Waratahs 2014

[Pfitzy]

Well, if we were winning and on top of the table - which we would be about now if we'd won a couple of games instead of dropping the ball.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

here's my problem with your post: The stands are filled with the passionate waratah fans, and there's only about 12-15,000 of them. If the NSWRU want to increase profits they need to get the "crossover" fans. I'd define these fans as:
1 - general sports fan - follows league/AFL mainly, but will watch any sport if exposed to it.
2 - rugby player - mostly juniors/schools - they play the game, but don't passionately follow the waratahs. And their families.
3 - corporate sponsors and business jerks - the only real market sector the Tahs have previously had success in converting.
4 - students - this group is after a good night out, and they're not currently getting it at the Waratah matches.

I'd love to agree with you that the need the cross over but I have to say that I am a fan that they managed to piss off to such an extent that I have not been to a game on a ticket I paid for for about 7 or 8 years. Its people like me they need - and the junior shoulders.
My main gripe was that I paid more than $1200 for season tickets and got sat in the northern try line on the eastern side for 3 seasons in a row.
For much of the season there where many seats between me and the other try line unoccupied.
Come a match with any NZ side those seats would miraculously fill up with kiwis.
I had the means to get in contact directly with the Tahs CEO of the time and we exchanged about 5 emails in which I suggested this was a real issue and he should do something about it because it was not a good idea to treat the loyal fans as 2nd rate to the kiwi fans who came for a game.
Needless to say I was wrong and he was right.
He left his job and I refuse to pay to attend until they get their act together.
The kids support the brumbies and the reds respectively.
That's the quality of the joint over a long period.

 

[Braveheart81]

If I'm right to assume that you've got somewhere in the vicinity of 10,000 kids, you are the sole cause of the problem.

Very disappointing Inside Shoulder.

 

[boyo]

I agree with JSRF10's point "I'm not saying I have the answer but playing Shute Shield games in an empty SFS which finishes at 6:50pm is not a runner IMO."

Many years ago there was an SCG No.2 oval which could be used for team warm-ups.
Also there was the Sportsground where I, my brother, his school-mate, and the school-mate's Dad would often go to see rugby matches. The 3 of us would collect aluminium cans there for "Cash-a-can", which would earn us more than our pocket-money.

My wife and I used to have season tickets.
The first year our seats were on the western side, undercover, between the southern 22 and the goal-line.
The next and subsequent years our seats were on the western side, undercover, between the northern 22 and the half.
It would seem that the Waratahs' management can provide better seats for some, but not for others.

 

[qwerty51]

Has anyone mentioned that Norths/Parra played the curtain raiser for the Lions game last year?

 

[Badger]

I'd love to agree with you that the need the cross over but I have to say that I am a fan that they managed to piss off to such an extent that I have not been to a game on a ticket I paid for for about 7 or 8 years. Its people like me they need - and the junior shoulders.
My main gripe was that I paid more than $1200 for season tickets and got sat in the northern try line on the eastern side for 3 seasons in a row.
For much of the season there where many seats between me and the other try line unoccupied.
Come a match with any NZ side those seats would miraculously fill up with kiwis.
I had the means to get in contact directly with the Tahs CEO of the time and we exchanged about 5 emails in which I suggested this was a real issue and he should do something about it because it was not a good idea to treat the loyal fans as 2nd rate to the kiwi fans who came for a game.
Needless to say I was wrong and he was right.
He left his job and I refuse to pay to attend until they get their act together.
The kids support the brumbies and the reds respectively.
That's the quality of the joint over a long period.

Wow, that's ordinary. Is it indifference/arrogance/incompetence (or all of the above) on the part of Tahs HQ?

For most other sports teams, the longer you are a season ticket holder, the better seats you get and, if the back office is well run, some recognition as well.

This is the Sydney Swans recognition programme for members:

http://membership.sydneyswans.com.au/member-benefits/member-recognition

In previous years, I remember they have also given away a set of match worn guernseys to 22 members drawn from those who attended all the regular season home games. Guernseys were presented to the lucky members at the last regular season home game by a member of the squad.

It doesn't cost a lot of money to do things like this, but is a nice gesture.

