CCM Fans and the club PT 2

[Man Overboard]

You are entitled to ask but not entitled to a response. I’m sure your comments have or will be read and considered but it isn’t appropriate to answer everything that pops up in these threads and there’s a whole range of reasons why that’s the case.

Yes ideally it should have been flagged prior to memberships renewing but that’s all he would really say. You aren’t going to get insight on the commercial relationship with the council and new stadium rights holders or with Mudgee council.

I haven't asked for any commercial-in-confidence material. You also seem to have jumped to a conclusion as to why this is happening. I asked WHY we have a game scheduled in Mudgee. Its the elephant in the room. If the club is saying that it plans on building a long term relationship with Mudgee, and that members will lose a game as a consequence, it should hav, as a matter of courtesy, given a press release outlining the move and its motivations [even if it was BS}

 

[Shaun Mielekamp]

Hey guys - yeh wow sorry I had not jumped on earlier to pick up this discussion. I did ask a few weeks back about having a forum opportunity but there wasn't much interest and I didn't get much of a response so I had not realised the level of frustration about me not being on here - please feel free to email me direct if there is a topic I need to address that I haven't been following on a daily basis: shaunm@ccmariners.com.au

As far as Mudgee goes here is there details:

1. We have been in discussion with Mudgee for 3-4 years now about getting a game out there, when the FFA Cup match happened we were extremely welcomed and that set things up for this game. The pitch was amazing and the amount of travelling supporters was encouraging.

2. At the start of the season you will all notice that the draw had a TBC listed for this game and that was because the venue had declared itself unavailable at the time due to an NRL match booking. Therefore we needed another venue - that NRL has since been cancelled but the horse had bolted already, so we never expected we would even be able to play this game at Central Coast Stadium.

3. The stadium was under tender for management rights which we bid for - this match allowed us to understand another venue for benchmarking purposes and also added a layer of politics to the situation.

4. Football in regional NSW has been struggling and the demise of Western Mariners is an example, when we were in Mudgee we got to see first hand how we can make a genuine difference and reminded us of the good work we used to do a lot of - especially Adam Kwasnik who used to run clinics in regional NSW and since the funded stopped this program ceased. This gives us a chance to bring this back to life.

5. Yes there is an opportunity to replace the home game - however this is entirely dependent on the other clubs ability and will to do this. The recent double header helped bring WPX to host a game at CC Stadium - up until the NZ government announced today that they are opening the border before Easter I was optimistic this would happen however unfortunately I highly doubt this will happen now. This is compounded by the fact we never hosted an FFA Cup match which we had hoped for as well.

6. The pitch and facility at Mudgee is world class and growing, a relationship here long term will help with pre-season camps and plenty more (plus the wine is great).

7. We have great sponsors in the region and have been able to engage with new sponsors as well to grow the corporate family - Quick shout out to North Construction as match day partner who does heaps for the community in Mudgee.

7. Finally to state the obvious we have taken a bath financially on the match days this year - with no NYE match and no F3 Derby our two biggest ticketing revenue days not happening we are miles behind in ticketing revenue and I think it is no secret that we lose money when we play games at Central Coast Stadium. We still just like every business through this period of uncertainty need to find a way to keep going financially.
For us to receive genuine and serious funding and support from Mid-Western Council and the NSW Government to bring this match was the absolute clincher and I wont hide from that. To put in context this funding and support is more than double anything we have received from Central Coast/Gosford/Wyong councils combined for the last 6 years. How can we not appreciate this type of support from out there?

I just hope that members can see why the club made this decision for the right reasons, football teams of all codes around the world take these opportunities from time to time and when the above reasons all occur I hope you can see why on this occasion we have done the same.

regards

 

[Shaun Mielekamp]

I really don’t think it’s harsh at all. I express disappointment, surprise and frustration, but I don’t think I am being harsh.

Its not harsh as it is accurate. Its not harsh as you say that it’s a fan site not rather than a conduit to the club [and if that’s the case then it is accurate and HAS been a complete waste of time ].

