Clive Palmer in all his wisdom is talking about the crowd cap at Skilled Park (not Skilled Stadium as people like to call it, we're not in Geelong, thank Christ for that!) and reintroducing it again for the season.
Yes Clive I know it is quite a lot cheaper to only hire a partially opened stadium but I'm afraid that from an A League point of view and from a players point of view it's just crap.
How about instead of closing you club from the people you open your club to people? Radical idea I know but obviously your way isn't working for the people of the Gold Coast so I thought perhaps I could give you a few pointers.
I had hoped that perhaps you could pay me for the following opinnions but as you obviously only hire people who will bow down to you and acquiesce to all your decisions and I really won't do that because having a shitload of money clearly doesn't buy you brains...
Anyway here are my ideas:
- Treat your members with a bit of respect.
Both my parents are members of GCU, members totaling in excess of $1000. GCU memberships are among the most expensive in the A League and for what reason? None. Even the Champions Sydney FC aren't as expensive as GCU. But aside from price you need to keep your members in the loop, make them feel a part of the club, as if they're wanted and are valuable assests. Afterall the players play for the love of the game and the fans right?
GCU treat their members like shit. There is very little interplay between the club and its members, and half the time the club doesn't even know what's going on.
Members supporters packs are able to be picked up at the 3rd home game of the season, a date which doesn't fall until September, yeah nice one Clive.
And at public appearences by the players half the time Captain Jason Culina isn't there, this happened at at least 2 appearences last season. - Get out in the Community.
Apparently the club does send it's players to local soccer trainning sessions and good on them they should, but on bye weekends, like this one, perhaps have a kick around session with one of the local teams, or have a family weekend with the players and their families or something. - Suck the kids in.
Sydney FC have a great program in place, all registered soccer players under 12 get free membership. Naturally for kids to take advantage of this offer they can't go alone, they're under 12 for Christ sake and no one in their right mind would let a 12 year old traipse off to the football all on their lonesome, so what do the parents do? They ask little Johnny if he's likely to want to go to all of the games and as little Johnny is a big fan of Nicky Carle because he came to their school/training session and taught them a thing or two and has since become little Johnny's idol little Johnny wants to see Nick in action every week. So what option does that leave poor Mum and/or Dad? Going with them and as it makes sense finacially to buy a membership rather than a ticket to every game they buy a membership. And then little Johnny's brother Tim decides that it's unfair that Mum and/or Dad get to go to the football every weekend and he'd like to go to what does the family do? They buy a membership for Tim as well thus giving FC a bigger membership base and more people to the game simply because little Johnny was given a free membership. - Stop blaming the FFA for everything.
Yes the FFA were stupid in expanding the A League so fast and yes they were stupid enough to believe you when you said you could handle running an A League club but aside from that it's not all their fault and it's a bit of a cop out to blame it all on them. And if it is true that the FFA does hanle your website then that's just about the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life. - Listen to people when they try to help.
I hate the A League. I have many problems with it and I will continue to have many problems with it until they do something about fixing the quality of the football and start using their heads rather than plan for world domination, but seriously when the people you are marketing to are telling you that there is something wrong and give you suggestions don't just say "yes yes we know" maybe take the time to listen to them and take some of what they say under advisement.
In the lead up to last year's experiment of capping the crowds I went with my mum to pick up her replacement tickets. While we were there we said a few things to the guy from whom we picked up the tickets, along with other members who were agreeing with what we were saying and added stuff of their own. The guy handing out the tickets couldn't care less. As we were leaving another guy, Blair I think his name was, came out to us to chat. We again told him more of what we were thinking the club could do and he couldn't care less about what we were saying, telling us that they were doing everything they could and blah blah blah. I'm sorry but if that's the best they could do then someone seriously stuffed up when it came to hiring people because what they were doing was nowhere near enough, and it still isn't. In the lead up to the opening game of the season I saw nothing in the papers advertising the game. I guess now that the FFA isn't doing it and paying for the advertising I guess they don't care...
Well good on you Clive because when you stuff this club, and you have stuffed it, and in the process waylay the progress of Australian Football you can look back and say at least you have the somewhat dubious title of Professor to keep you warm at night...
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