Interstate Members

[BlueTongue]

It appears the joke went over your giant head.

a giant oversight on my behalf!

 

[King of Ruin]

a giant oversight on my behalf!

I'm a GIANT ROOOOOOAR.

 

[Jatz]

BBJ, I received my pack before Xmas as well. There was a letter included that said my membership card would follow latter (easy to miss in the packaging). The club sent an email last week telling me my card had been sent and that I should receive it within two weeks

Thanks for this foxy! I received an email Friday telling me once again to pick a seat or they'll give me the best available. Seen as I'm travelling from Sydney for games by myself it really doesn't bother me where I sit.

Yes I love the blues enough to look like a loner several times this year

 

[King of Ruin]

Have some herbal tea. That's where the party is at

 

[DamoESP]

Damo, do you know if the club has made any changes as a result of the meeting?

Sorry, I missed this post. Direct changes I am not aware of, but the lines of communication between the Club and the supporter groups appears to be a bit better than over previous years. Also, they are having the same meeting again this year in about a months time, so that is also a good sign.

I have taken suggestions and ideas from this thread and will pass them onto the WA Blue who is going to the meeting this year, so anymore ideas or suggestions let me know

 

[Quazza]

interesting to note - a lady friend of mine ordered her man a Hawks guernsey for XMAS from their site. This week, she gets a membership letter, asking her to get on board

now thats effecient!

 

[BlueTongue]

interesting to note - a lady friend of mine ordered her man a Hawks guernsey for XMAS from their site. This week, she gets a membership letter, asking her to get on board

now thats effecient!

Nope! that's SPAM...

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

Two things:
1) I am a female, and I have a Carlton duvet cover-it was given to me as a joke by a St Kilda supporting friend, but I love it
2) I bought a Richmond "Country/Interstate 5" membership for my cousin and they get general admission included for five Victorian games and one game in the state of their choosing. What are the chances we'd have a deal like that, and is that something that country/interstate people even want?

 

[scomac]

Kenny Hunter - in my top 3 of all time. Broke his jaw 3 times in his first year of WAFL. Never seen a braver player in the navy blue.
Hey, scomac, all the best with your boy. The club needs supporters like your family and should be looking after you. If you want Carrots' sig feel free to send me the jumper and I'll get it done at training for you. Great post.

Thanks so much Thy, sorry i have not replied earlier but i have just returned home after a holiday.Thanks for the offer on the jumper but we are trying to get to Melbourne this year to get it signed personally.My mate is hoping to get us into the rooms after which would be amazing.I managed to find some of the intraclub footage and it looked like The Blues are raring to go.

 

[bluebrew]

I shifted to perth from vic in 2008, since moving I have been unable to buy a membership due to higher living costs and kids schooling .
I use forums like this to keep me informed on what is going on with the club I grew up supporting and attending.
What I do or do not get as a member will not effect my decision to buy or not ..getting to see my team play on the other hand will.
Given the abysmal media here in wa who fail to realise it is a national competition,its highly likely I will not even be following afl in years to come.

 

[Buzz/Sticks/bryce]

Two things:
1) I am a female, and I have a Carlton duvet cover-it was given to me as a joke by a St Kilda supporting friend, but I love it
2) I bought a Richmond "Country/Interstate 5" membership for my cousin and they get general admission included for five Victorian games and one game in the state of their choosing. What are the chances we'd have a deal like that, and is that something that country/interstate people even want?

There is a 3 game 'long distance' membership ($90)

I shifted to perth from vic in 2008, since moving I have been unable to buy a membership due to higher living costs and kids schooling .
I use forums like this to keep me informed on what is going on with the club I grew up supporting and attending.
What I do or do not get as a member will not effect my decision to buy or not ..getting to see my team play on the other hand will.
Given the abysmal media here in wa who fail to realise it is a national competition,its highly likely I will not even be following afl in years to come.

At least you have the WA Blues in Perth to stay connected. The rest of the non Vic states seem a little less organised.

 

[XXX KINGS]

So it's not about the club, it's about you? Of course there is no 'i' in team, so perhaps following an AFL team is not for you.

