2013 Social Club

[saintbrat]

thanks maryann

did they happen to explain 'Ultimate'

[saintsRrising]

First time poster on here so hope it comes out ok!

I also rang the club this morning, yet to receive our emails. My understanding always was that it was our social club membership that gave us the right to a grand final ticket. So everyone who pays that membership fee should have the same right. Now it seems that if you prefer to sit behind the goals or in the old social club area on level 1, you are being penalised. It seems now that it is the cost of your seat that determines how big a right you have to your grand final ticket.

If this is going to be the case, then what is their reason for lumping the behind the goals and old social club area reserved seat holders in with social club people who do not have any reserved seat in the same category? We are paying an extra $127.50 than they are but it doesnt seem to give us any more rights than they have.

I am not saying that I think we should have more rights than them, all social club members who pay the same social club membership fee should have the same rights. Where you choose to watch your football from is personal choice for people.

But it contradicts their justifying the category 1 / category 2 based on your reserved seating.

I also found out this morning that the old social club area on level 1 which was made reserved seating for social club members two years ago, is no longer just for social club members. We have sat there the past two years in our reserved seats and this year there were so many empty seats around us, which often then meant that opposition supporters were sitting in these seats as they could book them through ticketmaster. The great atmostphere we used to have in this area is slowly diminishing.

I am a red, white and black member, meaning a member of over 40 years. The club have seen fit to reward me with free social club membership for this loyalty. As I pointed out to the girl this morning, I am not interested in getting my free membership or an extra 20% or whatever off merchandise. I am happy to pay for my social club membership, all I want is equal rights for my membership fee. If they wanted to reward my loyalty and that of other long term members, they could have kept their foundation memberships.

Like others, I am tired of them changing the rules. With a drop of about 5,000 in membership this year I really thought they would be more 'keep our members happy' in their attitude for next season. I should have known better!

Quite possibly the best first post ever on Saintsational.

[saintsrus]

Well said maryann

[matrix]

great explanation
maybe you should ask for a job at the club

so if youve bean sitting in your seat for ten plus years and its behind the goals and youre 70 years old you might get a standing ticket at the grannie

great work

[stinger]

this + bj...they can stick my social club membership up their flowering arse....well...that's who i'm feeling this morning...

[markp]

The same people who decided this was the way to go (without any consultation) also decided BJ should be grateful for whatever offer they give him, like it or lump it.

We should be glad the club is taking the same stand against lifelong members who don't tip in as much cash as new members willing to pay a higher premium.

'Team First'... everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others, like it or lump it.

[tweedaletomanning]

The same people who decided this was the way to go (without any consultation) also decided BJ should be grateful for whatever offer they give him, like it or lump it.

We should be glad the club is taking the same stand against lifelong members who don't tip in as much cash as new members willing to pay a higher premium.

'Team First'... everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others, like it or lump it.

Agreed.

Nettlefold has been an unmitigated DISASTER!!!

[matrix]

wheres barks!!!!!!!!

strangely quiet on the western front at the moment

[maryann]

great explanation
maybe you should ask for a job at the club

so if youve bean sitting in your seat for ten plus years and its behind the goals and youre 70 years old you might get a standing ticket at the grannie

great work

Two reasons why they wouldnt give me a job. One, it is a long time since I was a 'twenty something' young girl. The other is that I actually do know quite a bit about what members like and need and am familiar with ticketing, seating arrangements etc having done the ticketing for my family of up to 22 members for many years. They wouldn't want anyone who actually understands their clients!

That is quite true about being 70 and maybe getting a standing room ticket. It happened to my father in 2010 and he was 80 and battles to walk from the lift to his seat at etihad, all of about 30 metres. What made it even worse was that he was a red, white and black member and at that time it meant being a member for over 50 years. The club would do nothing to help him and they knew it meant he could not go to the game as he could not stand. Yet, a friend (an MCC member) travelling to the game by train met an older saints couple (nowhere near as old as my father) who had been given standing room tickets also and had rung the club a few times and went beserk at them and they got theirs changed. Lesson learnt: it doesnt pay to be nice and to appeal to their sense of fairness and loyalty! They don't have them!

