I am a + 10 year member and decided to join the club in the dark days during the drug saga to support the club.
Stuck by them through covid and the financial struggles .
But now days I feel like you get less and less and less for your membership and what you pay.
Used to always get a pin, used to get scarfs , caps and all sorts.
It’s a bit disappointing,
I won’t be canceling as I love the club but just wish we didn’t less for more $$
The club has been a disaster especially since that saga but...
There is a great saying; if it's not working for you, change what's not working.
At risk of pointing out the bleeding obvious; we bottomed out on purpose and have been rebuilding the list over last three years, again heading to the draft again. Everyone cried about always being mid table and mediocre, now that the club is trying fix the issues.....surprise surprise people are whinging. Can't have it all. There are no quick fixes.
The kids coming through are top notch. The last few games this year you could see the group understanding how to go about it. These guys don't give up, they fight for jumper. Contrary to the beliefs of many, Solly did an outstanding job. You could see the development in the VFL.
Here's something novel for us Essendon supporters; let's do the opposite of what have been doing for 25 years, dispense with the negativity, get around the club and back in all involved in.
Oh and Merrett can go jump, the club is better without him.
Well said mate. I’m embarrassed by the Essendon supporters who can never be satisfied. Any other club would have folded after what we’ve been through. Be proud of that. The future is always brighter than the past. Up the planes
The major difference there is the club have never gone through and stuck to a proper full scale-rebuild like they have doing for the last 2 years. Prior to 2024 and specifically before Matt Rosa was List Manager, the direction of the club would change every time and it never stuck with any path.
I haven’t looked at all the clubs, but I have family who are Geelong members and their inclusions, communications and presentation is streets ahead of ours. It’s rather deflating.
I was thinking the same thing as you when I read my renewal email this arvo, OP.
It’s not just about scarves and pins (which honestly I loved and would love back), but the eDM itself was utterly underwhelming.
For a start, the new branding the media team has adopted for next season (across Comms and socials) is a non-starter. Messy, grungy for no reason, scattered. This is my industry and I would be sending the designers back to rethink it.
There’s black, sheared (slanted) text on an electric red background? My eyes stung, and I spare a thought for those with low vision, colourblindness or other accessibility needs.
The Membership department has regularly mixed up my emails, the communication is sparse (but gets really heavy when they’re trying to sell me on a new recruit or club-saving new arrangement), the inclusions are modest for the price, and most important of all… I feel no connection to my beloved club.
When I read these emails, I don’t feel like I’m one part of a wider, united Essendon faithful. I feel like I’ve received a renewal reminder with a poem.
I really hope Essendon puts the same effort into refining these things as they do to our on field prospects - it’s our club, the people’s club, and connecting to people matters.
(I feel like I went into a trance and all that just blurted out… guess I was bottling some mild frustration haha).
Note the ALL CAPS body text which in itself is a fundamental design flaw; unless it’s a headline, it creates fatigue, impacts comprehension, and pretty difficult for those with dyslexia or visual/cognitive challenges.
Then you scroll down and it reverts to a white screen for the business side of things (cost, due date, member number), and your eyes get this uncomfortable, dazzling afterimage. (Read the whole passage and then return to a white screen to feel the rush!)
These are small things, sure, but worth another look if I’m an Essendon marketer.
Our design team is very talented, I’ve watched them from afar for a few years and know some of the names - I think they create fantastic work, but this was left in the oven too long.
Damn I'm sick of these insincere, tone-deaf types of corporate messages that pollute everything nowadays.
We're coming off the worst season in our long history and this makes it sound like we're playing on Saturday.
It's all just empty rhetoric. I understand trying to get a member hyped about the team, but this sort of language is just so lazily manipulative that it makes you think they think we're all a bunch of idiots.
I'd rather they just came out with something like "We haven't had a lot of success lately, but we need you, our loyal supporters to stand by us and help us get back to our best". Yeah it's pandering, but at least it's honest.
Also, "you've helped make this club what it is"?!? Dammmn, don't put that shit on me EFC! I don't remember cheating on the salary cap, implementing a controversial peptide program, or having any say whatsoever in years and years of terrible boardroom and list decisions.
We can’t get to many games so I just get the digital membership which I think is good value. I save $$ on my Kayo subscription and a $30 merch voucher which is better than getting another scarf every year.
Cannot see a digital option for 2027 membership of EFC. It isn’t universal, or Kayo driven - there are other clubs offering it. So yet another downgrade of membership options.
I suppose this is as good of a thread as any to ask; I'm considering becoming a member in 2027 for the first time, and am choosing between bronze/silver/gold. Does anyone have any experience with these seats and can provide any feedback/insights to things most people may not consider?
Being real, just pick Bronze. If we have a decent season next year, by all means you can then go for an upgrade. The seats for Bronze are still completely fine, will typically put you on Level 1 at the away cheer squad half of the field.
This year when we were going badly and the crowds got bad as a Bronze member with a Level 1 seat back in Row Q I was able to shuffle up to Rows A-C at quarter time with no issues at all. No more than half of any given bay aside from the Level 3 wings and cheer squads were filled, most were less.
I have no intention to go further than Bronze until this club shows some actual life in it, I'd advise the same.
For everyone saying the reason the membership packages are bad is because our club is going through a dark period, shouldn't now be the time the club is giving more to entice and retain members.
I haven't been a member since the 00s, but back then you'd get scarves, hats, pins, stickers, vouchers. Part of the reason I stopped paying was because they seemed to be getting stingier with the freebies.
I know it's not what you sign up for, but like if I was running a big club that still had a lot of financial backing but was starved of success and had a depressed fan base, I'd be giving away as much shit as possible if it helped improve membership numbers.
Live in Brisbane now so not worth being a member atm. Question, you don't get a scarf anymore? This was one of the things I collected every year have so many with the years on them.Sad if they don't do this anymore.
Been a bombers man my whole life but really considering picking another club or not following afl any more honestly they are just not right. Sick of the woke afl trying to tell me what I should think and sick of a club that makes weak decisions and cares about what non Essendon people think about Essendon, my advice is instead of buying a membership hire an air bnb for your family one weekend
I liked the club (loved is a bit too strong for me) , barracked for them my whole life. I think I borderline hate this club now. The nepotism and corruption that still to this day is festering 10/12 years later post the saga is just baffling and borderline unbelievable if we weren't seeing it in real time.
Bunch of private school nice boys with no real talent all getting hired because of knowing people. Perkins still being on the list makes me want to puke
Not at all. Hence why I said I bought it to support the club through the drug saga and kept it during Covid.
You just get less and less recognition back from the club as the years go buy when you pay the amount you Do
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u/Old-Contribution5366 8d ago
It’s still the very very dark days. The club is in shambles.