The Kennel (Bulldogs Membership Area) = A bit of a joke.

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Chicharito

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Fired back a reply to their email, and have asked that someone more senior give me a reply as it is an issue that a lot of people (not just on here either) are unhappy about.
Wouldn't be surprised if they give you some piss weak excuse as to why they can't do that
 

Edroy

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Stanna man your flag is awesome! It really stood out and looked great.

I sat in the old kennel (now category 2 or whatever it's called now) for this game and can fully understand why the club moved the kennel. The bay was practically full. Think of the money they were losing all those years the kennel was full of empty seats.

Bulldogs Army members complained the membership was too expensive and that they didn't get on tv, so the club lowered the membership price and moved the bay to where it could be on tv. It's not just a matter of asking channel 9/fox to turn their cameras around so our fans can get on tv. The kennel had to be moved for that to happen.

I also personally think it was great that the players saw all the banners and flags as they ran out on the field.

Opposition supporters sitting in Bulldogs membership bays has always been a problem. There were plenty of Souths supporters in the bay I was in on the weekend and they would've got in the same way I did - there was no security there 10 mins after kick off.

As for atmosphere - you have to create it yourselves. It's not as if being surrounded by cat 1 and GA members in the past made the kennel any better. They didn't join in. The burrow was going off on the weekend with only a handful of people in it.

The club invited kennel members last year to meet with them to discuss ways to improve the kennel experience. Only 6 people showed up. If you want something better you have to get up and do something about it.

And unfortunately nothing will ever be 100% perfect. People will always complain.
Many good points suiker.

I plan to make a few banners this year and that was one of the reasons I bought a kennel membership. I made my first banner after years of procrastinating and took it to the GF last year but it didn't get on TV.

My card says flag access. Does that mean if I take a banner with long poles I just have to show the card?
 

Papa Emeritus

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Pretty sure you have to register any banners or large flags. Ask the army twitter how to do that because I don't know.
 

Stanna man

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Thank You Mr Invisible for that extended email update from the Membership committee, i look forward to hearing their reply from a higher ranking officer if there is one..
its great to see someone not just having something to say but following it up also..

well done mate and im sure people power will come thorough... i reckon Todd might have a few words about this eventually..
 

Mr Invisible

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Thanks Stanna Man :grinning:

Another thing I just thought of. You can't sell every single seat in The Kennel, as some have larger banners/flags that will obstruct others views if that was the case. So gaps in seats isn't a huge issue.
 

OTTO

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In recent times I have noticed we are becoming more & more just a membership number/cash rather than an appreciated supporter.

Sometimes I wonder if certain people are right for their job or just related to, or know someone in a position of power.
 

suiker

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tl;dr warning.

In response to Mr Invisible:

All people at the meeting with the club were Army members. Some having been members for 10+ years.


The Kennel/Army has been given a LOT by the club over the years and we kept blowing our chances.

The seats the new kennel bay is in now are still being sold at a discounted price. This would've been category 2 in previous years but you're getting it for a cheaper price in the kennel membership.

The club offered us charity for years by keeping the former kennel bay in its location, despite it being more than half empty all the time. All those spare seats could've been sold if the area was category 2, but they weren't, so the Bulldogs were losing thousands each year.

Channel 9/fox had nothing to do with the decision to move into the television arc. This was something numerous kennel members came to us about and we passed on to the club. The only way to get us in the arc was to move us to the other side of the stadium.

The club wanted us to move to the burrow area, because they've seen the success the burrow has in creating atmosphere there. The club suggested we use a large "THE KENNEL" banner like the burrow has. We have a banner like this (which the club had in mind anyway) and are having trouble getting it to a game. Not sure why. This is an Army issue though.

Some liked the moving idea, some didn't. Can't please everyone.

Like I said, the club could've given up on us altogether and told us to sit in GA, but they gave us our own membership instead at a discounted price, because numerous people again requested this and we passed it on to the club.

If you were the club, would you sell a membership if the former kennel location at a discounted price and still have empty seats and therefore lose even more money?

