The media is making it sound like the majority of members are happy to donate their money to the clubs. They are saying that very few members have asked for refunds and that people are still buying memberships even now. If you have paid for a membership what are your intentions?
I understand the cleaner, but the AFL makes an absolute truckload of money, as do all the players. I don't think they are going hungry at the moment.
The AFL won’t be making a truckload of money this year if there’s no games and no patrons through the gate.
Two million Australians are facing unemployment. How many of them are going to care that the stakeholders aren’t raking in this year?
@whooah1979: As far as I remember, the clubs get the lions share of the takings from the ticket sales for home games, not the AFL HQ. Unless its changed recently, the clubs are the ones who are going to suffer from no fans at games, not so much AFL HQ. Clubs also rely heavily on memberships. So I'm more than happy to keep supporting my club.
Perhaps they should have put a little bit away for a rainy day then, they've been making millions for years. Their financials are readily available for you to have a look at online.
The AFL clubs want people to think that . People who don't want to treat it as a charity should get a full refund as no service is being provided .
I think everyone saw Eddies attitude when asked the simple question and who wants to pay for people like that .
As much as I don't have a high opinion of Eddie. He's rant was coming from a good place. He didn't express it in the best of ways. His message was pretty much if you can afford it please do not ask for a refund because if we refund everyone most of the clubs would not survive. However if you're struggling to eat/have a roof over your heads call your clubs.
Honestly, if Eddie was in it for Eddie. He would say clubs would offer refunds because Collingwood would survive this.
The stakeholders are the first people to get paid and the last to lose out. It’s not surprising to see their representative con the members to keep their memberships so that they can keep their million dollar incomes.
I'm not asking for a refund. I know that my club relies on that cash to survive, and if everyone was to ask for a refund, they'd go broke.
The club can keep my money
Who are these people? This is ozbargain and people here normally would throw their grandmother in front of a bus to save 13c cents on a item and/or kick and scream as some place won't price match some random store on the internet for them to save $2.88.
But now it is like oh yes keep my $500+ membership its ok you won't provide services.
You lot are crazy. AFL and sports players are overpaid jocks. If AFL players are not playing then they shouldn't be getting paid like the rest of us (yes I'm aware they get a reduced pay if they don't play on the field, but still).
Agreed. Big clubs are just like big companies, they don't care about their members/customers.
Look out for yourself and keep your money. They wouldn't think twice about ripping you off if they had the chance.
Correct, these 'sporting' clubs are BIG BUSINESS. They have spent years of charging $20 for a hotdog and coke at the ground, plus all the other things they charge for etc. Why haven't they saved away for a rainy day?
The rest of us are meant to, so I think its only fair.
Agree 100%. It has become clear that very few of the football codes and their clubs have any form of capital. All the massive broadcast deals have simply seen the salary bills … for players, coaching staff, administration staff, everyone … skyrocket and no money is being put into the stability of the codes or the clubs.
You reap what you sow.
All the massive broadcast deals have simply seen the salary bills
Agreed, I'm under the viewpoint that like the rest of the workers who are being stood down without pay in lots of cases, shouldn't these people also be stood down without pay or with reduced pay?
Why should players continue to receive 7 figure salaries when they're not playing? Yes the average player’s salary is $363,000, but we have many on $1M+
You reap what you sow.
This is very true. Maybe AFL needs to ask for a gov bailout!? As that seems to be the thing to do atm.
It's up to individuals to decide if they would ask for a refund. But if the league is at risk of not being able to survive, they should consider standing down all the players and paying them 1500 a fortnight, just like every other busineses.
I presumed that's what those AFL staff stood down got paid, should be the same for everyone. If they still can't survive on that, then appeal to their members. it's a bit rich for them to ask for this and still pay their players significantly more than the jobkeeper amount even after the agreed cut.
AFL clubs are loaded. Where is the money they saved for the rainy days?
It's the AFL's fault. They and the NRL have been talking about government bailouts and large loans because they stretched themselves too thin on rapid expansion. The AFL are still propping up GWS and GC and expanded the women's game massively this year. These are commercial decisions by Gillon that shouldn't be droppped on members to carry the load. The AFL bet and lost trying to outdo women's cricket and NRL.
“It's only when the tide goes out that you learn who's been swimming naked.”
Let them collapse.
This downturn is the greatest opportunity for me in 10 years, because I am not an idiot.
I'm leaning to the side of asking for a refund. My old man has recently retired and could probably use the remaining money of the membership I got him for Christmas than the club would.
Plus the club continues to have pokies machines and refuses to publicly do anything or even respond to my emails despite semi-frequent invitations for questions.
EDIT: My club won't struggle
THE AFL ARE A JOKE FAT BLOATED ORGANIZATION AFL PLAYERS COMPLAINING ABOUT A PAY CUT SOME PLAYERS ARE ON
$ 400K PLUS THEN CLUB PRESIDENTS CRYING SIGN UP FOR MEMBERSHIP.HOW OUT OF TOUCH ARE THESE PEOPLE AT THIS
TIME WITH THOUSANDS OF AUSTRALIANS OUT OF WORK TRYING TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLES FOR THEIR FAMILIES.
CAN'T BELIEVE THAT AT AFL HEADQUARTERS THEY EMPLOY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ON INFLATED GREEDY MONEY.
WHAT THE PLAYERS NEED TO DO IS GET A JOB LIKE THE REST OF US. YEARS GONE BYE VFL PLAYERS USED TO
WORK EVEN ON A SATURDAY TO GO AND PLAY. TODAY'S ALF PLAYERS ARE JUST GREEDY AND SELF CENTERED
WHEN THIS VIRUS IS OVER THERE NEEDS TO BE SWEEPING CHANGES AT AT THE STARTING WITH THE CEO.
SOME PLAYERS ARE ON $ 400K
More like $1.3 million.
https://www.afl.com.au/news/374327/who-s-in-the-money-nine-p…
With their current temporary pay cut, they would now be on $650k while doing nothing.
I am still confused as to why members are happy to donate their membership fees unless these members themselves are on $650k salaries.
I am still confused as to why members are happy to donate their membership fees unless these members themselves are on $650k salaries.
No need to be confused - it is their money to do with as they wish.
Would you like me to notify you when a good bargain on keyboards is posted?
I have an interstate membership so wouldn't ask for a refund.
I can understand those that are hard up with a match day membership wanting some money back, but I think the majority of members who can afford to get by without the cash won't be asking for a refund.
It’s easy to see why they don’t want to give refunds. They’ve probably distributed the fees to the owner, executives, board members, senior management, etc. while the club account is empty. Members should be angry that their fees are being enjoyed by others while they’re not getting what they paid for.
https://membership.collingwoodfc.com.au/packages
The amount of money wasted (up until now) by the Afl clubs on 10 or so coaches, CEO's and underlings, player salaries and the rest of the hangers on is crazy. For example, Adelaide crows periodically jump on a plane to the Gold Coast for a few days training.For "player bonding" they reckon. Never hear how much these jaunts cost the members, who fork out $500 plus year after year. Most Adelaide beaches have nice white sand for the players to frolic and bond too! How many of the members have been forced to go on $39,000 pa Job Keeper while some players are still pulling in half a million after the pay cut for doing nothing but playing X-box and moaning " oh, I am so bored" Clubs should refund members as a matter of course.
Why would anyone be entitled to a refund?
You are paying for membership of a club, nothing more
You are still a member
You still support the same team.
I signed up for a membership yesterday. I still have a job. I'm still paying my cleaner too although Ive told him not to come.
I cant do much about COVID, but I can pay it forward just a little bit.