2013 Social Club

[Spinner]

I have become a "Ultimate Member" don't know what that means but it sounds good

I thought this 'ultimate' thing was a joke.

Seems it is not...

[matrix]

letter says we are category 2 grand final access

[mcadam05]

This is what I'm thinking , Priority 1 you have a say in what you get ie if you want too stand you can stand but if you want the best seat that's what you will get as for Priority 2 I think it will be the same as we have had in the past which is if you are a SC Member and you want a Ticket to the game you will get one but it's more random.
As the SC Membership has been Capped No SC Member will miss out

As for the letter it's self I do think they could of spelled out what each "new" package means

[matrix]

agreed
an explanation of each version of memberships and what peeps are entitled to etc etc
would prob cut the phone calls to the club by half if they put something on paper/net etc

[robsaint]

Haven't got anything yet. Oh what I have to look forward to. If they start doing the categories, I may stop my social club membership for the whole family as I think others may well do. Less money for the club, don't piss off your members it will come back to bite you.

[Legendary]

Maybe everyone is "Category 2" and it is meaningless?

There seems to be every possible combination of memberships/seats etc. on here, and everyone seems to be Category 2? So does it actually mean anything?

[Saints43]

From what I can make out of the renewal letter, it appears I've received a $140 discount on my total cost of membership!
I've been categorized as an 'Ultimate Red, White and Black Member with reserved seat on Lvl 2 and the total cost is $508 compared with my sons who are classified as 'Ultimate Member' with reserved seats on Lvl 2 at a total cost of $648 each.

That looks like the club are rewarding long term Social Club members who also pay for premium Social Club facilities.

It sounds like some on here still want the SC to be about drinking subsidised beer & playing squash for free while watching the club go into administration.

[Selhurst Saint]

None of this makes sense.

The membership department told us yesterday it was because of the reserved seat, however that has now been blown out of the water.

Has anyone received any clarification today?

[saintsrus]

Maybe everyone is "Category 2" and it is meaningless?

There seems to be every possible combination of memberships/seats etc. on here, and everyone seems to be Category 2? So does it actually mean anything?

The Op says hes has cat one and two so it must mean something

We received our 2013 membership letters yesterday and they have changed members categories again in relation to Social Club.

I am a category 1 member and my partner is deemed category 2.

The reason being is that I have a reserved seat and she doesn't.

The effect is that category 1 members are issued Grand Final Tickets first. Therefore means we cannot sit together unless I opt out of category 1 and join category 2.

[SinCitySainter]

If category 2 means you are not assured a GF ticket if we make it, then the club can stick it's social club membership up its arse.
I have been a SC member for 15+ years because it meant if we ever made it I was assured of a ticket.
Without that assurance the social club membership holds little value except as a cash grab for the club.

[Solar]

bizzarre..... what a time to screw long term social club members..... so is there ANY reason to keep paying for something we barely use (lost our social club area seating, now we have second dips over newer social club members who got sucked into buying a reserved seat).....

WOW...... oh well will be cheaper in the long term. Will put my money in a tin and if we make it I will pay for a $2000 seat. Shame the money doesnot go to the club but what do they want us to do? I aint going to buy a reserve seat when I work in hospitality and thus cannot get to over half the games.....

[mcadam05]

If category 2 means you are not assured a GF ticket if we make it, then the club can stick it's social club membership up its arse.
I have been a SC member for 15+ years because it meant if we ever made it I was assured of a ticket.
Without that assurance the social club membership holds little value except as a cash grab for the club.

There are very few ways for clubs to get a buck out of the Dome , But one way is to get people to buy a Reserve Seat. So if the Club comes up with a way to make a little $ from getting SC members who were with out a seat this year to get one next year is that a bad thing? no I don't think so. Will it work??? well I guess if they sell 1000 more reserve seats then it has worked.
but one of the problems I see is we Have a Marketing department of 20 somethings all with Degree's etc etc but who sadly know bugger all about this clubs fan base and our needs

As for tickets to the Grand Final if in 12mths your a SC Member YOU WILL GET A GRAND FINAL TICKET! don't fall for all these "Marketing power words" like Ultimate and Priority 1 and Priority 2 to Be Blunt it's a big Wank

As I wrote before the only difference i can see is Priority 1 you will get to choose what ticket you get and Priority 2 will be like it has been for the last couple of years where its more Random

[didzee]

Is there anything at all official what this means besides social club being shafted again.
We are long term SC members with SC level 1 seats now category 2 prime member.
Where is this info for members!
This crap seems to happen each year now a bit of communication would be great.
Anyone,not just guesses!

[loris]

That looks like the club are rewarding long term Social Club members who also pay for premium Social Club facilities.

It sounds like some on here still want the SC to be about drinking subsidised beer & playing squash for free while watching the club go into administration.

