Excitement at the club and attracting good people

[Oh When the Saints]

New People Appointed at the Club

• Matthew Drain, one of the most respected managers in the AFL, has been appointed after time with Essendon, Cricket Australia and Bulldogs. Was swayed to come to the Saints despite an offer from the WB - becomes football operations manager
• David Misson, key ingredient in Sydney's terrific run with injuries in 2005-06, has chosen to join the Saints after moving back to Melbourne, despite an offer from the Blues - becomes strength and conditioning coach
• Andrew Wallace, former physio with the Melbourne Victory, has agreed to come and join St Kilda - becomes head physiotherapist
• Tim Barber, Australian Olympic team doctor, and former head doctor to Athletics Australia, has been appointed by the Saints - becomes our new club doctor

In addition, we have had one of the best trade periods in the club's history, acquiring three premiership players for a second round selection.

In addition, we have had a smooth transition at board level, with the incumbents leaving quietly, and the club continuing to run smoothly in the meantime as the new board begins to take over.



There is a buzz about the St Kilda brand at the moment that has not existed since early 2005.


Let's talk the Saints up at work and in public, and keep pushing this excitement ourselves.

[fingers]

Feels good doesn't it.

[linz]

I was speaking to one of our life-members today. She was talking to one of her counterparts in Sydney and she exclaimed they are really missing Ross Lyon.

[bobmurray]

A lot of non StKilda people that talk to me about the Saints say that the Horse has bolted,we have missed our chance and are on the skids...

I dont believe it myself but i need the saints to fire ON the field,it's the only way to silence the detractors........

[santazzi]

This is all wonderfull news. Do we have sponsers who will help us pay for all the good times ahead of us?

[iwantmeseats]

The true test, is how many memberswe can sign for 08. Hopefully 32000 plus im hoping

[plugger66]

The true test, is how many memberswe can sign for 08. Hopefully 32000 plus im hoping

I would think 28000-30000 maximum after the last 2 seasons we have had.

[bobmurray]

I would think 28000-30000 maximum after the last 2 seasons we have had.

I think it will be better than that,all the changes will create a lot of optimism..

I think the bandwagon will be nearly full come round 1......

[iwantmeseats]

I would think 28000-30000 maximum after the last 2 seasons we have had.

I think it will be better than that,all the changes will create a lot of optimism..

I think the bandwagon will be nearly full come round 1......

28-30K would be a disaster times 10!! We surely will do better than that !

[plugger66]

I would think 28000-30000 maximum after the last 2 seasons we have had.

I think it will be better than that,all the changes will create a lot of optimism..

I think the bandwagon will be nearly full come round 1......

28-30K would be a disaster times 10!! We surely will do better than that !

Why? We only got 30000 this year and finished 9th. I cannot see how getting new admin staff provides excitement to the extra fans you need to replace the 7000 who will not join next year. Now if we got Judd it would be a different story.

[Oh When the Saints]

New football staff, but some new players too. And a smooth board changeover, which will be backed by a sponsor announcement in a couple of weeks.

Things are happening again at St Kilda - we aren't stale.


If RL and the boys get us a 4-2 start, then watch the membership climb.

[midas_touch]

Things look good so far since the start of the off season, hopefully this will be reflected in our membership numbers which should hopefully stay level at the very least. Now its up to RL and the playing group to put the hard yards in during the pre season to ensure that we give ourselves every chance to perform at maximum intensity come the start of the 2008 season

[skeptic]

24-25k are moderately loyal fans that will def sign up as long as we're not cellar dwellers

the next 6-10k will sign if we look capable of delivering the goods next season which will be based on our preseason form.

there's no secret about it... win the NAB cup (or whatever it is these days) and we'll be pushing 35k... lose all of our preseason games (again) we'll be struggling to maintain 30k

[Eastern]

And a smooth board changeover, which will be backed by a sponsor announcement in a couple of weeks.