It’s not harsh as any official making the announcement should know the reasons behind it.

Its not harsh as Shaun states when creating this thread that its purpose is

“The purpose of this thread apart from introducing myself is to simply ask this question :

How can the club engage with this forum more to better listen to our members?

I look forward to meeting you all and hearing your ideas”



Its not harsh as his initial post describes this as an "Official Forum". “I am a huge believer in official forums and am very passionate for this forum to remain and grow as one of the core voices for our members.” And “But I can promise you that I will continue to read every post in my own time and hope that the administrators will flag with me directly on any major post that needs addressing so important questions don't go unanswered.”

Surely a forum administrator has flagged this topic for him. It is current, divisive and this is due to no reasoning for this decision being supplied by the club. Everyone is guessing what the reasons are and concluding different things.


While he points out that he can’t always be trawling through it, he says “The purpose of this thread was to purely highlight my passion that I believe this forum should thrive and grow and not take days for new posts to appear. Everyday should be engaging and an insightful part of being a Mariners supporter”. I don’t feel that the club has engaged on this question and I certainly don’t have any insight into why it is happening.

Is calling the lack of response ‘disappointing’ harsh? I don’t think so. Instead I have had to rely on a local regional newspaper to provide some limited insight.

Members are consumers as well as stakeholders that invest in the club. Membership fees are not donations. By paying them we are supporting the club, and as consumers we expect that all of the service/product being paid for is delivered. Fees are not donations.

If your butcher had his thumb on the scales and you were both aware of it, would you tug your forelock and say, “Gee, thanks, I’m grateful for getting most of what I paid for” or would you say “You seem to have your thumb on the scale, why is that?” Or perhaps “Reweigh it please”.

There is no question that a club needs fans, and that fans need a club. Its symbiotic.

This all started because I was curious about the rationale for this decision, and assumed that I had missed something relating to that. Instead there have been many conflicting opinions on motives. A response from the club could have resolved that. Its not harsh to ask what are the motives and be disappointed when the thread on an ‘Official’ forum, supposedly dedicated to engaging and listening to members, doesn't provide a response.

I appreciate the feedback - hopefully my response answers your questions and fills in the gaps. Apologies I had not jumped on here earlier, you're right I'm the one to put myself on here to discuss with fans. I just hope you can appreciate that I can only get on here when I get a gap in the day to day running of the club.

 

[booney]

Wish the Mid-Western Council could take over the Central Coast.

 

[AuzDutchy]

Hey guys - yeh wow sorry I had not jumped on earlier to pick up this discussion. I did ask a few weeks back about having a forum opportunity but there wasn't much interest and I didn't get much of a response so I had not realised the level of frustration about me not being on here - please feel free to email me direct if there is a topic I need to address that I haven't been following on a daily basis: shaunm@ccmariners.com.au

As far as Mudgee goes here is there details:

1. We have been in discussion with Mudgee for 3-4 years now about getting a game out there, when the FFA Cup match happened we were extremely welcomed and that set things up for this game. The pitch was amazing and the amount of travelling supporters was encouraging.

2. At the start of the season you will all notice that the draw had a TBC listed for this game and that was because the venue had declared itself unavailable at the time due to an NRL match booking. Therefore we needed another venue - that NRL has since been cancelled but the horse had bolted already, so we never expected we would even be able to play this game at Central Coast Stadium.

3. The stadium was under tender for management rights which we bid for - this match allowed us to understand another venue for benchmarking purposes and also added a layer of politics to the situation.

4. Football in regional NSW has been struggling and the demise of Western Mariners is an example, when we were in Mudgee we got to see first hand how we can make a genuine difference and reminded us of the good work we used to do a lot of - especially Adam Kwasnik who used to run clinics in regional NSW and since the funded stopped this program ceased. This gives us a chance to bring this back to life.

5. Yes there is an opportunity to replace the home game - however this is entirely dependent on the other clubs ability and will to do this. The recent double header helped bring WPX to host a game at CC Stadium - up until the NZ government announced today that they are opening the border before Easter I was optimistic this would happen however unfortunately I highly doubt this will happen now. This is compounded by the fact we never hosted an FFA Cup match which we had hoped for as well.

