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Independent Supporters Trust

The last thing you want is a club run by fans.

We have a system at the moment that locks all of us out of the decision making process and that’s just the way I want it.

No offence, but our opinions are fine on here where they don’t matter.

The owners have an impetus to protect their investment, I.e ensure the club runs as well as it can. That’s a failsafe enough to ensure correct decisions are made over time.

The current situation is the result of some poor decisions post Wayne. This isn’t a long term systemic issue at this point. Despite your opinions on pathways, retention, etc, it was working until a ways into last season.

They’ll work their way out of this. If they don’t, more heads will roll (again, to protect their investment).

That’s regardless of a what would equate to a fan-led suggestion box.

Want to have a say in the club? Become an uber successful individual with a spare $30mil or so to throw into the hat and buy some shares off Rusty. :)

Failing that, we’re spectators.

I’ll add, with as much say as we’ve ever had in the day to day running of the club.

I don’t recall George asking our advice when we were a ‘member owned’ entity.
 
Pplspoet said:
We have a system at the moment that locks all of us out of the decision making process and that’s just the way I want it.

No offence, but our opinions are fine on here where they don’t matter.

The owners have an impetus to protect their investment, I.e ensure the club runs as well as it can. That’s a failsafe enough to ensure correct decisions are made over time.

The current situation is the result of some poor decisions post Wayne. This isn’t a long term systemic issue at this point. Despite your opinions on pathways, retention, etc, it was working until a ways into last season.

They’ll work their way out of this. If they don’t, more heads will roll (again, to protect their investment).

That’s regardless of a what would equate to a fan-led suggestion box.

Want to have a say in the club? Become an uber successful individual with a spare $30mil or so to throw into the hat and buy some shares off Rusty. :)

Failing that, we’re spectators.

I’ll add, with as much say as we’ve ever had in the day to day running of the club.

I don’t recall George asking our advice when we were a ‘member owned’ entity.
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Thanks for your thoughts.

An independent trust in no way, shape or form suggests that fans will run the club. That simply cannot and wont happen.

But to suggest paying members opinions do not matter is where I disagree.

The paying members are the reason this club is alive. The paying members are the heart and soul of the club. Not the investors, not the suits who are getting paid to do a job and then walk away for a better job.

The cultural pillars of the club are held in place by the FANS.

So what does this all mean?

More communication. More common ground. More understanding. More accountability.

Not fans running the club, or making financial decisions. But fans being listened to and respected for what they are.
 
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Bunny Boy said:
Thanks for your thoughts.

An independent trust in no way, shape or form suggests that fans will run the club. That simply cannot and wont happen.

But to suggest paying members opinions do not matter is where I disagree.

The paying members are the reason this club is alive. The paying members are the heart and soul of the club. Not the investors, not the suits who are getting paid to do a job and then walk away for a better job.

The cultural pillars of the club are held in place by the FANS.

So what does this all mean?

More communication. More common ground. More understanding. More accountability.

Not fans running the club, or making financial decisions. But fans being listened to and respected for what they are.
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BB not looking to diminish all that you are saying but every season the Club/ NRL issue surveys for feedback on Club membership and other issues. This an avenue for comment and feedback. We have the corporate structure in place with appointed representatives of the members; that is what the voting rights and AGM entitle members to make contributions or raise items on the meeting agenda. So respectfully I believe we already have a voice; but do we know how to access it? George
 
bunnytragic said:
BB not looking to diminish all that you are saying but every season the Club/ NRL issue surveys for feedback on Club membership and other issues. This an avenue for comment and feedback. We have the corporate structure in place with appointed representatives of the members; that is what the voting rights and AGM entitle members to make contributions or raise items on the meeting agenda. So respectfully I believe we already have a voice; but do we know how to access it? George
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Good point mate.

But are the surveys etc just customer engagament box ticking?

Most organisations ask for "feedback".

But as members who live and breath this footy club, its about much more than a survey monkey feedback.

Secondly, is an AGM the right environment to have open, frank and honest discussions? Personally after being to a few in my time, I cant see how they are.
 
Bunny Boy said:
Good point mate.

But are the surveys etc just customer engagament box ticking?

Most organisations ask for "feedback".

