Membership passes 25,000

[Black_White]

Afl.com 10/02/2003







Members flocking to Pies
6:54:18 PM Mon 10 February, 2003
Paul Gough
afl.com.au



Collingwood’s stunning rise to the 2002 grand final is reaping huge dividends for the Magpies as the 2003 season fast approaches with the club’s membership currently running at record levels.

Despite the Magpies’ first home and away game – against Richmond on March 28 – being still nearly six weeks away, the club’s membership is already past the 25,000 mark.

This is already a rise of nearly 7000 on this time last year with the Magpies well on-course to smash last year’s record membership figure of 32,500.

With about 1000 members normally equating to $100,000 in revenue, the increase has given the Magpies a cash boost of at least $700,000 compared to this time last year.


And not only are Magpies fans signing up for 2003 in record numbers buoyed by last year’s first grand final appearance in 12 years – they are taking out more financially lucrative packages to further boost the club’s coffers.

Already more than 10,000 Magpie members have elected to take out social club memberships to ensure they have access to a grand final ticket should Collingwood again make it to that last Saturday in September.

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire warned Magpies fans that with the decreased capacity at the MCG in 2003 – due to the rebuilding of the Ponsford Stand – it was even more important to take out a membership to ensure fans were guaranteed a seat at blockbuster matches such as the Anzac Day game against Essendon.

“In the past a lot of people just walked-up to the MCG and that’s why we played there so that people who can’t afford memberships can come to the games,” McGuire told afl.com.au.

“But this year in real terms – the ground is not going to be much bigger than the Telstra Dome once you take out the AFL and MCC membership areas.

McGuire said if the Magpies’ membership continued to grow dramatically over the next three years – when the capacity of the MCG is down from the usual 96,000 to around 70,000 – the club may have to eventually put a limit on the number of members it signs up.

“There will probably have to be a waiting list (for membership) at some stage down the track,” he said.
“For the first time Collingwood supporters are facing what Essendon supporters have faced (since their club’s move to the 52,000 capacity Telstra Dome) - to make sure of a ticket to the big games, you’ve got to be a member.”

McGuire said the club’s growing social club membership was not only due to the team’s success last year but also the fact its new social club at Olympic Park (where the club’s administration and training facilities will also be based) will be open early next year.

“A couple of years ago you could have almost said social club membership was more a donation but now it’s actually got some real value and it will continue to grow in value,” he said.

[JLC]

Wow thats brilliant news. Ive ALWAYS thought that when both Essendon and Collingwood are at their peaks that Collingwoods supporter base is much bigger.

We should smash 35,000 members this year i hope

jlc

Symonds picked on potential for the fifth year running ;)

Essendon 2000 premiers
2001 runners up
2002 fifth
2003 ????
The slide continues

[joffa_the_man_in_gold]

Very true jon.

No how much crap essendon people will tell you collingwood has the biggest supporter base..id like to see essendons membership numbers and crowd figures when they goe through a bad patch as we did a few years back..dont believe the hype about essendon they are on the skids well and truly.

They carry on how loyal they are well i can remember not long ago when there fans would slag on there own players.

Essendon are crap and there dork simple minded supporters are getting more dorkier.
And they still want to argue that the essendon carlton clashes outweigh the collingwood carlton clashes, what poor simple minded insecure dickheads.

.......................
100,000 GOLD WIGS and a million shining eyes
This our country's one true game
And the footy ground's on fire
And collingwood's sons and daughter's, under wide Australian skies
Win or lose we're back again to claim the winner's prize.....

Go Pies you bloody beauties !! 'Caaarm Ornnn' kill the Bloody Bastards.


...............
email..joffa@magpies.net

[afisher]

This "Essendon membership superiority" has always been a real bone of contention for me.
Right through the mid to late 90'S as Essendon rode their wave of success and we languished near the bottom they were only marginally ahead of us in membership numbers. In fact in 1999 we actually were ahead of them by 2500 members. This alone is certainly a tribute to the numbers and passion of our supporters at a time when most clubs (Essendon included) supporters would have run and hid.
However the anecdotal evidence I feel was more compelling. In those darker years whenever Collingwood has a win they would always create more press coverage, more workplace talk, more speculation and innuendo than all other Victorian clubs combined. Collingwood does create a drive and passion that is unsurpassed, and whether they like it or not a large degree of jealously from the other clubs
Each time in recent years when McMahon and sheedy sprouted about them being Australian number 1 club, I, like many of you, sat there and seethed, and waited for the day when the truth was fact not anecdotal. WELL FOLKS THAT DAY IS HERE
It is now great to see that the Magpie army is reinforcing its position as the AFL's number one club, The only downside is that we return to the days when we carry many other clubs, providing financial support to keep the comatose alive.

[NICK THE PIE MAN]

Beautiful!

35 000 plus is looking very good.
40 000 would be exceptional if possible.

KILL FOR COLLINGWOOD

[joffa_the_man_in_gold]

Well im sick and bloody tired of collingwood carrying other clubs
there quick to take our dosh in one hand and stab us in the back with the other.

.......................
100,000 GOLD WIGS and a million shining eyes
This our country's one true game
And the footy ground's on fire
And collingwood's sons and daughter's, under wide Australian skies
Win or lose we're back again to claim the winner's prize.....

Go Pies you bloody beauties !! 'Caaarm Ornnn' kill the Bloody Bastards.


...............
email..joffa@magpies.net

[Whitey]

Hi! yeah exacly right, we should capitalise on it while we're on top is what I say. With the social club, as Eddie said the 40, 000 figure might not seem so unrealistic in the next few years, or even this year.

-----------------------
Music Forums - http://pub77.ezboard.com/bmusics

[Bones]

7,000 Bandwagoners??? Now thats disgusting, taking the dummy out of those poor souls that ingnored the payup or else notice.