6. The pitch and facility at Mudgee is world class and growing, a relationship here long term will help with pre-season camps and plenty more (plus the wine is great).

7. We have great sponsors in the region and have been able to engage with new sponsors as well to grow the corporate family - Quick shout out to North Construction as match day partner who does heaps for the community in Mudgee.

7. Finally to state the obvious we have taken a bath financially on the match days this year - with no NYE match and no F3 Derby our two biggest ticketing revenue days not happening we are miles behind in ticketing revenue and I think it is no secret that we lose money when we play games at Central Coast Stadium. We still just like every business through this period of uncertainty need to find a way to keep going financially.
For us to receive genuine and serious funding and support from Mid-Western Council and the NSW Government to bring this match was the absolute clincher and I wont hide from that. To put in context this funding and support is more than double anything we have received from Central Coast/Gosford/Wyong councils combined for the last 6 years. How can we not appreciate this type of support from out there?

I just hope that members can see why the club made this decision for the right reasons, football teams of all codes around the world take these opportunities from time to time and when the above reasons all occur I hope you can see why on this occasion we have done the same.

regards

Legitimately the best CEO in the league, hands down bleeds yellow and blue.

Thankyou for everything you do Shaun

 

[midfielder]

Just as aside..... WSW's CEO is leaving at seasons end and they are looking for a replacement....

Shaun came from WSW and is the fans favourite for the job he was 2IC I think....

Those saying he should answer questions put to him on a social forum were no other CEO does {I think] is crazy....

 

[Kilsin]

Hey guys - yeh wow sorry I had not jumped on earlier to pick up this discussion. I did ask a few weeks back about having a forum opportunity but there wasn't much interest and I didn't get much of a response so I had not realised the level of frustration about me not being on here - please feel free to email me direct if there is a topic I need to address that I haven't been following on a daily basis: shaunm@ccmariners.com.au

As far as Mudgee goes here is there details:

1. We have been in discussion with Mudgee for 3-4 years now about getting a game out there, when the FFA Cup match happened we were extremely welcomed and that set things up for this game. The pitch was amazing and the amount of travelling supporters was encouraging.

2. At the start of the season you will all notice that the draw had a TBC listed for this game and that was because the venue had declared itself unavailable at the time due to an NRL match booking. Therefore we needed another venue - that NRL has since been cancelled but the horse had bolted already, so we never expected we would even be able to play this game at Central Coast Stadium.

3. The stadium was under tender for management rights which we bid for - this match allowed us to understand another venue for benchmarking purposes and also added a layer of politics to the situation.

4. Football in regional NSW has been struggling and the demise of Western Mariners is an example, when we were in Mudgee we got to see first hand how we can make a genuine difference and reminded us of the good work we used to do a lot of - especially Adam Kwasnik who used to run clinics in regional NSW and since the funded stopped this program ceased. This gives us a chance to bring this back to life.

5. Yes there is an opportunity to replace the home game - however this is entirely dependent on the other clubs ability and will to do this. The recent double header helped bring WPX to host a game at CC Stadium - up until the NZ government announced today that they are opening the border before Easter I was optimistic this would happen however unfortunately I highly doubt this will happen now. This is compounded by the fact we never hosted an FFA Cup match which we had hoped for as well.

6. The pitch and facility at Mudgee is world class and growing, a relationship here long term will help with pre-season camps and plenty more (plus the wine is great).

7. We have great sponsors in the region and have been able to engage with new sponsors as well to grow the corporate family - Quick shout out to North Construction as match day partner who does heaps for the community in Mudgee.

7. Finally to state the obvious we have taken a bath financially on the match days this year - with no NYE match and no F3 Derby our two biggest ticketing revenue days not happening we are miles behind in ticketing revenue and I think it is no secret that we lose money when we play games at Central Coast Stadium. We still just like every business through this period of uncertainty need to find a way to keep going financially.
For us to receive genuine and serious funding and support from Mid-Western Council and the NSW Government to bring this match was the absolute clincher and I wont hide from that. To put in context this funding and support is more than double anything we have received from Central Coast/Gosford/Wyong councils combined for the last 6 years. How can we not appreciate this type of support from out there?