But as members who live and breath this footy club, its about much more than a survey monkey feedback.

Secondly, is an AGM the right environment to have open, frank and honest discussions? Personally after being to a few in my time, I cant see how they are.
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I tend to think that the surveys are indeed used - the NRL have initiated several changes to rules as a result of the surveys over the years - interchange numbers, on field officials, video ref . Similarly, the questions about membership and comments in getting value for money are not just preset options but allow comments / suggestions to be made. As for the AGM being the place to raise these issues, what better place with all the parties in the one place? The decision makers, those accountable for action and the 'petitioners'?? As I said I respect where you are coming from but like management do we need to flatten the organisation or just add more layers? In my personal opinion the more layers in place reduces the effectiveness of communication and can create more noise/ confusion. However, I reiterate I respect the opinion you have espoused and you are more than entitled to raise it.
 
bunnytragic said:
I tend to think that the surveys are indeed used - the NRL have initiated several changes to rules as a result of the surveys over the years - interchange numbers, on field officials, video ref . Similarly, the questions about membership and comments in getting value for money are not just preset options but allow comments / suggestions to be made. As for the AGM being the place to raise these issues, what better place with all the parties in the one place? The decision makers, those accountable for action and the 'petitioners'?? As I said I respect where you are coming from but like management do we need to flatten the organisation or just add more layers? In my personal opinion the more layers in place reduces the effectiveness of communication and can create more noise/ confusion. However, I reiterate I respect the opinion you have espoused and you are more than entitled to raise it.
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Totally get where you are coming from.

Im a tad more pessimistic probably because I have seen how some organisations "use" surveys.

Good chat either way.
 
bunnytragic said:
the NRL have initiated several changes to rules as a result of the surveys over the years
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True, I know myself and 3 others all raised the suggestion of penalising the downtown . If 3 in my circle raised it rest assured many others did.
That rule change was enacted and is a good initiative
 
daRque said:
Listened to about what?
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How to increase membership base
Deeper understanding of how the clubs finances are being used
Campaign together about the nrl draw
Member engagement initiatives
Community outreach
Membership benefits/packages
Jersey designs
Match day experience
Updates on junior pathway and development
Historical and cultural preservation
Fan travel and accomodation
Charitable initiatives
Key hot topic feedback - ie. Current situation and brand equity feedback
Any nrl related changes (structure or rules)

Thats just on top of my head
 
You say the sailor jersey wouldn’t have got up.

They literally got the fans to design the 2014 anniversary jersey and it was universally panned on here.

If you have any thoughts on your list above that you think are genuinely original and important for someone to hear, send the club an email or give them a call. Any fan can do that.

Or post it on here and you’ll get a sense pretty quickly about what 100-odd supporters think of it.

In the age of socials, it’s never been easier to communicate with an organisation and have your thoughts heard. Especially if that thought is genuinely shared by a group.

Having a ‘fan board’ would just lead to factions within the supporter base. You’d have groups jockeying for position and lashing out at whoever is on there because of whatever random thing is or isn’t getting seen to. It would be an in-club popularity contest that blurs the line of fan and club employee. It’s essentially the old board system.

I actually think it’s fundamentally wrong to elevate certain fans above others. We’re the supporter base and we’re equal. There’s no special ‘high council’ of select fans we forward our concerns to as a conduit to the club.

I don’t think we should complicate a governance system that was specifically designed to get rid of this stuff.

The club has an impetus to sell jerseys, tickets to games, and memberships. Fans will always have the clubs ear on those elements because we vote with our wallets. If there was genuine dislike of the sailor cosplay jersey, it’ll reflect in the sales. If they were poor, we won’t see a design like that again. Ditto the member designed anniversary jersey, and the optional fan merch system this season.

They have all the fan data and input they need. They know what we buy, which news stories get clicks on the website, what people are interested in on socials, what emails fans do and don’t open, when we go to games, how we travel there, they have our survey responses, etc, etc.

If you feel we need more information coming out of the club, then petition the club for that. That option is available to any fan. If enough fans agree, you’ll get some momentum and the club will listen.

My take on this is underpinned by a belief that if the club took a serious wrong turn, the fan group 100% has the power to make change. We’re the customer and as you say they’re not here without us.

