S.E.Q Saints

[Saints Premiers 2008]

who was there this evening for the meeting with westaway??

just interested as saintsational was mentioned for a little while...

what really surprised me was that westaway knew about the forum and seemingly well...and he knew about certain posters identities...

[saintbrat]

several posters have met with greg- the peanut and Nick and HarvesDiciple.

any other news?

[bigcarl]

who was there this evening for the meeting with westaway??

just interested as saintsational was mentioned for a little while...

what really surprised me was that westaway knew about the forum and seemingly well...and he knew about certain posters identities...

i'd think most fans of the club would know of saintsational and many would either post here or come here for news and views. what did he say?

[Saints Premiers 2008]

several posters have met with greg- the peanut and Nick and HarvesDiciple.

any other news?

i was talking about the meeting tonight in hamilton (brisbane)

the man is very firm and seemingly committed to the cause

nothing that has not been said before however it was good to hear the clubs short-comings out of the horse's mouth so to speak

out profits have come at a major loss in human capital and those left are forced to multi-task and work excessive hours for little pay. Westaway used an example of a marketing lady that was working 24/7 it seemed for around 30 g's annually...he made the point that this is not on

he mentioned that baker's decision and the clubs handeling was a farce...the whole issue was taken out of the legal team and place into the hands of sheldon (this is not ken's fault)...this has been rectified with the appointment of a former clubman that is a QC to also work players contracts...its better someone in the know that not...this appointment will cut time-consuming contracts

overall as said previously...mostly this stuff i have heard before however i found it pleasing to meet the man behind this push

[saintwill66]

The meeting with Greg Westaway at Riverview Hotel (courtesy of Brett Saunders who is a great Saints supporter here) was attended by 15 which was quite good considering Brisbane based supporters don't normally get together. I found Greg an engaging character, very keen to talk about our club and spoke frankly about the past and future.

The priority for the new Board is to secure new sponsors for 2008 and beyond, and expects to make an announcement in regard to a major sponsor (he hinted a national company with HQ in Brisbane - could it be Virgin???). In 2007 sponsorships raised $5.3 million, but expect to exceed this to close to $6 million in 2008, or more if that can be done. A vital criteria in the composition of the new Board is the ability to attract and retain financial sponsors - Greg mentioned that one of the failings in the past few years has been neglect by the club to adequately service its sponsors, resulting in disillusionment and ultimately their withdrawal of support. A major sponsor who contributed $1.3 million may require as much as $400,000 in servicing costs (corporate entertainment, tickets, signage etc etc) so that the net return is considerably less than the money that is reported.

Although Greg did not go into specifics, I got the impression that one of the reasons the challenge to the Butterss Board gained such strong momentum was the dissatisfaction of sponsors, which would have been well known among the business leaders and coteries who move in these circles, but that's just my opinion, not something that Greg said as such! There was also a suggestion that past-players were not always made to feel welcome (appreciated?) and that would change with the new Board.

Some other points raised:

1. Future of Moorabbin to be determined in the very near future so that the club can go ahead with planning for things such as the new training facility. Greg stated that this is a very contentious issue that will require a very hard decision to be made, and one that ultimately may not be popular with everyone. He believes that Kingston City don't really want St Kilda to stay at Linton Street and want to convert the place to parkland.

2. Players to a man have been very pleased with the change of the Board and have made this clear to him and other incoming directors. This confirms my personal thoughts when it was announced that Burke and Thompson would be on the new Board - their close association with the current players is bound to ensure that their views are given full consideration.

3. Appointment of staff will be by the CEO, not the Board, and the Board will not interfere with the day to day running of the club - he reiterated that there would be additional staff employed to ensure the club operates efficently and profitably, particularly in the area of merchandise, where the figures have dropped dramatically in 2007.

4. In response to a question he stated that his attitude to dealings with thre AFL can be judged on his response to the offer by Demetriou to conciliate between FF and the Butterss Board - "back-off, this is for the members to decide!"

5. I raised the matter of membership services and communication, that is, the lack thereof in 2007, and the dissatisfaction felt by many members with the "cheap and nasty" cigar tin and contents, particularly when compared to what other clubs give their members. He said he would look into a suggestion for a "membership committee" to support the good work done by Ben .... who like other staff is grossly overloaded.

He was relatively lukewarm to my idea for the club to publish and distribute a quarterly newsletter as a means of communication with members, but invited me to submit a proposal to him, which I'll do. Brisbane Lions do this with great effect and I'm convinced it should be and can be done by St Kilda FC.

[BakesFan]

Thanks, saintwill66.
Mr Saunders is indeed a champion Saints man and always puts on a great function at Riverview whenever the Saints venture to Brissie.
I hope the Gold Coast based Sainters support Bev and Murray for their meeting with Mr Westaway tonight.

[riccardo]

(he hinted a national company with HQ in Brisbane - could it be Virgin???).

Could be Suncorp - which would rule as I work for them!

[Solar]

Fantastic report and some interesting musings in there.

