How can we ensure our Future

[Limerick]

Melly017 quote; Yet we increase each year,

Our rate of growth is much lower than the rest of the AFL clubs. Every club has a churn rate. The main reason for this is that many members (of all clubs) will not join if their family/employment/financial circumstance means that they can't attend for that year.

G Duff; As such we are delighted to announce that the Kangaroos will play a maximum of 10 games over the next three seasons on the Gold Coast. There are many factors including growth, population, corporate opportunities, stadium potential, football mindedness of the respective areas, code and fan development work being done and broadcast implications that we took into consideration when making a decision of this magnitude.
Melly017 quote; Do you read that when we went to Sydney or the ACT?

I don't recall that the NMFC made the above statement with regards to Sydney or the ACT. GD's statement regarding "growth, population, corporate opportunities, stadium potential, football mindedness of the respective areas, code and fan development work being done and broadcast implications" to me indicates a more long term committment. Whether this is more than 3-4 games p.a. hasn't been clarified.

 

[shintemaster]

I don't recall that the NMFC made the above statement with regards to Sydney or the ACT. GD's statement regarding "growth, population, corporate opportunities, stadium potential, football mindedness of the respective areas, code and fan development work being done and broadcast implications" to me indicates a more long term committment. Whether this is more than 3-4 games p.a. hasn't been clarified.

The problem with these things is that anything can be read into them... lets be honest, if I were in Duff's position I'd make all the right squawks to the AFL. They honestly look obsessed with the Gold Coast, which means we can use that to our advantage. They can't at this stage come out and say thanks for paying us $400k a game, get stuffed when we don't need it! I'm still of the opinion that as long as we're not the only ones on an increased dividend from the AFL, their position has to be relatively conciliatory.

 

[Limerick]

The problem with these things is that anything can be read into them... lets be honest, if I were in Duff's position I'd make all the right squawks to the AFL. They honestly look obsessed with the Gold Coast, which means we can use that to our advantage. They can't at this stage come out and say thanks for paying us $400k a game, get stuffed when we don't need it! I'm still of the opinion that as long as we're not the only ones on an increased dividend from the AFL, their position has to be relatively conciliatory.

I accept what you say regarding GD being caught walking a tightrope between us and the AFL. However lets look at 2007.
Club,-----------------2006,-----Target
Carlton,---------------28,756 ,-- --32,000
Hawthorn , ----------28,003, ----40,000 (barometer)
Melbourne, ----------24,698, -----30,000 (barometer)
Nth Melb, ------------24,624, -----25,000 (barometer)
St. Kilda, -------------32,327 -----40,000
W. Bulldogs, ---------26,042------32,000.

GD in the 2006 Year Book states " Our total of 24,624 has us now aiming at beyond 25,000 in the near future...". It appears that we will accept 25,000 members in 2007 as being a good effort when every other lower membership club is aiming to break 30,000. We are totally GC focused and appear to have no focus on the Victorian/Melbourne market. It needs to be more balanced.

 

[pharro]

GD in the 2006 Year Book states " Our total of 24,624 has us now aiming at beyond 25,000 in the near future...". It appears that we will accept 25,000 members in 2007 as being a good effort when every other lower membership club is aiming to break 30,000. We are totally GC focused and appear to have no focus on the Victorian/Melbourne market. It needs to be more balanced.

I'd love to see the bell curve that the AFL/GC push expects in terms of Kangaroo membership as the Melbourne presence erodes. Significantly as they attempt to straddle 2 towns, the 25,000 membership will stagnate at best but with half coming from each town and the cost of membership being significatly lower due to less home games. So on current rates, as the Bulldogs aim for 35,000 members in a couple of years at around $200 each, North/GC will be back at 25,000 @ $100 each. And this adds up how?

 

[Melly017]

I'd love to see the bell curve that the AFL/GC push expects in terms of Kangaroo membership as the Melbourne presence erodes. Significantly as they attempt to straddle 2 towns, the 25,000 membership will stagnate at best but with half coming from each town and the cost of membership being significatly lower due to less home games. So on current rates, as the Bulldogs aim for 35,000 members in a couple of years at around $200 each, North/GC will be back at 25,000 @ $100 each. And this adds up how?

with the AFL underwritting the games on the GC. To more $$ than the gates in Melbourne bring in.

