Club Statement

[bairdy380]

If we are all honest, not many saw this dragging in Vic this long.... clubs may well have been strategic planning small Vic crowds by Aug in initial business cases... so worker retention may have been feasible, clearly not the case now
This year is bonkers for business planning and forecasting and next year also!

 

[French Tiger]

When i was a young kid i became a type 1 diabetic. Flea is also one, i straight away wrote him a letter after being diagnosed & sent it to the club. He responded with a letter back & some Tigers gifts.

Only a few years ago my father called me on a Friday night whilst he was having a few beers at his local golf club, he calls me to say he is drinking with Dale Weightman's brother (could have been cousin) , Dad said expect a call from Dale soon, i asked if he could get him to ring you (Dad knows how much i love the tiges). I said i think you have had too many Dad.

Bout half an hour later my phone rang & it was Dale, just called me cause he was asked to, we spoke for about 15 minutes.

What a great bloke & Tiger legend.

 

[tigers80]

fiscally challenging times especially next year I feel.
As a club we know how to run on the smell of an oily rag which we might have to again for sometime.
Our success came at a good time but only if we've managed to invest wisely.
Might give us a reprieve for a little bit of time.
But this is not just us It's all clubs.
More than ever for next year we need to sign up as members.
Help those other tiger supporters that covid19 has impacted.
perhaps a program where that as a member you are able to help another member retain their membership next year.

 

[BrisTiger24]

Who else has been given the sars? Anyone of note?

Flea worked tirelessly in his community role. Met him twice last year at QLD Supporters Group functions. He was so generous with his time and mingles with fans like he his is one.

 

[DavidSSS]

You can donate a membership to a fellow supporter, a good idea. The main problem with this I can see is that many of us are paying for a couple of memberships already. But if it keeps people as members though a difficult time it would be a great contribution from those who can afford it.

DS

 

[Stig]

Who else has been given the sars? Anyone of note?

Flea worked tirelessly in his community role. Met him twice last year at QLD Supporters Group functions. He was so generous with his time and mingles with fans like he his is one.

It’s across many sections at the club . Ryan Ferguson player development gone as well. .

 

[daniel30]

Ferguson to that's a suprise apparently he worked alot with Balta this year in his development.

 

[Baloo]

It's sad that we've had to let so many go. But it hurts that Flea has been let go. Not only was he one of my idols when I was a kid, but every time I've had the pleasure of interacting with him he was nothing but friendly and accommodating.

He's as much a part of the club as the Jack Dyer statue.

 

[seven]

If we are hurting i hate to see some other Melbourne clubs.
Lesser clubs like St Kilda and North might be in big trouble

 

[Tass]

I didn’t say I agreed . Just tell you what I was told . Flea been labouring for past few months after falling ill with Pneumonia in April . He is doing ok

Gee that would be tough going considering he’s a diabetic. Being a diabetic myself, I know the challenges first hand of fighting something as serious as pneumonia whilst managing blood sugar control.

 

[Ossie]

From the information I've heard the issue clubs are now grappling with is the expectation of a massive revenue hit in 2021 as well.

On top of the issues around the economy in general, my understanding is the advice is that until the virus is eradicated then full crowds will not return to stadiums.

That means we are likely to begin next season with no more than 50% capacity in each stadium which will cause logistical and financial chaos. On top of that will be the issue that when and if hot spots emerge further restrictions will again come into play.

Basically the message has been prepare to be cut and cut hard.

TBR, have you heard that the season will start later in 2021 to buy some time to assess the Covid landscape?

 

[Tass]

No I haven't but I wouldn't be privvy to that level of talk at this stage.

There has certainly been plenty of discussion around the likelihood of having a flexible fixture again next year though. Planning is assuming we will know the rounds in advance but the specific schedules in smaller blocks, so that will provide scope to move games as needed I suspect.

I can't imagine the start of the season being too early though, because if we go to late October then the teams who go deep in the finals are barely going to get any pre-Christmas work in because of the mandatory breaks. Easter is the first weekend of April, I'd be backing that as a likely round one.

