Buy a Doggies Membership for 2002 - C'mon

[Apple King]

What's stopping you? You don't support them? So what?
Imagine if your team was struggling for $$$$$$, and there was a slim chance of them not being here next year. How good would you feel if 1000's of supporters bought a membership for your team?

C'mon - instead of wasting that money on a wild weekend over the summer, help out a club that needs it.

You can still buy your own club membership - it doesnt mean you support them any less.

The competition would be a lot POORER without the Doggies or any other long entrenched club.

Where does it stop? You let the Doggies go and then who's next?

Your team???

 

[BomberBoy]

I'm always seeking memberships too..

I'm struggling for $$$$

 

[Top Dog]

Apple King, Your great Mate

Hes right we are in big $$$$ trouble and if we dont get the full support of our supporters and all the rest of you Footy Fans we will be gone

please everyone it will be the best $90 you ever spend

Sad Dog

 

[Fall Out Boy]

I do have a soft spot for the Doggies after knowing a few players but hell if you get yourself into that position you can't really continually cry poor.

My mob (Geelong) have got huge debts, you don't see us out there crying poor.

Cheers

 

[Spidergirl~RiCkChiCk]

i like the Doggies but don't think i will be buying a Dogs membership next year. I think it's up to their supporters and everyone else at the club to pull together and think of some ways to raise $$$ I don't know how the Roos financial situation currently is but i know that all year the club really pulled together to raise money by coming up with all sorts of campaigns.

 

[Bulldog1954]

Originally posted by phatandphreaky
I do have a soft spot for the Doggies after knowing a few players but hell if you get yourself into that position you can't really continually cry poor.

My mob (Geelong) have got huge debts, you don't see us out there crying poor.

Cheers

Geelong aren't crying poor because they got their debts through spending. They have far more assets then the Dogs, a larger supporter base and have a safe position in the league as they are the only country team

 

[bulldogs1]

Sorry, I have to disagree with you.

The Bulldogs supporters are the ones who need to buy the memberships. Instead of just saying they follow the Dogs, and turning up for games, putting money into the pockets of other teams, they need to get out there and buy a membership to save THEIR team.

 

[nit-picker]

who let the dogs out?

woof..woof..woof

 

[dogboy23]

The thing is theres f*** all of us out there.We actually have a very good supporter to member ratio its just there arnt enough supporters out there.In actual fact a big number of our supporters already buy 2 memberships as I will be doing this year.We really are in trouble we dont have the supporter base.We need a Joe Gutnick or someone to step in and give us some cash.Im not sure that we can find another 8,000 members.One more thing does anyone here agree with me that Gary Honey is a moron.

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

yes i agree honey is a moron what did he say this time?
and should the occassion arise and after all avenues have been looked at by the doggies and ALL their supporters sign up and are still in dire straits i for one will buy a membership to save another victorian club for going under.i have a long memory of doggy supporters helping us out at the time of need.time for paying back that faith when needed!
goodluck doggies!
cheers!

 

[BUBBALOUIS]

my nephew is a doggie fan (despite my and his dads efforts!) and ill buy a doggie membership next season and take him to some games .... dont know if it will help, but i reckon all Vic sides should be given a fighting chance ......

 

[Portia]

If you don't have the supporter base, maybe your supporters are being a bit greedy holding an AFL license to themselves when entire states go unrepresented.

 

[GOALden Hawk]

Originally posted by Porthos
If you don't have the supporter base, maybe your supporters are being a bit greedy holding an AFL license to themselves when entire states go unrepresented.

What a ridiculous comment that is. Are you suggesting a team based in the NT or Tasmania would magically be more successful than the only one based in the western suburbs of the biggest AFL town in the world?

 

[Portia]

It'd probably be -as- successful.

 

[GOALden Hawk]

Originally posted by Porthos
It'd probably be -as- successful.

