Roast 2019 Membership

[Baz_hawk]

Just received a letter from the club regarding the 2019 membership and my impending renewal. Originally I was a Silver member which was then moved to a Bronze membership when they decided to split these up. This meant my reserved seat was kept as it was up in the Q49 area. Fair enough, after all the seat was why I was paying my membership and so not losing that was all I cared about. I spoke with the club to confirm this was the case prior to renewing just to be safe.

Fast forward to this year and Bronze is no more and instead we have 'Flexi' plans which is apparently what the fans wanted. I couldn't disagree more. So after holding my seat for many years and forming some good relationships with those around me in the stands I now have lost that seat and the Hawks will automatically roll me onto a Flexi plan which asks for roughly $3 a game on top of the membership to login to Ticketek and book a seat. What a joke of a decision that is. I doubt I'm alone as many I spoke to in my bay were looking to move up to Silver or Gold but were happy with their current seating arrangement. Well worry no more because the club has made that decision for you after apparently consulting with 'fans' who likely don't hold these seats.

So why not upgrade to reserved seating I hear you ask?
My preference for seating has always been to be above the M level. I don't mind the view from M but I much prefer sitting in the higher stands to get a better overall view of the game itself. The first option for me then is Kennedy club as Silver and Gold both are only offering M level seating and nothing higher. That package is $670 for H&A, the same plan I was on this year was roughly $340. A significant jump to just get a seat which I'll be happy with. I could stick with the Flexi but then I'd not have a fixed seat, would need to buy a ticket for every game (one of the biggest conveniences of a reserved seat is just walking up) and I'd have different people around me each game which is annoying given the great bunch that occupied my area for the entirety of my time in Melbourne.

Apologies for the rant but it's pretty frustrating that the club is willing to strip members who pay for a seat as their preference (GA admission memberships were an option remember) and just expect those with these memberships to just be okay with having to fight over seats on a weekly basis or pay up more to get the same privilege they paid for previously for double the price (if they are like me and much prefer being seated in the upper tiers).

Hope this post make sense, been a long day!

 

[Lawsy]

It makes sense, I'd be frustrated too in that situation

 

[SHAKESPEARE]

What can you do?

Deal with it.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Tweet an abridged version to Jeff mate, or email it to the club. The fan feedback will be better straight to the source.

 

[Sleutheren]

I'm in the same boat. Been a member for 28 years.
I'm considering not renewing as I'm struggling to find a scenario where I can justify coughing up $670 to watch a sport that, for the past 10 years, has gradually become a less appealing spectacle.
Plus the cost of finals tickets if we make it.

Awesome.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[Back Straight]

Exact same boat, Q49 is a brilliant bay to watch from. Loved the reserved seat though will now probably downgrade to a GA membership because i'd rather not sit on M level.

 

[kimbopen]

Am also affected by this (however the forced moves referred to below were from when they shunted Gold Seating from N Level a few years back to make way for Kennedy Club, being shunted out of M1 last year - from seats our group was very happy with to make way for this bullshit Flexi option - and again from M57 this year).
I posted this on the club's FB page last night, in addition to emailing it to both the membership team AND Jeff Kennett earlier this arvo.

