AFL MEMBERSHIP IN CRISIS: AFLMA'S GRAND
FINAL SOLUTION
Media release 8/2002
Recent press coverage has revealed that AFL Membership is in crisis. An
unprecedented 5% drop-off in membership this year has contributed to a $400,000
drop in revenue for the AFL.
A survey of AFL Members carried out by the AFL Members Association last year
identified access to Grand Final access as a primary reason why disenchanted
members elected not to renew in 2002.
"Unfortunately, the current system is based on the presumption that there
will be a Member's lock out", said Mr Agrotis, AFLMA President. "This
is despite a Grand Final ticket being marketed as the key benefit of AFL
Membership for many years."
The AFLMA believes that the best way for the AFL to stem the tide of departing
members is to reintroduce the very simple and well accepted Grand Final
ticketing system that was in place prior to 1998. This system of ticketing
worked well for more than 10 years and independent surveys indicate that the
vast majority of AFL Members wish a return to this system.
For the 2001 season the AFL replaced this system with one that only offered
priority access for Full Club Support Members whose team is competing in the
Grand Final.
"We don't dispute that AFL members of the competing clubs should get to go
to the Grand Final," said Mr Agrotis. "What we do want is a
system where all full members have an equal opportunity. If the system is
designed so that every AFL Member who wants a seat at the Grand Final is able
to get one, it stands to reason that no Club Support members of the two
competing clubs would miss out."
The AFLMA has presented the AFL with a detailed analysis demonstrating if there
were sufficient tickets for 75% of members to attend the Grand Final, ticketing
problems would become a non-issue.
Further concerns about the current system are:
* It is unfair to those who take out the Competition Package
Over 18% of the Full Membership select to take out the Competition Package,
which has no allegiance to any club. Those members will always be denied the
guaranteed access to seats that comes with the priority access.
* It is unfair to those families who are divided in their club loyalties
We all know families that are divided in their club loyalties. In fact, for
such families the AFL Membership is ideal, as it offers them greater
flexibility than taking out club memberships of the teams supported.
However, the current Grand Final ticketing arrangements discriminate against
families that don't support a single team. If one of the teams supported makes
the Grand Final those family members have to make a choice. Do they take up the
priority offer, or do they elect to sit with their family and run the risk of
missing out on tickets altogether?
* It encourages people to 'Pick A Winner'
This year, some 400 AFL Members changed their Club Support allegiance to
Essendon or Brisbane in the hope of having a better chance of a Grand Final
ticket.
With $100 per member going to the selected club, switching Club Support in this
manner strips thousands of dollars from the lower ranked clubs.
The AFLMA believes returning to a system where all AFL Full Members are able to
attend the Grand Final will go a long way to stemming the tide of disgruntled
members.
"We pay triple the fees that regular club members pay, yet we don't have
any input or a vote on how AFL Membership is managed" said Mr
Agrotis. "If the AFL had been truly listening to members, they
wouldn't be facing the biggest exodus of AFL Members in its history."
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The AFLMA Game of the Round for Round 7 as voted by AFL Members was:
St Kilda 2.1 6.4 10.8 15.12 (102)
Each week, AFL Members can log on to www.AFLMA.com
to vote for their best Game of the Round. At the end of the season, all
AFL Members will have the chance to vote online for the AFLMA Game of the
Year from the 22 nominated Games of the Round. A perpetual trophy is
to be awarded to the two teams who played in the AFLMA Game of the Year.
______________________________
The AFLMA was formed in response to members' concerns about how the AFL is
looking after membership entitlements. The association serves to promote the
interests
of the 50,000 AFL Members who are among football's most loyal supporters.
The AFLMA web page is located at: http://www.aflma.com/
Contact the AFLMA on 0438-104-330 or email mailto:media@aflma.com