Gender Equality Action Plan

[Ischenko]

Yeah, I know that. I just want to enjoy my footy as time out from this bullshit. I know I am not alone in this thinking.

You are the one conflating the two though mate: don't want to think about feminism etc? Don't. Just focus on footy. Let the club keep doing good community work that a) in no way impacts on what happens on-field and b) makes us more sustainable off.

Really it's the anti-pc lot that tend to get so 'triggered' by everything - anything the even slightly resembles left wing social policy and they're up in arms whinging about it. (I agree that the current left is woefully off track but that's a different conversation). Just let the club do what it does well off field, it has no impact on our shithouse skills and mid field structures.

 

[Ischenko]

Honestly, what would the great men that built this club make of all this bullshit?

The way social causes have clamped on to football as a means to give themselves a platform that they could not generate off their own backs, is nothing short of parasitism.

It's not 1869 anymore.

 

[King Corey]

We have done so much right off field. The facilities, the huddle, Community engagement, KangaTech lol, no pokies, the revamp of Arden St, reducing debt, influenced AFL to buy out Docklands and negotiating a better stadia return.
But we have done absolutely **** all in aeons on the pitch which is what I care about.

The fluff pieces are all well and good when they accompany success on field. I dont care sadly about what we do behind the scenes because there is nothing to show for it where it counts. Wins.

That's the hard and brutal core of it. There's nothing grating about the off-field initiatives in isolation.

But it's death by a thousand cuts when I see an award for the Huddle and have the cold temerity to question "um.. so have we reviewed how many of the kids having been growing up and become paid up North Melbourne members?" or see the GEAP material while pondering life saddled with a coach and off-field team who seem to set sail each year for Bermuda and end up in Shepparton.

There's nothing wrong about the club doing social things but it's the North Melbourne Football Club not the North Melbourne Rotary Lions.

 

[MaddAdam]

Honestly, what would the great men that built this club make of all this bullshit?

The way social causes have clamped on to football as a means to give themselves a platform that they could not generate off their own backs, is nothing short of parasitism.

Oh bullshit, yeah, the struggle for racial and gender equality never happened before footy came along.

 

[Snake_Baker]

It's not 1869 anymore.

What is that supposed to imply?

Oh bullshit, yeah, the struggle for racial and gender equality never happened before footy came along.

Why does it need football now all of a sudden?

 

[MaddAdam]

It doesn't.

So again:

Why does our footy club get involved in this stuff?

Who is driving this agenda?

We won't have a footy club if we don't.

It is not the 90s (1800s or 1900s version) anymore.

It isn't an "agenda", it is how the world works now.

 

[Snake_Baker]

We won't have a footy club if we don't.

What?

So you're stating the NMFC is compelled to engage in this stuff by outside forces?

 

[King Corey]

Oh bullshit, yeah, the struggle for racial and gender equality never happened before footy came along.

So why not leave aside all the grandstanding and let football show it's social values by demonstration, not tokenism?

Hire the best people irrespective of their attributes or background.

Celebrate your staff because of their achievements, not because they happened to be born somewhere or as some classification (choose your own).

Gain community and media respect through real success not unrelated initiatives that show no measurable return in terms of membership or long term positive media/AFL support.

It's actually hugely patronising to large groups of the community but for some reason some still lap it up.

Reminds me of the divide on here over the NM AFLW team incorporating "Tassie". How was that NOT demeaning to our female athletes?!

We can bleat about our GEAPS blah blah then tag our flagship women's team with a name we'd never dream of giving the men's team!

Tokenism, tokenism, tokenism.

 

[toepoker]

Memo NMFC: don't attempt to be socially responsible until we're winning games of football.

Football clubs don't exist in a vacuum, they're a part of wider society which is (thankfully) progressing on this issue. I'm happy we're a part of that.

 

[MaddAdam]

What?

So you're stating the NMFC is compelled to engage in this stuff by outside forces?

If by mean outside forces you mean society at large, yes, we do have to move with thew times. Not only that, being smaller than other clubs, like always we have be innovative and quicker off the mark.

 

[Snake_Baker]

If by mean outside forces you mean society at large, yes, we do have to move with thew times. Not only that, being smaller than other clubs, like always we have be innovative and quicker off the mark.

It would matter nought to us if we just played footy, as is our overwhelmingly primary purpose.

 

[Zondor]

It's not 1869 anymore.

That's the First Place I'm going when I build my Time Machine. :stern look

 

[Heaps of fun]

It would matter nought to us if we just played footy, as is our overwhelmingly primary purpose.

You're the one that goes on about bringing a bar back to Arden St. It would seem like a football club has a community aspect and always has.

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

You are the one conflating the two though mate: don't want to think about feminism etc? Don't. Just focus on footy. Let the club keep doing good community work that a) in no way impacts on what happens on-field and b) makes us more sustainable off.

Really it's the anti-pc lot that tend to get so 'triggered' by everything - anything the even slightly resembles left wing social policy and they're up in arms whinging about it. (I agree that the current left is woefully off track but that's a different conversation). Just let the club do what it does well off field, it has no impact on our shithouse skills and mid field structures.

