TRM, a membership is pretty expensive, so I wouldn't begrudge anyone giving up their membership for that reason. Sub's capacity created artificial demand for memberships, and being able to walk up and get a seat has changed the value proposition of the membership. I think Freo will have a difficult time reckoning with that in lean times on the field once the novelty of the new stadium wears off.
I also understand, and often share, the frustration with the club, and the desire to avoid tacitly supporting the admin by stumping up for a membership. Sometimes the only way to make your voice heard these days is with your wallet.
Where I land is that loyalty to the club is important to me as a person. It's more important to me than sending a message. The bit on the membership card that tells you how long you have been a member has value to me. There's a good chance that loyalty is misplaced and I'm just a sucker, and I don't claim it's rational, but it is what it is. I make fun of members of certain other clubs for being fair-weather fans. Those that jump off always have their reasons, I'm sure some of them are good. Can you criticise a Carlton member for not renewing their membership? Probably not. But I do anyway. It would be hypocritical for me to not renew my membership in lean times.
But it's not just that - I genuinely love going to the footy. As many would have seen from the Morgan Reviews thread, to me there's nothing better than meeting family and friends at the pub before the game (there's usually three generations in attendance), catching up over a few pints and a meal, walking to the ground together and sitting in the stands and hoping that the lads in purple will turn it on. There's usually a twilight game for the first home game in the season where you can sneak to the beach in the morning and then the footy in the afternoon. It's close to my favourite day of the year.
Can you do all of that without a membership? Sure. But it's different. I sit with a group of about 10. Without the membership, we'd need to figure out who was going and get seats together. I don't know, something about having the membership means you (almost) always turn up. It's ritualistic. Our group has waxed and waned over the years but of for the better part of two decades it has been one of the few constants in my life. My son will soon be old enough to take to games. Maybe he won't even like footy, but close to the first thing I did after he was born was to get him a membership.
Sitting in the same seat also means you even get to know your neighbours in the stands. You get a shared history. You don't get that if you're in a different seat every game.
Anyway TRM, I don't think there's a right or wrong answer. The only thing I would say is I think watching at The Camfield is a bad idea. Deep down, you'll wish you were inside, and if you're like me you'll probably drink a bit faster at the pub which will eat into your purported savings. As a middle ground, perhaps you could consider a three-game membership, and then just attend some of the other games you're interested in. You still get to say you're a member, but you're not locked in for the whole season.
