Membership Question

[JK]

Having read several posts on here (many recent, and many over the last couple of years) from people highly passionate toward their club, the general consensus seems to be that one MUST achieve TRUE supporter status by "Being a member of your club no matter what!!"

This in itself got me to thinking, that surely there must be some people out there who love their club so much that it's performance personally affects them .. At which point does it become acceptable for those to "Take A Stand" as such, when they believe their club is being poorly lead, or poorly managed, by boycotting their membership renewal?

I mean, is there any other way to make a statement that introduces actual change within a club other than to provide a little initial hurt?

Before anyone responds to this, I am a member of my club and have no intention whatsoever of ever being otherwise, but it just made me wonder whether there were acceptable reasons amongst passionate folk out there to be a non-financial supporter?

Cheers,
CP

[Blue Boy]

I always pay up my membership. All SANFL clubs need it.

I think there are other ways - well lets say gossip and people using the media usually get things stirred up a little.

[doggies4eva]

My attitude is simple. If you are passionate about your club you should be a member. Otherwise you are not truely part of it. Being a member gives you a legal right to vote for the Board - or even stand for it - and to attend (and speak at) official meetings. If you want to change something about your club I think it is better to be on the inside rather than on the outside. And if you're happy with the way things are going you add stability to the current administration by supporting your club as a member.

[Pseudo]

If the board had not walked after last year's coaching fiasco, then I would not have renewed my membership this year. As it is, I did not set foot in the clubrooms from the moment Simmo was sacked until the board had stepped down. There comes a point when throwing money and support behind an entity just helps the rot to fester and spread. In this case it would be better to withdraw one's support of the club completely.

Being able to have a say and vote at the AGM means little to me. How I personally vote is not going to change the way the club is run; I'd be just one more idiot in a room full of idiots, my voice drowned in the clamour. Nor do I think my failure to renew membership would be taken as an affront by the club and an impetus for change. But I could not have meekly and complicitly followed the club if it persisted down the path it was heading last year. The only reasonable option would have been to withdraw support until things changed.

Note that while I say I'd withdraw support from the club, I'd still turn up to follow the team each week. A distinction may be drawn between club and team.

[Adelaide Hawk]

I first took membership with Norwood (and Hawthorn) back in the early to mid 70s, when I was able to afford the payment. I remained a Norwood member into the 1990s, but towards the end of that decade I was starting to lose interest in football.

The game itself was headed in all the wrong directions as far as I was concerned, my 2 clubs were both struggling to the point where their futures were uncertain, and I guess subconsciously I didn't want to be around when thos happened.

Rediscovery of SANFL football rekindled my interest and I am now a proud Redlegs and Hawk once more. I also realised that I was penalising the club by withdrawing my membership and my problem was not with them but with the avarice of the AFL.

I agree with what has been said earlier, if you support a club then membership is mandatory. Clubs need members to survive.

[doggies4eva]

I agree with what has been said earlier, if you support a club then membership is mandatory. Clubs need members to survive.

In fact all clubs are is a group of members!

[Leaping Lindner]

I'm a member of both North Adelaide (interstate) and The Crows (Gold)

[manny]

I've been a member of Norwood for 31 years now and have never considered not joining because of how the club was headed. As far as I am concerned being a member means I can vote and bring in changes if I am part of a majority. If things dont go my way, I put trust in those appointed and put up with it. Its exactly the wrong time not to renew your membership when things arent going so well. If you have never been a member but just a supporter consider what it would mean to you if you club folded through lack of interest or finances. Get involved at what ever level you can.

[MightyEagles]

I am a member of the Eagles and also help out with the 17s and 19s every game.

[Ecky]

If you want to "take a stand" I believe there are much more effective ways of doing so than by simply not renewing a membership.

I don't think many people realise how small the SANFL really is - there are not that many passionate people who have a real interest in who are on the boards of each club. Hence it is not that difficult to gather up support and make changes at a board level if you feel strongly enough and you have valid arguments - you just need to know who to speak to, and know how to use tools such as these forums to your advantage...

[onkas-valleysvirgin]

There are some valid and understandable arguments both ways here and the points made by everyone so far have equal merit as they apply to the individual.
From my point of view, even in my darkest and lowest days at Glenelg - suspended and sent to coventry by the Board - I never considered for a moment not renewing my membership. My fight was with half a dozen pathetic individuals, not the club itself.
I love Glenelg,with all it's faults and all the great things about it. I'm also happy to sit down with any supporter from any club who's considering not renewing their membership and attempt to talk them out of it...any weakening of the competition and its member clubs is a threat to the future vibrancy of the competition and if you don't think it is go and have a chat with the next disaffected Woodville or West Torrens supporter you come across.

[TroyGFC]

I agree with Psuedo on this I also was not going to renew my membership after the last years dealing amongst board,players and coaches but i still would have gone to games to support team and for the atmosphere of footy games.

[RoosterMarty]

I first signed up as a member in 98 i think as that was the first chance I had to go every Saturday, i used to work part-time Saturdays instead.

Unfortunately that coincided with the beginning of the 'Dark Ages'... of course i never considered giving up my membership even though we did start playing terrible footy.