Rules Is AFL club "membership" merely a marketing gimmick?
- Thread starter WillHayward
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- Sep 7, 2015
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Its a pyramid scheme. You buy a membership then you have to sell three more to get your money back. Then those people you sold it to have to sell three each.
Collingwood has a different system to other clubs. He would have been able to stand at Hawthorn and most clubs.
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Hardly surprising.
Eddie always had the shits about AFL Members with Collingwood club support. He always prattled on that they should be buying premium Collingwood memberships directly through the club.
Happy to take the money, but treat them like scum in return.
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Ironic that the "blue collar" club gerrymanders their membership base to exclude the prols from having a say
Plus the numbers (in general) get muddied when there's 3 game memberships, pet memberships, etc. counted.
I personally would like to see what the (to use an American term) season ticket holder numbers are for each club.
I personally would like to see what the (to use an American term) season ticket holder numbers are for each club.
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Don’t think it muddies anything at all.
Not everyone can afford a full season ticket. Some clubs have two different home bases. Don’t think those should be “discounted” just because of this.
maybe pet ones do…
would be interesting but think it would just have people coming out bagging supporters and members who aren’t full season members as “less than”.
The end result might be like finals, but all year round.
you buy levels of membership, but there’s no free entry or reserved seats involved. (course thers should be voting rights, even though actual votes are a rare occurrence.)
your level of membership (platinum, gold, silver, bronze etc) just Gives you various levels of pre-sale option to buy and discount on tickets, but you can buy more than one at a time if seats aren’t in short supply. Your ticketek experience should be improved too, maybe you nominate preferred ground section or even sets row/number and your purchase defaults to these if they’re not already sold.
various theatres operate like this, one good result is the empty seats are at the back not the front.We saw a variation of it during 2021
you buy levels of membership, but there’s no free entry or reserved seats involved. (course thers should be voting rights, even though actual votes are a rare occurrence.)
your level of membership (platinum, gold, silver, bronze etc) just Gives you various levels of pre-sale option to buy and discount on tickets, but you can buy more than one at a time if seats aren’t in short supply. Your ticketek experience should be improved too, maybe you nominate preferred ground section or even sets row/number and your purchase defaults to these if they’re not already sold.
various theatres operate like this, one good result is the empty seats are at the back not the front.We saw a variation of it during 2021
‘they are considerably more expensive than ours
- Thread starter
- #12
Not arguing but I had formed an impression that the Hawks system was just as difficult as anyone else?
Heard Peter Schwab on SEN just last week saying they were trying to reform the Hawks Board nomination system because it was currently too opaque?
No such thing as members at AFL clubs, they are sponsors more than members. Just financial donors.
Go and become a member f your state league club or a private golf club and you will see what the Difference is.
Go and become a member f your state league club or a private golf club and you will see what the Difference is.
This is especially the case at both South Australian and Western Australian clubs.
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Clearly not much different at Vic clubs either. Noperson is getting voted to the board at any club unless the board wants them on it. Joe Bloggs at Richmond cannot just nominate and get elected anymore. They are all hand picked.
18 franchises compete in the AFL. Not one true club in the league.
I posted the following on the Collingwood board, but it also applies here -
... This gets to the crux of the matter - what is an actual club "member". For many years now, all the clubs and the league (and also rugby and soccer franchises) have been using the terms "member" and "membership", to include anyone who buys a gate entry right to a certain number of home games. In recent years even a 3 game entry right is counted as a "member" when in reality, only those who have invested sufficient to secure voting rights (e.g. social club membership
or the like) are actual legal club members i.e. those with voting rights.
As such, Barrie Cassidy is dead wrong to claim most members don't have a vote - all actual members do. The problem
is the misuse of the term "member" to also refer to those who have merely purchased gate entry and/or reserved seats (with maybe a couple of trinkets like a cap, scarf and sticker thrown in, to make it seem like you're a member when in fact you really ain't)
This mis-use of the word "member" becomes even more stark in privately owned franchises (they are not even "clubs"
as such) like Melbourne Storm and the A-League franchises. None of them have any members at all, just gate entry and season ticket holders, with no say in who owns or runs the franchise - that belongs solely to their private owners.
... This gets to the crux of the matter - what is an actual club "member". For many years now, all the clubs and the league (and also rugby and soccer franchises) have been using the terms "member" and "membership", to include anyone who buys a gate entry right to a certain number of home games. In recent years even a 3 game entry right is counted as a "member" when in reality, only those who have invested sufficient to secure voting rights (e.g. social club membership
or the like) are actual legal club members i.e. those with voting rights.
