You would think that the application form for season ticket holders would also include details on how to apply to become a football club member.
Or outside the stadium on match day (at the beginning and end of the season at least) there should be a couple of stands where you can get an application form and/or pay your membership fees.
The club's CEO has been talking in the media in the last few years about how the club is struggling for money and that funds will have to be cut back. If you have 10,000 members (a quarter of most AFL teams) - the club gets an extra $250k per year for doing absolutly nothing.
If you were a smart businessman you would be doing your best to increase memberships. If you are someone who wants to protect their position because they are scared of change then you would do your best to stop people becoming members
See, then again the Blue and Gold army is set-up to do that. If I am being honest.
The Blue and Gold army and the Season Tickets are money in the pocket for the Parramatta NRLC, (The Company that runs the NRL and NYC side), the football club don't see a cent of this money, as it is separate from the Blue and Gold army, and Season Tickets.
If we were to get 10,000 members to that then yeah it is a good thing, or combined 10,000 members and Season Ticket Holders then again Money for Jam, but I get back to Sphere of influence.
The Football Club, operates the Harold Matthews Cup, the S.G. Ball cup and the joint venture with Wentworthville. These are the only thing it influences, apart from a requirement of 3 common directors on the Leagues Club Board and for NRL players to be members of the club.
Last I checked, Harold Matthews, SG Ball and Wentworthville, all played 1 game at Parramatta stadium. So I can't see the benefit to having a Membership booth at Parramatta Stadium on game days to get people as members. Bugger the insular or non debate because not only have memberships still dropped while Hellsy has been running this thread, they also dropped massively in 2001 when the club shifted the NRL license to the leagues club.
Hellsy will know, that we have very similar badge numbers. These numbers are well over the current membership total, and that is a reflection of when we joined. In 1998 when I joined, I got the latest membership number, that number is listed below. Now we have less than 600 members or so, a fall of 800 or so members in 7 years. I don't think it is because the club is no longer promoting membership, I think it is because some people no longer feel that the football club is relevant to the Parramatta NRL side. To a point they are right.
To be honest, if the NRL club gave voting rights, to STH's and B&G army members, and an AGM where the punters could vote on a Football Advisory Council or the like, we could call it membership.
I would also like to point out, that I value my membership to the football club quite highly. It is my membership to the group that runs all Rugby League Development activities in the Parramatta District, and I proudly support those activities.
