Official Club Stuff Questions/Comments for the EFC?

[Ben the Gooner]

The EFC has been working to expand the ways in which it interacts with its members, with the increased interaction on the official site, Twitter, Facebook etc. Now, BigFooty is a part of that.

Essendon_FC is an account set up by the club, with the sole purpose of being an easy point of contact between the club and the members here.

So, with that in mind, this thread is a chance for you to ask questions, make comments or suggestions or anything else you have in mind.

A word of warning: this thread is to be treated seriously. Any trolling, any abuse or anything de-railing the thread will be an instant red card. No questions asked.

A word of advice: this account is run by the web people. If you have a question about membership, they'll do their best to answer it, but it may take time as they'll have to check with the membership people. If you ask a football department question, the same applies, but there will obviously be things they can't answer.

In short, use this thread, make the interaction between the club and the fans better and easier for both parties, but keep it respectful and on topic.

 

[Yoda_]

Great work Ben

Done a super job dude, so much more than a lot of people realise

I guess I will kick things off.

How will the Essendon Football Club be connecting more with the people? will they be doing more public training sessions? more public appearances?

Great work again bud, and welcome to BigFooty.com Essendon Football Club

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

What do the EFC make of the new rugby union team in Melbourne (The Rebels)? Will there be any interaction between the two clubs (in terms of sharing expertise and facilities etc.)

 

[Essendon_FC]

Thanks for the first ever official Big Footy question to our club account!

We are working hard with the Football Department to ensure all of our members and fans have opportunities to connect with the players and coaches. We will hold more open training sessions in season 2011, starting with our Christmas Open Training Session on Wednesday 22 December, 9am at Windy Hill. Click here for details.

We are serious about creating a digital community also, and are working hard on providing content and access to players and the club via our website and other social media channels. We will roll out a few new opportunitie for fans over the coming months.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions as to how we can connect better with our members and fans, please feel free to pass on your thoughts and ideas.

Essendon Insider

 

[Essendon_FC]

What do the EFC make of the new rugby union team in Melbourne (The Rebels)? Will there be any interaction between the two clubs (in terms of sharing expertise and facilities etc.)

We are excited about more elite sport being played in Melbourne! Gotta love this city. There are no plans at this stage to align ourselves officially with The Rebels, we are however currently looking into a partnership with the Australian Paralympic Committee.

I am sure we could learn a lot from the Rebels, especially around strength and conditioning as well as the art of tackling and evading the tackle. I am sure our paths will cross in the future.

Essendon Insider

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

We are excited about more elite sport being played in Melbourne! Gotta love this city. There are no plans at this stage to align ourselves officially with The Rebels, we are however currently looking into a partnership with the Australian Paralympic Committee.

I am sure we could learn a lot from the Rebels, especially around strength and conditioning as well as the art of tackling and evading the tackle. I am sure our paths will cross in the future.

Essendon Insider

Thanks for the response. In relation to the Australian Paralympic Committee I must say that I thought Kurt Fearnley's address to the players this year (was featured on the telecast) was most inspirational. I am sure the Rebels would be a great source of expertise on tackling/evasion and we could reciprocate with our expertise at the club. Thanks again.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

What a fantastic initiative! Great work Ben and of course the EFC and our man (or woman) on the inside

Look forward to reading the Q&A

 

[Essendon_FC]

What a fantastic initiative! Great work Ben and of course the EFC and our man (or woman) on the inside

Look forward to reading the Q&A

Thanks, we are looking forward to engaging more with our Big Footy fans. Let's see how it progresses, hopefully we can provide some insight into the inner workings of the club as well as responses to fan questions and comments.

 

[Kong]

Welcome aboard.

I've really enjoyed the "Cauldron" theme at home Etihad Stadium games in recent times.

Does the club have plans to continue this, and if so, are they looking to take it up a notch?

Things like lighting effects pre-game would add an extra element I feel, assuming that sort of thing is possible (and I'd assume it would be, considering music events are held there).

Another suggestion could be supplying red shirts to certain sections of the crowd to create a English Premier League-type appearance, as I vaguely remember being trialled in 2010.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Adding to what Whomb said, I'd suggest a specific song before the air-raid siren comes on. Something fighter plane related.

The heavy metal fan in me suggests Aces High by Iron Maiden, but a more "friendly" song would probably be a better option.

 

[Essendon_FC]

Welcome aboard.

I've really enjoyed the "Cauldron" theme at home Etihad Stadium games in recent times.

Does the club have plans to continue this, and if so, are they looking to take it up a notch?

Things like lighting effects pre-game would add an extra element I feel, assuming that sort of thing is possible (and I'd assume it would be, considering music events are held there).

Another suggestion could be supplying red shirts to certain sections of the crowd to create a English Premier League-type appearance, as I vaguely remember being trialled in 2010.