No not necassarily Saint43............. some of us long term Interstate and Overseas Social Club members have paid Social Club dues for years and years and have never used the facilities at all. It's been like an extra donation to the Club over the years. Which we pray will give us dibs on a GF ticket if the Saints are in a GF. We have no need to have a reserved seat as we do not attend Victorian games..... leaves more seats available for local SC members to select from, therefore we are not necessarily into drinking subsidised beer and having a free gamme of squash at the SC. Far from it, that's for sure for most of us non-victorians

It was poor enough them changing the ground rules on Foundation membership and giving johnny come latelies the same priviledges as Foundation members who had been paying for SC membership for years.

It is always prudent I think for the Club to canvas member attitudes to possible changes before moving the goal posts.......... or at least clearly outline what the differences are. I wished this ? change had been identified clearly before I filled out the Club's membership survey a few days ago.

But I guess I'll wait until I find out what it means, before I go off too 'half-cocked'

[Solar]

but isn't a reserve seat a benefit some people take out for the exact purpose of having a reserved seat? So now they are worried about losing the researced seat holders (which was never actually originally a reserve seating area, was a social club area that you could book) during the lean years and thus are giving a little bit extra to those taking these seats out?

If so then what they are doing is killing off a proportion of ocial club members who donate the social club membership money each year. That is bankable money. Funny thing was that the only benefit was a grand final ticket and now this has been reduced.

[saintbrat]

given that ( on current numbers for GF-11,000 or did they make it 15,000) and that St Kilda Social club limit was not reached in 2012 there is little differantiation.
so untill there is a major increase in members taking up Social club then Priority 1,2 or whatever would currently get a Ticket......

[saintsRrising]

It sounds like some on here still want the SC to be about drinking subsidised beer & playing squash for free while watching the club go into administration.

If you are going to get on your high horse, you could at least get your facts correct.

1/ Squash was not free.

2/ The "old " Social Club when it was a separate entity was very viable and subsidised the Football Club with money each year.

That is the flow of money was TO the Football Club from the Social Club paid for FROM the pockets of SC Members.

The club in no way shape or form subsidised beer for the SC Members. But YES the various activities if the Social club, including running bars subsidised the StKFC.

Further when the Football Club was faced with going into administration I, and all the SC Members I know, bought shares to assist in preventing that from occurring and where active in various fund raising initiatives at the time.

Your post stating that we wanted cheap beer and free squash while watching the club go into administration is just simply ill-informed, ignorant and offensive and just absurdly wrong.


Odd that it may seem to you...but there was this aspect called fellowship. You met new people, watched training, shared meals and yes a beer or two, some played squash (you paid extra!!!)....some went mid-week, and others just on match-days.......so ah yes it was a S O C I A L Club in every sense of the world....all this in the knowledge that you were assisting in funding the Football Club. I made friends back then that I still socialise with over 3 decades later........as opposed the soul-less thing that football has become where most just file in and out of stadiums with little connection to those that they are sitting near.

I know which is better.

It is only now that SC Membership has degenerated into a GF ticket access system that posters such as you denigrate those that wish to socialise with fellow supporters. GF ticket access was not why we became SC Members. Sadly....more and more the club is making it the only reason to be a SC member.

[Elementary]

Foundation social club membership was a marketing strategy to encourage people to pay for social club membership during those years when it was highly unlikely we would get to a Grand Final. It was 2009 before the anticipated Grand Final eventuated and at the start of that season social club membership was easily available. Then we won all those games and lots of people jumped on the bandwagon. These people got the same privileges as the people who had continually supported the club even in lean years. At the start of this year (2012) social club membership was again available so some of those social club members from 2009 must have stopped paying once we werent looking like grand final contenders.

Now they have introduced this category system. Based on history it appears to be a marketing strategy to ensure those committed social club members continue to pay even in lean years but this time also offer them incentives to pay for products they may not need or want (such as level 2 researved seats) to become category 1 social club. But will this change the next time we win a heap of games at the start of the season and people once more jump on the bandwagon. They will demand equal access to tickets and, history shows us, the club may not reward longevity of membership.

The club seems to change the rules without telling the members. In this age of technology, surely it cant be hard to put an explanation of the changes, the criteria of the categories and the meaning of the categories on the website. The first payment for the 2013 membership on the payment plan is the 15th of October and, if you want to opt out you need to do it by the 12th October. Details are needed to decide what is best for each individual. The club has brought forward the payment plan so if they do not yet have the details they should not have brought forward the payment dates. Why is it so hard for the club to TELL US what is happening and what the changes mean to our entitlements.

[Saints43]

That is the flow of money was TO the Football Club from the Social Club paid for FROM the pockets of SC Members.

