Reserved seat vacancies on Level 2?????

[BackFromUSA]

Animal Enclosure

You pay less than $10 a match more than me in my seats - that is hardly a significant premium.

You are not being forced to pay $125 for your seat. That is how you decide to view it.

You are being asked to pay for Social Club membership.

I have outlined my attitude to that and it's various benefits.

It is your choice whether you take up the option or not.

Put simply I feel it should be a priority to be a Social Club member.

If I get to the stage where I had to pick between being a Social Club member and keeping my level 1 seat due to a financial crunch, I would happily go sit on Level 3 with the great bunch of fans of the Moorabbin Wing for free a few rows back and KEEP my Social Club membership.

You and others obviously felt it was more important to pay for a great level 2 seat and not pay for social club membership ...

The seat income partly goes to Collo Dome.

The Social Club membership is 100% retained by St Kilda.

So your decision means that the club lost financially. You got a better seat.

Simple.

[BackFromUSA]

Bernard Shakey

Can I ask that this debate doesnt become a personal slanging match?

I hardly put myself as being a rich bastard.

Instead I am someone who decides to put my limited spare cash into the footy club I love.

Many people have met me from this site. They know I am no rick bastard.

In fact this site itself has benefitted in the early days from my generousity and love for St Kilda.

BUT I am far from being a rich bastard.

By my calculations, the possible move to level 2 is going to cost about $9 a game.

That's not big $s.

[joffaboy]

Big deal GreatNo9s.
All you're saying is that the club was right to say stuff you to anyone that complained.

Why did I get a glossy brochure telling me there was still L2 seats left if there was a 500 waiting list.

This GreatNo9's has not answered this.

Look it is inevitable that there would be a few L2 seats left. It is hard to sell single seats.

It is not the fact that they wont sell all the seats but the way it was handled. I dont understand why people cant see that it was heavy handed.

I am sure the club doesn't give a stuff about me or my $600 - but piss enough members off and my 600 may be multiplied by a 1000 or so and then there is a big hole in budget and long time members lost forever.


But you are correct - it was pay up or piss off. This is the way the club treats its members.

If this is successful and the club has just say another waiting list next year of a couple of hundred they cab raise the cost by another $100 and say to everyone pay up or piss off once more.

Loyalty goes both ways according to their BS propaganda.

Hmmmm.

[joffaboy]

Animal Enclosure

You pay less than $10 a match more than me in my seats - that is hardly a significant premium.

You are not being forced to pay $125 for your seat. That is how you decide to view it.

You are being asked to pay for Social Club membership.

I have outlined my attitude to that and it's various benefits.

It is your choice whether you take up the option or not.

Put simply I feel it should be a priority to be a Social Club member.

If I get to the stage where I had to pick between being a Social Club member and keeping my level 1 seat due to a financial crunch, I would happily go sit on Level 3 with the great bunch of fans of the Moorabbin Wing for free a few rows back and KEEP my Social Club membership.

You and others obviously felt it was more important to pay for a great level 2 seat and not pay for social club membership ...

The seat income partly goes to Collo Dome.

The Social Club membership is 100% retained by St Kilda.

So your decision means that the club lost financially. You got a better seat.

Simple.

Again you dont seem to understand the issue.

I had a SC membership and a L2 reserved seat. It was not costing me a cent extra this year.

However two friends i have sat witrh for year - two long time supporters from the 70's who you reckon are bludgers on the club could not afford the $250 extra.

Furthermore they were told they could not have their seat - the one they have had since moving to Docklands - because they couldn't afford the extra $125 for a SC membership.

How you can sit there and state these long time loyal supporters are not being forced to pay $125 extra for one game less in their seat (and that is a FACT - Archie Fraser said so in his email to me - the reserved seat for the Gold Coast home game will NOT be the seat you usually have - and it may not even be on L2)is beyond the pale.

It is just a pathetic bullyboy cash grab at the expense of loyal supporters - but you reckon or infer that these people are bludgers on the club - yeah nice one

[BackFromUSA]

GreatNo9s

That is GREAT news for the club.

Bad news for me as I thought I might be a shot to move from level 1 to level 2 but it looks like I may be too late. Looks like my fellow level 1rs worked out the leap upstairs was only $9 more per game faster than I did.

I am happy on level 1 ... so if I cant move, such is life.

1000 extra social club members = $125,000 to the clubs bottom line!

I still think it has been poorly handled BUT that extra $125,000 will be handy.