We've been poor for the last decade, so there has to be an incentive to become a member? How about belonging to the most successful team in VFL/AFL history? Isn't that incentive enough? For goodness sake, Richmond supporters have experienced 30+ years of poor performances, yet their supporters have no hesitation in pledging their loyalty to their club in greater numbers than our supporters do.

When I was living interstate, I wasn't buying a membership because of what the club was going to give to me, I was buying a membership to support my club (& goodness knows, for much of the last decade our club has needed all the financial support it could get).

Following an AFL club is not about "what is in it for me", regardless of the need to tighten spending (football clubs have to be wise with their spending as well, do you want a whiz bang membership pack, or Football Department spending that comes close to that of the Collingwoods, Hawthorns & Eagles of this world)? For me, an interstate membership was a donation to the club, what I got in the membership pack was a bonus. A cap, a scarf, some stickers, Inside Carlton magazines. I just don't know what more you could want, whilst at the same time ensuring the club made some decent money out of memberships.

Supporters should never forget that this time 10 years ago our club came within a breath of 'handing back the keys' to the AFL. If that wasn't enough incentive to buy a membership, I don't know what is. Perhaps you should ask a Fitzroy supporter what it means to lose your club, or North supporters how it has felt seeing their club pushed from pillar to post over the last decade, with them coming within a 'whisker' to being relocated to the Gold Coast, because of their poor financial situations (as a 14 year old I tipped in as much as I could afford to help save the Williamstown Football Club from extinction, without a thought for what was in it for me).

Sorry but this is extremely short sighted. Don't kid yourself, unless you want the club to continue to post sub-par membership totals in future there needs to be improvements made to what is currently offered. In an ideal world your logic would float but the reality is that there would be over 500k Carlton supporters Australia wide and we are lucky to convert 10% of them into becoming Carlton members. This is clearly worse then other Victorian clubs we are competing with. Most supporters are fair-weather whether you like it or not, this is why when we are winning wooden spoons we play games in front of crowds of 15k and when we are winning we are now selling out stadiums.

Hardcore supporters like yourself, myself and majority of the guys who love footy so much that they spend so much time on bigfooty will always buy memberships no matter what. The club could close their marketing department and still we'd all sign up. But the majority of members aren't like that and a lot of them have to weigh up a number of factors before purchasing. In these cases the benefits have to outweigh the cost and in a lot of instances simply buying a membership to support the club isn't of big enough benefit to them. Sometimes the club needs to add something extra to get them over the line, otherwise we lose their money. For many of these people access to games is sufficient, however, when taking into account interstate members who can't see the team play every week the club needs to provide other benefits.

Increasing interstate memberships is a great way of building the membership base and increasing club revenue. Considering the support network Carlton has Australia wide then this has clearly been a largely untapped revenue stream. A little bit of effort and some increased marketing spending directed interstate from the club would really work wonders long term.

FWIW, I'm moving to NW Sydney this year and have once again purchased the same home and away membership with reserved seating that I've been purchasing whilst living in Melbourne. Supporting the club is enough for me. I'm not naive enough however to suggest that the majority would follow suit.

 

[BLUEALLTHRU]

Quite correct XXX I was a member for 30 years whilst living in Melbourne and only 2 years ago did I stop my membership for the simple reason that Carlton supporters are only allocated 4500 seats at Subiaco meaning the 8000 odd go into a ballot system.I know this is not the clubs fault but I felt as I could not see my team in
the flesh that I would only sign my son up.Now Perth is buiding a new stadium with a capacity of 60000
WTF!!!!

 

[mediumsizered]

Quite correct XXX I was a member for 30 years whilst living in Melbourne and only 2 years ago did I stop my membership for the simple reason that Carlton supporters are only allocated 4500 seats at Subiaco meaning the 8000 odd go into a ballot system.I know this is not the clubs fault but I felt as I could not see my team in
the flesh that I would only sign my son up.Now Perth is buiding a new stadium with a capacity of 60000
WTF!!!!

So you punish our club because of the actions of the ground managers at Subiaco.