We are all over it. We wanted to create a red and black out in 2010, but were restricted by lighting regulations and stadium guidelines. We are excited about a couple of opportunities to create a red and black cauldron - both with lights, music and fan interaction. We love what Andrew Bogut has down with Squad 6, and what the Phoenix Suns have created with Planet Orange.

It essentially comes down to money, AFL and stadium buy-in as well as club resources. But we are committed to providing a home ground experience for our fans and players.

The Essendon Insider

 

[Essendon_FC]

Adding to what Whomb said, I'd suggest a specific song before the air-raid siren comes on. Something fighter plane related.

The heavy metal fan in me suggests Aces High by Iron Maiden, but a more "friendly" song would probably be a better option.

Agree! We want to improve upon the final 15 minutes before the bounce of the ball - really create a massive build-up and a cauldron of sound in support of the boys. A specific song is a good idea and we will look into this - hope all Big Footy fans can provide some suggestions.

The Essendon Insider

 

[Kong]

That's really exciting to hear, cheers mate.

In all honesty, most other Melbourne clubs will catch on eventually, so it's good to see our club pioneering yet another initiative.

 

[Burzum]

Welcome aboard.

It will be great to have a direct relationship with the club and get some of our questions answered!

 

[Colin D'Cops]

A specific song is a good idea and we will look into this - hope all Big Footy fans can provide some suggestions.

[youtube]H2hzVV2Nwfs[/youtube]

 

[Kong]

[youtube]g05AE0S4fMs[/youtube]

Keeping with a "bombers"/"bomb" theme.

 

[Colin D'Cops]

Not sure what to think of that song Whomb.

Anyway, last suggestion from me:
[youtube]iPYF2p-cGx8[/youtube]

 

[Ben the Gooner]

I was thinking that too, Col, but it's pretty cliched.

 

[Burzum]

This tbh

[youtube]uY3LAFJbKyY[/youtube]

 

[OzBomber]

Hopefully the red shirts idea continues next year as it looked great even at the ground. Would be nice if it was expanded to other areas of the ground for members who don't have reserved seats.

Also, not sure if it's on the website but what is planned to come withr the membership this year (ie. cap etc.). I was dissapointed with the bland cap in 09, but liked the scarf last year.

Great initiative btw.

 

[yaco55]

Football Department Question

Most posters on this board like to receive a training report during the week - pre-season and during the season.

The OPEN trainin session during the season in 2010 - Was always the last session of the week - which only includes the final 25.

Is there a possibility that the Open session could be on another day so that the training watchers could see the whole list training.

 

[Essendon_FC]

Football Department Question

Most posters on this board like to receive a training report during the week - pre-season and during the season.

The OPEN trainin session during the season in 2010 - Was always the last session of the week - which only includes the final 25.

Is there a possibility that the Open session could be on another day so that the training watchers could see the whole list training.

That is a great question and something we have not been aware of - you have a valid point. I am not too sure what Hirdy will do with the training schedule during the season at this stage, but I will pass your request onto Paul Hamilton and ensure the Football Department is aware of it. Thanks.

Essendon Insider

 

[Essendon_FC]

Hopefully the red shirts idea continues next year as it looked great even at the ground. Would be nice if it was expanded to other areas of the ground for members who don't have reserved seats.

Also, not sure if it's on the website but what is planned to come withr the membership this year (ie. cap etc.). I was dissapointed with the bland cap in 09, but liked the scarf last year.

Great initiative btw.

The red shirts simply come down to costs. We will work on a different part of the ground in 2011 and if it takes off, will see how we can expand. It is a long-term plan to convert the whole stadium, but it will take some time and effort.

We have an exciting initiative on the table with a business partner at the moment, if they get on-board we hope our Big Footy fans can get involved! More details will be released once all is confirmed.

Also, this is what you get in your membership pack:

• Member Only 2011 personalised Membership card
• Member Only 2011 Lanyard & Ticket Wallet
• Member Only 2011 Lapel Pin
• Member Only 2011 Bumper Sticker
• Member Only 2011 Fixture Magnet
• Free entry to the Hall of Fame at Windy Hill
• Annual Subscription to the Bomber magazine
• Bomber Birthday Card (where DOB is provided)
• Weekly e-newsletters (where email provided)
• Voting rights for Members (18 years and over)
• Exclusive invitations to Club events (18 years and over)

PLUS - A free 2011 Membership scarf! Which can be picked up pre-game from the membership marquee. High Mark members receive their scarf in the mail.

Essendon Insider

 

[Lance Uppercut]

man I'm gonna have so many scarfs in my closet! It's a bit like Superman wondering which suit to put on

 

[juppy]

No questions but would just like to comment on what a great iniciative this is. Gets people that step closer to the club and believe that development of these ideas in the future will save money and time.



As far as that song goes Ride of the Valkryrie (Apocalypse Now style) would be awesome.