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Lets face it, the supporter base was shattered after the long sought 2nd premiership slipped through the clubs fingers not once but twice.
It was our time, we had waited nearly 50 years for a second flag and we were all crushed.
Now bigger clubs get their membership through success. if we had of won one flag in that time, our membership would have gone up significantly even with us slipping down the ladder.
As it turned out we were left with a shattered on field list, a poorly performing admin, and a demoralised long suffering fan base.
We were a genuine wooden spooner last year. Really we were not even in the contest in most matches after the first 6 weeks.
So we have a new admin with a rebuilding list a significant financial problem and a dwindling membership base.
From that basis, I believe the Saints have done everything possible to engage their supporters and get the club back on track.
it was reported Finnis was reluctant to take the job as the club was pretty much a financial basket case. Gillon McLachlan encouraged him to take it and the AFl would support him and the club.
So No.1 - we have the powers at the AFL on side. Makes for a very nice change from the Demitreou years.
No.2 Trading and drafting - After all the tooing anf froing wqe keep the No.1 DP, get Membrey for nothing and get 21 for Stanley. As it turns our we get McCartin and Goddard with those two picks. Everyone pretty happy with the outcome.
No.3 19 signings in 19 days. Keeping the fans engaged and excited about having the young group "buy in" and keeping the good news coming day after day.
This was coupled with a significant media campaign. Really I know I am biased but I cant remember more media for a wooden spoon team than I saw for the Saints over the Summer period. Pretty impressive effort.
No.4 the positive redrafting of Saad. Another positive good news story after his issues with a banned substance.
No.5 25k members before the 25th of December. A good initiative which has the club 4000 members up on this time last season. This from a team that won the wooden spoon last season and will contest again for it this season. Another positive from the club.
No.6 The appointment of first Peta Serle during the year and also two other women in prominent positions at the club. This in itself doesn't stop the perceptions of the Saints and women but shows the club is determined to change those perceptions - another good positive step.
A football can only sell hope when it is in the position our club finds itself in. They are selling this hope, and putting in place the foundations for the club to be successful both on and off the field.
We all have no illusions that the season ahead will be difficult and disappointing. But to have instilled that hope into a demoralised and long suffering fan base has been a very very positive and impressive achievement.
Yeah, I know, I am optimistic, but I am buying in to the hope and the direction of the club.
They, in my opinion, are making all the right moves.
Perhaps most significant for me would be a No.7 - the marketing push to align St Kilda the football club to St kilda the suburb. So the club can leverage exposure through its association with arguably melbournes most iconic suburb/location ..... I feel like the club is well on its way to a rebranding of itself which I think is already proving to be successful
And a very important No. 8 - no off-field stupidity (touch wood). No photos, no arrests, no fights, no stalking, no schoolgirls, no public urination, no dwarves.
plugger66 wrote: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.
Why is it impossible?
Richmond made a similar announcement at the end of the 2010 season after they had finished 2nd last for the second successive season.
They had a 2010 membership of 35,690...Incoming CEO Brendon Gale made some bold announcements. One of which would be a membership of 60,000 (or it might have been 70,000) in three years time.
Their 2013 membership figure was 60,321...and they still hadn't finished above 12th prior to that.
After making the finals in 2013 their membership hit 66,122 last season and currently sits at nearly 55,000.
In 2010, they were a young team with a promising key forward and some high draft midfield talent...sound familiar?
We clearly have the supporter base so why not try and turn them into members?
Why is it impossible. Well we are likely to be last this year and I still think we are a chance to be last next year. That wont help for a start. Also we didn't even get 40K after being in the GF 2 years in a row. I don't care what Richmond did because they clearly are a much bigger club than us. I say its impossible so if you thinks its possible I will give you even money we have got less than 50K members in 3 years unless of course they make it that the dead and unborn can be put on the list. Firstly what is 3 years anyway. Is it now on 3 years time or is it at the end of the 2017 season? Anyway lets have say $500 on it. You are getting 5k for free. IMO we should aim for realistic figures and then build on that.
No childish bets needed. Just an accurate definition of the word "impossible".
All that you've stated does not mean it's impossible. Improbable, yes, but not impossible.
I don't think we'll get there based on past membership numbers but again I point to the Richmond example. Their membership numbers were never that high.
Our crowd numbers are high when we are going well...I'm not sure we've ever seriously invested into converting supporters to members.
If we give honest performances on the field, stay out of controversy off the field and market the crap out of the club then why shouldn't we aim high?
Aim for 55k publicly and privately be happy with 40k, ecstatic with 45k and over the moon with 50k.
Judging from the numbers in attendance, perhaps the Seaford venue for the club training base and HQ isn't quite as much of a "disaster" as some would have us believe?
plugger66 wrote: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.
Why is it impossible?
Richmond made a similar announcement at the end of the 2010 season after they had finished 2nd last for the second successive season.
