More "Home" games not at Home.....

[scottmac]

am very close to not going to any games at all.

righto then. f**k off lad.

I travel sometimes up to 2 hours each way as it is to see the mariners and have not missed many games at all. Enjoy your empty stadium cause if hardcore fans are being turned off by this shit then what chance do they have of keeping the casual and blow in supporters coming?

I understand survival, what i dont understand is blatant lies to the people that matter.

 

[Blackadder]

Does anyone have any idea the cost of, or financial gain the ccmfc stand to save or gain by doing this?

Do recall the ACT Government putting in Money to have the Mariners there for the pre season a couple of years back, I assume a similar deal would be in place now.

 

[Arabmariner]

CCM.

Give away our home games again and you can shove yer membership.

 

[northernspirit]

CCM.

Give away our home games again and you can shove yer membership.

+2

i actually emailed the club - dont expect a response but hey worth a shot - heres what i said


Hi there,



Im not sure who the best person or contact is to receive this email but I would as one of 2 members in my household like to voice my disapproval of some of the directions taken by the club in recent times.

We for the first time are strongly considering not renewing our memberships and I know from the marinators website that many others are thinking the same, recent crowd attendances confirm all this!



Yes results contribute to attendances (obviously) however look at Adelaide, they have increased theirs despite their results and we have seen how hard it is to get fans back once they are gone (look at Brisbane Roar). We fans hold grave concerns with the direction the club is going in, once the proud community club it seems this Centre of Excellence has taken priority at the expense of the lifeblood of the club.. the fans.



These are the issues which we are unhappy with:



1: Moving home games to Canberra

This really got under the nose of members last season, as someone who goes to all home games and some away I refused to go to these games as a matter of principle. We feel lied to on this point, and find it hard to believe that pitch related issues could be the true reasoning, most think its financial. (This relates to point 3). Now there are rumours its happening again this season, if it does goodbye memberships (again where is the club saying whats going on, all this uncertainty alienates the fans!).



2: No post-match functions

Only a small gesture but the post match functions were a way that the club could show we were valued at fans (notice the word fans not customers). It gave an opportunity for everyday people to mingle with their heroes, it seems the club has dropped the ball on this.



3: Total lack of official announcements

Rumours of signings, sponsors, games being moved etc run riot amongst fans but it seems the club has never really effectively communicated these with the fans. We do appreciate that you dont unnecessarily get our hopes up like say Sydney has been known to do to their fans but we need more effort in this area to get the Mariners brand out there, get people feeling a sense of belonging that their club is including them on these issues not simply ignoring them. The biggest gripe with this goes back to home games being shifted, most people feel lied to about the true intention of the club moving the games for financial reasons if so tell us the truth not that its pitch problems, we find this very hard to believe!



4: Percieved lack of community engagement

Tradtionianlly the strong point of the club and attendances showed for a region our size, now attendances are suffering and I believe a big part of this is to do with this. I would like to see the club return to its old community programs and get more involved with local junior football, and indeed local senior football. Last season I coached and played in the local competition and didnt see anything from the mariners or hear anything about it what about something like a membership specially for local juniors?



5: Membership structure

I believe you are already looking to overhall these which is good, the memberships havent represented value for money. Less gimmicky fridge magnets and more functions and things to draw us in I really dont like the NRL but something like their NRL family fun days. I know you guys have done similar things in the past and I would rather see more of these sorts of things than gimmicks.



Im happy to discuss this further if you wish, honestly I think the club should do more to meet with the fans to discuss the clubs future, we are reliant on each other with no club we have no team to support, with no fans you have no club to run capiche?

 

[FFC Mariner]

My 2 bobs worth

To whom it may concern,

I have been a member since the end of season 1 and would have always considered the renewal of my membership as not linked to on field performances. That is a view I still hold. I travel to all NSW away games and at least 1 interstate away game every season - often more. I buy merchandise and my economic contribution to the club may not be significant in the overall scheme of things but it is discretionary income to me that can always be placed elsewhere.

However, last season, the club veered sharply away from its community and now I am told that the fiasco of relocating home games is likely again.

A free ticket to a dire "exhibition" match in Canberra is no recompense for an 8 hour return car journey and associated expense.

Please note that until I am certain that we will NOT be moving games away from the Central Coast, I and the other members of my household will NOT be renewing our memberships.

You are communicating very clearly by the following actions that you are not remotely interested in fans other than for their money.

  * No post match functions - this is a disgrace and there is no excuse.
  * Relocating home games and using the pitch as a poor excuse (it
    doesnt take 6 weeks to relay 2 patches)
  * Total lack of communication with stakeholders on matters of
    importance from the executive leadership - you seemed happy to
    allow the then coach to be your frontman when things were going wrong.
  * Significant dropping off in the community work that was so
    important in what is probably still a RL stronghold

If the relocation plans are in order to get money in order to help keep the club afloat, then say so. A clear, truthful explanation goes along way.