[maryann]

thanks maryann

did they happen to explain 'Ultimate'

Yes, ultimate is if you are a social club member and have a reserved seat on the wing on level 1 or on level 2. That gives you category 1 for grand final tickets.

[Legendary]

What utter bulls*** this whole thing is.

I have been a member for 20 years, only social club for the past 6 (shamelessly motivated by GF ticket access) and reserved seat on Level 1 at Etihad since 2000.

Where you chose to sit at Etihad Stadium should have NOTHING to do with what sort of access you get to GF tickets.

Access to GF tickets should be equal for all social club members ... or at least if the Saints ARE going to prioritise anyone, make it 40+ year members who get that priority! Surely loyalty, years of service and support and continued membership are worth more than WHERE you chose to sit!!


This is a poor decision, I don't normally attack the club but this seems unfounded and without reason.

[Saint_Ash]

I'm a social club member, they hold me to ransom over my level 2 reserve seat......plus they void my Grand Final ticket allocation because i'm also an AFL member.

but they don't offer me a discount because i receive less, they don't even deliver me a flag

I haven't gotten anything in the mail yet but if I lose my access to a GF ticket through the social club just because I am an AFL member I am going to be might pissed off. I am only a silver AFL member so don't get a GF ticket through my AFL membership. If they take my GF ticket access off me then when do I have left as a reason to stay a social club member?

[maryann]

I'm a social club member, they hold me to ransom over my level 2 reserve seat......plus they void my Grand Final ticket allocation because i'm also an AFL member.

but they don't offer me a discount because i receive less, they don't even deliver me a flag

I haven't gotten anything in the mail yet but if I lose my access to a GF ticket through the social club just because I am an AFL member I am going to be might pissed off. I am only a silver AFL member so don't get a GF ticket through my AFL membership. If they take my GF ticket access off me then when do I have left as a reason to stay a social club member?

Don't worry about it having been changed for next season. You haven't lost your GF ticket access for being an AFL member. We are AFL silver members with the club support and have received our renewals.

If you are an AFL member with St.Kilda club support then that makes you a St.KIlda football club member exactly the same as anyone who just buys a football club membership through the club. The AFL give St.Kilda money for every AFL member that lists them as their club of support. If you continue to keep your social club then they can't take your right to a grand final ticket off you just because you are a member through the AFL. I doubt the AFL would look too kindly on this.

[Bernard Shakey]

this + bj...they can stick my social club membership up their flowering arse....well...that's who i'm feeling this morning...

You're feeling BJ this morning? Wow!

[matrix]

bloody good work maryann

can remember in 2009 (from memory) a poster on here couldnt get a ticket for her partner who was in a wheelchair after getting an op
few of us kicked a stink up to the club via email and it got sorted in the end

sad
if it wasnt a business before...it certainly is now

people who have been members for decades should be given first crack
it should not be determined where they decide to sit every week during the home and away season

i guess we'll all get tickets, whether they are standing or sitting
and if someone of a greater age than me or most posters here copped a standing room ticket im sure we'd be up for trading them our seats (if we lucked out and got one ourselves)

anyway
pay attention
it'll prob all change 3 times over by the time we make the next GF

[saintsRrising]

BJ leaves for the Dons = gets baked by the club in the press for leaving just for the money and lack of loyalty


StKFC scews over it's SC members for money and disregards loyalty = not a word......


How about walking the talk??????

[Teflon]

Dont panic we'll be ok - we've got Greg and "Footy First"on board looking after our interests................"right?"

But Im truly amazed and ashamed of how bad this club treats long standing members. I thought Foundation was a great idea - reward those who stick fat......now we are shafted. Now its the price of your seat that determines how useful you are to them.

Am starting to wonder if I am truly not better off just keeping the coin, waiting for GF day again and lashing out $1ooo for a ticket.

At a time when Free Agency ensures the highest bidder wins out we now see this type of corporate sanitisation creeping in.

It really is becoming like barracking for a company.