 

[evo]

Fantastic thread guys, lots of constuctive thoughts from many committed Roos.Good to see.I'd genuinely shed a tear if they were to relocate.

I don't know 'Roosviews' from a bar of soap, but if his posts are anything to go on he sounds like a very promising potential board member.

These 2 ideas by Limerick are very good and should be considered a bare minimum improvement for any AFL club trying to increase membership.

Both have been very successful since being implemented at Richmond,the continuous membership idea was accomponied by a key ring recording years-doesn't sound like much but sometimes little things like that can be highly effective.

(ii) The re-introduction of a non-attending member category. This type of membership enables supporters who can’t attend games to still be a part of the NMFC family. It would also enable members who drop out for a year to maintain their continuous membership. I believe that when it was available it attracted 5,000 members and around 7,000 for Richmond in 2006.

(iii) Continuous membership figure. That this is printed on the membership card and club correspondence. This would encourage members to maintain their membership. This was further supported by the re-introduction of the non-attending category. This appears not to have been accepted.

Anyway, good luck endeavouring to keep the NMFC a Melbourne club.It's a hard battle but it's one that can be won(in my view)

 

[Mailman]

Best way for the club to make money is to put all its money into uranium stocks for a year, and then pull out before the bubble bursts.

 

[warrior]

Best way for the club to make money is to put all its money into uranium stocks for a year, and then pull out before the bubble bursts.

What money?

 

[Mailman]

What money?

Get Duff to rig some race results...........Put the clubs whole bank account (ie.$10) on them. Use the money on Uranium stocks.....

Its fool proof

 

[Tas]

Limerick and Roosviews - your position and passion is admirable, as are your desires to join the Board and best of luck with threse pursuits come February. However as someone with an indepth knowledge of Club finances, our debt and forward Budget projections we must seriously consider a long term hybrid strategy of being a "two town" club. The AFL effectively are controlling the finances of several clubs and by a mere stroke of the pen as in fixturing can impact Gate Receipt incomes by up to a $million in a single season - these are facts.

We are best to work with the AFL in working up a way that the two town strategy can deliver the best of both worlds - and from a long term NMFC/Kangaroos member I am determined to ensure that we get the right outcome that may preserve our membership base in Melbourne AND provide the necessary income stream from Gold Coast games.

I know many of those shareholders who contributed many hundreds of thousands of dollars more than a decade ago , be they ex and current Board members and a more passionate group you wont find - however they are now accepting that a major position on the Gold Coast MUST be taken. Whilst there is some tension and division at Board level - there is consensus that this new strategy may be make or break.

Whilst I am sure that the Club can get better at various administrative, membership, marketing and PR aspects as are frequently suggested on BF - take it from someone who know the financial facts - this is merely nickel and diming and WILL NOT have a material impact on a sustainable business model.

It is time to accept the situation as it is, trust the Board and in particular the Chairman and lets not fight gravity.

Step up, you are going to eventually die so why are you bothering to fight gravity?

It is not the destination, but how you get there that either gives meaning to your life or does not.

I don't care if the fight is futile or if members holding out delays the inevitable, I think if that arseclown in Miller didn't run us into the ground with getting those pokies that returned us nothing or lending money from the club to the social club rather than cut out a cancer from our body and let it die without dragging us down with it then we would have been in a significantly healthier position.

If any board member, shareholder or member of our administration sees our future on the Gold Coast they should step down, sell their shares to someone else with a heart or go find a job elsewhere because the 25,000 members here are not paying them to do nothing about turning things around for us here.

All shareholder have a responsibility and a duty to protect the club, it is the reason for the share launch. If they are incapable of doing the right thing then they should release their shares back to the club and they can put them in the hands of supporters with a heart and a soul, who understand the club is more than than the balance sheet attached to it.

Our situation is not grim, I dare you to prove otherwise. It is not fantastic but the influx of funds over the next 5 years will dramatically change our position if we do not waste the opportunity presented us.

If Melbourne and Bulldogs can turn things around, we can.

Anyone that doesn't have the heart for the fight should just stand in the corner and be silent because you are offering nothing by just saying you are happy to bend over and take it from the AFL.

Fight or do not fight, that is a supporter's choice. If enough supporter are not prepared to do what it takes then you wont have to worry, we wont have a club left to worry about.

 

[Event Horizon]

I don't think the lost millions on the pokies venture is a make or break issue here. The issue is surely generating revenue streams going forward.