What are you basing that on? The NT don't even have enough infrastructure in place to get a team into the SANFL yet, and Tasmania has one AFL class facility that holds 17,000....hardly enough to sustain an AFL team for 11 games a season.

 

[BrainOfMorbius]

Sorry to hear about the Dogs' financial worries, but I find it hard to believe that their fans would rally together and buy memberships of my club if it experienced similar problems.

 

[Portia]

Originally posted by GOALden Hawk


What are you basing that on? The NT don't even have enough infrastructure in place to get a team into the SANFL yet, and Tasmania has one AFL class facility that holds 17,000....hardly enough to sustain an AFL team for 11 games a season.

40,000 at Colonial doesn't seem to be sustaining the Bulldogs all that well.......how many members did they have again this year? I'm sure Hobart could match that, considering.

If we're going to be funding a side, I reckon its better that we're funding a side that makes the game more national......sure, the Bulldogs represent the western suburbs of Melbourne....but when they don't play in those suburbs, and their supporters would travel to the same ground whether they barracked for Essendon, Kangaroos, Geelong....then why support the Bulldogs?

Its this centralisation of grounds in Victoria thats causing the trouble for the Bulldogs...people that would likely go if it was next door don't give a fig if they're playing Colonial. Evolution, I guess.

 

[Joffaboy]

Originally posted by Porthos


40,000 at Colonial doesn't seem to be sustaining the Bulldogs all that well.......how many members did they have again this year? I'm sure Hobart could match that, considering.

If we're going to be funding a side, I reckon its better that we're funding a side that makes the game more national......sure, the Bulldogs represent the western suburbs of Melbourne....but when they don't play in those suburbs, and their supporters would travel to the same ground whether they barracked for Essendon, Kangaroos, Geelong....then why support the Bulldogs?

Its this centralisation of grounds in Victoria thats causing the trouble for the Bulldogs...people that would likely go if it was next door don't give a fig if they're playing Colonial. Evolution, I guess.

Do you happen to know how close Colonic is to Footscray??
Its not that.
NT or Tassie in the comp? Dream on - what a joke, just more interstate sides the AFL would have to give preference to.

Buy a Bulldog membership - $120 is not nothing you know.
Mabye a raffle ticket, but a bloody membership!!!!

 

[Portia]

Originally posted by Joffaboy

Do you happen to know how close Colonic is to Footscray??
Its not that.

In that case, there really isn't any demand for the Bulldogs, is there?...

NT or Tassie in the comp? Dream on - what a joke, just more interstate sides the AFL would have to give preference to

Yeah....because its not as though they started giving handouts to Victorian sides..

 

[Satay Mat]

I am not going to post "just curl up an die" post about the bulldogs....but the question does have to be asked.

The AFL now has a fund to help struggling clubs stay afloat. I would think that it be fair that there be strings attached to that money. We do still need to consider what is in the best interests of the game as a whole and there still remains a question as to whether another side in Sydney...or Tassie or ACT (Tassie & ACT combined) is not in the best long term interest of the game.

IMHO, the best long term interests of the game a served by retaining the support of Melbourne supporters of Melbourne clubs....whilst increasing the support for the code in unrepresented areas. For this reason we should do everything we can to keep clubs like the Western Bulldogs afloat. Letting them sink and then starting a club in Tassie does not make sense, as it is hard to believe that such a club would have more support than the current bulldogs.

However through relocation (aka Sydney) you can achieve the best of both worlds. Sydney have huge support and have kept a large part of their Melbourne support base....and grown an entirely new support base which previously did not support the V(A)FL at all.

So, I support the propping up of the Western Bulldogs. I do not support that assistance coming gratis and them simply going along as they have with what would appear to be a business model which is not viable in today's game. The AFL should support the club only if it demonstrates that it has put in place steps such that the same assistance will not be required in the future.....in my mind this probably means some form of relocation (I would think more so for North than WB as having a team in the Western Suburbs makes strategic sense)....but could be other measures as well.