And i do want to stress I think it has been extremely poorly handled.

More warning was required.

More direct communication was required.

Solving problems for individuals and groups that were impacted by this was needed so that they could stay together or could finance the extra $125 ... or be given some form of relocation assitance or benefit or even compensation.

However having said all that.

$125,000

GO SAINTS!

[joffaboy]

I still think it has been poorly handled BUT that extra $125,000 will be handy.

And i do want to stress I think it has been extremely poorly handled.

More warning was required.

More direct communication was required.

Solving problems for individuals and groups that were impacted by this was needed so that they could stay together or could finance the extra $125 ... or be given some form of relocation assitance or benefit or even compensation.

However having said all that.

$125,000

GO SAINTS!

Scrath my last post.

You opbviously DO understand the issue.

Enjoy your seat if you get them on L2.

cheers.

[BackFromUSA]

Joffaboy

I totally understand the issue.

I understand that you already have social club membership.

I understand these 2 other loyal supporters did not.

I think i know who they are and have even enjoyed their company.

I hope that you guys will consider level 1.

They could get a seat on level 1, footy club membership AND social club membership for the same amount they were paying last year AND you could save $100 to shout them a few beers and pies at the footy as well.

If I get up to level 2 on the wing ... there will be 13 spare right on the wing and up the back of level 1 ... under cover ... no problems with the sun and nice elevation for watching footy.

Get in quick!

[Bernard Shakey]

Bernard Shakey

Can I ask that this debate doesnt become a personal slanging match?

I hardly put myself as being a rich bastard.

Instead I am someone who decides to put my limited spare cash into the footy club I love.

Many people have met me from this site. They know I am no rick bastard.

In fact this site itself has benefitted in the early days from my generousity and love for St Kilda.

BUT I am far from being a rich bastard.

By my calculations, the possible move to level 2 is going to cost about $9 a game.

That's not big $s.

Please accept my apology if you have been offended by my comments.

I do still think you are not aware how difficult it is for families to go to the footy these days.

Without kids being able to go with their families we will end up with a comp that only the elite can watch ala NFL, EPL and many other leagues around the world.

If you think that's a good thing, good luck to you. I hope your family will be able to continue watching the Saints in the future, because I know mine won't.

[BackFromUSA]

Bernard Shakey

Apology accepted.

I understand the financial pressure everyone is under - including me.

Are you aware of the free seating on level 3?

I hope you will be able to get a family footy club membership and take the kids up to level 3 with the great fanatics in the Moorabbin Wing.

Feel free to PM me. The club in the past have had sponsor and benefactor memberships for long term members with financial hardships ... but i dont know what the situation is now ... that was the 90s.

p.s. I used to buy the $13 nose bleed seats at Yankee Stadium to see the yankees play ... so not all US sports were out of reach if you were prepared to watch from the top of the stands ... the equivalent of level 3.

[Bernard Shakey]

Not worried about me and my kids are more than old enough to look after themselves.

Can't see my grandkids ever being able to follow the Saints like I have.

[Shaggy]

Bernard Shakey

Can I ask that this debate doesnt become a personal slanging match?

I hardly put myself as being a rich bastard.

Instead I am someone who decides to put my limited spare cash into the footy club I love.

Many people have met me from this site. They know I am no rick bastard.

In fact this site itself has benefitted in the early days from my generousity and love for St Kilda.

BUT I am far from being a rich bastard.

By my calculations, the possible move to level 2 is going to cost about $9 a game.

That's not big $s.

Please accept my apology if you have been offended by my comments.

I do still think you are not aware how difficult it is for families to go to the footy these days.

Without kids being able to go with their families we will end up with a comp that only the elite can watch ala NFL, EPL and many other leagues around the world.

If you think that's a good thing, good luck to you. I hope your family will be able to continue watching the Saints in the future, because I know mine won't.

If you look at the Saints annual report we are negative net assets and negative cash flow.

If you are a victim of the necessary changes then of course thats awful ... but its in the interest of the club rather than sacrificing expenditure with the footy dept.

[aussierules0k]

[BackFromUSA]

AOK

I seriously think you are awesome and you know that BUT try answering this question that i ask myself every year before paying my social club membership ... how much will my ticket to the Grand Final cost if we make it and I dont have the social club membership?

I can tell you it is $1800+ per seat.

Then again you can just watch it on TV for free.

I know you would want to be there.

By my math that is 15 times more than the social club membership.

Just another perspective.