Haven't seen anything like this for the Tahs. Maybe it does exist and I haven't achieved the requisite member status to qualify. I wouldn't bet on it though.

 

[I like to watch]

I'd love to agree with you that the need the cross over but I have to say that I am a fan that they managed to piss off to such an extent that I have not been to a game on a ticket I paid for for about 7 or 8 years. Its people like me they need - and the junior shoulders.
My main gripe was that I paid more than $1200 for season tickets and got sat in the northern try line on the eastern side for 3 seasons in a row.
For much of the season there where many seats between me and the other try line unoccupied.
Come a match with any NZ side those seats would miraculously fill up with kiwis.
I had the means to get in contact directly with the Tahs CEO of the time and we exchanged about 5 emails in which I suggested this was a real issue and he should do something about it because it was not a good idea to treat the loyal fans as 2nd rate to the kiwi fans who came for a game.
Needless to say I was wrong and he was right.
He left his job and I refuse to pay to attend until they get their act together.
The kids support the brumbies and the reds respectively.
That's the quality of the joint over a long period.

To be fair IS, Tah management probably came to the view that if you backed up year after year for season tickets,then it was unlikely that you were a discerning consumer.
I'm surprised by year 3 you weren't behind the goalposts in GA.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

To be fair IS, Tah management probably came to the view that if you backed up year after year for season tickets,then it was unlikely that you were a discerning consumer.
I'm surprised by year 3 you weren't behind the goalposts in GA.

So it was a test of my commitment and I failed?
You have to earn the right to support the Tahs.

 

[Hawko]

So it was a test of my commitment and I failed?
You have to earn the right to support the Tahs.

My own experience was quite different and I'm not sure why. I had single seat platinum season membership for something like 5-7 years before I moved to Adelaide in 2006. My first year I was between the 22 and try line on the western side. Undercover but pretty unpleasant due to the gentleman next to me who was so obese that I could only fit one cheek on my seat. When I renewed I was asked whether I wanted the same seat or be offered another seat in a better position. I took the upgrade seat and got a seat in the eastern stand on the 22. This upgrade system seemed to be a policy and by my fourth year I ended up in Bay 35, near the centreline and undercover on the eastern side. And there I chose to stay.

Why was my experience different? Don't rightly know, but I was pretty pleased until I had to leave Sydney for an AFL country town. I'm coming back soon and will renew. Hoping for Bay 35 again but who knows what I'll find.

 

[I like to watch]

So it was a test of my commitment and I failed?
You have to earn the right to support the Tahs.

Not at all.
By the mere fact you continue to back up, meant you would cop anything they could dish up.
Both on & off the field.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

My own experience was quite different and I'm not sure why. I had single seat platinum season membership for something like 5-7 years before I moved to Adelaide in 2006. My first year I was between the 22 and try line on the western side. Undercover but pretty unpleasant due to the gentleman next to me who was so obese that I could only fit one cheek on my seat. When I renewed I was asked whether I wanted the same seat or be offered another seat in a better position. I took the upgrade seat and got a seat in the eastern stand on the 22. This upgrade system seemed to be a policy and by my fourth year I ended up in Bay 35, near the centreline and undercover on the eastern side. And there I chose to stay.

Why was my experience different? Don't rightly know, but I was pretty pleased until I had to leave Sydney for an AFL country town. I'm coming back soon and will renew. Hoping for Bay 35 again but who knows what I'll find.

Same time frame as mine?

 

[BPC]

So it was a test of my commitment and I failed?
You have to earn the right to support the Tahs.

It's a mental health and safety issue. You have to demonstrate a significant psychological pain threshold for your own protection.

