Lions Guernsey survey results: An open letter to Malcolm Holmes

[mpal6]

Great job all around ! so proud to see we all care about this topic so much .

Sticky thread !!

 

[Haggis McHaggis]

This has always been about more than the look. I, like many here, was a supporter of one of the merger partners. I was a Bears supporter, and where I lost that, so many Fitzeoy supporters lost something they cherished as well. We all, those here, made the choice to take on the Brisbane Lions. Part of the foundation document of our shared club attempts to enshrine our moniker.

Legal loophole or technicality matter not. None of us ever dreamt of the day we'd see an out of touch, autocratic administration spit on something that has always been understood as being at our clubs core, to be treated with respect & care. It was a decision made by people not used to being questioned, or held to account. It was made by people who absolutely believed theirs were the only opinions that mattered.

The fact this ever happened is disgusting. The fact it continues to burn is farcical.

So many initiatives have been undertaken to unify this year. With each one I can't help but feel like a rug is being thrown over a big stain the club doesn't want to acknowledge.

It takes real courage to admit you made a mistake, and shows real character to then rectify it. It's ironic that in an industry where players & coaches are constantly doing so, boards that face little scrutiny struggle so hard with the concept.

 

[Mr Ripper]

You people are club superheroes.

Endorsed!

 

[GabbaGirl]

Great work people I have faith in this current administration - I don't believe that they will repeat the mistakes of the past and ignore the member voice again.

I didn't have a particular allegiance with either merger club, although being a Queenslander, I identify more with the Bears. My interest in AFL began around the turn of the century, I guess when the Brisbane Lions became more competitive, so my club is the Brisbane Lions. Love them with a passion now, travelled to Melbourne twice this year to watch games (and attend Hall of Fame), attended all home games for the seniors, almost all for the reserves, oh and went to the Gold and Sunshine Coasts to cheer them on. I sponsor 4 players individually and in a small group, plus contribute to the sponsorships here. The Club Champ dinner tonight will be the third $170 Lions event I attend this year.

I do all this because I love the club and know that we need the financial support. However, I also refuse to buy paddle pop merchandise. I hate both the way it looks and what it stands for. I have bought a number of items from the First 18 range and will continue to only buy merch that features the Lion that, to me, symbolises the club I love.

Like the rest of you, I want to be heard. I'll be attending the AGM again this year and will support any motion regarding member consultation re a change to the jumper.

 

[thoselionslads]

Great work to all involved

It would be incredibly pleasing to see the board listen to members who are just as emotionally involved in the club as those who run it.

 

[POBT]

If 5 blokes stood outside the MCG/Etihad before a Collingwood game, Carlton game, Essendon game, Richmond game with clip boards and conducted a poll as to whether the main feature of that team's home jumper should be removed and replaced with another one - does anyone doubt the response? Would the 5 blokes make it home?

The existing jumper should have killed it. It failed miserably.

Exactly.

Club jumpers shouldn't be divisive. They should be unifying. You should wear your club's jumper with pride and, when you see someone else in the same gear, you give each other a massive grin knowing that you belong to the same great institution.

That's what this jumper denies us.

But that's beside the point. The real issue here is that the club must engage in genuine and transparent consultation.

 

[knaf]

Great work team. I fully support and wasnt at the last game to be surveyed. Let me know if you need to confirm my membership number.

The "new" administration has been very good a rebuilding bridges. Hopefully they respond positively to your initiative.

 

[Crimso]

100% for effort & endeavor!
Hope the admin can put in a similar effort in bringing back THE LION that holds the pride & glory.

 

[POBT]

Guys, if you have a view on this, it would be fantastic if you could post it. "Likes" are great but a quick post expressing your views would be even more helpful.

Even if you feel like you've said the same thing 1000 times already over the past 3 years, this is your opportunity to be heard by the club.

 

[onya boot]

I'm a big fan of what the club has done over the past couple of seasons. That said, the jumper really does need to change and more importantly, to change with proper consultation with those with a stake in the club.

While my reaction to the paddle pop has settled down a little from the initial physical revulsion, it still burns to see clubs like Fremantle and Port getting it right while we languish in a cartoon.

C'mon Lions, don't leave my young son jumper-less!

Gold member
September member (eternal optimist)
1041628

 

[lionbear]

Fantastic effort guys, what I like about the data is its generalised and I feel it favors no jumper. I am hoping that this will be taken on board by the club and at least discussed at board level.