[Bernard Shakey]

I would have paid $5,875 to go to 4 grand finals.
$1468.75 each.

Where did you pull the $1800 figure from? I bought a ticket to the '97 grand final off a Salvo for face value.

[The Fireman]

This whole thing upset me from the start, didn't like the way it was handled.
I have buckled and will see out this season retaining my seats on level 2 , beyond this season is looking less likely.
I was away on the weekend and met an avid saints fan (ex saints fan)
he has been a member and sponsor for many years but has had enough and has decided not to donate any more sponsorship and has not renewed his membership, I asked him why..he told me that not picking up Cousins was the last straw, he said he has copped having to put up with crappy Presidents( he called them heavy drinking playboys , not far of the mark ) and board members for too long, he thought things were going to improve and I have to tell ya I couldn't agree with him more.
I also have been a witness to the clubs incompetency at board level for too long and still can't believe we didn't pick up Cousins, they are bleating about finances when it was a no brainer that Cousins would automatically bring money into the club.
And the perfect example why the club struggles is when supporters come out with the line "they have made the decision let's move on " how lame and irresponsible is that ? Typical of too many at the Club, at least blokes like B4E are proactive in their criticisms towards some of the wankers steering this ship.
Long term members who have had seats on L2 for many seasons should have been shown some sort of flexibility instead the club came out with the old "it's my way or the Highway approach"
Losing the faith.

[BAM! (shhhh)]

Thats better, 50/50 now

Just for the record Barks, I agree with you pretty much as far as the seating goes.

One of 3 scenarios must be right..

1. That more than 500 members have abandoned their L2 seats.

2. The 500-strong waiting list was gilding the lily a bit

3. That the brochure sent out was poorly worded and there arent actually any L2 vacancies.

Looking forward to finding out which of the above is true

4. That despite the anger voiced in a place like this, the club is giving another chance prior to giving away their seats.

5. There were seats available on L2 anyway, just in poor viewing locations.

It would certianly appear this has been handled in a clumsy fashion. Provided there truly is/was a 500 strong waiting list amongst SC members, I have little problem with the move byt the club - IMO SC members should have first bite at the cherry wherever possible, it's one of the mroe difficult expenses to justify unless you believe we'll be playing off in a grand final (and I know more than one member who has said they'll just deal with the scalper pricing when that day finally comes).

Then it's just business, and business is sometimes pretty cold. Weight up those 500, how many of them are real, how many placeholders (ala MCC, put your kids name on the waiting list, and let them decide when they're old enough and their number comes up) vs. an expected attrition rate. With club expenses rising (and the Saints are NOT one of the expensive AFL memberships), if the revenue is sitting on the table, the club would be foolish not to capitalise.

However, a bit more TLC would not have been amiss. These are the members who put the money in the bank. These are also the most likely to understand the need for $$$, and this is also a group where you would expect that barring a major upset, the natural attrition and turnover rate would be low... in general. However, that's due to the likely higher understanding of business necessity, and they'll also have a justifiably higher expectation of the professionalism of the treatement they'll recieve. If you're going to risk these members, you'd better be sure you can cover the difference - ideally you'd want to ensure that those who do leave/downgrade regret it by end of season, and they can be brought back into the fold.

From reading these threads one suspects that while it remains possible the club has thought this through, that when it all comes out in the wash in the next financial report, it may well turn out that the club has proceeded with a difficult but reasonable project in a half a$$ed manner. They may still net a profit from it, but it's very dissapointing.

[saintspremiers]

I now would like to put it to the club to respond to this very articulate thread.

WHY can't we (as in the club), talk about our yields from memberships like some other clubs?

To put it simply, if we have sold slightly LESS Level 2 seats at a significantly higher amount per seat (ie. the extra cost for Social Club), our total Level 2 revenue base could be significantly higher, which is a positive.

It worries me that the club has not said anything - makes me think it's bad news - why would you hide it if the news was positive???

Our club has the opportunity to right the wrongs, just with some lateral thinking.

A good start would be to speak to Jeld Wen and get some exclusive deals for Level 2 reserved seat holders. An even better one would be a BBQ with the players (cheaper than a cocktail party for a "poor" club like ours!) at Moorabbin for them.

I don't know the best option, but for the club to wash their hands and go silent is simply unacceptable.

The club Cocked up on this BIG TIME, and need to be big enough to make ammends.

Admitting you are wrong and trying to patch it up can work and will win kudos among the fans. And it might even get some good media!