Recommended reading

To the top · Sat 29 Sep 2007 11:45am

I would recommend the article of Mal Maiden in the Business Pages of "The Age", referring to the Carter Report of 1985, to ALL members of St Kilda FC.

St Kilda FC are showing all the signs of regressing to a model of past times, a model dominated by the "tribal"and this is unsustainable, and a contradiction, from where the code is today.

And, like Mal, I am now off to enjoy the hospitality of my hosts today.

And I am on my own two feet, so my time attempting to debate on this site has come to an end.

Just too many other things to do.

But, read Mal's article, which is exceptionally well timed given what is going on at St Kilda FC.

GeorgeYoung27 · Sat 29 Sep 2007 11:56am

And I am on my own two feet, so my time attempting to debate on this site has come to an end.

praise the lord!

hope your porsche doesn't get a flat on the way.

Just too many other things to do.

but the ski season is over now.

ausfatcat · Post: # 465946Post **ausfatcat** » Sat 29 Sep 2007 12:08pm

how about the title of the article so we can find it??

Solar · Post: # 465949Post **Solar** » Sat 29 Sep 2007 12:33pm

ausfatcat wrote:how about the title of the article so we can find it??

It's called "Grand final crowd sell-out shows the footy is kicking goals across the field.

In response to the OP

This a very simplistic view upon things. If you look at the actual content of the article it is based a real fallacy.

It assumes that just by going the corperate money making way the AFL has become popular. It is a lot more complex then that. It does not take into account the expansion the AFL did into football heartlands of WA and SA. Of course this would lead to more sponsorship and higher attendence/TV figures, its exposed to more people.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg. Is the money generated by sponsorship worth more then the contribution of the members/supporters of the 16 clubs? The only reason why the TV rights earns so much is BECAUSE the supporters turn on the TV to watch their team. The reason why Stkilda can go to a sponsor and say "we have access to 30K in members and twice as many supporters". If the game is so awash with money, why not just give the clubs the money usually generated from these grand final tickets and sell them to members of the clubs competing. This would mean that most supporters who actually go support their team year in year out would get a ticket.

Collingwood is an example of a club that not only courts the big end of town but also not only respects their members as members (communication, supporters nights, social club facilities etc.) not just customers. Treat your members well and they will stick with you. This allows you to have larger crowds, which equate to better friday night draws, which equate to better sponsorship opportunities (sponsors coming to them, staying with them, not being courted via a newspaper ad!).

Enjoy the game, but try to explain that to a geelong member who has followed his team for 50 years and yet can't see the cats play off at the Grand final. Hope you sleep well at night.