[Chubby chequer]

great explanation
maybe you should ask for a job at the club

so if youve bean sitting in your seat for ten plus years and its behind the goals and youre 70 years old you might get a standing ticket at the grannie

great work

You better hurry up though , times running out old son

[kosifantutti]

I really don't mind the club trying to maximise revenue as long as they are up front about it.

It would be nice to reward people such as myself who have been members for 40 years but it doesn't put dollars in the bank, it doesn't employ an extra assistant or get us a hyperbaric chamber. It's hard to quantify what these things are worth to the club, but would it get us an extra point or two in a grand final?

They are still guaranteeing a ticket to the Grand Final for Social Club members but they are just saying that they'll give the best tickets to those who are prepared to pay during the season. That's usually how things work. It would be nice if a football club could be different. Maybe Fitzroy was different.

[Solar]

only problem with that is they are blackmailing people into buying reserved seating on level 1 that was never meant to be reserved. They have destroyed the value of a social club membership. I thought tat value of the reserved seat was just that, you have it reserved all year and have great seats. Why the need to add value to this at the detriment to long standing social club members who pumped extra money into the club during the low times.

Has anyone contacted the club and let them know how pissed this has made alot of us, because they risk losing a huge amount of upfront money during the lean years. Stupid......

PS - loved watching from level 3 at all the empty seats or the seats they sold off the oppisition...... awesome

[matrix]

im thinking of dropping back to just normal interstate
save about 150 PER membership so 300 smackers a year back into my pocket

i can still get priority into all finals
and then every 40 years when we make a grannie ill buy a package from the club

and still come out on top coin wise

ill stick with it this year
but if the cost goes up again next year and they dick everyone around
then ill go the above option

[saintwalsh]

I am 28 have been a member for 12 years as soon as I started working part time and also a social club member. The year they got rid of the social club seating area I decided to upgrade to the 300 club. The 300 club is a amazing experience you have members from the club up their in the Robert Harvey room that look after your needs. You can pay extra each week to have a meal. Bruce Eva is the MC and they have past players get up and talk as well as current players that are not playing in the game that day. I can't remember how much it costs but I'm pretty sure it is 750 a season so it is not cheap but s great experience that I'm lucky enough to be able to afford ATM. I feel that as a 300 club member I would be very annoyed if we made the Grand Final and was to recieve a standing room ticket.

[saintbrat]

whilst not privvy to the details of changes
I would suggest that the club will continue to NOT have any control over who gets standing and who doesn't for any appearance at a Grand final

the usual Tick if you don't wish to stand - would seem to be the Ticketing agency situation not the clubs,

from there the club appears to be saying Priority 1 holders will get tickets first- and you pay for whereever that falls
then priority 2 etc

with maybe Ultimate being first?

But againt I reiterate- given we do NOT have 11,000 social club members this year and some of you saying you are going to be dropping it- there will be NO problem getting a seat....

When we again get back to having a full Social Club entitlement then you can all panic--

[matrix]

yup agreed bratty
always room in the sc when finals are not looking likely

but in the long run
its cheaper for some peeps who dont get to games over in melbs (except finals)
to buy a package thru the club if and when we do make it to a grannie

instead of paying 500 bucks a year

unless we make the grannie every three years

[saintsRrising]

whilst not privvy to the details of changes
I would suggest that the club will continue to NOT have any control over who gets standing and who doesn't for any appearance at a Grand final

Baloney. The new system proves that they can meter out the allocation...as that is exactly what they are doing.

If the allocation is say 11,000 and the standing room is 1000..they can just allocate the first 10,000. Or cap things at 10,000 etc etc

the usual Tick if you don't wish to stand - would seem to be the Ticketing agency situation not the clubs,

from there the club appears to be saying Priority 1 holders will get tickets first- and you pay for whereever that falls
then priority 2 etc

with maybe Ultimate being first?

But againt I reiterate- given we do NOT have 11,000 social club members this year and some of you saying you are going to be dropping it- there will be NO problem getting a seat....

When we again get back to having a full Social Club entitlement then you can all panic--

Point being that there is no reason to STAY a SC Member now. The club is just encouraging people jump in and jump out. The smarties will leae, and ifa GF looks likely then buy a package that gets them to the front of the queue.