Super Rugby Membership Watch

[MrMouse]

I expect some of the memberships will be up this year due to the lions, this is fine - the challenge is to keep the memebrs next year.

Do any of the franchises have programs to reward long term members (e.g. 3, 5, 10, 15 year members etc.)? For the tahs, all you got by renewing was slightly better seats each year. I don't know where this thought is taking me exactly but thought I would start by asking the qn. Intuitively, it seems like the benefits of memebrship should go up over time.

I found as a member and then life member that I actually got slightly worse seats. Then, this week, I got a call informing me that if I don't pay them $170 for nothing this year, it will jackpot year on year. That means despite having been a loyal member, plunged thousands into their coffers if I take a three year hiatus on my "life" membership I'll be up for an addition $500+ when I return. This, of course, is in addition to the $1500 paid upfront for life membership.

When you have someone in their 20s as a life member, you are looking at 50+ years of bums on seats, future families etc etc. I really cannot understand why they're so determined to shaft people. I'm really glad that the team seems to be getting it together under Cheika but as you said, Mark, a significant part of the boost this year is the Lions tour and if you keep mistreating your members they'll keep walking...

 

[daz]

Force: 11K members in an AFL state.
Tahs: 12K members in one of the rugby heartland states.

I'm sure there are various reasons why the Force are doing well and the Tahs appear to be doing incredibly not so well, but just looking at the numbers that result seems unbelievable.

EDIT: I just joined the dots. Yes, ok, so I am a bit slow. Half of the Perth population is ex-pat Saffas, Poms and Kiwis. Lions year.

Oh, just in case you were wondering, the other half is broken down thusly:

20% Anglo-Saxon Australian.
10% Indigenous Australian
5% Asian
15% Temporary Meth lab consultants

 

[Richo]

I expect some of the memberships will be up this year due to the lions, this is fine - the challenge is to keep the memebrs next year.

Do any of the franchises have programs to reward long term members (e.g. 3, 5, 10, 15 year members etc.)? For the tahs, all you got by renewing was slightly better seats each year. I don't know where this thought is taking me exactly but thought I would start by asking the qn. Intuitively, it seems like the benefits of memebrship should go up over time.

It'd be nice if they did. We've got a group of about 6, give or take, and we can't get better seats without becoming life members -- and having the timing of that work for 6 people is tricky.

 

[TOCC]

Force: 11K members in an AFL state.
Tahs: 12K members in one of the rugby heartland states.

I'm sure there are various reasons why the Force are doing well and the Tahs appear to be doing incredibly not so well, but just looking at the numbers that result seems unbelievable.

EDIT: I just joined the dots. Yes, ok, so I am a bit slow. Half of the Perth population is ex-pat Saffas, Poms and Kiwis. Lions year.

Oh, just in case you were wondering, the other half is broken down thusly:

20% Anglo-Saxon Australian.
10% Indigenous Australian
5% Asian
15% Temporary Meth lab consultants

Force are doing well? Haven't their membership numbers dropped by half in the past few years?

Its not often i defend the Tahs, but historically NSW/Sydney Teams in the rugby codes haven't placed a great emphasis on memberships, the Rabbioths for example have debatably the most passionate NRL supporter base yet their membership numbers are a rather paltry 22'000 members in 2012(this was a significant increase on 2011)... The Sydney Swans have had good membership numbers for going on 15 years, it seems the other codes were slow to catch on to this revenue stream.

Brisbane was in a similar boat, but a concerted membership drive initially by the Lions and then the Broncos and Reds has seen the average membership in these teams jump over the past few years as well.

NSW failed to capitalise on the membership bandwagon a few years ago when they were receiving healthy crowds and support, hopefully they have learnt their lesson and make the most of it next time round.

 

[MrMouse]

It'd be nice if they did. We've got a group of about 6, give or take, and we can't get better seats without becoming life members -- and having the timing of that work for 6 people is tricky.

Mate the way they've restructured the seating it looks like life members no longer have a mortgage on the premo seats.

I'd also advise thinking very, very carefully before becoming a life member - big investment for little return, and if you're about 30 the privilege of having the word "life" next to the word "member" will cost you $1500 up front and at least $8.5k over the years...

 

[Richo]

Mate the way they've restructured the seating it looks like life members no longer have a mortgage on the premo seats.

I'd also advise thinking very, very carefully before becoming a life member - big investment for little return, and if you're about 30 the privilege of having the word "life" next to the word "member" will cost you $1500 up front and at least $8.5k over the years.

What's the bloody point if you don't get to sit out of the rain on the 50m line?

 

[Braveheart81]

What's the bloody point if you don't get to sit out of the rain on the 50m line?

The cover is the best thing about our seats. The fact that even when it is pouring, we stay bone dry and two rows in front of us get soaked.

I'd love to be closer to the halfway line, but not at the expense of being closer to the sideline with no cover.

 

[Richo]

The cover is the best thing about our seats. The fact that even when it is pouring, we stay bone dry and two rows in front of us get soaked.

I'd love to be closer to the halfway line, but not at the expense of being closer to the sideline with no cover.

Absolutely. If we could move them to the same height at the halfway line, though...

 

[RoffsChoice]

At the Brumbies game against the Blues last year, you knew it was over because people weren't willing to sit in the rain to watch. Every other game, rain, cold or sun in the eye, they stayed. But not that one. A little rain was too much.

 

[Dean Hyde]

Brumbies announced at the trial game on Friday that they have 7300 members.

 

[RoffsChoice]

If I remember correctly, that's about 2000 up from last year

 

[qwerty51]

I guess they count real memberships and not "Reds" memberships

 

[GaffaCHinO]

Word on the street the force are on track to hit 15k. Not sure how reliable that is but would be a great outcome considering 2012.

 

[Penguin]

I guess they count real memberships and not "Reds" memberships

And when is a membership not a membership? Just because there are different tiers of membership doesn't make some a "Claytons" membership. If the money's been payed & it says member.... well that's a member.

 

[TOCC]

I guess they count real memberships and not "Reds" memberships

Oh Qwerty, NSW have been offering '2 game membership packages' since their 2013 membership drive commenced last year....

Reds on the other-hand only began offering the discounted XXXX membership last week, at which point they had already signed up 25'000 members... Like 2012 they probably won't offer the discounted 3 game memberships until later in the season...

 

[Ash]

Most major sporting teams offer supporters memberships and include them as "members", such as Manchester United. Try telling Manchester United members that they are not real members.

In fact, qwerty is getting confused between "season ticket holders" and "members", which are actually two different things entirely (outside of Waratah land). The former is normally a subset of the latter (like with the Reds, you buy a season ticket and it includes membership), but they are not one and the same.

 

[Ruggo]

At the Brumbies game against the Blues last year, you knew it was over because people weren't willing to sit in the rain to watch. Every other game, rain, cold or sun in the eye, they stayed. But not that one. A little rain was too much.

A little rain in Canberra is a big deal. Maybe because I am from the tropics but rain in Canberra scares me.

 

[gel]

"With four days to go until the start of the season, the Reds have over 27,000 members on board for 2012 and need a further 2,846 members to reach their target of 30,000."

That was this time last year (i.e. 4 days to go until the start of the season). The reds are a little behind that this year (about 200) so not a bad effort really.

 

[Crashy]

Tahs almost at 13,000.
Reds at 28,308

 

[p.Tah]

Tahs at 13,998

I think we can round up to 14k