They had a 2010 membership of 35,690...Incoming CEO Brendon Gale made some bold announcements. One of which would be a membership of 60,000 (or it might have been 70,000) in three years time.
Their 2013 membership figure was 60,321...and they still hadn't finished above 12th prior to that.
After making the finals in 2013 their membership hit 66,122 last season and currently sits at nearly 55,000.
In 2010, they were a young team with a promising key forward and some high draft midfield talent...sound familiar?
We clearly have the supporter base so why not try and turn them into members?
Why is it impossible. Well we are likely to be last this year and I still think we are a chance to be last next year. That wont help for a start. Also we didn't even get 40K after being in the GF 2 years in a row. I don't care what Richmond did because they clearly are a much bigger club than us. I say its impossible so if you thinks its possible I will give you even money we have got less than 50K members in 3 years unless of course they make it that the dead and unborn can be put on the list. Firstly what is 3 years anyway. Is it now on 3 years time or is it at the end of the 2017 season? Anyway lets have say $500 on it. You are getting 5k for free. IMO we should aim for realistic figures and then build on that.
No childish bets needed. Just an accurate definition of the word "impossible".
All that you've stated does not mean it's impossible. Improbable, yes, but not impossible.
I don't think we'll get there based on past membership numbers but again I point to the Richmond example. Their membership numbers were never that high.
Our crowd numbers are high when we are going well...I'm not sure we've ever seriously invested into converting supporters to members.
If we give honest performances on the field, stay out of controversy off the field and market the crap out of the club then why shouldn't we aim high?
Aim for 55k publicly and privately be happy with 40k, ecstatic with 45k and over the moon with 50k.
It isn't childish to bet. Matter of fact you have to be 18 so lets have a bet. Richmond isn't a good example as I said previously. Lets use our club as an example. Would have thought its a better example than Richmond. So now we know the rules on betting im happy to have 500 on it. Better than you just bagging my opinion without having the courage to have a little wager on it. $10 a week wont hurt me and im thinking it wont hurt you either.
plugger66 wrote:It isn't childish to bet. Matter of fact you have to be 18 so lets have a bet. Richmond isn't a good example as I said previously. Lets use our club as an example. Would have thought its a better example than Richmond. So now we know the rules on betting im happy to have 500 on it. Better than you just bagging my opinion without having the courage to have a little wager on it. $10 a week wont hurt me and im thinking it wont hurt you either.
What part of "I don't think we'll get there based on past membership numbers" did you not understand?
I don't think we'll reach the numbers the club has said but it doesn't mean that I don't support them for aiming that high.
I never said that betting in general was childish...I indicated betting on this is childish.
If I was to be on this, I'd never take an even money bet on it anyway. The odds are clearly against us...We are probably one chance in twenty of getting there...maybe even less than that. Your proposed wager would need to reflect that (not that I am betting with a complete stranger anyway).
plugger66 wrote:It isn't childish to bet. Matter of fact you have to be 18 so lets have a bet. Richmond isn't a good example as I said previously. Lets use our club as an example. Would have thought its a better example than Richmond. So now we know the rules on betting im happy to have 500 on it. Better than you just bagging my opinion without having the courage to have a little wager on it. $10 a week wont hurt me and im thinking it wont hurt you either.
What part of "I don't think we'll get there based on past membership numbers" did you not understand?
I don't think we'll reach the numbers the club has said but it doesn't mean that I don't support them for aiming that high.
I never said that betting in general was childish...I indicated betting on this is childish.
If I was to be on this, I'd never take an even money bet on it anyway. The odds are clearly against us...We are probably one chance in twenty of getting there...maybe even less than that. Your proposed wager would need to reflect that (not that I am betting with a complete stranger anyway).
I dropped the number by 5k so I would have thought that makes it pretty much even money. I support the clubs on most things. Matter of fact people have a go at me for agreeing with the club far to often. I reckon you could aim high by saying we hope to get 45k in 3 years considering we are coming off the bottom of the Victorian ladder in memberships with the likelihood we will be down the bottom of the ladder or close to it in 3 years time and the fact that when we made the GF we never reached 40k. Its great to aiming high but sometimes you need to be realistic. Anyway I hope we get 55K in 3 years.
plugger66 wrote:I dropped the number by 5k so I would have thought that makes it pretty much even money. I support the clubs on most things. Matter of fact people have a go at me for agreeing with the club far to often. I reckon you could aim high by saying we hope to get 45k in 3 years considering we are coming off the bottom of the Victorian ladder in memberships with the likelihood we will be down the bottom of the ladder or close to it in 3 years time and the fact that when we made the GF we never reached 40k. Its great to aiming high but sometimes you need to be realistic. Anyway I hope we get 55K in 3 years.
We'll get close, and we'll do it the same way everyone else does. Lots of three game memberships, one game memberships, pet memberships, unborn baby memberships. It ends up being a bulls*** number that doesn't mean anything but if that's the way the club is measuring progress then there's no reason they can't get close. And it might even be a positive when they're chasing sponsorships.
( God help me)