In my opinion, the discussion in this thread should be limited to qualms about what a "member" is. The member club thing has been beaten to death, and there are simple logistical reasons for it being the way it is. We all have something to celebrate in the new stadium. For me, the term "member" doesn't mean much. It's not much more than a marketing ploy. The ownership is just putting together ways to give perks to anyone who supports the team. That's cool, but it doesn't really change how I view the team or what I expect from them.
Sometime in the future ... "Sporting Club is an amazing success, we now have 50,000 members" I just want to add to this that my major frustration is on the "Membership" thing itself - just in the lack of definition, and the fact that the platform isn't ready, they simply should have announced it when it was actually ready. It isn't.
My understanding has that it's always been like my Price Chopper card or whatever. I "sign up" and I get "extra deals", in that I've decided to "make a commitment" and I get "rewarded". It's all marketing, and at the end of the day, mostly meaningless, and I don't think it will really affect me either way. If they do decide to add extra benefits to season ticket holders, so much the better, but if they just want to expand their email mailing list by offering goodies to people who have an interest for free, that's just fine too.
Glad to see there are some others with frustrations on the whole "member" thing as well. It is not going to stop me from being a fan, just disappointed on how Sporting Club has handled it. I am happy and excited with my season tickets and cannot wait for Thursday. I am excited for my wife and friends to finally experience a game in a true soccer stadium. I just feel that they have taken something that could have been easy and turned it into something that makes people not even want to think about it anymore. Although they may have more names on a "member" list, I believe they have alienated the casual fan even more. It is hard enough for some people to give soccer a chance, then you start throwing out all of these things about being a "member". I have had a lot of non-soccer friends interested in asking questions because they have seen the stadium, but they totally are lost on the different aspects of being a "member" and I tell them I don't understand it as well. Hopefully this is just a rough start and Sporting Club will work to smooth out this and find better ways to communicate their ideas about this to all level of fans. Just keep it simple.
So what does it mean to really be a "Member". Well its completely free for anyone over the age of 13. It serves many different purposes for the club and the "members". Basically it is marketing; however, it ties into what this club is trying to do, its brand positioning in marketing. This club is trying something unique (i.e the name, the livestrong sponsorship, awesome stadium, ect). The ultimate goal is to provide the best possible soccer experience to Kansas City. This membership is crucial to all the things that make this new club so cool. I want to stop the nay sayers here for a second. Now, the "member" concept is still being worked out but it has more benefits than you realize. Try and give the FO a break, they are working on numerous projects to make opening day perfect. We will understand more as the days go by. Here are a few benefits: -You dont need to have season tickets to be a member. Oh, did I say it was free? -It is a reward based system, the more you buy the more you get. All purchases are tracked and rewarded points to your account, any form of participation is tracked and points for these interactions accumulate. Who knows what you may get, but the rewards will be worthwhile -Free tickets to away games - Non member club section ticket holders can join the fun in the members club before the game, so they can see the true fans of this team. Its a way for the casual fan to possible become the next drummer in the cauldron. But you need a members pass to get in, you can only do this three times a year, to join in on the fun; otherwise buy a member section ticket. -That sporting app for your phone that you here about, you must be a member to use it. Why, you can order your drink from your phone and go pick it up. There are interactive tools on this app that will play a key role for anyone at the game. You could have a prize brought to your seat during the game. I know this sounds common, but its the ends and outs that will impress you. TO END! Not all can be said, There are no members yet, to my knowledge. It has not been launched yet, its simple and free, I encourage you to sign up. You can use this membership at your will, this is to connect the team to all fans. There will be people at the games to sign you up. Just ask, they will need minimal info and you will be given your temporary members card. More details as we move forward....
Can't believe that you can still get blocks of 24 tickets together right now through ticketmaster for the opener. South Stand, West Stand both have them at that quantity, and at decent row numbers. It'd be embarrassing if we can't sell out the opener but if Ticketmaster is correct, I'm guessing we won't be. There was demand for the Cauldron tickets - I think we could've sold them all pretty easily by ourselves. We were selling them very quickly when we were told to stop because they wanted to give them away as part of this membership program. I don't get why they couldn't give away tickets to other games, like game 2,3,4 etc. Those 600 all would've sold. Makes no sense to me, but I stopped trying to figure it out. Sorry if anyone felt ripped off that bought them through us. We didn't know they would be giving them away at all. We secured group tickets and sold them because we thought it would be the best way to make sure regulars could get the tickets they needed.
So do STH need to sign up to be a members? I'd so, I never seen any communication that say so.. or where to signup. As other's have mentioned: no one knows anything (that they can share) and it leads to more questions and confusion. For example: The Members tab on the official site does not say too much. Where are fans supposed to learn about the benefits 1/3 of the way through the season. I asked about member benefits to two SKC staff members on the ticket pickup event and was told it was being launched June 1.
Huh... guess I'm not a member after all. (My mother will be so disappointed when she finds out.) Maybe I won't sign up... I kind of like the idea of being a non-member member of the member stand/members club.
