Memberships/Season Tickets

[CityHeart]

said it before, ill say it again there is just no need or urgency for memberships for our club (and most a league clubs Id imagine).

the crowds are too small, the stadiums are laughably too large - there is just no need to commit to a membership. None. And if you were really specific and wanted a great seat every week, then you'd be a member already. No matter what the club does will change this much.

If Im the club, Id start becoming a leader in the industry rather than a follower. Big Bash tickets are much cheaper, and it is just so easy to rock up and get a decent seat in a family environment.

We shouldnt have membership or reserved seating (bar say corporates and top end) - throw it open. $20 adult tix including fees, kids under 12 free, students/concession $10 - let's work to grow this thing and get people to the game! Grow the interest, grow the urgency in a more organic way that will force the club to then go to a ticketed environment.  We shouldnt even think about fully ticketed until we can get 15K plus (50% capacity) every game. If that is a very low target.

Open up the whol lower tier to general - walk in and grab a great seat. 

Do something. Be imaginative. This whole league is like a stale loaf of bread sometimes.

 

[Mr MO]

9 hours ago, jw1739 said:

After 8 seasons, 4 under the stewardship of City Football Group, IMO only sustained success on the field is really going to increase the numbers and keep them at a higher level.

All the other good work that the club does counts for nothing if there is not success for the men's team - A-League, FFA Cup, Asia (if we ever get there) etc.

It’s harsh but sometimes I get the feeling that CFG don’t really care too much about all these things at the moment. Main priority is that we can offload some prospect players for little money like Mooy and Arzani, CFG will be happy. As well run a sustainable business. Just look at the facts, we invest heavily in facilties and hire a youth coach to develop players.

Even with all the restrictions success and bums on the seats can definitely be bought in this league and it’s clear that we don’t want to go down this path.

I have to say that this approach might only be in place until the football climate changes here  in Australia.

Edited September 23, 2018 by Mr MO

[Inchcolm]

You may have a valid argument about their only concern is to develop youth players and sell them on. I suppose your statement about Joyce being a Youth coach reinforces your point.

I had a look at Joyce's managerial career it is all about youth. He did manage Hull in the English 4th tier and had a great escape by avoiding relegation. He also managed Wigan in the championship for half a season winning 6 of their 24 games they got relegated.

I have to agree he is a Youth coach. I am clutching at straws here but could this be reason why he has had problems with seasoned players and why Ross indicated that there was a problem coming back to City

Edited September 23, 2018 by Inchcolm

[Tony999]

4 hours ago, CityHeart said:

said it before, ill say it again there is just no need or urgency for memberships for our club (and most a league clubs Id imagine).

the crowds are too small, the stadiums are laughably too large - there is just no need to commit to a membership. None. And if you were really specific and wanted a great seat every week, then you'd be a member already. No matter what the club does will change this much.

If Im the club, Id start becoming a leader in the industry rather than a follower. Big Bash tickets are much cheaper, and it is just so easy to rock up and get a decent seat in a family environment.

We shouldnt have membership or reserved seating (bar say corporates and top end) - throw it open. $20 adult tix including fees, kids under 12 free, students/concession $10 - let's work to grow this thing and get people to the game! Grow the interest, grow the urgency in a more organic way that will force the club to then go to a ticketed environment.  We shouldnt even think about fully ticketed until we can get 15K plus (50% capacity) every game. If that is a very low target.

Open up the whol lower tier to general - walk in and grab a great seat. 

Do something. Be imaginative. This whole league is like a stale loaf of bread sometimes.

 

I agree that prices are now ridiculous. Look at the derby games. Why the f*** is it so inflated for that one game? I wouldn't go as far as letting anyone sit anywhere but I would definitely decrease the prices.

[citypool]

To touch on what the guy said about just opening up the ground for 20 bucks which I agree on. I remember a guy once saying to open the stadium during the Australian open. People are literally walking outside from all over the world what a opportunity to go to a game.

[jw1739]

I'm not convinced about the admission price argument at all. City Blue and City GA adult prices are already only a fraction over $20, and with City Blue I know I can go to my seat well under cover come rain or shine just a few minutes before kick-off. What memberships do is encourage people to make a commitment to the club and where possible go to as many matches as they can. If you're rusted-on you even try to avoid other commitments on a match day.