I just hope that members can see why the club made this decision for the right reasons, football teams of all codes around the world take these opportunities from time to time and when the above reasons all occur I hope you can see why on this occasion we have done the same.

regards

This is a great and detailed answer, exactly what I was looking for, thank you for taking the time to do this Shaun, it's very much appreciated.

Knowing the club gets good financial and sponsor support over this is fantastic, plus the networking benefits and potential stadium use for training camps and future games all sweeten the deal.

I just wish I could make it. I love Mudgee and the CCMFC and to be sipping a cold beer on a fine Mudgee day watching the boys play would be amazing. Sadly, I'll be screaming at the ref's bullshit through my PC monitor as I watch the P+ stream.

I hope everyone who travels to support the boys has a good time, have a beer or two for me please and help the team bring back 3 points! ??

 

[Wombat]

It's a catch 22. BUT it is shocking to hear how badly the Central Coast Council have treated us. Talk about Myopic fools.

 

[Corsair]

I had not realised the level of frustration about me not being on here

Hi Shaun,

After 9 years as an avid fan and a current full GA member I've declared myself dead as a fan. I have no intention at this point of renewing next season and I'm struggling to bring myself to watch games, even though I've paid a membership and not even on TV.

What's the problem? I'm so totally disgusted and disillusioned with the standard of refereeing and the complete lack of accountability for the outrageous cheating by Shaun Evans. I feel so strongly about this that i think the league is either fixed, biased or completely disregards the Mariners. This is not a level playing field, we've been blatantly cheated and it's not the first time (Adelaide).

After lip service then silence from the powers that be, Evans is back refereeing again.

I'm SO disappointed and angry. I love the club but i can't back this league while there is such blatant bias/ cheating from refs. Monty appeared to be of the same opinion and said as much (paraphrasing) in post match interviews.

Why have there been no repurcussions for Shaun Evans?

Why is there silence on this?

What is the club doing about it to appeal?

I've been active on this forum for a few years and been attending games for 9 years and bringing friends along.
I'm so totally disgusted and ready to walk away. If the refs are cheating (it's not possible they are so incompetent with access to VAR review) there is no point being involved.

 

[Wombat]

Hi Shaun,

After 9 years as an avid fan and a current full GA member I've declared myself dead. I have no intention at this point of renewing next year and I'm struggling to bring myself to watch games, even though I've paid a membership and not even on TV.

What's the problem? I'm so totally disgusted and disillusioned with the standard of refereeing and the complete lack of accountability for the outrageous cheating by Shaun Evans. I feel so strongly about this that i think the league is either fixed, biased or completely disregards the Mariners. This is not a level playing field, we've been blatantly cheated and it's not the first time (Adelaide).

After lip service then silence from the APL, Evans is back refereeing again.

I'm SO disappointed and angry. I love the club but i can't back this league while there is such blatant bias/ cheating from refs. Monty agreed and said as much (paraphrasing) in post match interviews.

Why have there been no repurcussions for Shaun Evans?

Why is there silence on this?

What is the club doing about it to appeal?

I've been active on this forum for a few years and been attending games for 9 years and bringing friends along.
I'm so totally disgusted and ready to walk away. If the refs are cheating (it's not possible they are so incompetent with access to VAR review) there is no point being involved.

Dobbie...you need a hug bro.

PM me. Come for a massage (discounted) and we can have a coffee and feed (my shout) after.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

Dobbie...you need a hug bro.

PM me. Come for a massage (discounted) and we can have a coffee and feed (my shout) after.

Just to clarify Dobbie. Wombles owns East Gosford Thai Massage.