As such, Barrie Cassidy is dead wrong to claim most members don't have a vote - all actual members do. The problem
is the misuse of the term "member" to also refer to those who have merely purchased gate entry and/or reserved seats (with maybe a couple of trinkets like a cap, scarf and sticker thrown in, to make it seem like you're a member when in fact you really ain't)
This mis-use of the word "member" becomes even more stark in privately owned franchises (they are not even "clubs"
as such) like Melbourne Storm and the A-League franchises. None of them have any members at all, just gate entry and season ticket holders, with no say in who owns or runs the franchise - that belongs solely to their private owners.
What type of membership gives you member rights at Collingwood? What does it cost? How many actual members does Collingwood have u der what you call a member?
Going by this -
Packages
The Club Articles of Association (which I just read), makes a distinction between "Ordinary Members" (clause 10) who have the right to vote, and "No-Voting Members" (clause 11).
- Thread starter
- #19
The issue, as you explain, is the misuse of the word 'member' by clubs and the AFL.
Being classed as a 'member' ordinarily implies voting rights.
The bigger issue is whether clubs are misusing the word member and creating false expectations for 'members' who aren't members but simply game access consumers (defined as the 'non-voting member')?
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- Thread starter
- #20
Pretty informative post and I guess $750 a year for becoming a voting member isn't entirely unreasonable?Going by this -
The cheapest voting rights membership would be Legends Choice at $750 (cheaper with concession and subject to correction by anyone better informed than me). I think about 14,000 or so memberships are at this level or above, but only fully paid up members have the right to vote, so probably about 12,000 can actually vote.Packages
membership.collingwoodfc.com.au
The Club Articles of Association (which I just read), makes a distinction between "Ordinary Members" (clause 10) who have the right to vote, and "No-Voting Members" (clause 11).
I mean it's probably about fair enough really.
Pretty sure Bazza can afford that. Was getting paid a s**t ton of money by the ABC.
Going by this -
The cheapest voting rights membership would be Legends Choice at $750 (cheaper with concession and subject to correction by anyone better informed than me). I think about 14,000 or so memberships are at this level or above, but only fully paid up members have the right to vote, so probably about 12,000 can actually vote.Packages
The Club Articles of Association (which I just read), makes a distinction between "Ordinary Members" (clause 10) who have the right to vote, and "No-Voting Members" (clause 11).
90k plus members and only 12k can vote. 78k financial donors or sponsors , call them whatever you want I guess.
I don't mind the distinction that Collingwood make. I am an MCC member and pay MFC club support to also make me an MFC member. At Melbourne that does classify me as a voting member, but if the MFC constitution has a similar provision to Collingwood it would be hard to disagree with the fairness of it -- the bulk of the money I shell out each year goes to the MCC not the MFC.
I don't have much sympathy for Cassidy. He has obviously spent a significant amount of time as an AFL member with CFC club support but the bulk of the money is not going to Collingwood so why should that entitle him to a vote? If anything he should be wondering why his AFL "membership" doesn't entitle him to any voting rights with the AFL, they can change the rules in the AFL reserve on a whim with no recourse for their "members".
I don't have much sympathy for Cassidy. He has obviously spent a significant amount of time as an AFL member with CFC club support but the bulk of the money is not going to Collingwood so why should that entitle him to a vote? If anything he should be wondering why his AFL "membership" doesn't entitle him to any voting rights with the AFL, they can change the rules in the AFL reserve on a whim with no recourse for their "members".
I could be wrong. But I believe there is also a $100 social club membership add on that Barry (or any non Legends member) could have bought. I don't think that is an unreasonable barrier to expect someone who wants to be Collingwood president to meet.
- Thread starter
- #24
Seems fair.
$850 a year for Bazza isnt much to ask.
He must be a massive tight ass. Fleeced the taxpayer enough.
James Colorado
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Same with myself and Hawthorn. The MCC Hawk membership is a $170 add on to the MCC fees, and I'm very willing to pay to support the club, but at the same time I don't know if I have voting rights, and don't expect to, tbh. Personally, I would like to see it put in place that even for a membership tier that doesn't ordinarily attract voting rights that they are acquired after a certain period. The people that are 20+ year members of their club on the basic package through the ups and downs, are easily as passionate about the club as those whose disposable income allows them to subscribe to the top tier during a successful period.
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