Well considering the infrastructure & buildings the social club used belonged to the football club (and the FC supplied something to look at out of the windows as well) it's great that they funnelled a pittance to the football club for use of their property. The social club worked against the football club for years. More interested in subsidised(not free!!!!) squash and cheap beer. Kept the club poor. That's why they finished up the bludgers club and incorporated it into the fc.

[Saints43]

It's been like an extra donation to the Club over the years. Which we pray will give us dibs on a GF ticket if the Saints are in a GF.

Most of us got SC it because it entitled us to a GF ticket (for a few it was a subsidised knees up) and while that looked like a donation most years it certainly didn't when the GF ticket windows slammed shut on the non SC members queue at Morrabbin in '97. It's an insurance policy. If it was a donation people wouldn't care what they got for it.

But I guess I'll wait until I find out what it means, before I go off too 'half-cocked'

It would have been nice if the club explained Priority 1 etc.

[Bernard Shakey]

There has not been a Social Club this century.
After many years of SC membership, I got standing room in 2009, great seats 2010 first GF, crap seats next to the filth cheersquad 2010 replay.
Cancelled SC membership in 2011. Happy to pay premium for GF package and will still do it through the club.

[whiskers3614]

Don't reckon GF tickets are going to be an issue any time soon.
Hope I'm wrong!

[saintsRrising]

Most of us got SC it because it entitled us to a GF ticket (for a few it was a subsidised knees up) and while that looked like a donation most years it certainly didn't when the GF ticket windows slammed shut on the non SC members queue at Morrabbin in '97. It's an insurance policy. If it was a donation people wouldn't care what they got for it.

.

Ah...now the truth comes out...that is why YOU joined.

For some reason you are bitter and twisted about members who joined for MEMBERSHIP reasons. For you, as you view it as GF ticket access only, you are all bent out of shape that anyone may actually value a Social Club as a Social Club!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your "subsidised knees" up it just absolute rubbish. If I or other wanted cheap beer you would buy slab at Dan Murphys...and not buy a beer at the SC. Even in it's hey day the beer was not remarkably cheap at Moorabbin. It certainly was not cheap at VFL Park or at Docklands. It was 100% not a factor in my attendance at the SC, nor my mates.

Strange as it may seem to you the attraction was to mingle and talk with others that loved the Saints and wanted to talk football.


I can assure you that when I and my mates joined the Social Club it had absolutely nothing at all to do with GF tickets. We were SC Members when we were copping floggings week in week out and wins were rare and included periods like 100 point floggings 3 weeks in a row. Access to GF tickets was not a consideration at all back then. On in the nineties and naughties did it become a factor


Personally I do not begrudge the club if it wants to have a GF Ticket access system.

However a better may to have done it would have been to retain the SC with it's access...and then introduce a GF Membership Priority Class for those that wanted to pay premium for just that too. They do not have to be mutually exclusive.


Putting "membership" aside for a moment it is quite simply just poor business practice to repeatedly trash a core group of "customers".

The Saints 43's of the world will take their money and run when GF's are not likely......and if the Club keeps dumping on it's SC Members they too will leave in the lean years.

Business wise.....or Membership wise......the Club is not prudent in it's treatment of SC Members.


And it is not aspects such as the long vanished squash courts..it is just in many cases very basic things like if there is a change to EXPLAIN them at the time or just prior rather than to make changes and leave members in the dark.

It is a contemptuous attitude that the members do not matter, and that they are just piggy banks to raid.

If they are not going to treat us as MEMBERs, then as the bare minimum they could treat as a CUSTOMERS.

When Westaway wanted the members votes he was all over us like a rash....zapping round the countryside saying members first, vote for me. Once safely installed he and the Board have become more remote than ever.

Membership now is just a marketing grab. As a Club the Saints are no more. It is now just a company that takes it's customers for granted.

[matrix]

we only the joined SC for a grannie ticket...obviously
we cant benefit anything else from it at games seeing as we're interstate

but for members over a certain amount of years of continuation of loyalty there should be some priority and benefits especially if you live in melb

[Saints43]

I can assure you that when I and my mates joined the Social Club it had absolutely nothing at all to do with GF tickets. We were SC Members when we were copping floggings week in week out and wins were rare and included periods like 100 point floggings 3 weeks in a row. Access to GF tickets was not a consideration at all back then.

Copped floggings every week because parasites were leeching any potential profits out of the club. That's why the football club took over the social club. And the social club fought the footy club all the way over profits they made because they were aligned to St Kilda Football Club. Piss ups first. It's an absolute joke that you and your chums think you were loyal through the dismal 80's when you played the primary role in keeping the club poor.

The Saints 43's of the world will take their money and run when GF's are not likely.....

Yep, that's why they downgraded your status.