Loved the part about a members group to support the membership department. Some people have the skills to advise but would not want to be part of the actual membership department.

If it's not virgin then I would look at tiger airlines. We could get in early with them being a second tier sponsor and grow along with them.

Got a feeling we might not be at moorabin in the long term. Casey sounds like the "hard decision" that will be made.

[The Peanut]

Fantastic report and some interesting musings in there.

Loved the part about a members group to support the membership department. Some people have the skills to advise but would not want to be part of the actual membership department.

If it's not virgin then I would look at tiger airlines. We could get in early with them being a second tier sponsor and grow along with them.

Got a feeling we might not be at moorabin in the long term. Casey sounds like the "hard decision" that will be made.

Yeah ... it looks like westofmoorabbin might end up being westofsomewhereelse.com judging by rumours and saintwill66's post.

[chook23]

Whilst I am all for upgraded training/admin/social

what are thoughts on Casy Fields (if chosen) by posters

and members.

[st_Trav_ofWA]

Whilst I am all for upgraded training/admin/social

what are thoughts on Casy Fields (if chosen) by posters

and members.

being from perth in all honesty i couldnt care less where the saints are based all i want is for the club to make a choice and get started on the best facillities available to give the boys the best chance are giveing the flag a tilt

i understand that its a touchy subject for the vic supporters as they dont want to have to travel soo far to see the boys train ect ect but for me coming from perth an extra 45 min on the 4hrs flying time ins nothing

[PLUGGER14]

Well reported Saintwill. Think you summed it up perfectly.

Following the meeting Greg invited us to the bar for a couple of drinks and an informal chat which was well received by the 8 or 9 of us who accepted.

Certainly feel a lot more comfortable with Greg at the helm than I was prior to meeting him.

No hidden agendas I feel that he will do what is best for the club in all areas that he has a say in, even if it means pissing off a few to provide benefit to the majority.

[PLUGGER14]

Whilst I am all for upgraded training/admin/social

what are thoughts on Casy Fields (if chosen) by posters

and members.

I reckon as the only club south of the Yarra being based at Casey could be seen as a positive.

From my understanding the area is going through a tremendous amount of growth which could lead to more supporters thus more members leading to more revenue then more spending on the footy dept then more success on field.........need I go on

[Solar]

Whilst I am all for upgraded training/admin/social

what are thoughts on Casy Fields (if chosen) by posters

and members.

biggest growing area in the state and their council is chock full of money. Great facilities down there,so we would be adding to not rebuilding a faciltity. Ability to train with the casey boys will allow a better casey and more development of the younger players.

Plus there is better scope for social club and pokies facilties. Plus lots of young families who if courted well would bring in a lot more membership, sponsorship and merchandise.

Finally I agree that in the end it does not matter where we are based in Victoria, we will still be playing our home games at TD. Personally I see the move as a no brainer

[plugger66]

Whilst I am all for upgraded training/admin/social

what are thoughts on Casy Fields (if chosen) by posters

and members.

biggest growing area in the state and their council is chock full of money. Great facilities down there,so we would be adding to not rebuilding a faciltity. Ability to train with the casey boys will allow a better casey and more development of the younger players.

Plus there is better scope for social club and pokies facilties. Plus lots of young families who if courted well would bring in a lot more membership, sponsorship and merchandise.

Finally I agree that in the end it does not matter where we are based in Victoria, we will still be playing our home games at TD. Personally I see the move as a no brainer

You may see the move as a no brainer. Not sure the players feel the same way. They need to live close to training as they have 2 sessions a day. No one is going to live down that way. They must try to keep Moorabbin or move to somewhere close to the city. Not in the outer suburbs. And why does it matter if it is a growth area as you said we play at TD. No one watching training so being in a growth area makes no difference.

[GrumpyOne]

[quote="plugger66"] No one is going to live down that way. /quote]

Discounting of course the 231,843 who already do.

[Solar]

Whilst I am all for upgraded training/admin/social

what are thoughts on Casy Fields (if chosen) by posters

and members.

biggest growing area in the state and their council is chock full of money. Great facilities down there,so we would be adding to not rebuilding a faciltity. Ability to train with the casey boys will allow a better casey and more development of the younger players.

Plus there is better scope for social club and pokies facilties. Plus lots of young families who if courted well would bring in a lot more membership, sponsorship and merchandise.

Finally I agree that in the end it does not matter where we are based in Victoria, we will still be playing our home games at TD. Personally I see the move as a no brainer

You may see the move as a no brainer. Not sure the players feel the same way. They need to live close to training as they have 2 sessions a day. No one is going to live down that way. They must try to keep Moorabbin or move to somewhere close to the city. Not in the outer suburbs. And why does it matter if it is a growth area as you said we play at TD. No one watching training so being in a growth area makes no difference.

Um it's about 20 - 30 minutes at worst down the monash, similar move as the hawks did. Apart from hitting our heads against the wall with kingston where would you propose us moving to?

btw the geelong coach lives in melbourne and travels down there, a lot worse.