That's about the only peice of the jigsaw that is missing !!

[backit]

Some optimism on the amount of members the club can attract. What needs to happen is that the club does not take it's members for granted like has happened before and just expect that they will rejoin because they were members last year.

I have been a member since I was 4 (when my grandfather would buy me a junior members every birthday, it cost a $1.50 for all 22 games in those days) and continued except when I lived overseas and I again rejoined as country member when living interstate. I looked at it as a donation to the club. I became a full member when I moved back to Victoria and joined my family as well and enjoyed all six of us going most weekends. This all changed last year when I again took up the family membership (which did jump in price considerably for no extra benefit) and 2 games into the season got a phone call from the club saying my eldest son who turned 16 on 3/1 was no longer entitled to be under a family membership and would have to pay as an adult even though he was a student. He was only 15 at the start of the year and still at High School. To cut a long story short it ended with me being told to cancel my membership if I didn't like it and join the AFL. I did cancel and only went to about 6 games after that.

I suppose that my experience made me feel that the club(or some staff) really didn't care about the members and I will be interested to see if they make contact about rejoining. I just found the 6 tins the club sent last year "Believe or Burn" and wonder what gimmick they will come up with this year. For mine I would like the club to recognise the junior members a bit better as they are the future.

This is just my experience and I am sure there are others who have tales to tell both good and bad. This is not a dig or a whinge but just that sometimes people in the club don't really understand that members are there for the club and that is why the club exists.

[SaintWal]

Good Post Backit.

In the end we are in it through thick and thin.

I have felt, as a member that the club was at times unwilling to try and help. Palming problems to other entities such as the AFL or Telstra Dome. Even if they could not help all you want from them as a club is too understand and try and help.

Hopefully a change of culture has landed at the club, there is a feel, a vibe about the Saints at the moment and I think that will flow through to staff, players, members and even a few of the more pessimistic posters on good old Saintsational. (Miracles can happen. Can't they?)

[Quixote]

Yes a NAB Cup win will help membership, but I cannot see that happening.

RL wants to win the Cup in September, not March.

He comes from the Paul Roos line of thinking on pre-season games - don't try.


However, agreed that events of the last few weeks have been fantastic.

The feeling around the club and amongst supporters is good.

All matters naught if we can't perform on the field.

New wheels on the bus - over to you boys.




PS - Any ideas on our new major sponsor??

[JeffDunne]

If we get a good run of home or MCG games early in the year we should be targeting record membership numbers.

[i_luv_nick_riewoldt]

well just looking at the membership poll posted in another thread, there have been a few new members wanting to join in '08.
Hoepfully this poll can reflect the australian footy lovers and gain attention to roo's bus!!
I would have to be an optimist and say we have to be eyeing off 35K!!

[fonz_#15]

have we announced a new major sponsor? i may have missed it

[BAM! (shhhh)]

there's no secret about it... win the NAB cup (or whatever it is these days) and we'll be pushing 35k... lose all of our preseason games (again) we'll be struggling to maintain 30k

I agree with others rating this an unlikely event, and every St. Kilda fan knows at this point that the last team to have a good year on the back of a NAB cup victory was us...

I would think a strong start to the home and away season would bring in a lot of the borderliners anyway. Nothing like drawing a crowd to up the number of people who want a membership.

Best gift I ever gave was a membership to my brother on the night of the Brisbane game in '04 after the Telstra Dome filled the GA quota and only members could get in... he hasn't missed a game since. I've wondered since how many others signed up that night that would have just gone to the gate otherwise, and how many others went from fans to diehards as a result of those memberships.

Anyway, point being, if they can be around 30k by round 1, they'll given themselves every chance of a successful year members wise provided they show it on the field.

[saintspremiers]

We have a massive bandwagon membership demographic, I agree with Plugger, we are looking at 28K - but if we win our first 3 games of the season watch it rise quickly to 30K......in 2004, our membership grew quickly on the back of some wins.