So I don't think he's asking you out to "dinner and a massage" perse... even though, he's just asked you out to dinner and a massage

 

[Shaun Mielekamp]

Hi Shaun,

After 9 years as an avid fan and a current full GA member I've declared myself dead as a fan. I have no intention at this point of renewing next season and I'm struggling to bring myself to watch games, even though I've paid a membership and not even on TV.

What's the problem? I'm so totally disgusted and disillusioned with the standard of refereeing and the complete lack of accountability for the outrageous cheating by Shaun Evans. I feel so strongly about this that i think the league is either fixed, biased or completely disregards the Mariners. This is not a level playing field, we've been blatantly cheated and it's not the first time (Adelaide).

After lip service then silence from the powers that be, Evans is back refereeing again.

I'm SO disappointed and angry. I love the club but i can't back this league while there is such blatant bias/ cheating from refs. Monty appeared to be of the same opinion and said as much (paraphrasing) in post match interviews.

Why have there been no repurcussions for Shaun Evans?

Why is there silence on this?

What is the club doing about it to appeal?

I've been active on this forum for a few years and been attending games for 9 years and bringing friends along.
I'm so totally disgusted and ready to walk away. If the refs are cheating (it's not possible they are so incompetent with access to VAR review) there is no point being involved.

Hey Dobbie

Monty and Ken themselves were both given a face to face meeting with the boss of the referee's. I myself had several phone hook ups and meetings with various APL senior management as well.
The reality is that Shaun Evans was stood down and had many weeks off. The FA admitted the calls were wrong and of course they were horrendously wrong - to be given a rationale that the ref simply stuffed up and totally got it all wrong is actually very hard to argue against.

We are still dealing with human beings and the decision to not publicly execute the ref was the position of the FA and the APL. For what ever reason it was that Shaun Evans refused the advise from the VAR was only he will know (and maybe he cant even explain) but that is for him to deal with his employer on.
Some may have noticed that this did trigger a full review of the VAR processes and for me it is clearly noticeable the improvement in speed and application of the VAR decisions.

I still can't believe the calls were made against us that way, we have had some calls actually go our way this season but that is of little solice.

This is a game wide issue at all levels to find ways to improve the refereeing - I'm not one to bash the ref's up everytime they make a mistake as I think it is important that anyone thinking of being a ref whether that is on a Saturday morning U5's grassroots or in the A-League is not scared off by the fear of what happens if they crack under pressure.

The reason for the supposed silence has been more about this bigger picture issue of trying to help ref's improve and be encouraged to ref with confidence. Plus making a lot of noise and drama in this instance would not have achieved any real outcomes, the real work to properly fix the problem has to be done behind the scenes by the experts in the industry and that for us on the technical side is Ken Schembri and Monty.

 

[bikinigirl]

The reason for the supposed silence has been more about this bigger picture issue of trying to help ref's improve and be encouraged to ref with confidence. Plus making a lot of noise and drama in this instance would not have achieved any real outcomes, the real work to properly fix the problem has to be done behind the scenes by the experts in the industry and that for us on the technical side is Ken Schembri and Monty.

. Shaun I understand that ... and I think many would ...

. BUT ... the damage to the game and the long term viability of the leagues may be far greater. we still don't know whether Dobbie will walk away ... and that is with this direct link and response from a CEO. how many others have or will continue to walk away when big issues appear to be swept under the carpet (regardless of whether or not they have been dealt with behind closed doors)?

. oh and many would argue that confidence was not Shaun Evans' issue

 

[adz]

Maybe it would help if Shaun offers dinner and a massage too

 

[bikinigirl]

Maybe it would help if Shaun offers dinner and a massage too

. no thanks

. but i s'pose what i was saying is why not make that statement earlier and more public (with all due respect to the world's pre-eminent football forum)

 

[Man Overboard]

Shaun Evans refused the advise from the VAR

Maybe the system could be improved if there was no option ie the field ref MUST review a VAR when it is triggered?

