In support of some of the things that Vidmar has said I must agree with a lot of what he has stated.
Not having a go at Dan at all, he has valid reasons for not being a member, and for many it will come down to dollars BUT...how many of them still go to the Pub, still smoke, still have a wager on the gee gees and still find some coin for the Pokies...and then whinge about all the things that Vid has stated, and then say but oh no " we can't afford or find value in a season membership".
I have absolultly NO drama at all with people not being members, if you take the approx 40,000 people wearing Sea Eagles colours on Grand Final day at ANZ as a guide we are mearly scrapping the surface, but what peeves me off is it's those very people who are usually the most critical and vocal about how things are run or what should happen.
Many may say it's "freedom of choice"...and also if you want to have a say it's "freedom of speech" and to be totally honest that is 110% correct, in our society you are free to choose and free to say whatever you like but it's the "moral issue" of taking that stance that I am talking about.
I for one am proud to be a Football Club member and also a Season Ticket holder...albeit the cheapest type giving me 2 GA admissions a year, BUT nevertheless I am doing "my bit" for my team.
The pleasure I got out of seeing the boys win the GF this year was insurmountable (value wise), if my few dollars help them achieve that again in 2009 then it will be money well spent.
With sponsorship dollars going to be VERY hard to get in 2009 our club is going to need every member and every dollar it can and we as supporters need to encourage other supporters to join (if they can afford it).
If you can't afford it for any reason (such as Dan) then you can't, but at the end of the day if I smoke one less packet of ciggies a week, or put $10 a week less through the pokies, or go home 2 scooners earlier than I had planned any one of those savings would more than pay for membership.
My wife is Victorian and is a member of the Collingwood Football Club, member number 45687...that speaks volumes on it's own, 4000 members for Manly is 42687 less than Collingwood...and for gods sake that's bloody AFL!!!