If you just reduce walk-up prices to the point where they are equal to memberships then I think you would actually see a drop off in overall attendance - I don't believe that there are a lot of people out there just waiting for City to reduce admission prices just so they can on the spur of moment pay for a train ticket or a parking fee and rock up to a City home match - that's if they even knew the season had started and there was one on. The latter is IMO quite an issue when the game essentially dies for 6 months and is always battling against media coverage of AFL and NRL.

Just having everyone as a walk-up was fine 50 years ago when football was pretty much the only entertainment many people had, but not today when there is a big demand for the "leisure dollar." 

What's required IMO is to make City memberships more attractive, not the other way round.

[Dylan]

Real issue issnt Memberships, its crowd sizes. Ours are abysmal. Not even all the members turn up, especially on that eastern side. 

[jw1739]

I thought we did well last Wednesday - 4,000+ is pretty good for a funeral.

[kingofhearts]

We need to appeal to a certain demographic of people in order to boost memberships. 

[malloy]

On 23/09/2018 at 9:03 PM, Inchcolm said:

You may have a valid argument about their only concern is to develop youth players and sell them on. I suppose your statement about Joyce being a Youth coach reinforces your point.

I had a look at Joyce's managerial career it is all about youth. He did manage Hull in the English 4th tier and had a great escape by avoiding relegation. He also managed Wigan in the championship for half a season winning 6 of their 24 games they got relegated.

I have to agree he is a Youth coach. I am clutching at straws here but could this be reason why he has had problems with seasoned players and why Ross indicated that there was a problem coming back to City

The reason Ross couldn't come back is because Villa were demanding that we pay a loan fee, which would have to be included under salary cap. We didn't have enough room in the cap for his salary and the loan fee. 

[CityHeart]

On 9/24/2018 at 9:48 AM, jw1739 said:

I'm not convinced about the admission price argument at all. City Blue and City GA adult prices are already only a fraction over $20, and with City Blue I know I can go to my seat well under cover come rain or shine just a few minutes before kick-off. What memberships do is encourage people to make a commitment to the club and where possible go to as many matches as they can. If you're rusted-on you even try to avoid other commitments on a match day.

If you just reduce walk-up prices to the point where they are equal to memberships then I think you would actually see a drop off in overall attendance - I don't believe that there are a lot of people out there just waiting for City to reduce admission prices just so they can on the spur of moment pay for a train ticket or a parking fee and rock up to a City home match - that's if they even knew the season had started and there was one on. The latter is IMO quite an issue when the game essentially dies for 6 months and is always battling against media coverage of AFL and NRL.

Just having everyone as a walk-up was fine 50 years ago when football was pretty much the only entertainment many people had, but not today when there is a big demand for the "leisure dollar." 

What's required IMO is to make City memberships more attractive, not the other way round.

I disagree with all of that, and IMHO proof is in the pudding. Our membership is utterly stagnant as we do the some thing as everyone else, and we will never make the membership 'attracitve' without incredible success over the long-term (maybe) as the issue is simple maths - having 8K fans in a 30K arena is never going to create the urgency for membership. And that is the backbone of memberhip - urgency, fear of missing out etc. Gaining access to finals tix you may not get if you are not a member. We have none of that, none.

Rusted on members will still come. Sure, they may whinge but they will come. 

We are not Collingwood or Richmond. The league isnt the AFL. The stadiums are not fit for purpose.

Sure, changing it up may not change much or not work at all. But at least try SOMETHING. Rocking up and getting a premium seat is obscenely expensive IMHO. I have taken people (like we all have) in the general seating behind the goals, and lets be frank they are the worst seats in the house and and is not a good advertisement to someone wishing to come more.

Why dont we do what I have seen at some smaller european clubs - tarp up/dont sell the ends (behind goals) and force all seating to the sides/wings (upper and lower) so everyone is in the premium seating? Surely that could be a start?

Do we go the full hog and explore a smaller home stadium? I actually think this is the bit which the a-league has really missed out on. Packed, 10K type stadiums with soccer-style chanting and fans would be great for a TV and ground experience product. 

The A-league 'package' is just laughable for 90% of games. Stadiums cause this - and this directly flows onto smaller teams inability to grown members.

But by all means, lets keep doing the same thing year after year and wonder why we will be a going concern if our rich owners give up on us.

[fensaddler]

3 hours ago, CityHeart said:

I disagree with all of that, and IMHO proof is in the pudding. Our membership is utterly stagnant as we do the some thing as everyone else, and we will never make the membership 'attracitve' without incredible success over the long-term (maybe) as the issue is simple maths - having 8K fans in a 30K arena is never going to create the urgency for membership. And that is the backbone of memberhip - urgency, fear of missing out etc. Gaining access to finals tix you may not get if you are not a member. We have none of that, none.

