The wooing of the St Kilda faithful

[SainterK]

I've been very hard on the Saints in recent years, frustrated at the lack of fan engagement, lack of communication, lack of corporate dollars and drive.

I would like to congratulate Finnis and the reenergised staff supporting him, for turning things around, and so quickly.

Fan engagement = tick. Genuinely chuffed at the turnout today, took me by surprise. Delighted at the enthusiasm amongst fans, it's contagious. Was more there today than I can remember at any ground event in recent years. Always said, you just had to see the farewell game of Kos, Milne and Blakey, to see the untapped potential and passion amongst supporters. It was always there, just needed some love thrown the fans way.

Communication = tick. One of the first things to change, seemed to coincide with the appointment of Luke Holmesby. More media, more social media, more open lines between club and fans. From one of the worst, to one of the best. Great initiatives, encouragement for fan participation, love it.

Corporate dollars = tick. Sensational output in recent months, pat yourselves on the back. Bet Dare were impressed with the exposure today, must of exceeded their expectations...they were out of iced coffee 20 mins in.

I feel I've been wooed, I've enjoyed feeling loved and wanted by my footy club.

Judging by today, don't think I'm alone.

Go saints!

[remboy]

Keep a lid on it K, there's a long season ahead of us.
Must admit though it was good to go out there today. Really positive feel after an ordinary couple of years.
It was all well and good to live in the bubble when we were on top but it's a different story now. I enjoyed Richo's post match emails. Sure, they might be 30 seconds of fluff, but it was still good to hear his thoughts post game. Couldn't have easy on him when we didn't look like winning a game.
There's probably been more positive stories on the Saints this summer than there has been for years. I know some people didn't like the announcing of re-signings one at a time but it kept us in the news that bit longer and gave each player their moment of attention.
Bring on next week!

[Dr Spaceman]

We all laughed when Watters referred to the Saints juggernaut!



Maybe we all just laughed at Watters

[saintsRrising]

Wastaway and Footy First was a huge disaster that hit the Saints. He flew around Australia garnishing the support of the average StKilda Fan..and as soon as he was in power he stuck it up the lot of us. To Wastaway and his ilk, we were not members of a club, we were just fodder to be used.

Thankfully he is gone.

[saintsRrising]

Keep a lid on it K, there's a long season ahead of us.
!

I am with K.

The club has had a seismic change.

Biggest change is that we are once again a CLUB with MEMBERS....rather than just customers there to be milked no matter how badly they treated us. This change in attitude and approach is major. This change will then allow the other good ideas that Finnis has to be executed. Not all will work, but being once again member focused is crucial, and from my viewpoint warmly welcomed.

[tony74]

Club was taken back by the crowd this morning. Not in their wildest dreams did they think those sort of numbers would turn up.

[SainterK]

Club was taken back by the crowd this morning. Not in their wildest dreams did they think those sort of numbers would turn up.

Sleeping giant Tony...

[SainterK]

Keep a lid on it K, there's a long season ahead of us.
!

I am with K.

The club has had a seismic change.

Biggest change is that we are once again a CLUB with MEMBERS....rather than just customer there to be milked no matter how badly they treated us. This change in attitude and approach is major. this change then will allow the other good ideas that Finnis has to be executed. Not all will work, but being once again member focused is crucial, and from my viewpoint warmly welcome.

This.

[St Ick]

Yet to miss an intraclub at Seaford and this one was definitely the biggest.

Makes sense though, as this year is about the kids and that was a good opportunity to see them.

[SemperFidelis]

Club was taken back by the crowd this morning. Not in their wildest dreams did they think those sort of numbers would turn up.

Sleeping giant Tony...

tell 'em to keep it coming, Tony. Advanced and well promoted notice of events helps every time. I think you will find there is a big turnout for the forthcoming open training days.

As SainterK knows, they (we) are out there!

[stinger]

Club was taken back by the crowd this morning. Not in their wildest dreams did they think those sort of numbers would turn up.

that's really great news mate...great news....

[saintbrat]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/s ... 7232383740

It is understood projections given to the commission showed the Saints aim to hit 55,000 members within three years.

“We need to bring our fans back to the club by showing them that we are making the right decisions, have good plans and people in place and — most of all — appreciate how important they are to us,” Finnis said.

“We see St Kilda as the people’s club and will be conducting ourselves that way.

“We have definitely burst the St Kilda ‘bubble’ and will pride ourselves on being an open, welcoming club.”

Relocation to the Junction Oval or Moorabbin is under consideration with a decision expected later in the year.

Plans for a pre-season game in New Zealand to complement the club’s annual Anzac Day arrangement in Wellington are also on the table.

Sub editors missed by "that much"
advising that

St Kilda’s pre-season preparations will step up with an intra-club match at the club’s Seaford headquarters at 10am on Saturday.

with a story published -MICHAEL WARNER HERALD SUN FEBRUARY 21, 2015 7:00PM

[8856brother]

I agree, and it's fantastic to see. Lets see how we are going if we are 1 and 9. Hope we can all be strong enough to see out the journey, because we still may be severely tested for a few more years yet. I'm ready and excited.

[saintspremiers]

I think the HUN article and the intraclub turnout conclusively point the massive failure of Westaway and thank God he is gone.

I think 55K members in 3 years is far fetched, but who knows what will happen with a decent administration in place and hopefully no big scandals.

[plugger66]

Why would the club suggest a completely impossible number of members. Its just plain silly. We are likely to still be in the bottom 4 by then so it isnt going to happen. I think being realistic should be the aim for everyone. If we got near 40k in 3 years time that would be fantastic. Say we get 33k this year 35k next year and then 37k then we may have 40k by the start of 2018. That seems about the target we should be aiming for.

