Punt Road Members forum

[Rosy]

The RFC members forum has been discussed a bit after going public on club corner on Monday night.

I don't for one minute think the forum represents my views as a member. They've never asked my opinion about anything.

That doesn't mean I'd put down the idea of the forum or it's members.

Apparently there are about 25 supporters who attend forum meetings. It's not fair to generalise but from committees I've been on I know people on them don't always have the general public's interests at heart.

One example would be a school council constantly changing uniform policies etc. It might keep the head honchos happy, but certainly isn't supported by the majority of parents.

Still that's their right if they have volunteered or been elected for the council.

Seeing people at the Richmond Football Club read this site, let's all be members of our own forum and let the club know how we'd like things improved.

They might even take some of it on board.

P.S. I don't think the usual sack Spud comments are relevant. Try and be sensible..if that's possible. ;D

 

[shawry]

Good idea Rosy, although I am expecting many half-witted answers like "Sack Frawley" etc.

I will try to come up wiht a few things.

 

[Rosy]

I am not one bit interested in trinkets that come along with memberships. I don't care about weekly prizes or discount vouchers etc.

The thing I think needs addressing is public communications. Members need to be made feel like they are genuinely welcomed around the club, not just a source of revenue.

E-mails and phone calls should be returned, and that's not always the case. It has improved I think, but still not up to scratch.

I think some of the media statements have been very condescending towards supporters. People respect the truth. If the team are going crap I'd rather the club admit it and tell us they are trying to address the problem.

This year we've heard how we were only a couple of kicks away when in reality we were nowhere in the same league. I can't remember them being angry about performances that didn't deserve to be glossed over with cliches.

The other thing I don't like is how they avoid talk of onfield and steer conversation towards off-field achievements instead.

Supporters have to be given credit for some semblance of intelligence, and I suspect if that happened and they saw the club trying to rectify problems they'd stick by them.

As I posted on another thread I think the club really need to look at Club Corner on Monday nights as well. The program has deteriorated to embarrassing levels. There is very little info and very much crap on it now.

It could be a valuable resource for spreading club news, but more than often we don't learn anything at all. I think it's an absolute joke.

 

[Dean3]

1. Clear, open and honest communication with members and a clearly articulated plan for on-field success.

2. Exclusive reserved seat areas for family memberships.

3. Free lollies at home games ;D

4. Sack of spuds with each membership 8)

 

[tigersnake]

Could anyone who is on the member's forum please deliver this message:

a) SACK ALL BUM PLAYERS
b) TRADE AS MANY MIDDLING OVERPAID UNDERPERFORMERS AS POSSIBLE
c) TRY AND GET AS MANY EARLY DRAFT PICKS AS POSSIBLE AND USE THEM IN AN INFORMED STRATEGIC WAY
d) REPEAT ABOVE STEPS a) THROUGH c) FOR THE NEXT 3 TO 4 YEARS.

thank you for your time

I said this on another thread. I'll add to it the following:

e) PRE forum gets to vote before any top 10 trade picks are given up for an established player.
f) PRE forum gets to vote before any trade picks after the top 10 are given up for an established fringe, bum or old hack player.
g) Redford to advise the recruiting team prior to the draft in a frank and open manner, which may or may not include the use of a loud hailer within the confines of a small office or rubdown room.
h) As previously moved by Dean, a generous sack of delicious, crispy, deep-fried Bungaree spuds to be distributed to each paid up RFC member.

again, thank you for your time

 

[hutstar]

Rosy, a good idea, but perhaps better placed under a different section of the forum. Though I do think tigersnake is a bloody funny guy, I realise that this is a serious attempt to collect the thoughts of the forum community and might be better placed away from those looking to give a bit of harmless cheek.
He is funny though. ;D

 

[tigersnake]