I have been a Gold Seating member since 2007, and yesterday (9th October, 2018) received yet ANOTHER letter from the club informing me that my current reserved seat would not be available to me next year. This is the THIRD time (and the second in TWO YEARS!) that my friends and I have had no choice but to move seats because the club in its great wisdom has decided to expand the Hawks Flexi area to FIVE BAYS!
I wouldn't have such an issue with this IF, AND ONLY IF, those seats were available for HAWTHORN SUPPORTERS/GA SEATING MEMBERS ONLY, but I reckon I can almost certainly guarantee that those seats will NOT be for the exclusive use of Hawthorn supporters and/or members - if the number of opposition supporters sitting in M1 at Hawthorn home games this season is anything to go by!
It seems to me like you are valuing your members less and less. Even those who are paying a high price for said membership.
** I believe that if these changes continue, the club will actually lose many loyal, long-standing members - and once they are gone, it will be incredibly difficult to get these people back on board. **
I was wondering if you have done a detailed analysis of membership and where people live? You can't tell me that you don't have the data! I only say this because I know for a fact that we have many members who DO NOT live in Melbourne, or even Victoria. And many of those have Gold Seating or above for obvious reasons. Of those who ARE based in Melbourne, not everyone is going to be able to attend every single game in Melbourne - people have lives to live, some have work, others have different sporting commitments etc. It's not always easy, or convenient, to get to the footy.
I was part of a focus group back in 2015, I think, and even back then you were trying to get this "Hawks Flexi" up and running. All because it "wasn't a good look" to have half empty bays on ground level of the MCG. Three years later, and nothing seems to have changed in regard to member attendance numbers.
I look around me at home games this season and see half empty rows - yet my friends and I weren't able to get five or six seats together as we were told that ALL seats were reserved!
After receiving our letters over the last day or so, one of our group contacted you only to be told that we ALL have to contact the club INDIVIDUALLY to confirm that we want to sit together! It would be funny if it weren't so serious.

** included in Jeff's email only. Sent the email to Jeff after I'd sent it to the membership team without thinking too much about it.

 

[col44]

Dig deep mate and remember where the money goes.
19 years a member and I've never seen a home game. Happy to fork out my money for something I deem completely worth it.. and no I don't mean the scarf.

 

[hawk 78]

I'm actually in the opposite boat. Very happy with this years memmbership. Been a member for 26 years and a silver member since 2005. I've had the same seat since then. Anyway got offered an upgrade to gold for only an extra $1.75 a month and get to keep the same seat. So now guaranteed Grand Final ticket (not that I've ever missed one with silver luckily). So very satisfied this year but sorry to hear about your situation mate.

 

[HAWKS HEROES]

last yr where i sat turned into silver flexi, i am a gold member, mind you occasionally that was just ga and anyone could sit there. even when a hawk area we had opps in it , well come to the end of this yr and we had been moved to m57 split a group of friends at that now thats silver flexi , as much as yes we were going to move as we were not placed together like we wanted to be they put us in an area that was to be changed wish they moved us the other side then maybe that would not have happened hopefully this time we will be together in good seats ! , will wait and see i guess , wont be happy at all if happens a third time !

 

[Bumps"N"Grins]

Feel sorry for those of you that are affected on a semi regular basis due to the clubs greed.
I'll out myself here and let the rain fall where it may. If this almost yearly cycle of up selling and musical chairs causes you angst and heartburn, don't buy a membership, I stopped and I can tell you that for the most part it is librating.
I was a reserved seated member for the clubs entire time at Princes Park, was a member for our entire time at Waverley not reserved seated as there was no need and sitting facing the sun in the outer was a great deal better than having my back to the sun in the shade of the Luke stand.
For early years of the MCG I had various levels of membership packages as for the most part I had to try and find seating with cover due to the fact I wear hearing aids and water and aids don't mix well, after my last upsell I couldn't get seats that were suitable so I stopped.
So after having a constant membership from 1976 to 2016 I stopped, I still love the team and have found that not having a membership doesn't make me any less invested, make no mistake I was cranky as feck come 2017 but figured that if the club goes broke with 75k fans on the books and they have lost that something in my case that made me feel valued then the commercial side of the system and club are just fine without me.
I can tell you all that if the circumstances don't suit you anymore to be a member then the break won't hurt as much as you think. I feel a little like Don Scott these days as there isn't much left of what was the HFC as most has been replaced with the AFL company that struggles to remember the grassroots of its birth
Love the team, love our history, not sure I like the world of off field workings.