Rusted on members will still come. Sure, they may whinge but they will come. 

We are not Collingwood or Richmond. The league isnt the AFL. The stadiums are not fit for purpose.

Sure, changing it up may not change much or not work at all. But at least try SOMETHING. Rocking up and getting a premium seat is obscenely expensive IMHO. I have taken people (like we all have) in the general seating behind the goals, and lets be frank they are the worst seats in the house and and is not a good advertisement to someone wishing to come more.

Why dont we do what I have seen at some smaller european clubs - tarp up/dont sell the ends (behind goals) and force all seating to the sides/wings (upper and lower) so everyone is in the premium seating? Surely that could be a start?

Do we go the full hog and explore a smaller home stadium? I actually think this is the bit which the a-league has really missed out on. Packed, 10K type stadiums with soccer-style chanting and fans would be great for a TV and ground experience product. 

The A-league 'package' is just laughable for 90% of games. Stadiums cause this - and this directly flows onto smaller teams inability to grown members.

But by all means, lets keep doing the same thing year after year and wonder why we will be a going concern if our rich owners give up on us.

Two brief points:

I don't accept that standing behind the goals is a sub-optimal experience. It's where I choose to be. I don't enjoy being on the side. 

Whilst a packed 10k capacity ground would certainly offer a better atmosphere, nobody's going to find the $20m it would cost, even assuming you could find a suitable site accessible to all of our fans. Far more useful to address the big problem with atmosphere at the moment, which is the obvious discord and division in active (to the point last week where one group were actively and deliberately seeking to silence another group). AAMI is where we are, and where we are going to be for the foreseeable future. Let's deal with the art of the possible. 

[jw1739]

2 hours ago, fensaddler said:

Two brief points:

I don't accept that standing behind the goals is a sub-optimal experience. It's where I choose to be. I don't enjoy being on the side. 

Whilst a packed 10k capacity ground would certainly offer a better atmosphere, nobody's going to find the $20m it would cost, even assuming you could find a suitable site accessible to all of our fans. Far more useful to address the big problem with atmosphere at the moment, which is the obvious discord and division in active (to the point last week where one group were actively and deliberately seeking to silence another group). AAMI is where we are, and where we are going to be for the foreseeable future. Let's deal with the art of the possible. 

The costs of constructing our own "boutique" stadium, even a modular "tilt-up" one such as several in Scotland, would be much more than $20m. Construction costs in Australia are high compared with other countries, or they seem to be from what I read. We then have the costs of the site itself to consider on top of that, and as well as the issue of convenience for the fans we do have at the moment you can bet your life there would be plenty of NIMBY objections to wherever we wanted to put such a facility. The costs of maintaining such a facility can't be forgotten either.

As you say, we have to deal with where we are at the moment - in all respects - and go from here.

[jeffplz]

I personally hate AAMI Park. The bad memories outweigh the good. And i'm sick of seeing those fucking green seats. Colour them black or something

[hakz7]

On 24/09/2018 at 8:21 PM, kingofhearts said:

We need to appeal to a certain demographic of people in order to boost memberships. 

Maltese people?

[HEARTinator]

In a crowded sports marketplace, we need to have a quality marquee player. David Villa spiked our membership, so did a great season with Bruno/Novillo/Mooy followed by Cahill signing. Keisuke Honda is the type of signing is we need. We should tap into the Asian market and bring in quality players. There are plenty of Asian football supporters in Melbourne but we don't see them at our games. Victory has got a great signing.

AAMI might be a little large but it's a good viewing venue and well served by public transport which makes it appealing.

The CFG desire to get rid of the Red & White was a tactical mistake and simply has made us look like an offshoot of ManCity. People remember this. We're seen as as a feeder club to the larger CFG operation. Which is fine for attracting youth but if they're just then passed onto to our overlords and we don't get to see them develop. Would love to have had Arzani for another season or so.

 

Edited September 28, 2018 by HEARTinator

[Thrillhouse]

got an email tonight saying mines been posted 

[CityHeart]

On the points.

1. Behind goals is not 'sub-optimal'. Yes it is, and the pricing of every stadium in the history of sports would agree. Sure, some may disagree but overall they are the 'cheap seats'.