 

[midfielder]

Hey Dobbie

Monty and Ken themselves were both given a face to face meeting with the boss of the referee's. I myself had several phone hook ups and meetings with various APL senior management as well.
The reality is that Shaun Evans was stood down and had many weeks off. The FA admitted the calls were wrong and of course they were horrendously wrong - to be given a rationale that the ref simply stuffed up and totally got it all wrong is actually very hard to argue against.

We are still dealing with human beings and the decision to not publicly execute the ref was the position of the FA and the APL. For what ever reason it was that Shaun Evans refused the advise from the VAR was only he will know (and maybe he cant even explain) but that is for him to deal with his employer on.
Some may have noticed that this did trigger a full review of the VAR processes and for me it is clearly noticeable the improvement in speed and application of the VAR decisions.

I still can't believe the calls were made against us that way, we have had some calls actually go our way this season but that is of little solice.

This is a game wide issue at all levels to find ways to improve the refereeing - I'm not one to bash the ref's up everytime they make a mistake as I think it is important that anyone thinking of being a ref whether that is on a Saturday morning U5's grassroots or in the A-League is not scared off by the fear of what happens if they crack under pressure.

The reason for the supposed silence has been more about this bigger picture issue of trying to help ref's improve and be encouraged to ref with confidence. Plus making a lot of noise and drama in this instance would not have achieved any real outcomes, the real work to properly fix the problem has to be done behind the scenes by the experts in the industry and that for us on the technical side is Ken Schembri and Monty.

. Shaun I understand that ... and I think many would ...

. BUT ... the damage to the game and the long term viability of the leagues may be far greater. we still don't know whether Dobbie will walk away ... and that is with this direct link and response from a CEO. how many others have or will continue to walk away when big issues appear to be swept under the carpet (regardless of whether or not they have been dealt with behind closed doors)?

. oh and many would argue that confidence was not Shaun Evans' issue

Shaun

From me and hand on heart not the other thing.... aside from SFC, MV, MC & arguably WSW.... the rest of the league believe their is a real bias within Australian Football to ensure that the aforementioned sides are successful...

Further the lessor team you are in a financial sense the more decisions go against you...

I can think of at least six matches were massive mistakes were made against us over the years and can never think of one applying to the above four sides... But I can recall the Jerks coping it in the neck a few times....

For starters when we played SFC this year five of their starting 11 came thu Mariner academies and a sixth on the bench... yet we still don't have an internal transfer market....

Whether the bias is correct or not, its becoming almost broadly accepted that the above four get special favours... aside of course from these four clubs...

The issue is added to a lot by Football broadcasters commentators who often say its good to see ?????? as they bring fans and ratings...

Shaun, with respect, I suggest APL need to be far more open, and if that means the blow torch is applied to a refs belly then so be it.... I suggest history has shown being open and honest is immeasurably better than a behind closed door policy, just trust us... approach.

I think its time APL changed, with crowds and ratings in free fall... these comments should be passed on...

Just as an aside... I have a client who is Indian... he said if the above decisions had be made by a cricket umpire in India, then in all likely hood and investigation would take place as not too hold an investigation would imply corruption by the governing body.... no idea if he is right or wrong but passing on for how its seen in some circles outside Football.....

 

[Kripple]

Maybe the system could be improved if there was no option ie the field ref MUST review a VAR when it is triggered?

Go to the NRL model where the video ref makes the final decision and you can hear the reason why over the audio. Takes the ref out of the equation. Ludicrous having a ref looking at a tiny screen set up on the sideline with coaches 2 metres away yelling in their ear.

 

[turbo]

Maybe the system could be improved if there was no option ie the field ref MUST review a VAR when it is triggered?

If you are taking about Evans he did review, he just didn’t change his decision. The VAR is not meant to overrule in such circumstances where a ref may have had a better / alternative view, different if you are talking about an offside which is not subjective.

 

[turbo]

Go to the NRL model where the video ref makes the final decision and you can hear the reason why over the audio. Takes the ref out of the equation. Ludicrous having a ref looking at a tiny screen set up on the sideline with coaches 2 metres away yelling in their ear.

Audio would help a lot but they aren’t allowed to broadcast it. They asked a while back and FIFA knocked them back.