 

[Quigley]

I for one was massively disappointed that after a commitment to consult with members the current administration then totally ignored this and extended the current guernsey. I have concerns that they are so out of touch with members and supporters and our opinions that they would not think this was an issue. Even with that being the case surely the bottom line would be pointing to the fact that the current branding was an appalling mistake. It is time for the club management and board to acknowledge the mistake and fix it. Those mistakes have cost the club members and money and we cannot continue to bleed either.

At a personal level I sponsored Josh Green last year and received a signed jersey. That jersey has not made it out of the cupboard and has certainly not been framed or anything such. The paddlepop to me is an embarrassment and not one I will condone by wearing the merchandise. I will not sponsor any further players or by any further merchandise until the paddelpop is consigned to history.

As members we were massively let down by Michael Bowers and his team. We had hope that you would correct the mistakes of the past but the jersey remains an open sore. Many expected the paddlepop to be the first thing changed and not the last and the retention of this eyesore is a cause of massive frustration for a large percentage of the membership base. It is well past time for action.

 

[3KZ is Football]

Perhaps Lions Insider might like to grace this thread with an opinion / explanation / justification of the appalling decision to run with current jumper with it's blow waved lion emblem.

"How embarrassment!"

I'm sure I am not alone, and I say again, as long as we stick with this abomination of a jumper I will not take out the Victorian Family Membership I would like to purchase. Nor will I spent a cent on merchandise.
I am not suggesting this is the correct or best course of action, but it is the one I am taking.

Why on earth we are not capitalising on our Triple Premiership Jumper is beyond me. It is just DUMB BUSINESS to move away from something that was so universally loved by Brisbane supporters, hated by Collingwood supporters and admired by the broader football community. As a club, we had the chance to tie our "brand" to a jumper that had been worn by a team which had enjoyed a period of unparalleled success in the modern era AND WE BLEW IT! Where was the impetus for change? Why not admit the mistakes of the past and get back to what we had?

 

[doddgey]

As a member and a sponsor of a couple of players for a number of years I have been over the moon with the way the club has conducted itself and the initiatives it has brought on this year.

Angus and Malcolm have done an outstanding job in laying the foundations for our club to climb back out of the hole that we found ourselves in.

Michael Voss, the football department, and the players have delivered us a season that we can be very proud of. They have also given us the belief that we can once again return to finals football in the next few years.

There is just so much to be excited about supporting the Lions.

Whilst my love of the club precludes me from ever threatening to reduce my financial support, the same love forces me to address situations that are not only financially questionable but also divisive in nature.

The current Lions Guernsey is both of these things.

Although I cannot back my opinion with hard facts, it is my belief garnered from talking to hundreds of members and supporters that merchandise sales would dramatically increase with a return to our traditional Lion. The vast majority of these people have not purchased anything that relates to our current design.

Membership has been disappointing, and while I do not blame this entirely on the new design I do believe that it has impacted it heavily. We have what are these days a largely untapped supporter base in Melbourne and I applaud the club for its attempts to re-engage them. The bitterness that divided us nationally can be overcome, and it needs to start with the return of the Lion, the same Lion that has such a rich and proud heritage in Victoria, the same Lion that our club went into four Grand Finals with earlier this century.

Now is the time for action, foundations are laid, lets build something special. If the board engages its members and supporters with the same passion, belief and understanding that we have for our club, then we as a club can achieve anything.

Let’s answer to the call, and start with our Guernsey, and let’s start today.

Go Lions.

 

[Quigley]

Fwiw think of the spike in jumper sales if they get rid of the current one. A lot or people have not wanted the current one. When presented with any alternative they will jump at the opportunity. Sound commercial reason for change right there.

 

[lionbear]

For the record, I have not spent any many on Merchandise which has the new logo since the change.

I was a member till 2008, my decision to not continue my membership was not based on the jumper or its logo. But while I feel the club will not listen to its supporters on this issue (And yes they have been fantastic in other areas since Bowers left) I will not return as a member, I can't justify the cost when I feel the one most important issues that we currently have, is not being discussed by the club with its members.

 

[Fatcat08]

Fwiw think of the spike in jumper sales if they get rid of the current one. A lot or people have not wanted the current one. When presented with any alternative they will jump at the opportunity. Sound commercial reason for change right there.

Agree and I think its important that should a change arise and we end up with a positive outcome then we all ensure that we put our money where out mouths are and get out there in force and all purchase new merchandise, renew memberships/player sponsorships etc.

Perhaps that should/when (i'm hopeful) this occur that we perhaps keep a record of the increase in our financial contribution as a group so that Haso can once again work his magic and produce some statistics showing the financial gain that would result. Admittedly its a fairly concentrated and very specific group we're talking about but would be interesting nonetheless.

