Hi guys,
I'm wanting to use this forum to get some information about how your footy clubs are structured.
Fed up with being treated like children over the last few years, an action group of committed Swans supporters in Sydney called SSI <http://www.swansupporters.org> has been formed. Many supporters felt aggrieved about the way in which the Paul Roos vs Terry Wallace coaching saga was carried out, and wished to demonstrate our dissatisfaction to what many could have deemed "underhanded treatment" by those in the Swans board.
The Roos saga definitely opened a can of worms as many issues. Many supporters have felt annoyed and upset about many things with the club; after-matches (and the lack of players in attendance), prices of memberships and general tickets (the highest in the league), even more recently the amount of Melbourne Swans matches for our largely uptapped Melbourne membership base.
As our website states we are wishing to attain the result of democracy within our club, for as far as I know Sydney remains the only club whereby members have no right to vote. In many respects Sydney are a "club" in name only. A "full club membership" gets you a members' medallion that gives you entry into after-match functions. These are often sparsely attended by players, and are in a room where the drinks are not only outrageous (SCG Trust match-day prices) but generally terrible. There are no voting right, merely a club magazine and a car sticker.
Personally I think it is time the Swans became a little more transparent in their actions. The Swans made a loss last year. After two seasons in the black, I as a member feel that I have a right to know why we suddenly made a loss. But such information is withheld not from just myself, but all club members. Information given out by the club is often highly scripted and often lacking in any substance. For example Swans members were given pamphlets advocating that we vote for one person during Easts Leagues Club elections back in 1998. No explanation was given to why, or what benefits this move would be to Swans members were used this facility.
Sadly in Sydney club officials seem to want to avoid supporters at all times, happier to clink champagne with the corporates than to rough it with the "ferals" in the outer, such as myself in the Cheer Squad. I do recall on day last year when David Smorgan stood with the travelling Bulldogs Cheer Squad as they tore us up at the SCG. He was not only approachable to his supporters; he was one of them. Meanwhile Sydney supporters NEVER get to see Richard Colless, who not only seems to avoid contact with members at all times, but is somewhat recalcitrant towards any criticism fired in his direction.
To make this specific to supporters of every club, I'd like to ask you for information in relation to to set-up of your clubs board. What benefits do you get as a member of your footy? Can you readily vote at your club's AGM? How much imput do you have into things such as membership set-up, supporter functions, etc etc? How much say do YOU have in the way your footy club is run?
Personally I think that the Sydney Football Club is old enough to consider the concept of true democracy-giving its members the vote. We were given platitudes back in 93-94 that the Swans WERE our club because it was membership-based. There were even alledged utterances that once we reached 10000 members that we'd be able to get to vote.
More recently there were announcements in the Swans magazine that members' voting rights would be forthcoming by early 2003. Until this date we have heard nothing. The impression some people are getting is that there are people at the club who are stalling on this issue deliberately.
I'm not out here to try and topple chairman Richard Colless or anybody (even if I DO have quite strong personal opinions about the way the Swans are run). I'm also not out to deliberately try and hurt the club I love. However I think it is high time that the members of Sydney Footy Club have the right to choose the way in which their club is governed. And that the road to success (which on the field is as rosy as ever
) can be taken more closely between members and those who represent them at Driver Ave.
Therefore your imput into the constitutions of your own clubs are highly useful in SSI's information gathering process.
regards from the Harbour City!
Julian Farrell/committee member Swans Supporters Inc.
PS:- There has been 3 people either leave the Swans board or a position at the office. Is all well behind closed doors at Moore Park?
I'm wanting to use this forum to get some information about how your footy clubs are structured.
Fed up with being treated like children over the last few years, an action group of committed Swans supporters in Sydney called SSI <http://www.swansupporters.org> has been formed. Many supporters felt aggrieved about the way in which the Paul Roos vs Terry Wallace coaching saga was carried out, and wished to demonstrate our dissatisfaction to what many could have deemed "underhanded treatment" by those in the Swans board.
The Roos saga definitely opened a can of worms as many issues. Many supporters have felt annoyed and upset about many things with the club; after-matches (and the lack of players in attendance), prices of memberships and general tickets (the highest in the league), even more recently the amount of Melbourne Swans matches for our largely uptapped Melbourne membership base.
As our website states we are wishing to attain the result of democracy within our club, for as far as I know Sydney remains the only club whereby members have no right to vote. In many respects Sydney are a "club" in name only. A "full club membership" gets you a members' medallion that gives you entry into after-match functions. These are often sparsely attended by players, and are in a room where the drinks are not only outrageous (SCG Trust match-day prices) but generally terrible. There are no voting right, merely a club magazine and a car sticker.
Personally I think it is time the Swans became a little more transparent in their actions. The Swans made a loss last year. After two seasons in the black, I as a member feel that I have a right to know why we suddenly made a loss. But such information is withheld not from just myself, but all club members. Information given out by the club is often highly scripted and often lacking in any substance. For example Swans members were given pamphlets advocating that we vote for one person during Easts Leagues Club elections back in 1998. No explanation was given to why, or what benefits this move would be to Swans members were used this facility.
Sadly in Sydney club officials seem to want to avoid supporters at all times, happier to clink champagne with the corporates than to rough it with the "ferals" in the outer, such as myself in the Cheer Squad. I do recall on day last year when David Smorgan stood with the travelling Bulldogs Cheer Squad as they tore us up at the SCG. He was not only approachable to his supporters; he was one of them. Meanwhile Sydney supporters NEVER get to see Richard Colless, who not only seems to avoid contact with members at all times, but is somewhat recalcitrant towards any criticism fired in his direction.
To make this specific to supporters of every club, I'd like to ask you for information in relation to to set-up of your clubs board. What benefits do you get as a member of your footy? Can you readily vote at your club's AGM? How much imput do you have into things such as membership set-up, supporter functions, etc etc? How much say do YOU have in the way your footy club is run?
Personally I think that the Sydney Football Club is old enough to consider the concept of true democracy-giving its members the vote. We were given platitudes back in 93-94 that the Swans WERE our club because it was membership-based. There were even alledged utterances that once we reached 10000 members that we'd be able to get to vote.
More recently there were announcements in the Swans magazine that members' voting rights would be forthcoming by early 2003. Until this date we have heard nothing. The impression some people are getting is that there are people at the club who are stalling on this issue deliberately.
I'm not out here to try and topple chairman Richard Colless or anybody (even if I DO have quite strong personal opinions about the way the Swans are run). I'm also not out to deliberately try and hurt the club I love. However I think it is high time that the members of Sydney Footy Club have the right to choose the way in which their club is governed. And that the road to success (which on the field is as rosy as ever
) can be taken more closely between members and those who represent them at Driver Ave.Therefore your imput into the constitutions of your own clubs are highly useful in SSI's information gathering process.
regards from the Harbour City!
Julian Farrell/committee member Swans Supporters Inc.
PS:- There has been 3 people either leave the Swans board or a position at the office. Is all well behind closed doors at Moore Park?
