I got my letter today

CFC ,AFL (Especially the CEO & his side-kick), Etihad & MCC are all greedy money draining cauliflower

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Cheats never prosper (except in the AFL)

Sign of the times, guys.

This is not exclusive to Carlton. Several months ago Essendon* members received the same information.

Anyone who links this to Ratten or Malthouse or anything that has occurred in recent weeks is being foolish.

It IS about revenue, but whether that is driven by the club or by the AFL/Grounds is an open question. The fact that Carlton isn't the only club to have issued this statement leads me to believe it's an AFL fuelled exercise. I'd like to know more about the origins.

Level 3 MCG isn't bad. I used to hate it, but Rows A-M in bays 13-20 are actually not bad viewing. I prefer them to some of the M seating which has you watching giant televisions if the play is not on your half of the ground.

FWIW I'm a Full AFL Member. I think the value of AFL Membership has eroded, and largely due to the greed. I would be for a capped AFL Membership at a higher price. This season was a farce because AFL Membership gave away over 10,000 free silver memberships this year to Foxtel subscribers.

This meant that the already hard-to-get premium seats became impossible, and for big games, everything just sold immediately. In the finals, they absolutely cocked up the first week by allowing any grade AFL Member the opportunity to buy 4 guest passes to Collingwood and Hawthorn, meaning actual paying members missed out. That's a disgrace.

It's pushing more and more people into axeing all membership, buying Foxtel and just watching it all live.

Sign of the times, indeed.

Anyone who considers themselves club or afl members these days have a deluded concept of what they believe the word member means. The AFL considers you nothing more than a revenue stream.

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

Been fairly happy with my scalping efforts this year, especially considering I was somewhat lazy with Etihad games earlier in the year that went for a mint.

Kept an excel spreadsheet to keep an eye on ebay fees and what not.

Assuming I flog off 2 grand final tickets for around $500 a piece, I'll have made a $2500 profit on the outlay on 2 AFL memberships. Hoping like hell they don't bring in photo ID next year...

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BLUES 2010: PAV AND JUDD = FLAGS. DOING IT FOR THE LOVE OF DICK PRATT.

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR TALKINGCARLTON SUPERCOACH 2009 YET?

In 2012 my friends and I upgraded our tickets to captains club just in case we made the grand final (not a great investment that one). We paid the extra money and were excited about the better seats. At the 'G' we sat on the 3rd level just in front of the corporates which was great, but a shitihad we were put up on level 3 near the front. We have been members for 10 years, and our seats at "the ground with no soul were" on level 1, so to be "upgraded" to level 3 was a bit of a kick to the teeth. Now to hear that reserved members paying way less than us were sitting on level 2 seems a bit unfair no to seems down right wrong.
Just for the record I think the cost of memberships is outlandish, and hard to justify in our budget, but when push comes to shove football is a business and if it isn't run like a business then the game suffers, or in this case the club suffers (just like at the end of the elliot years). It's a balancing act for the club, and the only way you can make it fair in this instance of seating, is by grading the memberships by a monetary amount.

The reality is the captains club members pay more and the demand continues to increase so it makes sense they take prioroty.

Hey, no worries Drewgirl.
If you want to be a part of this club, just put in squillions as a Corporate Sponsor,and you can go to Arizona for awhile with the boys. This is the sort of quality demographic we are after.
We are Carlton. We hate the little people. So upgrade, work harder, be Somebody!
Or please support another team.
yours (but only if you upgrade)
you know who.
http://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/4311/newsid/147995/default.aspx

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That’s not a political statement — it’s a harsh reality, and we must act,” she said. “He is a clear and present danger to the things that keep us strong and free. I support impeachment.”

I figure this is the main issue.

Good post Bluegirl..... So true!!

Other clubs do this as well. Pies have done it for past few seasons. Easy revenue stream and "rewards" key people from major sponsors, I know 2 people who've been to Arizona with the Pies, they rave about the experience and how professionally it was run - creates a positive story for the club each time these corporates talk about it. Consequently, a good move by the Blues to embrace and create good news story.

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A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.

Mm. I don't doubt your point.
However, at the same time as this happened, a letter was sent to Drewgirl and many others, which was not so feel good. A good news story is one thing. Genuinely making long term members feel good about being members is another.
Hey, OR, if you work at/for the club, maybe you can mention that a lot of members feel disenfranchised from their club, and that it feels like it is more, and more about the elite.
It's funny how your post overlooked that, and went straight to the $value of sending a few 'special' people over to Arizona. The club needs to be more inclusive. have a bigger heart.
Hec, have a competition to send a few lucky peasants over there too. You can send 'em in steerage.

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That’s not a political statement — it’s a harsh reality, and we must act,” she said. “He is a clear and present danger to the things that keep us strong and free. I support impeachment.”

I went through the exact same thing last year with my Gold Premium. I ended up forking over the money. And wasn't that money well spent!!!

I feel your frustration Drewgirl. I was equally as ropeable last year when I got my letter. After supporting the club through all the shit years, you cop a whack in the hip pocket for all your loyalty. The grab for cash continues on it seems.

AFL membership is looking more and more attractive

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Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.

I don't work for the club but I'm really stupid, should have realised saying the club is doing something positive wouldn't go down well on here. I should have joined in the kick the sh1t out of everything the club does bandwagon.

Is it possible that they can do something well whilst stuffing other things up?

Perhaps in hindsight I shouldn't have posted it in this thread, but didn't expect this reaction, sorry if I offended.

If you're feeling so disenfranchised why don't you tell the club, be proactive and do something about how you feel? Better than slagging a club that's ALWAYS had an elitist element yet you chose to barrack for?

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A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.

Still didn't answer the question OR.

But thanks for the dribble of info you get from hanging out with our betters.

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I hope Essendon* folds.

What was the question?

And by the way, you can't help yourself can you?

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A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.

Sure I can.

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I hope Essendon* folds.

Nope, your history proves you can't.

And what was the question?

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A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.

No question, my bad.

Just some concerns about the future of disenfranchised supporters.

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I hope Essendon* folds.

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

Hi OR,
Of course it is possible to say pos and neg things about our club.
Gosh, you've really had a swing there, haven't you.
Probably no need to aim that at me. it's kind of ironic that you did, when you consider all the posts that have gone down over the last few months. also, I'm kind of considered a Pollyanna type, so again..

I'm not offended. It's hard to interpret the spirit of posts. I get that.
This issue does not personally affect me, as I'm a long time CC member.
The part where I asked if you could mention these things to the club..our club ..was genuine.
I thought you might have worked there, or you seem to be close to people on the board..or something. Yep, when I feel the urge, I do let the club know how I feel.

The other bit, where you say, I should maybe choose another club if i don't like the elitist element...that cracked me up, as I was making fun of that in my OP. We want the club to change for the better, hec many have rammed their personal views of the Promise Land down our tiny brains for merciless months.
For what it's worth, I really enjoyed the Blue Print this year. great initiative.

Really, OR, I was just enjoying a few quiet ones here with my comrades.
I feel for them.
So how about that Arizona competition then? Good idea?
cheers.

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That’s not a political statement — it’s a harsh reality, and we must act,” she said. “He is a clear and present danger to the things that keep us strong and free. I support impeachment.”