OK OK, forget the loud hailer and the crispy deep-frieds. Seriously, our list is not up to it. I too thought it was better than it is after 2001 so I can see why the mistakes were made. But there is now no escaping the fact that we need to rebuild, we need a long term vision. It seems obvious to me and a lot of others both on PRE and in the media. Look at the Saints, they just missed a flag with an ageing list, then they bit the bullet and drafted smart for 3 years. Look at 'em now. Saints barrackers will be itching to buy a membership next year. I'll be happy to buy a membership next year too if the Tiges concentrate on drafting good young players. Watching them develop, like Coughlan and Newman, is one of the joys of footy. We've still got enough decent experienced players to show 'em the ropes. So I stick by my measures a) to d) above, I'd just make 'em sound nice for a serious forum. As Tom Hafey once said "I don't find anything funny about football."

 

[Roar34]

I was being very serious, rosy, when I read your initial post - until I reached the end where you had "sack" and "Spud" in the one sentence...y'know, spuds are kept in sacks, and it was a temptation to wisecrack but Tigersnake has said it all for me. Bless you, TS.

Football is now a multi-million dollar business, I think we all recognise that. For a very small stake (whatever one's membership costs) we are, almost, stock-holders and as such, the board should be responsible to us. Instead, there are decisions made behind closed doors that we are not privy to and, perhaps, they cannot be aired publicly, but consider this:

One can get nowhere today without a business plan. Businesses just starting up have to present a business plan to whatever creditors may be involved. I know we have accountants on our website, and they could put it better than I, but there should be a public statement made whereby the future aims and ambitions of the club can be broadcast, firstly, to RFC supporters, and then to the footy world.

There should be a Tiger manifesto, perhaps containing a 5-year plan for the Club, both on and off the field, and I would like to see it embrace the adoption and development of young players. Go back to the grass roots beginning of so many of the clubs, encourage the schoolboys of the region, don't go chasing WA or Arnhemland, look in our own backyards.

You can't buy loyalty, it is a gift, don't squander it!

 

[Tenacious Tiges]

No more talk of rebuilding if it's only a clayton's rebuild.
No swapping early draft picks for so-called saviours.

Vote 1 - Draft picks for youth

Now that's I want to see, youth with promise, promise of a future.

 

[MC24]

What I care about and want from the Club is to have confidence in the people that run it that the best interests of the Club are always taken care of, because recent history says that many areas have been neglected and that RFC has suffered because of it. I believe we will have a Club we can all be proud of by:

Promoting the Club in a professional manner, in a way we can all be proud of at all times and in keeping with how we want our Club to be seen.

Showing that all areas of the Club are always properly looked after and monitored and that each individual is responsible and accountable for their role within the Club.

Retaining, maintaining and respecting the history, traditions and heritage of the Club.

Club employees having an understanding and appreciation of the Club and its history and traditions and have pride in what they do and realise the significance of the role they have within the Club.

Restoring a winning culture and environment that can provide our players with the best available opportunity to get the best out of themselves, as individuals and as a team.

Showing that the needs and views of supporters are important and listened to.

Creating an environment that maintains strong links with supporters, past and present players and employees, where people have a sense of belonging and feel comfortable to come back to the Club at any time.

Restoring the value of Club membership to include access to Grand Final tickets. Give the people it matters most to, the opportunity to get to a Grand Final when their team is involved. This, to me, is the biggest demonstration Clubs can give that members are in fact relevant, significant and important to them.

Honest communications.

 

[tigerjoe]

Firstly Rosy, thanks go to you for this website which lets the real Richmond supporters get things off their chest and express their opinion.

What I think Richmond need to do is take a leaf out of Essendon/Brisbane/Collingwood's books and see how they have built their club up from near the bottom of the ladder.
What they will find is:
1. A coach who has years of experience, has won flags as a player and coach and can identify and develop youth.
2. Players who have a go every week.
There is 22 of them and 22 of us.
Desire and determination will beat half-hearted ability every time.
3. Never accept losing. It was not in Richmond's culture in the late 60's and early 70's under Tommy the great.
Acceptable/honourable losses do not exist.