I think we just disagree on how much we’re already telling the club. In my opinion, a fan council is highly capable of getting things wrong, and is actually a pretty poor way for the club and fans to have a discourse. It’s another dozen (likely ego driven) voices who get to sit in a room and feel special, superficially making the club feel like they hit a quota of fan interaction.
 
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Bunny Boy said:
How to increase membership base
Deeper understanding of how the clubs finances are being used
Campaign together about the nrl draw
Member engagement initiatives
Community outreach
Membership benefits/packages
Jersey designs
Match day experience
Updates on junior pathway and development
Historical and cultural preservation
Fan travel and accomodation
Charitable initiatives
Key hot topic feedback - ie. Current situation and brand equity feedback
Any nrl related changes (structure or rules)

Thats just on top of my head
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Oh, well you can relax then because we already have people with decades of experience in business and rugby league looking after all those areas.

Maybe let them do their jobs and we can do our jobs of supporting the club.

You only have to look at some of the bullshit that pops up here and on the Warren to see why fans should be fans and have nothing to do with business and club decisions.
 
Interesting ideas and discussion in this thread, which makes a change from the recent cannibalism.

As a member I don't think it's my place to be involved in the decisions the club makes. However as a member you also feel pretty powerless. I haven't liked quite a few of the decisions and direction the club has taken in recent years and the only way I could send a message to the club is not to renew membership. At the same time I want to remain staunch to the club in hard times. Difficult choice for me at least.
 
Pplspoet said:
You say the sailor jersey wouldn’t have got up.

They literally got the fans to design the 2014 anniversary jersey and it was universally panned on here.

If you have any thoughts on your list above that you think are genuinely original and important for someone to hear, send the club an email or give them a call. Any fan can do that.

Or post it on here and you’ll get a sense pretty quickly about what 100-odd supporters think of it.

In the age of socials, it’s never been easier to communicate with an organisation and have your thoughts heard. Especially if that thought is genuinely shared by a group.

Having a ‘fan board’ would just lead to factions within the supporter base. You’d have groups jockeying for position and lashing out at whoever is on there because of whatever random thing is or isn’t getting seen to. It would be an in-club popularity contest that blurs the line of fan and club employee. It’s essentially the old board system.

I actually think it’s fundamentally wrong to elevate certain fans above others. We’re the supporter base and we’re equal. There’s no special ‘high council’ of select fans we forward our concerns to as a conduit to the club.

I don’t think we should complicate a governance system that was specifically designed to get rid of this stuff.

The club has an impetus to sell jerseys, tickets to games, and memberships. Fans will always have the clubs ear on those elements because we vote with our wallets. If there was genuine dislike of the sailor cosplay jersey, it’ll reflect in the sales. If they were poor, we won’t see a design like that again. Ditto the member designed anniversary jersey, and the optional fan merch system this season.

They have all the fan data and input they need. They know what we buy, which news stories get clicks on the website, what people are interested in on socials, what emails fans do and don’t open, when we go to games, how we travel there, they have our survey responses, etc, etc.

If you feel we need more information coming out of the club, then petition the club for that. That option is available to any fan. If enough fans agree, you’ll get some momentum and the club will listen.

My take on this is underpinned by a belief that if the club took a serious wrong turn, the fan group 100% has the power to make change. We’re the customer and as you say they’re not here without us.

I think we just disagree on how much we’re already telling the club. In my opinion, a fan council is highly capable of getting things wrong, and is actually a pretty poor way for the club and fans to have a discourse. It’s another dozen (likely ego driven) voices who get to sit in a room and feel special, superficially making the club feel like they hit a quota of fan interaction.
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All valid and interesting points poet.

For mine when you peal back all the layers, South Sydney fans all want the same thing at the macro level, and ultimately that is the most important. The Warren and Pride are only a snapshot. Arguing about who should play fullback really isnt up for conversation.

If you allow it to get anymore complicated than the macro level, as you suggested above, it can turn quite quickly and easily.

A fan trust is about streamlined communication and transparency. But most importantly, accountability.

I for one would have no issues with 99.9999% of Pride members being "elected" to join a Trust as a representative of the fan. Because I know to the core everyone cares. Everyone wants the same thing. How we get there is part of a democracy.
 
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