 

[Roylion]

Now.. I find it rather strange that on our current football jumper, we don't even feature either of our logos?!? Not our Fitzroy Lion logo, nor our 'Paddlepop' Face logo (which has infact grown on me somewhat, though I would still dislike seeing it front and centre on the jumper, and the manner in which it came about still leaves a sour taste). Instead we have this rank, oversized, overdesigned hybrid!!! Seems kinda dumb from a 'branding' perspective.

That's because the Lions were reminded of the merger agreement about "the Fitzroy Lion". They changed their original intention which was just to have the Lions' logo on the jumper in order to try and claim that the the 'Fitzroy Lion' was still the logo of the club because it appeared on the jumper. Fitzroy however didn't see it that way. Ironically from a legal perspective Fitzroy had no influence on the style of the jumper or what appeared on it.

 

[Sir G]

Maybe refuse to renew memberships and inform the club reasons for this is due to disapproval of the paddlepop design on our jumper.

 

[Sir G]

Would anyone dislike the idea of altering jumper? Like keep the original Lion on the jumper but alter other areas?

 

[WhiteLionFeva]

Great effort everyone. May the voice be heard.
Signed: Fanatical keyboard warrior (and Foundation/Gold member, 2012 player sponsor)

 

[Haggis McHaggis]

Would anyone dislike the idea of altering jumper? Like keep the original Lion on the jumper but alter other areas?

The support for option 3 on the survey, comfortably outperforming the paddlepop, certainly suggests people are open to an evolution that genuinely honours our heritage.

I will not give up my membership, as it's the only thing that gives me a voice (even if it's been ignored for a while). I have not bought one thing with that abomination on it, and even if it were given to me I wouldn't wear it. Like quigs, I have a signed guernsey sitting in my cupboard from sponsoring Banners. I can not display it, as it makes me sick to look at.

 

[joshhem]

I always follow the discussions on the jumper with much interest. I'm certainly one who is open to change. Change is a necessary part of life and I would be equally disappointed if a decision was made that we have to stick with any one jumper indefinitely.

My stance on the current Guernsey is that 'I just don't like it'. It's not something that I consider having pride in. When I think of the Brisbane Lions, I think of the traditional Lion. I'd love to get a new Guernsey to wear to the footy, but I just don't want to spend $100 on this which I feel so ambivalent about.

But in addition to this, I'm hopeful that it is very much on the table that at some point a special edition Bears jumper will be created and not just played in once off, but also available for sale. I honestly believe that the best jumper that has been created in the last 10 years was the QLD spirit floods edition. This is a jumper of pride. Something that you can connect with. Something I instantly fell in love with! If this had been made available in stores I would have bought one in an instant. I know the playing jumpers were auctioned off, but there is a difference in purchasing a >$500 players Guernsey and something I wear around town and to the footy.

For what it's worth. I think the club logo (Lion head) could and probably should stay. I think it's modern and works, but the jumper needs to be fixed. Will it stop me supporting the side or being a member? No. Do I think it impacts the greater Brisbane support level of the club? No. But I certainly don't believe that it enhances it either.

Silver Member
September Member
1060794

 

[Brisroy Fitzbane]

I honestly believe that the best jumper that has been created in the last 10 years was the QLD spirit floods edition. This is a jumper of pride. Something that you can connect with. Something I instantly fell in love with! If this had been made available in stores I would have bought one in an instant. I know the playing jumpers were auctioned off, but there is a difference in purchasing a >$500 players Guernsey and something I wear around town and to the footy.

I agree. I bought 2 of them (One for myself, and one for a mate who was affected by the floods). It looks like a real QLD footy jumper. Like if we had a real State of Origin strip in the AFL.

What a shame we got so flogged in that match.. but ah well.. the jumper looked top notch and it was only NAB after all. (I've been steadily losing weight too.. so I may actually fit into mine soon.. I'm not quite bursting out of the seams as much as when it first arrived)

I wish I got the heritage one that we beat the Bulldogs in from earlier in this Season too. That was a ripper. You could tell the boys were really proud to play in it. Like when Rocky grabbed it after his goal. Unfortunately I was straight out of low-cash at that point in time so I think I may have missed the boat on that one. (Ironic that we got polled on that one but not our real one :/ ...Even if the online polls were clearly tampered with).

 

[WhiteLionFeva]

For what it's worth. I think the club logo (Lion head) could and probably should stay. I think it's modern and works, but the jumper needs to be fixed.
Silver Member
September Member
1060794

I agree, the head as an emblem looks good, but not the cartoon character.