I think it's the 30th January. May be the 31st...

Cool, thanks. Might see you there...

From the latest Heartland newsletter:

STANDING TRIAL FOR 'OWN THE EXPERIENCE' MATCH THIS FRIDAY

In the spirit of the ‘Own the experience’ match against Adelaide United on Friday night, we will be trialling the opening of bays 16, 17 and 18 (lower sections) as active supporter and allowing people to stand.

All members with a General Admission membership or ticket will be entitled to enter these areas on the night with a view to filling all three lower bays and building on the active supporter experience. The tarps will remain in their usual positions to differentiate between the GA and active areas.

If successful and attended in good number, the club would look to making the necessary adjustments in the future. This has been facilited at the request of our members to create a better atmosphere on game day, so please make everyone welcome who wishes to try out the active area and get as many people down there as possible.

The upper half of bays 16,17 and 18 will remain general admission seating and GA members can also make use of the Northern end of the stadium.

We look forward to everyone joining in the sing song, particulalry the trialling of the potential new club song 'So happy together' by the turtles, which will be beamed up on to the big screen to help everyone sing along.

Your team at Heart

About time to be honest! The active bays have been for members only this year, leaving bays 16 and 18 three quarters empty. This should be a good initiative to allow members of the public to get involved in the active scene and develop some kind of attachment to the club.

In anticipation of the own the experience trial... as a broad overview after 2.5 seasons in I'd be keen to hear what you think the club is getting right, what it's getting wrong and it's top 3 areas of focus and your ...and finally!

I'll start:
Right - commitment to community. This is my persnal belief but I have also spoken with a number of players on this and BY FAR they say the Heart are the most active in the community (compared to other clubs they have been at - incl Roar, CCM, Newcastle, Victory). I have said this before but I think this commitment to community engagement will pay off in the next generation of supporters - the ones a bit young to go to the game by themselves now but in 3-5 years will be weeekly rusted on fans (assuming we win at home).

Wrong - It's easy to point the finger at a result here or there, a player or two who you think doesn't deserve a game but the biggest mistake this club has made (continues to make) is playing for the finals. Each season - "our initial goal is to make the finals". As members and fans we deserve more than that. If you aren't SERIOUS ABOUT WINNING THE TITLE then why should I make the commitment. Get ambitious! Back JA (or whoever else we need if it comes down to it) or bring in the expert advice to set ourselves up to be the first Austealian Club to win the ACL. In a comp of 10 I don't want to hear "Our initial goal is to make the finals!"

1, Build the home ground into a fortess. Home wins bring confidence and it also brings fans. Fans become members, members become the lifeblood of the club. Gotta get consistent wins at home.

2, Defend yourself. Become more bullish in the press/social media, stand up for the club, what it believes, stands for, it's players, coaches and even it's resources (small may they be), but especially its fans. We may not be many but we want a club that is prepared to take on the knockers on and off the pitch. Fair enough don't give oxygen to small people and their petty egos but on the things that matter - get on the front foot and create a bit of controversy but defendingthe club.

3, Continue to improve the matchday experience for all sectors of the club. Family friendly, active support, corporate hospitality and of course (point 1) results. If you get the interaction int he community right you have to back it up with a great match day experience. Listentot he active supporter groups to help create the atmosphere, give the corportate guests a best in town sports corportate hospitality experience and make sure families continue to get accomodated.

...and finally - Move the away section. It might seem petty but no club in it's right mind has it's away fans sitting behind the assitant referee. There may not be many of them but it's the principle. Move them to the other side of the ground.

Edited by quichefc: 17/1/2013 03:35:56 PM

Good away trip boys. Hope you all made it, but if not make sure you can to the next one in Sydney so it can be even bigger than before and we can truly out sing the smurfs at their ground.

Dear Heart_Fan10,

We have noticed you signature is seriously in arrears.
The previous amendment was not met 6 weeks ago putting the latest result in breach of your regulatory requirements

:lol: :lol:

Ok I'm drunk so it seems like an idea to me -

Heart have played all home games ever (Apart from Gippsland one) at AAMI, right? Including the first ever football match there? Why not use that as some sort of basis for an identity. Have a chant about the bubbles of the stadium, or put it on the jersey, or I dunno it's just the core of an idea. Thoughts?

Even as a Sydney fc fan... I fukin hope Melbourne Heart stay strong..

[youtube]VHpgUeHAv2s[/youtube]

Tbh, the main issues with the club over the last couple of years has been:

- Inability to maintain one direction on the park. We move from youth focus to a veteran mates club and then back again without staying true to what the club says it stands for.
- Results have not been good enough to maintain any momentum on and off the park
- No bigger name marquee when we are up against the biggest club in the country is not an easy task to generate interest
- Unfortunately there was no stadium to use in the Sth-East. Being based there but playing games at AAMI would likely defeat the purpose of true engagement with that area. As much as some seem to think it would be, Geelong is not a viable option for the club full-time
- Continued instability from outside forces who will try anything to see us fail. Its hardly been a great thing continuing to see negative reports of this, that and the other over the last few years, but tahts the way a few would love it to play out.