 

[BLUEALLTHRU]

So you punish our club because of the actions of the ground managers at Subiaco.

No I do not punish my club as I mentioned my son is still a member for the past 9 years. I have been a member for close to 36 years.I created this thread to see if there was anything that wasn't being done which could help the club increase membership.Unfortunately due to financial reasons I cannot commit my membership money for the time being but would love to see WA get there act together.

 

[Buzz/Sticks/bryce]

So you punish our club because of the actions of the ground managers at Subiaco.

We are still one of the most popular clubs nation-wide judging by Facebook{enter anti-Facebook comment}, but we are amongst the stragglers membership -wise. Punishment is for convicts, looking for value for members is for the proactive club.

 

[mediumsizered]

We are still one of the most popular clubs nation-wide judging by Facebook{enter anti-Facebook comment}, but we are amongst the stragglers membership -wise. Punishment is for convicts, looking for value for members is for the proactive club.

I will take this a step further. Would an interstate based Carlton supporter choose to buy, for example, a Collingwood membership because they offer better value for money with their interstate membership, even though said membership may not offer them better access to their team's game in the state in question?

I know I have already stated this before, but I was an interstate member for a number of years living in Qld. When first purchasing such a membership I saw it as an opportunity to help our club & given we didn't & don't always play a game in Qld, it was never about opportunities to attend games, or even what sort of bells & whistles I was getting with my membership, it was about being able to be part of the club despite being a long way from the action.

At the end of the day, an interstate membership is a donation to the club. The fact that you actually get bits & pieces in return is a bonus.

 

[Jatz]

I will take this a step further. Would an interstate based Carlton supporter choose to buy, for example, a Collingwood membership because they offer better value for money with their interstate membership, even though said membership may not offer them better access to their team's game in the state in question?

I know I have already stated this before, but I was an interstate member for a number of years living in Qld. When first purchasing such a membership I saw it as an opportunity to help our club & given we didn't & don't always play a game in Qld, it was never about opportunities to attend games, or even what sort of bells & whistles I was getting with my membership, it was about being able to be part of the club despite being a long way from the action.

At the end of the day, an interstate membership is a donation to the club. The fact that you actually get bits & pieces in return is a bonus.

While I agree with what you're saying, only passionate supporters will feel that way. For others (like my old man for instance) he feels he can support the club without the donation as it doesnt help with accessing the Blues any more than what it would if he did get a membership. (I have successfully convinced both my Dad and sister to sign up to interstate memberships this year and will probably buy Mum one myself just so we get closer to 50k members).

 

[fnm_just a man]

Wouldn't access to the closest regional Carlton game/s make sense in the interstate membership?

I'm in northern rivers NSW, so access to any Carlton games at GC &/or Brissie would be a great inclusion in the interstate membership package and it could be designated by post-code or by member nomination..

As for the 'bells & whistles', I don't think it is about getting things in return in the sense of wanting bang for my buck. For mine, it's about 2 things. Firstly, being a proud supporter, feeling included and wanting to show my colours. Secondly, and though not exclusive from my first point, it's something of a duty to promote the Club to what is potentially an untapped resource. It's an act, not for myself, but for the Club.

We need to think laterally and consider interstate members as potential marketer's. If I was given a couple of BBQ aprons (would be popular up here), scarves, hats or whatever, I would give them out to friends up here. At that point, they'll feel - however small - a relationship with Carlton. From there, things can easily develop and it could mean new members in a few years time.

There is growing interest up here, driven predominantly by ex-Vic's but locals are jumping on-board. With a proactive approach there could be significant reward.

 

[XXX KINGS]

I will take this a step further. Would an interstate based Carlton supporter choose to buy, for example, a Collingwood membership because they offer better value for money with their interstate membership, even though said membership may not offer them better access to their team's game in the state in question?

I know I have already stated this before, but I was an interstate member for a number of years living in Qld. When first purchasing such a membership I saw it as an opportunity to help our club & given we didn't & don't always play a game in Qld, it was never about opportunities to attend games, or even what sort of bells & whistles I was getting with my membership, it was about being able to be part of the club despite being a long way from the action.