That's contrary to what they've said about STH already being members, and having to be members to get the free away tickets. But if the system is basically starting Thursday, one would expect all these things to have been laid out CLEARLY before hand. This membership crap is as clear as mud. That's what people's main problem is (or at least mine). This sort of "innovated" concept should have been laid out clearly WELL before the first game. This is something they've talked about since the rebranding announcement, one would have expected them to already have a basic idea of what the concept was then, and have it laid out more than it is considering it's 8 months later.
WOW....tell me you didn't just type that....unbelievable. edit: The more I read that, the more pissed I get. The thought of someone implying that I am not a "true fan of this team" because I no longer sit in the Cauldron. Talk about someone being completely out of touch with reality...I just don't know what to say.....to many things bouncing around inside my head, and none of them fall within the guidelines for allowable discussions on BS.....wow, just wow.
I don't know who "Kempin" is here, but insert typical disclaimer about how he's not an employee of the organization and his thoughts and statements here are his own and do not represent the opinions of Sporting Club and Sporting Kansas City, etc. etc...
Yeah, I pretty much assumed it isn't John. And I know that's not everyone's thinking, but damn it really passes me off to see that.
Still being worked out? Didn't Sporting Club announce this "idea" back in the fall last year with the rebrand. I would like to think a little more thought was done on it during that time to get it ready. As a result the product looks like an afterthought of the rebrand. I am sure there are more projects that are going on than we realize before opening day, but the organization knew this day would come. Planning? Will this be in place for Thursday? Is this what we have to sign up at the stadium to get the temporary "members" card. I plan on buying a good amount of merchandise the day of the game and would be nice if this program is ready to get the points for that. Really? I love what the supporter groups bring to the game, but it would be nice if we could get past the whole "true fans" of the team. I think we would all agree "true fans" sit in different sections throughout the stadium depending on their situation and wants. I look forward to this, sounds like a cool application. Now I just need a smartphone.
Let's please not give Kempin's post more credit that it deserves. There are obvious flaws throughout it.
that is the first instance I have seen of anyone saying that the cauldron is the "true fans". I have seen that references from people that they had been said, but never a statement to support it. I'd be pissed too.
Again, it wasn't a question of demand for the Cauldron tickets. Yes, the team could have sold the tickets. They chose not to as a marketing ploy to target certain people to be in the section. Yes some people probably paid for tickets they could have gotten for free, but I don't see it as that big of a deal. I am concerned about tickets still being available in good sections. But Thursday night at 900pm is kind of tough for most people too, we can't forget that even if it is the grand opening.
Yea the 9pm start is a big freakIn drag. I'd love to stick around after the game but I'll be lucky to get home by 5am. Thank god I don't have to work the next day.
I apologize for calling the members section true fans, that was wrong, but you must agree to the new casual fan of Kansas City joining in on the members section would be a cool new experience. This is why they are letting members join in on the fun 3 times a year, or for other die hard fans to join their friends in there. This can be used however you want. And no I'm not Jon ( I really need a new user name). I was trying to inform you with as little info as i could. I guess i would just wait till they launch joinsporting.com and you can test it for yourself. I saw this thread and I saw too many jumping the gun on our FO. I just wanted to show the other side before everyone decides not to join as a member. Its there to benefit you.
No one is saying that they're not going to join as a member, people are more specifically not liking the lack of understanding that has been provided by the team with regards to what actually constitutes being a "member" and what is involved with it, especially since it's been 8 months since it was announced and it still sounds incredibly vague.
The lack of understanding will be fixed when they launch the app and the membership site. I want to tell you guys the cool ends and outs but I am keeping my mouth shut until its all made public. We can all become members and enjoy our perks soon.
Nobody is jumping the gun and the FO about the members thing. The pulled out their gun flashed it around, talked about it, before they were ready to use it or know what it is going to be used for.
People aren't just scoffing at getting benefits here. This isn't a case where anyone is biting the hand that feeds them, so to speak. We are cool with the benefits that have been alluded to and Sporting Club is coming up with some great ideas. The thing people have a problem with, is none of it is clearly defined. We are 4 days away from the starting line, and no one has a membership card with their name and ID on it with a letter attached that clearly explains that once you use it X times you get Y as a benefit. Sporting Club has done an amazing job with getting the stadium deal locked up, getting it finished in time for Thursday, and brainstorming ideas. But to a large degree, it feels like they've bitten off more than they can chew. I have to think that once the stadium is opened up and that first day is behind us, some other things that have taken a back seat will get addressed. I don't think the situation has anyone truly upset or anything, but it is frustrating enough to look at and say "well that could have been handled better..."
For the sake of argument, let's assume that it actually makes sense to have Season Ticket "Members" and Membership "Members" that are totally separate things which happen to share a name. "They" keep telling us that the stadium is going to be the most technologically advanced stadium in the history of ever. They're going to pioneer new & exciting ways for people to screw around on their phone instead of watching the game. They're going to revolutionized the way people purchase beer & hot dogs. Now you're telling me that these hi-tech, cutting edge visionaries can't figure out how to export all my contact info out of the Season Ticket Member database and put it in the Membership Member database? Would we even be having this discussion if they told us that our Membership as Season Ticket Members automagically included Membership in the Membership Members program?