The Bulldogs made the decision after much research to shift their membership packages. Category 1 bays were extended as well as category 2 on the western side. The prices were raised. Compare our membership prices to other clubs, particularly those who also use ANZ as their home ground and I think you'll find our prices are still very decent, if not cheaper.

As much as the club would like to grant us every wish, at the end of the day they're a business. It's not as if the extra money they're making is going into TG and the membership staff's pockets. It goes back into the club, into the fan programs, back for our benefit. NRL clubs are terribly underfunded when it comes to membership and gameday experience. Compared to the AFL we're a joke.

After feedback the club also decided to issue K3 and K7 passes. This isn't just so people who can't make all 10 home games can sit in the kennel. It's also for fulltime kennel members to buy so they can take a friend/family member to the occasional game. They were having a lot of problems with the old process of the member having to ring up by a certain day in the game week, printing off a kennel ticket and having it available for pick up at Gate H pre-game. Also, they wanted to do more to ensure Bulldogs fans were getting into the kennel and the best way to keep track of that is to make those tickets into a membership.

It also allows those K3 and K7 passes to receive another membership pack which is a bonus.

Security is the issue with opposition supporters in our membership bay. Always has been. The guards often don't check memberships and leave after the game has started allowing people to walk straight in. I know this is something TG has/will discuss with ANZ stadium this week.

The club has put in a lot of time and resources in to boosting the Bulldogs Army. They allowed us to have the drum back and reimbursed us for the cost of it. They have embraced us (where in the past they have distanced themselves from us) and promoted us on their social media. They've referred us to television, radio and newspaper journalists for interview. They've held meetings with our members outside office hours (and they do not get paid overtime) to workshop ideas to improve the kennel membership. A Director for the club's board was present at one of these meetings. They hooked us up with NRL ticketing to allow us to pre-purchase grand final tickets in our own section. They organised with ANZ stadium our very own bay for the first semi final which the Army walked out on and threw the work back in their face. They've done plenty for us for no reason other than to reward our "most passionate supporters".

And finally, the club is aware that our very own incredibly passionate and loyal Bulldogs Army members do not buy a kennel membership, get a way cheaper GA membership instead and get their friends to sneak them into the Kennel. This has been going on for years and again costs the club a lot of money.
 

Klem Bupa-Berg

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Maybe being Pro-active and offering solutions to the clubs concerns first about the Kennel, then once resolved, re-assesing the Kennels concerns.
Its about creating an adhoc meeting, being prepared, and raising it with the club in a way that they will take early season concerns into consideration.
Aim to convince the club in positive ways that you would like to work with them to improve things for both the Kennel and the Club despite the season already started. Maybe structure a plan in your email as well, so the club sees positive aspects. Highlight and apologise on the fact that despite previous talks, that maybe things arent as positive or have improved for both the Kennel and the Club. Asking from the club its concerns with the Kennel and your willigness to rectify them early in the season. Then push it to higher people if your not getting responses.

Some other ideas are the following steps as well:-
Step 1 Request a list from the club of all concerns with the Kennel to help provide solutions.
Step 2 Work through these concerns and make as many solutions as possible.
Step 3 Run through the solutions with the club and begin to resolve. Hence the Club recognises ownership, leadership and trust.
Step 4 Opportunity to raise Kennel concerns, and most importantly raising security concerns as a major factor with opposing fans.
Step 5 Take the options the club has provided to improve and work with the Kennel Members.
Step 6 Discuss with the club what options would satisfy a majority of the Kennel Members.

Just some ideas only, as what i saw from Suiker and the response to Mr Invisible is some misunderstanding amongst both Club and Kennel.
 

Özil

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Thank you Abba, You have pretty much explained everything in black and white and justified the reasons why we had to move there.

I know how much hard work you have put in with the Bulldogs army along with Will and Tina in the last year or so and a lot of us do appreciate and acknowledge that hard work you guys have done

:grinning:
 

Martyr

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Even as a life-time Bulldogs fan, I was slightly apprehensive in buying the Kennel membership this year due to the seating allocation. But I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised with my experience last Friday.

The K3, K7 and K10 memberships represent the best value for money and despite the description given on the brochure (as quoted in the OP), you can't expect it to stay as a hardcore supporters option. The fact is it's the most casual friendly membership option. Casual is the opposite to hardcore.