At the end of the day, an interstate membership is a donation to the club. The fact that you actually get bits & pieces in return is a bonus.

I think you are definitely taking this the wrong way. No body is asking that the club provides them the world, they are just asking that the club provides value so that potential members sign up. Regardless of what you think, facts are that the club needs to do more to entice interstate supporters to sign up. How you could think otherwise just baffles me. Access to Carlton games in the states where membership is purchased is a perfectly reasonable suggestion and would undoubtedly increase membership levels. Not everyone is as passionate a supporter of the club as yourself, yet if you shut out these people the club suffers so they have to be embraced. Some people would rather spend the money they allocate for donations to charities that are a lot more important to them than a football team. Time to step off your high horse I think.

 

[mediumsizered]

I think you are definitely taking this the wrong way. No body is asking that the club provides them the world, they are just asking that the club provides value so that potential members sign up. Regardless of what you think, facts are that the club needs to do more to entice interstate supporters to sign up. How you could think otherwise just baffles me. Access to Carlton games in the states where membership is purchased is a perfectly reasonable suggestion and would undoubtedly increase membership levels. Not everyone is as passionate a supporter of the club as yourself, yet if you shut out these people the club suffers so they have to be embraced. Some people would rather spend the money they allocate for donations to charities that are a lot more important to them than a football team. Time to step off your high horse I think.

I don't disagree with what you are saying, but when it comes to games at non-Victorian venues, the best the club can do is offer some priority access to purchase reserved seats at these venues (as they already do), given that as the venues are being upgraded, General Admission access is being removed. Unfortunately the club has no control over the number of reserved seats offered to visiting teams at these venues & consequently cannot guarantee access to these games.

 

[Buzz/Sticks/bryce]

Wouldn't access to the closest regional Carlton game/s make sense in the interstate membership?

I'm in northern rivers NSW, so access to any Carlton games at GC &/or Brissie would be a great inclusion in the interstate membership package and it could be designated by post-code or by member nomination..

As for the 'bells & whistles', I don't think it is about getting things in return in the sense of wanting bang for my buck. For mine, it's about 2 things. Firstly, being a proud supporter, feeling included and wanting to show my colours. Secondly, and though not exclusive from my first point, it's something of a duty to promote the Club to what is potentially an untapped resource. It's an act, not for myself, but for the Club.

We need to think laterally and consider interstate members as potential marketer's. If I was given a couple of BBQ aprons (would be popular up here), scarves, hats or whatever, I would give them out to friends up here. At that point, they'll feel - however small - a relationship with Carlton. From there, things can easily develop and it could mean new members in a few years time.

There is growing interest up here, driven predominantly by ex-Vic's but locals are jumping on-board. With a proactive approach there could be significant reward.

Actually, that is a valid point. There are 2 brand new Carlton supporters residing in North America, thanks to the wine cooler and scarf.

 

[scomac]

I shifted to perth from vic in 2008, since moving I have been unable to buy a membership due to higher living costs and kids schooling .
I use forums like this to keep me informed on what is going on with the club I grew up supporting and attending.
What I do or do not get as a member will not effect my decision to buy or not ..getting to see my team play on the other hand will.
Given the abysmal media here in wa who fail to realise it is a national competition,its highly likely I will not even be following afl in years to come.

Yep Channel 7 and The Worst Australian paper which i have not brought for years are sadly biased in regards to the Everything Eagles.Cost of living in WA is ridiculous bloody mining is crazy. Bigfooty is brilliant for me to keep in touch with anything Carlton.

 

[King of Ruin]

Bigfooty is brilliant for me to keep in touch with anything Carlton.

Home of the awesomeness.

 

[Norwegian Blue]

At least you have the WA Blues in Perth to stay connected. The rest of the non Vic states seem a little less organised.

Sydney used to have a reasonably active group that dwindled and died a while back.

I was having to visit Canberra a bit during footy season a few years ago and the Canberra Blues made me feel most welcome. I haven't been in contact for a while but I think they're still going.