We need to hold true to one strategy and stick to it. Make it clear that this is the way we are moving forward to silence those people that are trying their hardest to gain an advantageous outcome for their own interests.




Edited by heart_fan: 4/5/2013 03:53:55 PM

I'll add a few for you:
- Underachieving older players constantly being used in preference over younger, better players
- Defense has been diabolical - mostly caused by players being played out of position.
- Lack of flexibility in the way we play. A team who keeps doing the same thing at 0-2 down and sits on that scoreline, instead of trying to change the game.
- Lack of leadership on the park

If we get the product good enough on the park, the people will come. But with the marketing of the product, there definitely are a few things which could be done

These are all very close the mark but they are not issues that Heart have faced/failed at alone... tell me no other club has had these same issues... hell Victory had them just last season! [As good as Milligan is (and he is good) he was an injury replacement the year before last - hardly a masterstroke of recruiting and club development - now he is the main pin that holds Victory together.] How Heart overcome their similar issues (including pitch leadership) will go some way to addressing the 'identity' issue that is repeatedly put up as a reason to challenge our existence.

Heart's strategy rightly or wrongly was too aligned with it's foundation Coach. JvS wanted Heart to be like the Ajax of Australia youth focus, technique over grit etc. With his (and subsequestly Ante's) departure JA has the job of maintaining the threads of that legacy as well as bringing in the results (which can be done by the way - but it's a lot to expect of a rookie). Though he has to do it without any of the coaching staff that were part of the clubs's start up - so the legacy of JvS is diminished and therefoe the 'identity' question becomes more relevant. JDids and JA hold the key to the clubs footballing identity but whilst outsiders take pot shots at the club and it's legitimacy to exist their job becomes a lot harder...

Nobody challenged the existence of Roar in their first years - lot's of dead wood, no ambition and lack of a consistent team ethic... remember pre-Ange they were an absolute rabble! The reason they were never challenged is because they were a one team town... fuck up all you like if you are a one-team town but once you become the second team you have to suddenly get things right straight away...

Who the club brings in for the 'retiring and removed' will go some way to redressing the challenges that this season just concluded has posed...

Fans just need to stick fat - though it's be good if the club were to get on the front foot and defend itself sometime...

I think we need a marquee, a real marquee.

My pick is Andrei Arshavin.

What do people think?

Yep. So long as Aloisi can get the best of him... then again if Wenger couldn't not sure how the rookie will. In any case I like your thinking.

Can you imaging him in one of the 'ice baths'... poor little guy won't be able to get out!

\:d/

I hope the prices haven't gone up from last season! Either way...bring on next Wednesday! :-)

Fingers crossed they do an early bird special and allow members to re-sign at last season's prices before the end of the month. Last season's prices were reasonable I think, I'm confident it remain that way.

iirc prices were maintained for foundation members last year if they bought by a particular date... I'd expect a small rise cos we have two home derbies this year after no rise last year. Either way - adult membership with member pack and access to 14 games for around $15 a game is good value... and it all goes directly to the Club!

I just wish/hope they have a keyring as part of the member pack! So far 3 years and no keyring...

You mean, you don't wear your Melbourne Heart neck-strap every where? lol
I agree though, you're more likely going to carry a keyring around rather the pinning a MH pin to your clothes! One of those keyrings with a bottle opener would be nice ;)

Regarding membership prices, you make a good point regarding the two derbies (in addition to two ADP appearances), but considering we have a small member base, they should keep the prices low (the same) to attract new members.

Surprisingly no, but I'm getting quite a collection... which will come in handy when we relocate to Hobart and I grow another head or two!

I'd expect a rise... very rate for two years without a rise in this economic climate! $15-$20 more won't make much difference for new members if the squad is competitive and exciting to watch...

Out of interest how does the Heart GA compare to Victory GA - or because of Etihad is it not apples with apples???

IIRC in our first season the GA membership at Heart was $215, but came down to $195 the second and third seasons. I'm pretty sure MVFC was also $195 for GA seating.

I get Category B seats and I think they've been steady around the $375 mark.

I like the pin, it goes on my camera bag. That said, a bottle opening keyring would be good too - then I could replace my Guinness one.

Prices dropped in our second season because we had 2 less games. In our first season we were slightly cheaper than MV, but I think now we are slightly more expensive - at least on the cheapest packages. But it's hard to tell because of the Etihad split.

The club need to do something this season.

Either compete for top 2, or get a big name marquee.

I'll be happy with a top 4 finish - home final :-)

By the 5/6/13 no one will care about the small price increase.
The club will still be in the media this time next week,when Harry is red and white.

Maybe he`s already in Melbourne ?

Or do both.