Sent from my GT-N7105T using Tapatalk

 

[rugbysmartarse]

I'd love to agree with you that the need the cross over but I have to say that I am a fan that they managed to piss off to such an extent that I have not been to a game on a ticket I paid for for about 7 or 8 years. Its people like me they need - and the junior shoulders.
My main gripe was that I paid more than $1200 for season tickets and got sat in the northern try line on the eastern side for 3 seasons in a row.
For much of the season there where many seats between me and the other try line unoccupied.
Come a match with any NZ side those seats would miraculously fill up with kiwis.
I had the means to get in contact directly with the Tahs CEO of the time and we exchanged about 5 emails in which I suggested this was a real issue and he should do something about it because it was not a good idea to treat the loyal fans as 2nd rate to the kiwi fans who came for a game.
Needless to say I was wrong and he was right.
He left his job and I refuse to pay to attend until they get their act together.
The kids support the brumbies and the reds respectively.
That's the quality of the joint over a long period.

Mate, that's a pretty poor attitude. They slighted you 8 years ago so you refuse to support them? If you'd continued going to games you'd know the member system is different to that now in any case.

 

[Hawko]

Same time frame as mine?

Roughly 2000-2006

 

[Stands]

Mate, that's a pretty poor attitude. They slighted you 8 years ago so you refuse to support them? If you'd continued going to games you'd know the member system is different to that now in any case.

And it's attitude like yours that maybe affecting the Waratahs attendances, this bloke paid for members tickets for 8 years and finally got fed up with it.

For how many years do you need to put up with bullshit service to have a great attitude?

 

[Pfitzy]

My only example of this sort of treatment: I bought a 4-game SFS Platinum, and the seats were upper tier (Bays 54-55). I bought a Family $80 pass for the Bulls game, and got Bay 37 which was much closer to the action.

So for the Rebels game I just went downstairs anyway...

So FFS sell the memberships in the places where its going to matter, THEN fit everyone else in.

 

[Braveheart81]

And it's attitude like yours that maybe affecting the Waratahs attendances, this bloke paid for members tickets for 8 years and finally got fed up with it.

For how many years do you need to put up with bullshit service to have a great attitude?

He said it was over three seasons of paying for memberships. The 8 years is the amount of time since he's paid for a ticket.

I don't think any of us are doubting that IS' membership experience was a poor one nor are we doubting that the Tahs back office dealt with the issue poorly, but the fact remains that it was 7 or 8 years ago with presumably very few staff members that remain today.

I'm not saying whether things are better or not now, but holding a grudge against a sporting franchise for poor service a long time ago is a strange grudge to hold.

Whilst the Tahs could obviously do with the revenue and crowd numbers from people like IS becoming members again, the ball is well and truly in his court if he ever wants to join up again. It is well past the point where the Tahs are going to approach him. In fact, if they still retained his contact details after such a long time I'd be a bit worried.

 

[Pfitzy]

For how many years do you need to put up with bullshit service to have a great attitude?

Otherwise known as "marriage".

 

[Inside Shoulder]

He said it was over three seasons of paying for memberships. The 8 years is the amount of time since he's paid for a ticket.

I don't think any of us are doubting that IS' membership experience was a poor one nor are we doubting that the Tahs back office dealt with the issue poorly, but the fact remains that it was 7 or 8 years ago with presumably very few staff members that remain today.

I'm not saying whether things are better or not now, but holding a grudge against a sporting franchise for poor service a long time ago is a strange grudge to hold.

Whilst the Tahs could obviously do with the revenue and crowd numbers from people like IS becoming members again, the ball is well and truly in his court if he ever wants to join up again. It is well past the point where the Tahs are going to approach him. In fact, if they still retained his contact details after such a long time I'd be a bit worried.

They constantly send me emails.
I think the point both you and rugbysmartarse are missing is that for all of those 3 years I was doing them a favour: their performances were poor and I could easily watch them at home and be in bed before Phil Waugh had finished apologising for missing yet another finals series. I bought the tickets to support them.
Their response was to treat me like there were more important blow ins - just as they treated pfitzy - and I'd keep coming back.
I'm not bearing a grudge: i still watch them but they don't get my money - which they could have had for the last 8 years.
They don't have so many friends right now that they can afford to lose even 1 - and evidently in those 8 years years they've lost a shitload.

 

[Braveheart81]

I accept that members are doing the team a favour by handing over their money.

At this point though, you're making a conscious decision to withhold your money from an entity that can't really be aware that you're making that decision.

Do you expect that ever to change? It would seem like the ball is in your court in terms of deciding whether you pay for tickets or not again.