[Bluthy]

I give props to the new Pres. It all starts at the top. Ever since he's come in we have had a sense of direction, creativity, proactiveness and reaching out to members. A smart person put smart people in under him and so on until the club is filled with smart people all pulling together.

In some ways though the club has been forced to go down this road and is playing catchup to the new AFL paradigm. Collingwood, Hawthorn, Geelong, Port Adelaide realised long ago that a strong club is based on actively engaging members and rolling out the red carpet to them and becoming thoroughly professional in marketing and promotion. There is so much competition for sport lovers dollars - soccer is getting bigger and bigger, tennis, the Storm, overseas sports available on demand . You've got to aggressively compete for their dollars especially when the cost of living keeps going up. Kids can see so many teams on tv and internet now that the automatic buy in to their parents team often doesn't happen. And with young generations ADHD you've got to keep things happening - events, announcements, emails, tweets, trotting out players.

I do love the brand we are developing - St Kilda by the sea - fresh, invigorating, sexy, young, confident, future orientated. So much of the marketing material is white with splashes of red and black and feels really light and fresh and makes you want to be involved with the club and appeals to young folk. So much better than the staid, battler image that has haunted us. ST Kilda is the coolest, weirdest, bohemian, exciting, creative, dynamic suburbs in Melbourne and we are just now really using that as a base for marketing. We're finding an image that sells in this media driven era and its damn exciting for our future.

Its so clever how they turned a negative - bottom of the ladder - into a selling point - future fest, get to know the kids etc. There is a generation of youngsters who only know St Kilda as a dominant successful club and envision them rising again soon. They are the ones we need to keep wooing. Its easy making a club sexy when you are at the top and winning. What I give big props to the marketing and promotion and the club hierarchy is making this club sexy despite the difficult circumstances out on the field. Its bodes really well for when we start to rise.

[saint6709]

Why would the club suggest a completely impossible number of members. Its just plain silly. We are likely to still be in the bottom 4 by then so it isnt going to happen. I think being realistic should be the aim for everyone. If we got near 40k in 3 years time that would be fantastic. Say we get 33k this year 35k next year and then 37k then we may have 40k by the start of 2018. That seems about the target we should be aiming for.

If the club went to the trouble of announcing a number they are aiming for and said they are going to spend the next 3 years working really hard to get membership numbers up to an amount they had 8 years prior to that, my guess is they will be standing around scratching their heads in 3 yrs time wondering why they didn't get there ....... If they aim for 55k and work toward that they might actually get there !! Great initiative IMO - good luck saints - I hope we make it !!

[satchmo]

Why would the club suggest a completely impossible number of members. Its just plain silly. We are likely to still be in the bottom 4 by then so it isnt going to happen. I think being realistic should be the aim for everyone. If we got near 40k in 3 years time that would be fantastic. Say we get 33k this year 35k next year and then 37k then we may have 40k by the start of 2018. That seems about the target we should be aiming for.

If the club went to the trouble of announcing a number they are aiming for and said they are going to spend the next 3 years working really hard to get membership numbers up to an amount they had 8 years prior to that, my guess is they will be standing around scratching their heads in 3 yrs time wondering why they didn't get there ....... If they aim for 55k and work toward that they might actually get there !! Great initiative IMO - good luck saints - I hope we make it !!

Let's not forget that they need to be seen as pro-active in order to attract major sponsors.

And it is certainly possible, even if it might be difficult or even unlikely. Hawks went from 31,064 in 2007 to 53,978 in 2010. Of course they are an entirely different kettle of fish, but it highlights how dramatically things can change.

[Goose is king]

I don't see 55,000 in three years far fetched. A few things would need to go right.
People just want value for money and to feel a part of it. The more inclusive we are the better.
The more open training sessions the better. More access to players better again.

[Johnny Member]

Finnis is just another corporate bullshiitter trying to con the fans into pouring in their hard earned so he can tick off his KPIs.

I nearly spewed when he said 'give the fans the best Saints experience possible' on the radio the other day.


What a load of s***.

[satchmo]

Finnis is just another corporate bullshiitter trying to con the fans into pouring in their hard earned so he can tick off his KPIs.

I nearly spewed when he said 'give the fans the best Saints experience possible' on the radio the other day.


What a load of s***.

Or he was just doing his job.

[Johnny Member]

May I ask, what exactly are we being told is our 'Saints experience' by these guys?

[skeptic]

I dunno

The saints have never really shown any type of lateral or creative thinking when it comes to fans, and they don't seem interested in exploring how to add value to their membership packages both cost effective or not.

I don't have my membership yet this season... thought i'd wait out this Essendon thing to play out and make a call on supporting a corrupt game. As a club member for nearly 18 years (5 regular, the rest social club), I can honestly say that whatever decision I end up making... well I doubt the club will do anything positive as far as influence

[saintbrat]

May I ask, what exactly are we being told is our 'Saints experience' by these guys?

no info yet- But couldn't be worse than Jacket waving- Essendon with spotlights on their players --
and Fireworks at the G for Magpies.. who are stinging members extra to join the experience on level 2 ...

[saintspremiers]

Finnis is just another corporate bullshiitter trying to con the fans into pouring in their hard earned so he can tick off his KPIs.

I nearly spewed when he said 'give the fans the best Saints experience possible' on the radio the other day.


What a load of s***.

Or he was just doing his job.

Nah, let's get Netters and Dumboway back.

They served us real well.