Open letter to Collingwood Football Club members from CEO Gary Pert regarding 2011 Legends membership packages.

Dear Collingwood Football Club members and supporters,

Firstly, I would like to thank all members for their support and passion this season.

The 2010 season will go down in history as one which all members and supporters of the Collingwood Football Club will never forget.

It will be remembered for one of our most amazing Premiership victories, having battled through two massive Grand Finals over consecutive weeks.

Off field the Collingwood Football Club set several new AFL records, including a record number of over 58,000 loyal and passionate Collingwood members. As part of this result our premium Legends membership grew from 5000 to over 7000 as members dared to dream that their beloved Magpies would play off in the 2010 Grand Final.

Many of you would be aware that Legends membership is the only category of membership which guarantees access to purchase a Grand Final ticket if Collingwood are a competing team. There is no doubt this category will continue to grow in anticipation of back-to -back premiership success next year, and as a result of this, we have taken the unprecedented step to introduce a capacity on the number of Legends memberships we can sell for 2011 and beyond.

Current Legends members will have guaranteed right to renew if their memberships as long as they do so by 5pm EST Thursday December 9th, 2010.

After this date the Legends memberships will be open to other supporters, and once the Club reaches the Legends membership capacity of 9000, no further Legends memberships will be sold to ensure that we can effectively manage Grand Final ticket allocations if we are to play in the 2011 Grand Final.

A wait list will be implemented once the Legends membership cap is reached and this will operate based on order of receipt of application. As Legends members fail to renew their Memberships, any members on the waiting list will be upgraded to Legends membership status.

This Legends membership capacity of 9000 will remain in place for all future seasons to ensure we can provide all Legends members with their guaranteed Grand Final tickets access.

Moving forward, all Legends members will be given first right of renewal for the following season and any failure to maintain Legends membership status will result in members needing to reapply through the normal Club procedures without any guarantees.

When can Legends members renew to guarantee their status for the 2011 Season?
Legends members can renew online from 9am EST Friday November 5th, 2010 until 5pm EST Thursday December 9th, 2010.

The easiest way to do this is to simply visit membership.collingwoodfc.com.au and login to your MyMagpies Account by entering your username and password after the above date.

All existing Legends Members who have provided the club with a valid email address will be emailed further information regarding their renewals as well as their MyMagpies Account username and password later in the week.

Other members will receive this information via regular mail with their renewal packs which will be sent by the middle of November.

2010 Legends members can renew by calling our Membership Service Centre on 1300 MAGPIE (62 47 43) during business hours, from 9am EST this Friday November 5th, 2010.

Based on member feedback from our focus groups we will also continue to offer our Magpie Monthly Pay and Auto-Renew payment programs, which are the easiest way to guarantee Legends membership status each year, and ensure that it will never lapse.

How do the Magpie Monthly Pay and Auto-Renew payment programs work?
We do the work for you and each membership simply 'rolls-over' each season, with the following payments being charged to a nominated credit card, depending on the payment program you select.

Magpie Auto-renew program:
The full payment of each 2011 membership will be charged in one lump sum on November 22nd, 2010.

Magpie Monthly pay program:
Each membership will be paid off via 11 monthly installments. These monthly payments are easily calculated by dividing your total membership fee by 11, and are then automatically charged (along with a 50 cent administration fee) on the 21st of each month from November 2010 through to September 2011.

Note: Should the 21st of any month during any payment program fall on a weekend, monthly payments will be charged to a nominated credit card on the next business day.

Why should members sign up to Magpie Monthly Pay or Auto-Renew payment programs?
Both of our payment programs will ensure that memberships and never lapse and members never need to complete a renewal notice ever again.

Any members who sign up to either payment program prior to November 21st, 2010 will have their 2011 membership pack lodged by our mail house prior to Christmas and they will also receive a FREE 2010 season highlights DVD with their 2011 membership card.

How can members sign up to the Magpie Monthly Pay or Auto-Renew payment programs?
All existing Legends members can sign up to either of our Payment Programs from 9am EST Friday November 5th, 2010 by visiting membership.collingwoodfc.com.au and entering their username and password to log in to your MyMagpies Account.

For further information regarding membership renewals, either of our payment programs or the Legends membership capacity, members should email membership.collingwoodfc.com.au or call 1300 MAGPIE (1300 62 47 43) during business hours.

Whatever you do, make sure you're SIDE BY SIDE with us as a member and a part of our March to October during season 2011.

Go Pies!

Gary Pert
CEO