rustle together a few Bring Back 426 signs?

 

[master bate]

Seconded. It's a good idea, hopefully we can get something out of it. Number 1 on the agenda should be the clash jumper (the red one with blue MFC thanks)

Nah, number 1 should be creative ways to sack Nathan Carroll.

 

[whelan=legend]

Make sure everyone says 'draft Jack Watts or i will blow up the club'

 

[Beats]

^^^ make sure no one blows up the club.

 

[KickLongTackleHard]

Can only be a good thing for the club. Get this great club back into the black..

 

[McLean_4_Captain]

Malodeez, i'm not sure when the AGM is, but this forum is the place that those sort of questions could asked of the club. It's going to be held in about 2 weeks.

Anyone scored an invite? I saw a few people on demonland have been invited.

Anyone who has, maybe they could take some of the collective ideas of some people on here.

 

[The Demon]

Malodeez, i'm not sure when the AGM is, but this forum is the place that those sort of questions could asked of the club. It's going to be held in about 2 weeks.

Anyone scored an invite? I saw a few people on demonland have been invited.

Anyone who has, maybe they could take some of the collective ideas of some people on here.

I'm going.

Anyone else from here coming along? If so, bring a footy and we can have a kick after it's over.

 

[Deenamite]

So, how did it go? Seemed to have escaped our attention but i reckon we could have got some really good ideas out of today. If anyone here attended i'd love to know it went.

 

[demonfan9]

Would be good if the club could send members a brief email of some of the positives from the day.

 

[RandB]

From the HUN

Stynes mines the surge in Dee spirit

Amelia Harris | November 17, 2008 12:00am

IT'S cricket season, but yesterday there were more people at the MCG interested in the future of the oldest AFL club than watching Victoria play a Sheffield Shield match.

Melbourne held a brainstorming session attended by 250 members.

President Jim Stynes emerged from the five-hour "summit" to declare the Demon spirit "well and truly alive".

The club's greatest living legend Ron Barassi was there and urged the Dees - seeking to crawl off the cellar floor, on and off the field - to consult its members more often.

Doug McIver, 69, who played in the Melbourne seconds and thirds in the late 1950s, at the height of the club's golden era, came from Kyneton to make his contribution.

The contemporary Demons were represented by James McDonald, Cale Morton and Jack Grimes.

Stynes, the Irish recruit who went on to win the 1991 Brownlow Medal and has now become the club's spiritual and official leader, was impressed with the die-hard Dees' suggestions.

"We realise that all of you have made a pretty big sacrifice to come in here," he told the group.

"But it shows you really care about this football club.

"We all come from different walks of life and we all make up this football club.

"We're going to try to make it the best football club it can possibly be.

"It's a memorable day in our history and one we won't forget.

"You can feel it. There's a real surge in the spirit of the club."

Suggestions for a youth summit, about becoming environmentally friendly and embracing the City of Melbourne and migrants granted Australian citizenship particularly impressed Stynes.

"I love the first idea that came out of the group I was in: Why aren't we doing this with the kids?" he said. "It's like, God, how obvious is that? We will definitely run with that one before the season starts."

Stynes said members felt they belonged.

"I've had at least half a dozen people come up and say, 'Jim, I now feel like a real member of this football club. I feel part of it'," he said.

"I hope it's the beginning of something great.

"Maybe we'll look back one day and say, 'What we're doing today is because we opened ourselves up to our members and we did it on November 16, 2008 when we were in a period of great adversity'."

The event, complete with a post-meeting pie and sauce in the changerooms, gave 72-year-old Barassi hope.

"I'm feeling happy and confident about Melbourne's resurrection," he said. "It's not enough of course, but it's certainly nice to feel that way."

 

[The Demon]

The "Demon Summit" was a great day and I'm sure very benificial for the MFC.

Jimmy spoke at the start and the end of the summit, joined in many of the groups and is a very good motivator.He even had all 350 of us arm in arm at the end belting out the club song.

There were hundreds of good ideas , of which I believe the club will sort through which can be implemented short term and which may be implemented long term.Too many to mention.

My observation of some common themes were:

• There will be a big push in Casey schools and businesses.
• There will be a big push to strengthen the bond with the MCC.
• I wouldn't be surprised if we pick up a major sponsorship with a clean Energy or environmental company.
• There will be a big push to attract youth and likely a "Demon Youth Summit" to follow.
• Being the "Melbourne" club belonging to the city of Melbourne will be driven hard.

Some things I picked up talking to MFC staff and Board were:

• A white strip with a traditional style logo will be put forward as the alternate strip.Apparently the white strips sell well with kids as they are easy to autograph on.Also the Demons were once known back in the 1800's as the "Invincible Whites" or some such thing.
• We are locked into the current Melbourne logo and emblem(by the AFL) until the end of 2009,however the MFC will introduce their preffered logo and emblems before that but only on unoffical AFL correspondence and the like.
• A big deal will be made of giving our number one draft pick the No.4 Guernsey(Norm Smith's) number.Cameron Schwab held the company line when I suggested that Jack Watts would have to be the man.

It was good to see people such as Ron Barrassi,Junior McDonald,Cale Morton,Jack Grimes,Andrew Leoncelli,Cameron Schwab,Chris Connolly,Jared Rivers involved.

All in all a great day and wonderful event.Hopefully some of the great ideas put forward can be acted upon and help drive us forward.

 

[The Dr]

Thanks for the rundown there mate.

Some of the ideas seem to be good ones, hopefully this day turns out to be the start of something big.

Love the bit about getting the audience to sing the song together arm in arm! Gotta love Jimmy!