CAMBO said:
globaleagle said:
From the club!
It has been a massive year for the Sea Eagles in which they broke their Membership record and the 2013 season has now finished at 11,321 Members.
The Seal Eagles would like to thank the support from each and every Member and looks forward to having you back on board in 2014.
I don't get the apathy of the majority of fans.
The club has 77k likes on Facebook and 22k twitter followers yet that converts to 11321 members.
I'd love to see alot of the videos and inside content the club provide on social media be either restricted to members only or shortened for for everyone and extended content members only.
The club do a great job with fan interaction but I don't get they get bang for their buck.
Fair question – there are clearly many people who like Manly, and are interested in following our fortunes, but who haven't yet joined up as members?
Does that really have anything to do with apathy? No.
Well, how can we attract more members? I think it is a gradual process of educating fans about
what membership can do for the team you support.
It's still quite new. Actively enticing fans to become members is a relatively new concept in league, in fact it's really only for the last few years that this has been a priority. It is now - and the NRL itself coordinates a generalised campaign to encourage fans to become members of the teams they follow.
I do not see how 'punishing' or excluding fans who haven't yet signed up is a great idea. On the contrary, the more interesting information and features are accessible, the more likely fans interest will be further attracted.
Chicken or egg? As Cambo points out, there are thousands of fans who already identify with Manly to some extent. As a matter of logic, people will be more likely to join if they have a really strong like or association with the team. People like the team because of its performances, its players, its history and culture. The more that attractive information about all these is publicly accessible, the more people might become attracted to the Sea Eagles.
Taking the plunge Getting fans to make that psychological shift – from having maybe liked or followed the team's fortunes for years, to now joining as a member - does require some trigger. The leagues generalised campaign helps, as do all the initiatives of our club (thanks Larissa & co).
What does it mean, anyway?Nowadays our club is a private/community partnership, with private owners having the majority holding. The privatisation began in 2004 and enabled the club to survive, having been left financially broken following Super League, and having endured a failed merger with Norths under the name 'Northern Eagles'.
Since then the private owners have carried the bulk of the financial burden of running the NRL team (which, as with most clubs, usually runs at a loss).
The current ownership structure means that becoming a member of the Sea Eagles is not the same as becoming a member of a traditional type of club, in that there is no equity attached to membership, and no right to vote on anything. In one sense, membership of the Sea Eagles is really only a pre-purchase of a certain number of match tickets for a particular season, though it does come with some other benefits.
A vote?There is still a way for fans to become members of Manly in a more meaningful way, and that is to also join the Manly Warringah Rugby League Football Club ('the FC'). The FC ran the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles from inception until it was privatised, and still retains a small holding in Sea Eagles (currently about 12%). The FC also has representation on the board. The FC also holds one 'preference share' which carries control of the colours and name, and guarantees at least 10 home games be at Brookvale each season. The FC is a more traditional type of 'club' and members who join can qualify to vote.
So why join the Sea Eagles? There is only one reason to join the Sea Eagles, in my opinion. It isn't to get cheaper tickets (though we do get cheaper tickets). It isn't to get lanyards and hats (sorry GE) merchandise discounts and access to finals matches. It isn't to get access to players and coaches, and it isn't for a host of other benefits that attach to membership. And I don't advocate that the reason to be a member should be to get access to inside content and videos.
The reason to join is simply to help the Sea Eagles. That's it. That is the reason. It helps the Sea Eagles in many ways when fans make the financial commitment to membership each year. The significance goes beyond the fees coming in. The level of fan commitment to the Sea Eagles is also important to our position within the NRL, and within the community.
Prohibitive cost? True, there are many people who cannot afford to pay for anything in advance. A damning fact of our current social system. However there are many more who can, and the job of the membership teams includes making sure people know what packages may suit them, making sure they know what benefits they may gain from membership, and, most importantly: making sure that prospective members - people who already like the Sea Eagles - understand how their membership would actually help the Sea eagles continue to prosper.
They're worth supporting! The Sea Eagles have provided me with heaps of entertainment over the years. Following their fortunes (usually successful) has so often provided me with a compelling diversion from life's more serious problems. I've been a member for a few years now, and I certainly feel a lot more invested, and a lot more involved, as a result. I am also a FC member, and though I've never voted on anything, it feels better to know I can have a say if I want to. What was it The Doors once said, "The future's uncertain…" ?
Note – our membership has increased strongly over the last couple of years, so well done to Larissa & the team. I'll renew my memberships next year.