Lets say we are able to make a small profit every year from now on once the debt is repaid - in that case we need to consider organasing a HUGE appeal for the supporters to help out - we've discussed it here in the past. Enough loyal supporters could find $1000 as a one off if it meant keeping the club afloat.

The revenue streams are the key though.

 

[Tas]

I don't think the lost millions on the pokies venture is a make or break issue here. The issue is surely generating revenue streams going forward.

I agree, but if we didn't urinate those millions down the toilet and on top of that urinate more than $3 million, against financial advice, to guarantee the social club debts then our position would have been significantly better.

Lets say we are able to make a small profit every year from now on once the debt is repaid - in that case we need to consider organasing a HUGE appeal for the supporters to help out - we've discussed it here in the past. Enough loyal supporters could find $1000 as a one off if it meant keeping the club afloat.

The revenue streams are the key though.

We will never see the kind of support required to help out a club which is "owned" by shareholders. Not enough supporters will care to bump up the club while the shareholders seek to profit from it.

Some will, most wont.

Just to get something straight, our liabilities are not a major stumbling block, we have no major issue with the cost of maintaining that level of debt. The problem is, once the AFL pulls the guarantee away it will only take a financial institution to get cold feet and pull the line of credit then we could potentially have issues if another insitution isn't prepared to come in and most do not come in when others have bailed out. It is what happened to Fitzroy, and we have a higher debt level than they did when they went under.

But, the debt level in todays dollars and with the income that is generated overall is a significantly smaller barrier. To my knowledge we have never had any issues with our financial institutions and have never had to go to the AFL and get guarantees on future income so that could continue to operate, like Richmond did a few years back.

We just can't afford too many f'ups because we do not have the money to waste. Those millions in the 90s if invested wisely could have already been worth a significant amount today. We just can't afford any more mistakes.

 

[Limerick]

I sent an email to the Titans requesting market research on the GC. The reply was " Thank you for your email. There was extensive market research conducted by the NRL and the Titans. It has not been published and I am not at liberty to disclose any such information unfortunately. We wish you and your club the best of luck."

When I mentioned this email earlier someone responded indicating that some level of this research was posted on the net. I have not been able to locate this.

 

[pharro]

I sent an email to the Titans requesting market research on the GC. The reply was " Thank you for your email. There was extensive market research conducted by the NRL and the Titans. It has not been published and I am not at liberty to disclose any such information unfortunately. We wish you and your club the best of luck."

When I mentioned this email earlier someone responded indicating that some level of this research was posted on the net. I have not been able to locate this.

John it was a newspaper article in which the Titans and NRL were basically dangling their research in the face of the AFL. They didn't expose detailed figures but simply expressed the point that they'd done the market research and knew exactly who the new GC population was, where they migrated from and what sport they would most likely follow. Whereas the AFL was jumping at shadows and had no clue. I would guess the article was printed in the Courier Mail. Perhaps Arden has a lead. He's our johnny on the spot up that way.

 

[pharro]

Step up, you are going to eventually die so why are you bothering to fight gravity?

It is not the destination, but how you get there that either gives meaning to your life or does not.

I don't care if the fight is futile or if members holding out delays the inevitable...

In a sense, every fight is futile in that all empires eventually crumble. There were no football clubs 200 years ago. Looking at sport worldwide, none of the major events existed 200 years ago. There's every likelihood that Collingwood and Essendon and WCE and Adelaide Crows won't exist in 200 years time. So excuse me for not giving a deuce for the future. I'll keep my local football team right NOW thanks.

 

[Tas]

In a sense, every fight is futile in that all empires eventually crumble. There were no football clubs 200 years ago. Looking at sport worldwide, none of the major events existed 200 years ago. There's every likelihood that Collingwood and Essendon and WCE and Adelaide Crows won't exist in 200 years time. So excuse me for not giving a deuce for the future. I'll keep my local football team right NOW thanks.

Exactly, it is what we do here and now that matters, that defines who we are, not where we end up.

200 years is a long time to look to the future, the way we are going there wont be anyone alive in 200 years so worrying about the football club that far into the future is not that important.

 

[Limerick]

I met with Rick Aylett for about 1 hour today and had a very positive discussion regarding the concerns and suggestions raised in my letter of which an earlier draft was shown on this thread. In my view he is in the initial organization and business assessment phase of his job and as such, while reacting positively to a number of the suggestions, he understandably isn’t in a position to commit to any immediately. I didn’t anticipate that he would.

