Evening Crows Fans
The following has been run by both a Mod here and also a lawyer to ensure no legal or ethical issues in any way.
This is a serious issue for our club that has bugged me all season and I am calling upon fellow passionate supporters (i.e. you guys on BF) to help ensure this never ever happens again.
Ultimately the following is along the lines of change.org and trust me it DOES make a difference as the emails are received and read. I have had positive feedback from the club (a Senior member) re the below and needing help taking it to the next level.
Basically, we have been screwed (again) by the VFL over fixturing over the last year and a half. Imagine a competition with HALF of all teams based in ONE CITY (the home of footy where the big finals are played) and not being granted ONE GAME for 22 weeks - effectively a whole season!! It is almost impossible to fathom yet this has happened to the Crows. We last played in Melbourne in round 17 last year (7th to last round) playing Hawks at Marvel. Obviously next game vs Pies in round 15 equals 22 games between games...
I have sent the following email to Gillon Mc L and Andrew Dillon in recent weeks and after a related response have followed up with another email yesterday.
I am asking Crows fans to EMAIL THE AFL CEO's with a message about the inequities the crows have faced this year. Please ensure its done in a professional and respectful manner (as mine was - see below). It takes 10 seconds to google what are the contact details/email addresses of the relevant AFL CEO's and please trust me these email address results that come up are 100% accurate.
Ideally we stop infighting here and use our collective will to make positive changes for the club. If dozens of fans email the AFL with a similar message perhaps next year we go back to 6-7 MLB games inc 3-4 at The G and less crap at Ballarat, Tassie, Darwin etc. That MLB (The G) experience is what we will ultimately need to win big finals over coming years. Use your energy - positive or negative - for good. That's my request. My email below and interested in others thoughts on this subject.
Thanks to anyone that makes the effort
Hi Gillon and Andrew
Gents, firstly I hope the handover is going well and good luck finding resolutions to a number of the serious and complex issues on your plate – certainly some tough ones. I would appreciate 2 mins of your time reading the following.
As a huge crows fans since day one, many years living in Melbourne, I know the Crows have a huge amount of supporters in Melbourne (historically the best of any interstate team that wasn’t relocated or merged).
In summary, I find it almost impossible to fathom that it can take until Round 15 for my club to play for the FIRST time all year in Melbourne (the first and only time in AFL history this has occurred for any team), finishing with 3 games in total (MLB and COLL at The G, Dons at Marvel.) Its hard to work out when half of all teams are MLB based we cant find one opportunity to actually play one of these teams in MLB until 2/3rds of the season has gone. The fact its actually 22 rounds since round 17 2022 (Hawks at Marvel) to round 15 2023 is a little bewildering to me..
MLB based family and friends looked at the draw this year and said why in the heck would we become Crows members when treated to only 3 games in total for the whole season starting in round 15. Now I know some team has to play in – how do I best put it…- ‘non premium locations’ of Ballarat, Darwin, Launceston and Geelong but it seems blatantly unfair the Crows get these gigs every single year. As a young, attacking and attractive side to watch, and which is clearly on the rise, I do hope this year is the last time we experience such treatment in the draw.
PS I have only once contacted the AFL directly previously after the Crows were ‘drawn’ to play in Perth in the last minor round 4 years out of 8 in a time when there was no pre-finals bye. Not coincidentally it was the grave-yard location for round 22 (often hot and dry grounds) and the one location NO TEAM wished to get in the last minor round. Yet the Crows got it every second year (inc finals years 1998, 2001 and 2005) and then went on to lose the first week of the finals on each occasion including when we were strong favourites playing at home. Perhaps my email at the time played no part in the change to the rostering but anyway thought I would give the draw another few minutes of time this year to again point out what I deem a lopsided and unfair fixturing.
PPS I have included the crows guys above as a FYI to them on why their MLB member numbers are perhaps struggling this year. I have not communicated this issue with any of them at all until this email.
Anyway, all the best and lets hope for a cracking end to an exciting season with the quality of footy played, in many instances, at decade highs (much thanks to the tinkering of the rules by the AFL in recent years – well done).
