The Buzz: Gil must listen to the fans

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

NEW AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan must conduct a listening tour of the league as he takes over from Andrew Demetriou.

Demetriou's departure is now only weeks away, as first revealed in the Herald Sun.

McLachlan has seen off challenges from AFL club bosses Brian Cook and Brendon Gale, but in truth was never anything other than the unbackable favourite.

WATCH ROBBO GRILL THE NEW CEO ON AFL360 — 7.30PM EST ON FOX FOOTY

His huge leverage was his certain departure if overlooked, with the AFL Commission aware it could not lose both Demetriou and McLachlan, no matter the quality of the replacement.

NEW BOSS: McLACHLAN: THIS GAME IS MY PASSION

REACTION: FANS DEMAND CHEAPER TICKETS, FOOD

Demetriou will happily go early despite denials on Saturday, which means McLachlan will claim equalisation and the CBA deal as the first items to be ticked off under his new regime.

WHAT ISSUES SHOULD GILLON MCLACHLAN MAKE TOP PRIORITY? LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND REPLAY RALPHY'S LIVE CHAT

As AFL boss, Demetriou took a decade to discover what Joe Punter is shocked to find when he enters the MCG.

Demetriou recently took his kids into the MCG outer away from the fine dining of the official AFL lunch and was stunned to cough up $32 for three buckets of chips, a sports drink and two waters.

The Pascoe Vale-raised, former AFLPA boss has shown himself to be a man of the people, but he sounded like a suit-wearing toff venturing into the cheap seats for the first time.

Like a politician out of touch with the concerns of the voting public.

Gillon McLachlan is expected to take over from Andrew Demetriou as early as Wednesday. Source: News Limited

Especially given he continues to say the AFL is not responsible for food prices, when of course the AFL deigns to play at the stadiums that put catering rights up for tender.

That kind of comment makes it clear why Gillon McLachlan — who will be announced as the new AFL chief executive at 11am today — must conduct a listening tour of the AFL this year as he takes over from Demetriou.

Spending the rest of the year in the outer listening to Joe Punter wouldn't be the worst start.

So what are the key issues for McLachlan and how best should he go about tackling them as the AFL attempts to reinvent its public profile?

TICKETING

Don't tinkle down the public's back and tell them it's raining.

If the AFL needs to ramp up ticket prices to support the game, don't disguise it as "variable" or "dynamic" pricing, just fess up.

If that money goes to the clubs or the AFL or the expansion clubs or equalisation, then tell us exactly what the breakdown is too.

And don't drop big-ticket items like variable in a sneaky press release on a Friday arvo then apologise for lack of communication because it insults the intelligence of the fan.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

GOOD FRIDAY

Build it and they will come

Ignore power clubs like Essendon and give it to Dogs and North Melbourne and give them five years to build something special.

If they can't sell it out and make extra millions for the Good Friday Appeal, strip them and give someone else a crack.

MAKE 2015 THE YEAR OF THE FAN

Every club holds one open training session a week, the fans get into NAB Challenge games free if they buy a club membership.

Urge clubs to open up their clubs to allow inner sanctum experiences, and make them speak regularly through the media to their stakeholders — the fans.

They are the game's heroes and we rarely hear them speak but for paid TV show appearances.

Make 2015 the Year of the Fan, says Jon Ralph. Source: News Limited

CONGESTION AND MAULING

Tug the coat of those on the AFL Commission and footy boss Mark Evans and convince them rotations are hurting the game. Not killing it, but hurting it. And then hasten slowly.

Reduce interchange to 90 or 100 next year, and then take another look. Don't waste another year with the meaningless 120 cap.

IMPROVE THE AFL'S BRAND THROUGH PLAIN SPEAKING AND TRANSPARENCY

Less spin, more consistency and less trickery.

The AFL should be there to serve the fans, not take them for granted. The fans still flocked through the turnstiles through the global financial crisis and the Essendon saga yet the AFL put up ticket prices again both in general admission and blockbuster games.

DON'T KILL THE GOLDEN GOOSE

People love footy, but for 29 weeks of the year including finals, plus 18 pre-season games in 18 days?

Demetriou said this weekend that every year we debated the game's aesthetics before crowds and the game itself bounced back, and he may prove right.

But McLachlan would do well to tap into what on face value seems a more long-lasting discontent and ask the fans themselves about the issues at the heart of this great game.

What issue would you like to see Gillon McLachlan address first?

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

The Buzz: Gil must listen to the fans

Dengan url

http://ikhlasngeblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-buzz-gil-must-listen-to-fans.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

The Buzz: Gil must listen to the fans

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

The Buzz: Gil must listen to the fans

sebagai sumbernya