Nightmare for Colless

[Diego]

This sad bit of news has made the past 6 weeks irrelavent now. How could i feel good about my team if I dont know if they are going to be around by Nov.

Sad state of affairs indeed.

[robbieando]

The club sites lack of sponsorship because of the Rugby World Cup, yet we didn't have any problems with sponsors back in 2000 with the Olympics. Also if I'm not mistaken membership hasn't fallen by that much.

If we cut $4 millions at the start of the season we should be in this mess now.

[Diego]

If we didnt move to ****en stadium Oz we wouldnt be in half the trouble we are atm.

The great white elephant of the west has struck again with another club. Who was the brains who decided playing at Stadium Oz was a good idea?

[robbieando]

The AFL made the agreement with the Stadium owners and we are left to foot the huge bill for each match. A joke really, the club should of said no.

Also the club MUST stop paying the Bulldogs the 250k to play their home game in Sydney. Not only do we pay the 250k we also foot the bill if the game makes a loss.

[WASwansFanatic]

What is going on over there?
We are now facing the extinction cos someone cant handle money?
FFS cant we ask the NSW gov't for money? If we keep going to the AFL we will still be the laughing stock of the AFL in terms of being propped up as a club. Come on surely the board etc can get there act together. Perhaps Colless should spend less time pulling fingers at Eddie McGuire and more time using his finger to try and help the Swans survive.

Did the AFL not give us some assistance already for the Stad. Aus move anyway?

Also why the hell doesnt the club offer other interstate memberships apart from Melbourne....I would be the first to pay up!

[Diego]

So if anything the AFL SHOULD help us in respect to Stadium Oz.

The Bulldogs fiasco is/was just a bad business deal.

[floppinab]

The AFL made the agreement with the Stadium owners and we are left to foot the huge bill for each match. A joke really, the club should of said no.

Again, as always we don't know the full facts of this deal but to suggest the Swans were were not involved in this agreement I'm pretty sure would be wrong. I seem to remember Templeton having a pretty big hand in ensuring SA would be compatible for AFL.

How well our esteemed management were involved in negotiations is another question again.

[Mark]

Robbie, you keep plugging this "dogs game" garbage.

$250k is peanuts and would never result in a loss unless our membership fell dramatically. What you fail to get over and over again is that we charge members for this game so make a healthy profit.

If you want more games in Melbourne fine but dont use fiction to back your ravings !

If you want a scapegoat look no further than the well publicised move to Telstra Stadium which has been a well documented $800,000 failure. despite the protestations of most on this board (diego not included) it is, and always has been financial sucide.

Sadly, there is no evidence of thousands of latent Swans fans (or any sport fans willing to go to games) in the "western coridoor.

Accept facts not fiction which happens to suit your personal "want list"

[robbieando]

Isn't it about time the Club opened the books and let us fans know what really is going on and where the money is going.

[robbieando]

Originally posted by Mark
Robbie, you keep plugging this "dogs game" garbage.

$250k is peanuts and would never result in a loss unless our membership fell dramatically. What you fail to get over and over again is that we charge members for this game so make a healthy profit.

What is this after we pay the Bulldogs or before we pay the Bulldogs???? 250k peanuts, I wouldn't think so when we are asking the AFL for money, every little bit helps and 250k is a huge amount to spend in our current state.

If you want more games in Melbourne fine but dont use fiction to back your ravings !

Thats not my reason of bringing it up today. Why should we PAY another club to play up here when we are losing money. If the game was a huge money making exerise then fine keep it, but if it loses us money then we must stop it

If you want a scapegoat look no further than the well publicised move to Telstra Stadium which has been a well documented $800,000 failure. despite the protestations of most on this board (diego not included) it is, and always has been financial sucide.

It was sucide from the start, the cost of rent is a joke and the AFL got us into this mess (in regards to TS) the benifits of playing in Western Sydney are worthwhile, as long as the costs are worth while and at the moment their not. I think the AFL should bite the bullet and rework the contract so as long as we keep playing there the costs aren't as great.

Sadly, there is no evidence of thousands of latent Swans fans (or any sport fans willing to go to games) in the "western coridoor.

I have said this many times, Western Sydney isn't a market ripe for the picking just because they have 1.5 million out there. Western Sydney has never shown a need for Sport, the rugby teams out that way, don't draw huge crowds. Its a mistake to chase people who aren't willing to support the team.

Accept facts not fiction which happens to suit your personal "want list"

There are many reasons for the financial mess we are in, some well known and some that are well hiden from us fans. Lack of Sponsors and members don't help, when you pay clubs to play home games up here when the rewards aren't that great, when your forced to play at a ground where a crowd of 50,000 is needed to turn a profit, when you are forced to play home games Live against the gate. The above problems can be solved in time, but lets hope Colless isn't hiding anything else from us

[Diego]

It doesnt help that games are being shown on TV against the gate.

[NMWBloods]

It looks like a whole lot of things have hit the club in one go, rather than any single specific cause. Fall in attendance, losses at Telstra Stadium, Bulldogs games, payment to Wallace, lack of sponsorship, etc.

[Mark]

Robbie, we have been through this all before, the Dogs game is part of a "Sydney" membership package and therefore regardless of attendance nets the same amount of income as every other home game (from memberships)

For this we pay the dogs a one off fee

We went through the breakdown on the previous thread and dont intend boring everyone again. It is simple math Robbie

Agree on rest, it is amazing how many people are now questioning the move to Telstra stadium, big change of heart !!!!

[vagary]

so as fans, what should we do to stop our team from going under?
in all honesty i don't really care about you all arguing about what has caused the swans to be in this mess but i think we should start thinking of ideas to help them out.

[robbieando]

Originally posted by Mark
Robbie, we have been through this all before, the Dogs game is part of a "Sydney" membership package and therefore regardless of attendance nets the same amount of income as every other home game (from memberships)

Like every other game their are costs involved, such as ground rent, catering, wages of staff. We are also responable for that not the Bulldogs, we pay them for the right to cover costs. I would like to know if this game makes a profit for the club, after we pay the Bulldogs and everything else??? If we do then fine I have no problems, but if we are losing money on the match it has to be looked at