Regards,
The following has been run by both a Mod here and also a lawyer to ensure no legal or ethical issues in any way.
This is a serious issue for our club that has bugged me all season and I am calling upon fellow passionate supporters (i.e. you guys on BF) to help ensure this never ever happens again.
Ultimately the following is along the lines of change.org and trust me it DOES make a difference as the emails are received and read. I have had positive feedback from the club (a Senior member) re the below and needing help taking it to the next level.
Basically, we have been screwed (again) by the VFL over fixturing over the last year and a half. Imagine a competition with HALF of all teams based in ONE CITY (the home of footy where the big finals are played) and not being granted ONE GAME for 22 weeks - effectively a whole season!! It is almost impossible to fathom yet this has happened to the Crows. We last played in Melbourne in round 17 last year (7th to last round) playing Hawks at Marvel. Obviously next game vs Pies in round 15 equals 22 games between games...
I have sent the following email to Gillon Mc L and Andrew Dillon in recent weeks and after a related response have followed up with another email yesterday.
I am asking Crows fans to EMAIL THE AFL CEO's with a message about the inequities the crows have faced this year. Please ensure its done in a professional and respectful manner (as mine was - see below). It takes 10 seconds to google what are the contact details/email addresses of the relevant AFL CEO's and please trust me these email address results that come up are 100% accurate.
Ideally we stop infighting here and use our collective will to make positive changes for the club. If dozens of fans email the AFL with a similar message perhaps next year we go back to 6-7 MLB games inc 3-4 at The G and less crap at Ballarat, Tassie, Darwin etc. That MLB (The G) experience is what we will ultimately need to win big finals over coming years. Use your energy - positive or negative - for good. That's my request. My email below and interested in others thoughts on this subject.
Thanks to anyone that makes the effort
Hi Gillon and Andrew
Gents, firstly I hope the handover is going well and good luck finding resolutions to a number of the serious and complex issues on your plate – certainly some tough ones. I would appreciate 2 mins of your time reading the following.
As a huge crows fans since day one, many years living in Melbourne, I know the Crows have a huge amount of supporters in Melbourne (historically the best of any interstate team that wasn’t relocated or merged).
In summary, I find it almost impossible to fathom that it can take until Round 15 for my club to play for the FIRST time all year in Melbourne (the first and only time in AFL history this has occurred for any team), finishing with 3 games in total (MLB and COLL at The G, Dons at Marvel.) Its hard to work out when half of all teams are MLB based we cant find one opportunity to actually play one of these teams in MLB until 2/3rds of the season has gone. The fact its actually 22 rounds since round 17 2022 (Hawks at Marvel) to round 15 2023 is a little bewildering to me..
MLB based family and friends looked at the draw this year and said why in the heck would we become Crows members when treated to only 3 games in total for the whole season starting in round 15. Now I know some team has to play in – how do I best put it…- ‘non premium locations’ of Ballarat, Darwin, Launceston and Geelong but it seems blatantly unfair the Crows get these gigs every single year. As a young, attacking and attractive side to watch, and which is clearly on the rise, I do hope this year is the last time we experience such treatment in the draw.
PS I have only once contacted the AFL directly previously after the Crows were ‘drawn’ to play in Perth in the last minor round 4 years out of 8 in a time when there was no pre-finals bye. Not coincidentally it was the grave-yard location for round 22 (often hot and dry grounds) and the one location NO TEAM wished to get in the last minor round. Yet the Crows got it every second year (inc finals years 1998, 2001 and 2005) and then went on to lose the first week of the finals on each occasion including when we were strong favourites playing at home. Perhaps my email at the time played no part in the change to the rostering but anyway thought I would give the draw another few minutes of time this year to again point out what I deem a lopsided and unfair fixturing.
PPS I have included the crows guys above as a FYI to them on why their MLB member numbers are perhaps struggling this year. I have not communicated this issue with any of them at all until this email.
Anyway, all the best and lets hope for a cracking end to an exciting season with the quality of footy played, in many instances, at decade highs (much thanks to the tinkering of the rules by the AFL in recent years – well done).
Regards,