Yea, not to start another off-topic argument, but your point is quite the opposite as highlighted by sjw protests against Peterson over the use of appropriate pronouns and shutting down free speech when it suits them and clashes with their safe space view of the world.

The modern right supporters are more reactionary than anything else, but in saying that, the alt-right, far right, antifa and hate groups can gagf atm.

 

[FlyHigh18]

North is no longer a one team club. We are growing. We now have a VFL team and a women's team. Our vision and facilities need to support that.
The percentage of women taking up memberships is increasing.

I'm proud to be part of a club that officially supports gender equity.

 

[Ischenko]

Yea, not to start another off-topic argument, but your point is quite the opposite as highlighted by sjw protests against Peterson over the use of appropriate pronouns and shutting down free speech when it suits them and clashes with their safe space view of the world.

The modern right supporters are more reactionary than anything else, but in saying that, the alt-right, far right, antifa and hate groups can gagf atm.

Sjws are not the real left: reactionary, censorious, moralising keyboard warriors for the most part. Anti sexism and feminism are not limited to social media 'activists' - real leftists understand that you need structural change, not just online outrage and call out culture. But you're right, that is a conversation for another time and place.

 

[King Corey]

North is no longer a one team club. We are growing. We now have a VFL team and a joint women's team because they're not quite as important to be exclusively branded "North Melbourne" as the men but hey we're all equal and all that.

Agree with the amended version.

 

[CURVE]

I can understand all the 20th century neanderthal's having a whinge, but if we really want to be successful on field then we need to get the fluffy stuff sorted out off field. It was our off field issues that played a major part in the AFL wanting to move us the black hole formerly known as the Gold Coast back in 2007. While this stuff may seem irrelevant to some, the club believes it's important enough in the current climate to ensure everyone feels a part of the NMFC. Good on 'em.

 

[The chorus]

North is no longer a one team club. We are growing. We now have a VFL team and a women's team. Our vision and facilities need to support that.
The percentage of women taking up memberships is increasing.

I'm proud to be part of a club that officially supports gender equity.

I was born in the 1940's and am also proud to be part of a club that supports gender equity and has a progressive stance on social issues. I am impressed by the broad and progressive vision shown by our club and believe that it only makes us a stronger club. I can't see any way this would negatively impact our on field performance, but can see ways it will indirectly assist that onfield performance. For example, our strong support of women's football will see us with an AFLW team next year, which in turn has played a key part on the coming upgrade of Arden Street, which in turn will provide a better venue for our VFL team which can only assist our onfield performance

 

[Jindrrk]

That's the First Place I'm going when I build my Time Machine. :stern look

Just don't go to 1910-1950 or so USSR when these similar equality things started to come about.

The people of USSR would of wishes they never ever got with the times back then.

 

[Jindrrk]

I would prefer the club focuses on merit, as reward for merit builds high performance and equality for outcome is a cancer which is counterproductive on building a high performance sporting club. And you can do that while still building a community and society.

 

[QueenslandRoo]

Yeah, I know that. I just want to enjoy my footy as time out from this bullshit. I know I am not alone in this thinking.

You're not alone!

 

[Snake_Baker]

I can understand all the 20th century neanderthal's having a whinge.....

LOL.

Straight out of page one of the playbook.

 

[The Brady Bunch]

Okay let's put it like this. Supposing a football club was founded 150-odd years ago and was traditionally a Catholic club for Catholic players and Catholic supporters and Catholic administrators and support staff. Now supposing this club has not seen success in some time, and so the decision is taken to bring in a new Head of Recruiting, a new Fitness and Conditioning Coach and a new Sport Psychologist. Only trouble is, the best available recruiter is a Protestant, the best available fitness coach is Jewish, and the best available sports psychologist is Atheist. What is a club to do? I would like to think as a supporter that the club might open its collective mind and adjust the internal culture so that the best available talent would feel welcome to come join the football department and contribute to our future success. After all, at least 50% of the population is not Catholic so it would be ridiculous to maintain ancient and outdated traditions when they are negatively impacting the club.

Okay now let us suppose that it's not about Catholics, it's about middle aged white men. It's no secret that football clubs have long been boys' clubs and football departments are the worst for this. And our football department has actually been singled out as a particularly closed shop boys club not so long ago. If this Gender Equality Action Plan gives us access to the best talent and allows them to fulfil their role to the best of their ability regardless of gender, race, religion or sexual preference, then I'm sure we will all happily drink a toast to it when we win #5.

 

[The Brady Bunch]

That's the hard and brutal core of it. There's nothing grating about the off-field initiatives in isolation.

But it's death by a thousand cuts when I see an award for the Huddle and have the cold temerity to question "um.. so have we reviewed how many of the kids having been growing up and become paid up North Melbourne members?" or see the GEAP material while pondering life saddled with a coach and off-field team who seem to set sail each year for Bermuda and end up in Shepparton.

There's nothing wrong about the club doing social things but it's the North Melbourne Football Club not the North Melbourne Rotary Lions.

You do realise that if not for the Huddle and Peter Scanlen's money, we'd still be training out of portables right?