Would I buy a Western Bulldogs membership ? No. I would not discourage anyone from doing so but I would buy a North Adelaide membership before a Western Bulldogs membership. Many clubs go under each year....we are in trouble if we think that they game is in good shape because the 16 AFL clubs are healthy....if whilst we have our eye on that....hundreds of other clubs with equally as proud histories go by the wayside.

Good Luck to the bulldogs.

Satay Mat

 

[Bulldog1954]

I think we should seriously consider moving back to Optus. We will be playing games again interstate clubs at Optus next year. I think we should also play home games against North, StKilda, Geelong and Melbourne at Optus.

At Optus you need something like 10, 000 to make a profit, at Colonial it is over twice that

 

[Satay Mat]

Bulldogs1954,

I tend to agree in part.

There seems ot be only 1 model for an AFL football club....that is high revenue high costs.

If we take Adelaide as the typical AFL club.....it seems that all other clubs are trying to match Adelaide in the sposorship and membership model. Colonial is the highest cost ground in the state. The bulldogs are trying to create a niche market, bt you must ask the question that whether competing with Adelaide and Essendon and the like head on is the way to go.

Mercedes Benz make great cars. Not all car makers compete on the same terms with Mercedes Benz. Some car makers make Toyota Corolla's and do very nicely thank you very much. In business you have multiple business models in the same market....but in the business of football there seems to be only 1 model....play at cosey venues which are high costs.....have huge sponsorships and high costs (17 assistant coaches etc). Inevitabely clubs like Footscray struggle to compete on those terms. They ahve more memebrs and more sponsorship than they used to but they are still behind.

By ignoring the corporate suite route they cn play at lower cost locations (Optus, Western Oval, Hobart) in front of smaller crowds and make a profit.....or you can play in front of larger crowds at Colonial and make a loss.

anyway....my 2 cents


Satay Mat

 

[sainter]

I agree with everyone else on Gary Honey. He knows nothing about footy and usually hides his lack of knowledge by directing a couple of cheap shots towards whoever they are interviewing.

On Colonial Stadium, there's no trouble for clubs when they are able to attract 40,000 people a game. St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs have done quite well out of these games. With the increased signage, corporate facilities and reserved seating income, our revenue is considerably higher than it has ever been. The problem lies with the high operating costs. When we play against an interstate club, the club not only fails to make a profit but can lose a significant amount of money. That shouldn't be the case. St Kilda will be playing Fremantle at Optus Oval next season and while I hate the ground, if it means saving the club $50 000 - $100 000 then I'm all for it. Both St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs were lured to the stadium with a series of promises that have not been followed through. I'm no lawyer but I'd look at some of the selling points advertised by SOL towards the clubs more closely.

With the Western Bulldogs current situation, they haven't just been given money to survive. They've had to present a detailed business plan showing that they will be viable in the future. Probably a disappointing thing for them is that they will have to reduce their player payments to 92.5% of the salary cap. I'd imagine most other clubs will be struggling to remain underneath the salary cap. I hope they don't lose a good player in the future for this reason. I'm sure if their supporters can get behind the club financially, and that's the same with Geelong, Kangaroos, Melbourne and St Kilda at the present time, they'll survive for a long time.

 

[hotham]

Originally posted by Bulldog1954
I think we should seriously consider moving back to Optus. We will be playing games again interstate clubs at Optus next year. I think we should also play home games against North, StKilda, Geelong and Melbourne at Optus.

At Optus you need something like 10, 000 to make a profit, at Colonial it is over twice that

I think we should also play homes games against North ..... at Optus Oval.

I am a Kangaroo supporter so you can stick that idea where the sun dont shine !!!!!!!!

hotham

 

[Fall Out Boy]

I'm sick of David Smorgon's constant whinging, you don't lose $1.5M because you have a low supporter base, you lose $1.5M because you are inept financial managers.

Cheers