2. Yep, a smaller stadium isnt without major issues - but it the job of our CEO to work with local, state, federal Goverments & FFA/other clubs to find solutions. 2 of the Melbourne based applicants for expansion have solutions/are bringing their own boutique grounds so that is the competition we are facing. We are at serious risk of a new entrant coming in and making us look like the worst run "club" in the history of sports.

3. Aami park is unbelievably ugly, and I can not believe that the tennant clubs havnt succusfully lobbied for 2 things (at a minimum): a) all of us have a shade of blue/purple and white in our colours/logos. Surely the seats can all change to a scatting of sky blue/dark blue/purple and white like the gabba. Makes it hard to see exactly how many fans are in as you cant tell an obvious empty seat from a wide camera angle. b ) the scoreboards are a laughable joke and should be significantly increased in size and clarity.

for a 'new' stadium it really does suck IMO.

 

[jw1739]

Completed another monthly survey. Anyone else receive an invitation to participate?

[johnno cpfc]

1 hour ago, jw1739 said:

Completed another monthly survey. Anyone else receive an invitation to participate?

Not this time.

 

[Tony999]

5 hours ago, jw1739 said:

Completed another monthly survey. Anyone else receive an invitation to participate?

Nope. I never get these emails yet I am a foundation member! Don't they care about foundation members!?

[jw1739]

On 01/10/2018 at 9:32 PM, Tony999 said:

Nope. I never get these emails yet I am a foundation member! Don't they care about foundation members!?

@Tony999 They come from Sportsubs and look like this:

Image deleted

 

Edited December 18, 2022 by jw1739

[rayv36]

6 hours ago, jw1739 said:

Completed another monthly survey. Anyone else receive an invitation to participate?

I got it too

[citypool]

I don’t really think they are good questions but good to see them trying 

[jw1739]

2 hours ago, citypool said:

I don’t really think they are good questions but good to see them trying 

The questions are the same every time. There's no tailoring to account for changes in circumstances - for example that it's the off-season. I have pointed this out in the past, but to no avail. I continue to fill them out as best as I can.

[Thrillhouse]

those scale surveys are pointless, ask me a proper question and let me vent

[mattyh001]

I got one of the email feedback surveys too.

Thought it was bullshit that they kept asking how the team is currently performing (yet the season hasn't started) and what's been good / bad for the last month.

Edited October 3, 2018 by mattyh001

[citypool]

We have the 5th most members with Brisbane 200 behind us 

[n i k o]

Fuck surveys, the club has 'suddenly' begun using Simpsons references on its social media. Check the latest Instagram post. They're onto us...

[haz]

25 minutes ago, n i k o said:

Fuck surveys, the club has 'suddenly' begun using Simpsons references on its social media. Check the latest Instagram post. They're onto us...

I'd be satisfied if the club just became one big Simpon's meme machine

[GreenSeater]

6 hours ago, haz said:

I'd be satisfied if the club just became one big Simpon's meme machine

Would take wooden spoon every season for the occasional simpsons shitpost tbh

[haz]

On 10/5/2018 at 3:57 PM, GreenSeater said:

Would take wooden spoon every season for the occasional simpsons shitpost tbh

-

 

Edited November 2, 2018 by haz

[dconder13]

Someone link me to how to renew my membership pls

[johnno cpfc]

21 hours ago, dconder13 said:

Someone link me to how to renew my membership pls

Call the City office at Bundoora they will help you. 1300 255432.

 

[NuggetsMcGreggor]

On 9/30/2018 at 7:57 PM, Thrillhouse said:

got an email tonight saying mines been posted 

just got this email with a link to a membership tracker. https://sites.tpf.com.au/fulfilment/tracker.asp enter your member ID into the tracking ID field to track your membership.

mine's not due to be delivered until 24/10 and they sent me a .pdf of my card to print out in case it doesn't arrive in time. considering my membership auto-renewed, it's pretty sad the club couldn't get it to me before the start of the season.

[Forever City]

Mine arrived today.

[NuggetsMcGreggor]

54 minutes ago, Forever City said:

Mine arrived today.

Bumper sticker this season?

[dconder13]

Anyone know how to purchase Derby tickets if you haven’t received your membership? (barcode)

[NuggetsMcGreggor]

7 minutes ago, dconder13 said:

Anyone know how to purchase Derby tickets if you haven’t received your membership? (barcode)

my suggestion would be to call the club and ask for your barcode number

[citypool]

I really hope we get more members at the family day