These 3 key ingredients along with good administration (which I think we do have) will bring members back to the club, as well as sponsors and eventually sustained success.

 

[hutstar]

I agree, the club seems to have slipped into a world of PR based propganda, a fear of telling it like it is. I guess the leaked memo proved that. What it also did was prove that the club does not feel the members are a part of the club, but against it.
This needs to change.
If the board in it's wisdom does not think making information public is tactically wise, then they must simply state as such. Koalalill gets respect on this board partly because if an issue is sensitive, she states as such and we all move on. The RFC takes this situation and either reveals too much (grandiose statements without balance or evidence), or just spins it into something it isn't. The members find out the real situation down the track and become resentful that they gave yet more 'blind faith' to the club, only to have this faith abused.
Members are a part of the club, and if there are problems, they will tolerate it more readily if they are given honest reasons for certain failures. If the membership has honest information and decides that the situation is intolerable, then the board must face up and take the heat, solve the problems or move on.
I have faith that Ian Campbell will run Richmond more live a public company than in the past, which is exactly what needs to happen. I truly hope that the culture will change at Richmond, and our history will cease being the burden it has been for the past 20 years and we move on to being a professional outfit, centred on providing the stakeholders with the indicators they require to remain 'shareholders'- A sucessful product, a solid balance sheet and a prosect for future growth.

regards,

Hutstar.

 

[tiggytam]

I think we need to go back to the good old days and have say the Best and Fairiest count at the club on a Saturday or a Sunday and make it a real family day giving everybody the opportunity to attend, back to basics.

It is like everything else at football clubs these days too elitist and only for the people who have money, it is expensive enough to be a member as it is. Who can afford to go to their functions when everything is over $100 a head.

Not sure if this is the right thread for my gripe, so apologise in advance if it isn't.

 

[Roar34]

No, Tiggytam, I think this is precisely the right thread to voice your feelings. And I don't think it's griping to say something that concerns the purse-strings.

If it was left up to the elitists, RFC would be gone tomorrow, and they need to know that. Corporate boxes, etc, may be very well but it's the fans with the floggers and children and the mortgages that are the real Richmond.

 

[Rosy]

Correct thread Tiggy and I agree with you.

It was wonderful sitting outside on the hill in front of the social club watching the best and fairest count when Bondy won. He was so humble and so happy to share it with the grass roots supporters.

They still had their B&F dinner for the hob nobs later and I doubt knowing the result would make that much difference.

Sadly I sometimes question what grass roots supporters even mean to the club the last couple of years.

 

[tiggytam]

Thanks for those word of encouragement Roar and Rosy, I have made up my mind to write to Ian Campbell and ask him to consider the B & F count next year amongst other tinks, even though it might be a trifling issue to some, it is a bug bear with me.

 

[Laff]

Best & Fairest counts resembling pie nights are a thing of the past and its time the supporters moved on....

 

[tiggytam]

Oh do forgive me Laff, I wouldn't want to come between you and your chance to flick caviar at the riff raff sitting in the top deck!! (your words I do believe)

Obviously I forgot my place at the Richmond Football Club........oh dear that's right I don't have a place I am only the stupid person who forked out $480 this year for my membership and should be grateful for a sausage sizzle every now and then just because I don't have an extra couple of hundred to spare to go upmarket to hobnob with the likes of you.

Who needs riff raff around the place. Thanks for reminding me of my place at the club.

 

[Laff]

If we don't have poor people then we wouldn't have rich people thats all I am saying....best & fairest counts on the oval on a Sunday has gone if people want that go to the Broady footy club or something.......if you are in the top stands and I have offended you Tiggy I will smuggle some smoked salmon to you

 

[Roar34]

As Rosy said, the family-type day didn't interfere with the B&F dinner and why shouldn't the occasion be a family day? Take the family out of the football and soon there wouldn't be any football. And what's wrong with the "Broady footy club or something"? To hear Goodes speak last night at the Brownlow about the importance of country football in his life was a recognition that it's not all the glamour and glitter of social elitists.