[saintspremiers]

spot on plugger.......from what I gather, a vast majority of our players live in Brighton/Highett/Moorabbin/Hampton/Sandy type area, and I doubt theyd want to live out in the sticks to be within a 10 to 15 minute drive to work (ie. training base).

Port Melbourne would be a much better fit, closer and in a decent more respectable area as well!!!

[The Peanut]

You may see the move as a no brainer. Not sure the players feel the same way. They need to live close to training as they have 2 sessions a day. No one is going to live down that way. They must try to keep Moorabbin or move to somewhere close to the city. Not in the outer suburbs. And why does it matter if it is a growth area as you said we play at TD. No one watching training so being in a growth area makes no difference.

Yeah its going to be hard to get the press down there on training nights too - we had lots of media coverage at Moorabbin which is good for our sponsors - not to mention us. Players and staff alike would have considered Moorabbin when deciding where to live - its close to the beach too. My guess would be we go to Frankston if we don't stay at Moorabbin. I would much prefer Junction Oval but I hear that Port Phillip Council refuses to cough up a few dollars to assist us.

[plugger66]

Whilst I am all for upgraded training/admin/social

what are thoughts on Casy Fields (if chosen) by posters

and members.

biggest growing area in the state and their council is chock full of money. Great facilities down there,so we would be adding to not rebuilding a faciltity. Ability to train with the casey boys will allow a better casey and more development of the younger players.

Plus there is better scope for social club and pokies facilties. Plus lots of young families who if courted well would bring in a lot more membership, sponsorship and merchandise.

Finally I agree that in the end it does not matter where we are based in Victoria, we will still be playing our home games at TD. Personally I see the move as a no brainer

You may see the move as a no brainer. Not sure the players feel the same way. They need to live close to training as they have 2 sessions a day. No one is going to live down that way. They must try to keep Moorabbin or move to somewhere close to the city. Not in the outer suburbs. And why does it matter if it is a growth area as you said we play at TD. No one watching training so being in a growth area makes no difference.

Um it's about 20 - 30 minutes at worst down the monash, similar move as the hawks did. Apart from hitting our heads against the wall with kingston where would you propose us moving to?

btw the geelong coach lives in melbourne and travels down there, a lot worse.

Its 40 minutes for a start and Bomber doesnt do 2 sessions a day. He starts work and then finishes say 10 hours later. What do players do between sessions. Yes I also know alot of people live there now but if you really think players like Rooy and Lenny and for that matter most of the others are going to move down there well I dont think so but only my opinion.

[snoopygirl]

Gee, the poor boys may have to travel to go to work. Boo freakin hoo. Fair dinkum, these guys already earn far more than the majority of people who are paying their wages & we're worried about how far they have to travel to training. It would take no longer to get from Highett etc. to Casey than it would for them to travel to the Dome. Absolute joke the way some people are arguing about how far away Cranbourne is & using that as their basis for not wanting to move the training facilities.

Just for the record I would prefer that we stay at Moorabbin due to sentiment & good memories, but would support a move to Casey if that eventuated. I travel from that area to the city for work on a daily basis & also travel into the city on the weekend for games & don't even think twice about driving to Moorabbin for training. It's not like it's in outback Australia.

Are we seriously that short sighted that we are only thinking about the current list of players or are we willing to look at the bigger picture?

[Saints Premiers 2008]

i am wondering who was who as i was there last evening

i was the 20 year old that obviously looked out of place amongst 40-60 somethings...

i was impressed however

[Saints Premiers 2008]

and also another idea with the potential sponsor

hutchinson builders???

[plugger66]

Gee, the poor boys may have to travel to go to work. Boo freakin hoo. Fair dinkum, these guys already earn far more than the majority of people who are paying their wages & we're worried about how far they have to travel to training. It would take no longer to get from Highett etc. to Casey than it would for them to travel to the Dome. Absolute joke the way some people are arguing about how far away Cranbourne is & using that as their basis for not wanting to move the training facilities.

Just for the record I would prefer that we stay at Moorabbin due to sentiment & good memories, but would support a move to Casey if that eventuated. I travel from that area to the city for work on a daily basis & also travel into the city on the weekend for games & don't even think twice about driving to Moorabbin for training. It's not like it's in outback Australia.

Are we seriously that short sighted that we are only thinking about the current list of players or are we willing to look at the bigger picture?

It is not the travel to and from that would be the problem. What the hell do they do between sessions. 2-3 breaks not enough to get home so they get bored around the club and then train poorly. And you say the big picture can you explain that to me because this growth area stuff doesnt mean a thing as we play at TD and no one watches training so you could train in the outback and we would still have the same number odf suppoters to games.

[PLUGGER14]

i am wondering who was who as i was there last evening

i was the 20 year old that obviously looked out of place amongst 40-60 somethings...

i was impressed however

Easy tiger. I don't fall into the 40-60 category

& just quietly my wife would shoot you if she read this site