 

[JoeHawk]

Currently a Kennedy member and will be downgrading to GA membership. The costs are just getting ridiculous and with 3 kids as junior members, I often need to sit in GA anyway when they come along. And with all other weekend activities games are getting harder to get to. So I’m not really getting my money’s worth. Also, as a gold/Kennedy member since 2008, I’ve been to all our GF’s so I’m quite content with what it and the club has achieved and what I’ve witnessed especially the 3 peat. It’ll be a little disappointing because the seats are awesome at N51 but so be it.

 

[Kil Phearns]

Will be 21 years in 2019, but for the past six I've only bought three game tickets, and the same for next year. Money only goes so far when you have an interest in other codes as well (Storm, Victory, et al).

Don't really consider myself to be a HFC member any more, more consider it an annual subscription/donation.

 

[GrumpyOldFart]

Been a member since 1976. Will be downgrading our family membership from Legends to Flexi Gold (probably, final decision tbd).

Had great seats on L2 and always enjoyed the 'Inside the Huddle' function but our financial situation has changed which has forced us to reconsider.

Love the Mighty Hawks and will always take a membership in appreciation of the joy they bring to my life.

 

[MrPremiership]

Fortunate enough to be able to afford the Kennedy membership for the entire family. Every member/supporter has different circumstances which effects the level of memberships. Doesn't mean anything, we all love the club and help which ever way we can.

 

[Arc1]

Feel sorry for those of you that are affected on a semi regular basis due to the clubs greed.
I'll out myself here and let the rain fall where it may. If this almost yearly cycle of up selling and musical chairs causes you angst and heartburn, don't buy a membership, I stopped and I can tell you that for the most part it is librating.
I was a reserved seated member for the clubs entire time at Princes Park, was a member for our entire time at Waverley not reserved seated as there was no need and sitting facing the sun in the outer was a great deal better than having my back to the sun in the shade of the Luke stand.
For early years of the MCG I had various levels of membership packages as for the most part I had to try and find seating with cover due to the fact I wear hearing aids and water and aids don't mix well, after my last upsell I couldn't get seats that were suitable so I stopped.
So after having a constant membership from 1976 to 2016 I stopped, I still love the team and have found that not having a membership doesn't make me any less invested, make no mistake I was cranky as feck come 2017 but figured that if the club goes broke with 75k fans on the books and they have lost that something in my case that made me feel valued then the commercial side of the system and club are just fine without me.
I can tell you all that if the circumstances don't suit you anymore to be a member then the break won't hurt as much as you think. I feel a little like Don Scott these days as there isn't much left of what was the HFC as most has been replaced with the AFL company that struggles to remember the grassroots of its birth
Love the team, love our history, not sure I like the world of off field workings.

Mate just want to give you a shout out for supporting the club for 40 years, you’re well entitled to do whatever the hell you want at this point!

It is hard sometimes to reconcile the great days of heading to Princes Park for a game vs everything seeming so manufactured now. I used to go there as a kid when you could still stand to watch a game, and would usually climb on top of one of the little vendor stands to watch - would get a great view, and nobody gave a crap, either.

Imagine the swarm of officious pricks you’d get at the MCG or Sh&ttyhad if you tried that today.

I’m not sure of the ins and outs of the membership and seating (I’m an o/s digital member so doesn’t affect me), but I feel the main issue is that with the game getting so commercial and Hawks having such a big fanbase, it’s inevitable that they will end up not offering cost-effective options any more.

I don’t mind so much; I’d prefer the club does whatever we need to keep on being a powerhouse forever rather than getting squeezed into merger or relocation.

I reckon people are also a bit spoiled in Aus anyway - was in London last month thinking about catching a Premier League game, and could’ve got two of us into an irrelevant fixture... for about 800 quid.

 

[Gene Simmons]

I'm actually going to switch my membership from Silver to Flexi - Apart from the actual designated reserved seat not much is different and you still get 2nd priority in GF ballot anyway.