My partner and I are K3 members and she wore her Souths Jersey into the kennel, so not every opposition fan is gaining access illegitimately. In our case, we are members of both clubs.

Having said that, I definitely feel the plight of those who have highlighted issues. There needs to be an option and a place for true hardcore fans but due to simple economics, the Kennel is no longer it.
 

Klem Bupa-Berg

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Good point Martyr and different perspective.

Totally agree that every club needs its hardcore fans and a designated area known to all. Its never too late, just like our team in turning the season around.
 

Snowmann

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I've asked before, but why isn't the Kennel membership reserved seating?..The only answer I got was that, "you will always find a seat"..ooh really, last Friday was a great example as to why they should have reserved seating, even for the Kennel, I saw families walking in just after the game had started and I felt sorry for them as they has to be separated, not saying they were Kennel Members, but just think if they were, I'm sure they wouldn't be to happy knowing the fact they paid good money to me members but get shafted when it comes to these blockbuster games. I had to get there at 1 pm just so I knew I would get good seats.
 

suiker

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I've asked before, but why isn't the Kennel membership reserved seating?..The only answer I got was that, "you will always find a seat"..ooh really, last Friday was a great example as to why they should have reserved seating, even for the Kennel, I saw families walking in just after the game had started and I felt sorry for them as they has to be separated, not saying they were Kennel Members, but just think if they were, I'm sure they wouldn't be to happy knowing the fact they paid good money to me members but get shafted when it comes to these blockbuster games. I had to get there at 1 pm just so I knew I would get good seats.
Free seating in the kennel is something the majority (if not all) of the Army requested.

We had our own kennel bay at the first semi final last year. It was reserved seating so the Army walked out on it.
 

SaMi..

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Even as a life-time Bulldogs fan, I was slightly apprehensive in buying the Kennel membership this year due to the seating allocation. But I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised with my experience last Friday.

The K3, K7 and K10 memberships represent the best value for money and despite the description given on the brochure (as quoted in the OP), you can't expect it to stay as a hardcore supporters option. The fact is it's the most casual friendly membership option. Casual is the opposite to hardcore.

My partner and I are K3 members and she wore her Souths Jersey into the kennel, so not every opposition fan is gaining access illegitimately. In our case, we are members of both clubs.

Having said that, I definitely feel the plight of those who have highlighted issues. There needs to be an option and a place for true hardcore fans but due to simple economics, the Kennel is no longer it.
No disrespect to you or your partner, but why would your Mrs want to sit in the heart of the 'Bulldogs Army' for (In a Souths Jersey)? Weren't you guys better off in GA or even in the Burrow?
 

SaMi..

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Free seating in the kennel is something the majority (if not all) of the Army requested.

We had our own kennel bay at the first semi final last year. It was reserved seating so the Army walked out on it.
i'll admit, i'm one of the many that requested free seating. The last thing i wanted when sitting next to a group of kennel mates whilst enjoying a beer is a mother with her kids is nagging me to get out of her seat.
 

Martyr

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No disrespect to you or your partner, but why would your Mrs want to sit in the heart of the 'Bulldogs Army' for (In a Souths Jersey)? Weren't you guys better off in GA or even in the Burrow?
Depends what you define as better off. Most GA seating is behind the goal line. The way we saw it, better view from the kennel. It was her idea, lol!

We will use burrow tickets at Rabbitohs home games. I don't think our rabbitohs membership allowed us to last Friday.
 

Mr Invisible

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I thought even though Kennel was "GA" i.e not fixed seating, that at least anyone who had a Kennel Pass SHOULD be able to get seating in their allocated section.
 

suiker

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Anyone with a GA ticket should expect it to be first in, best seated.

Also I wouldn't want to have an allocated seat directly in front of certain loud people haha
 

Stanna man

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I think having an allocated area is better than having a seat allocated,
if your paying more for membership like near the 50m line then yes you don't want someone sitting in your seat..

anyways enough winging , I'm getting there early for a GOOD SEAT and bringing the noise !!!!!!!
 
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