Seems logical though. Every scientist to the grindstone. Hurry up with the vaccine
https://media3.giphy.com/media/iNQ2cIve8rUqI/giphy.gif

 

[DavidSSS]

2020 a write off in terms of crowd revenue and a lot else besides - merch sales would be down too I would think and that on the back of a premiership where merch sales go up.

2021 just one bloody great uncertainty.

The club is forced into this. Such a lot will be lost but not much choice. If 2021 turns out better than envisaged hopefully they can put some people back on but who knows if this will be restricted by soft caps and the like.

Such a difficult situation.

DS

 

[waiting]

No I haven't but I wouldn't be privvy to that level of talk at this stage.

There has certainly been plenty of discussion around the likelihood of having a flexible fixture again next year though. Planning is assuming we will know the rounds in advance but the specific schedules in smaller blocks, so that will provide scope to move games as needed I suspect.

I can't imagine the start of the season being too early though, because if we go to late October then the teams who go deep in the finals are barely going to get any pre-Christmas work in because of the mandatory breaks. Easter is the first weekend of April, I'd be backing that as a likely round one.

Likely too I think Richo.
April/May to start season 2021.

The uncertainty of this year will go into next year 21 and could similar scenarios in part for season 22.

Vaccine or no vaccine.

This may be a 18-24 months heartbreak for clubs, it’s staff, people who have been stood down/lost their jobs, players and all of us ( whole country ) but mainly Victoria to begin to recover.

I doubt we will see 100k crowds for over 12 months plus. Sad reality but there are worse things happening here & around the world still & to come.

The uncertainty of the VFL program.
List sizes.
$ for clubs
Merchandise without crowds
Support staff
All forms of sponsorship & revenue.

It’s amazing the loyalty of our supporter base but many supporters of all clubs.

 

[Ossie]

No I haven't but I wouldn't be privvy to that level of talk at this stage.

There has certainly been plenty of discussion around the likelihood of having a flexible fixture again next year though. Planning is assuming we will know the rounds in advance but the specific schedules in smaller blocks, so that will provide scope to move games as needed I suspect.

I can't imagine the start of the season being too early though, because if we go to late October then the teams who go deep in the finals are barely going to get any pre-Christmas work in because of the mandatory breaks. Easter is the first weekend of April, I'd be backing that as a likely round one.

Thanks TBR. The flexible fixture would certainly make sense. Hopefully we revert to proper quarters. So many factors to consider.

 

[seven]

Seems logical though. Every scientist to the grindstone. Hurry up with the vaccine
https://media3.giphy.com/media/iNQ2cIve8rUqI/giphy.gif

Russian has one coming out now.

 

[Tass]

Russian has one coming out now.

I think it’s the same one that was ‘dispensed’ to the Russian opposition leader

 

[momentai]

Flea is a great great tiger man and it is hugely disappointing to see him go.

However as previously I believe the Club, all clubs, should have offered to refund membership fees when it became clear that little or no footy would be played at the G and the RFC would have to join other clubs in Qld.
That didn't occur and all clubs followed a joint strategy of seeking a vote on what should occur in respect of paid up memberships. This was a clever if not an entirely moral position, designed by one of Gill's committee's to protect, to the extent possible, the financial position of all clubs, including a significant number who face greater financial difficulty than the Tigers. (In other words at the time members reasonable interests were put second).

Further at this time the AFL spoke about a strategy which was designed to help protect all clubs from the financial consequences of a loss of income, caused by Covid.
In effect the AFL has underwritten the future of all clubs until we get through this.
There are pro's and cons but I am dam sure that there will come a time when a significant number of clubs will become effectively bankrupt, and unable to trade. I hope the RFC is now preparing for that time because when it comes I don't believe we should continue to support an 18 team league.

 

[AngryAnt]

Russian has one coming out now.

That's one vaccine I won't be volunteering for

 

[tigers80]

You can donate a membership to a fellow supporter, a good idea. The main problem with this I can see is that many of us are paying for a couple of memberships already. But if it keeps people as members though a difficult time it would be a great contribution from those who can afford it.

DS

Yeh I get your point re: people already stretched with their own commitments
But it's more the people that might buy 1-2 memberships each year that could see their way donating to the club pool that allows the club to resign these members that otherwise can't due to constraints.
Just a thought.