We have a new coach (and whilst a number of fans of Australian football as well as CCM are hesitant to be too excited) this is a time to be open,clear and transparent with your membership.

I am deeply saddened to be considering this course of action but maybe you need to start listening to your fans instead of assuming their continual loyalty.

 

[Jazzie]

Northern Spirit, FFC Mariner and Arab.

Agree 100%. Very well thought out and to the point. Would be interested to see if you get any replies to your emails ... not the auto reply stuff ... real answers to your concerns.

 

[krusty]

please post the email address up so we can all send them great emails like the above 2. Well done guys come on people lets show the club that as members and even non members but as a great community we are not happy. If everybody writes a email they will have to listen to us.

 

[FFC Mariner]

memberships@ccmariners.com.au

Best I have in my address book

 

[Hagar the Horrible]

Can some one enlighten me as to why we are the only club in the HAL that has pitch problems? Is it just BS? Can't they employ some one who knows about these things, if it is a fair dinkum problem, to just fix it?  Not trying to be sarcastic, just want the truth.

We're not the only the only club in the HAL with pitch problems (Newcastle immediately comes to mind), but we're the only one to use them as an excuse for moving matches.

There is no doubt that the pitch works are required, but I can't see how anybody could argue that the work done when those matches were moved was any more than a token effort, especially in light of 10 rugby union and 10 rugby league matches being played on a weekend during one of those breaks.

Did I hear correctly around that time about the pitch not having been relaid for 5 years?

 

[FFC Mariner]

And it took 2 weeks to relay the SFS pitch completely.

 

[Hagar the Horrible]

And it took 2 weeks to relay the SFS pitch completely.

That was done during the season as well, wasn't it?

 

[Roy Law]

Not only send emails (which I will  certainly do) but also inundate the Express Advocate with letters - get them to pick up the ball and put the story on the front pages. And email ABC Central Coast (Scott Levi?).

 

[Roy Law]

I went to a barbecue on Australia Day; after a few snags and beers we were all sitting round a big table and someone said that I was a Mariners supporter - eyes rolled and groans went round the table. I thought, ok, we're not going well but I'll defend 'em anyway until they told me the reason for the eyes rolling. "The administration at the Mariners stinks" they said. I asked why? How? It turns out that two of the groups at the table had been sponsors, small sponsors but prepared to put up a bit of their hard earned to support the local team. All they got back from the club was a lack of recognition, a lack of communication and a lack of respect. They even cited another former sponsor who had pulled out because they had been insulted verbally by the club when they raised concerns. i was taken aback by the comments and attitude. They were scornful of Lyall Gorman "community values" not forthcoming and most surprising to me, scathing of Lawrie McKinna who they said promised a lot but failed to deliver. They said the reason sponsors had dropped out wasn't the GFC but the attitude of the club. We all know in sales that word of mouth is king and a bad word is a killer and these people had a lot of bad words for the Mariners
Given the previous post of the players and coaches not being seen at local football this has got me very worried. So much for this Community Club nonsense. The Mariners have dropped the ball in a big way

 

[Blackadder]

And it took 2 weeks to relay the SFS pitch completely.

TBF SFS has alot more resources (both $$$ and labour) at its disposal.

 

[northernspirit]

Northern Spirit, FFC Mariner and Arab.

Agree 100%. Very well thought out and to the point. Would be interested to see if you get any replies to your emails ... not the auto reply stuff ... real answers to your concerns.

unlikely but will keep an eye out for email

for the record sent to both: info@ccmariners.com.au and memberships@ccmariners.com.au

get onto it people, the club needs to know this cant be allowed to continue.

 

[pjennings]

Northern Spirit, FFC Mariner and Arab.

Agree 100%. Very well thought out and to the point. Would be interested to see if you get any replies to your emails ... not the auto reply stuff ... real answers to your concerns.

Yea - I agree 100% as well. I don't want to be left in the dark and I want to be told the truth.

However, my anger is tempered by the fact that I can go and watch the a coast team play 5 mins from home in a national competition. The guys we are complaining about did that. The guys we are complaining about are organising a major football develoment at Tuggerah.

We are right to be angry, and I will be writing to the club as well - but on another level I am happy that I have something to complain about.  

 

[krusty]

just emailed the club and emailed the paper come on people lets show them that we are pissed off.

 

[Blackadder]

Also as a suggestion for those who are members, put your feelings on the survey as well.

 

[pjennings]

Also as a suggestion for those who are members, put your feelings on the survey as well.

Already done!!!

 

[Blackadder]

Ideally all home games to be played at BT (along with resulting price rise in the season ticket), but if some games are moved, hopefully it will be to NSO (okay I am dreaming)