I have been highly critical of our membership campaign and take up. However Rick pointed out that we started our 2007 campaign 3 weeks later and that we are only down approx 600 when compared on a 2006 to 2007 week by week basis. He did acknowledge that this still needs to be improved and was interested in the specific campaign suggestions that I had made.

He certainly displayed a passion for the NMFC i.e. his role is more than a job and I believe that he will

(i) Instil a higher level of professionalism into the NMFC’s business operation,

(ii) Aim to have the NMFC become financially secure, and

(iii) Provide improved communication with members and supporters.

I left the meeting with a higher level of confidence in our future.

 

[RoyalBlue]

I met with Rick Aylett for about 1 hour today and had a very positive discussion regarding the concerns and suggestions raised in my letter of which an earlier draft was shown on this thread. In my view he is in the initial organization and business assessment phase of his job and as such, while reacting positively to a number of the suggestions, he understandably isn’t in a position to commit to any immediately. I didn’t anticipate that he would.

I have been highly critical of our membership campaign and take up. However Rick pointed out that we started our 2007 campaign 3 weeks later and that we are only down approx 600 when compared on a 2006 to 2007 week by week basis. He did acknowledge that this still needs to be improved and was interested in the specific campaign suggestions that I had made.

He certainly displayed a passion for the NMFC i.e. his role is more than a job and I believe that he will

(i) Instil a higher level of professionalism into the NMFC’s business operation,

(ii) Aim to have the NMFC become financially secure, and

(iii) Provide improved communication with members and supporters.

I left the meeting with a higher level of confidence in our future.

Not seeing the phrase "committed to maintaining North as a Melbourne based club" here.

 

[Limerick]

Rick Aylett is already on the record as saying that the NMFC's only actual committment re the GC is for the next three years. If we can increase our numbers (members & supporters), our profitability and achieve a solid financial status then we will be in a much stronger position to determine our own future. My reading is that he wants to take the NMFC to a position of self determination.

Keep in mind that he is still in his first weeks of taking on this position. I had no expectation of seeing detailed grand plans being unveiled to me today.

 

[gokangas]

He will try to go where no man has gone before - taking the NMFC into a sustainable and profitable funding base. No CEO before him has been able to achieve this. I hope to god that he can do it. Our only way to survive as a Melbourne based club is to become profitable with funding that is not reliant on the AFL alone.

I haven't seen or heard anything from the club (not just since Aylett) to say there is a plan.

Good luck doc jnr - you can be the club hero.

 

[Devil Fish]

Setting up training camps in Kenya & recruiting guys who can `run all day' &/or have `big wind tanks' &/or have `big motors'.

 

[Event Horizon]

Setting up training camps in Kenya & recruiting guys who can `run all day' &/or have `big wind tanks' &/or have `big motors'.

I'd rather go to Western Africa for that. It's ok to run all day but this isn't netball being played here - you actually need a bit of strength to go with athletisism...

 

[Wrath]

I met with Rick Aylett for about 1 hour today and had a very positive discussion regarding the concerns and suggestions raised in my letter of which an earlier draft was shown on this thread. In my view he is in the initial organization and business assessment phase of his job and as such, while reacting positively to a number of the suggestions, he understandably isn’t in a position to commit to any immediately. I didn’t anticipate that he would.

I have been highly critical of our membership campaign and take up. However Rick pointed out that we started our 2007 campaign 3 weeks later and that we are only down approx 600 when compared on a 2006 to 2007 week by week basis. He did acknowledge that this still needs to be improved and was interested in the specific campaign suggestions that I had made.

He certainly displayed a passion for the NMFC i.e. his role is more than a job and I believe that he will

(i) Instil a higher level of professionalism into the NMFC’s business operation,

(ii) Aim to have the NMFC become financially secure, and

(iii) Provide improved communication with members and supporters.

I left the meeting with a higher level of confidence in our future.

Is there a follow up meeting scheduled Limerick?

Wrath

 

[Limerick]

Yes, we agreed to further talks but no specific date was set.

 

[Z_K]

Thanks for that, Limerick.

What he said is of course important, but I am more at ease that you left feeling confident about his motives and our future. That's enough for me at this stage.