My take on the membership/renewal pack etc is that currently for many fans out there are simply too many questions that remain unanswered.
I'm not convinced like some that there will be large numbers who will rush in to the decision to renew, I honestly think it will be a very hard sell for the club at present.

It seems an odd time to release the membership packs when there has been very little info on what is happening financially with the club in regards to any possible investment, the covid loan repayment, Pearsons position along with what if any further additions will be made to the ahead of next season.

I will no doubt renew despite my better judgement, just out of habit more than anything. There will be many that will be or have been re evaluating what's important both as a lifestyle choice and financially.

It's good to see the club have frozen the price for renewals but think it should have been across the board for anyone renewing after the latest and most disastrous season. To only offer that to people in a position to be able to pay up front and by November is poor and another example of the club misreading the depth of feeling amongst the fans and the disconnection.

The offer of a 3 year pass is a bit of a red herring and could read as the club trying to get a little more income in for some fans in return for a set price regardless of any cost increases for 2026 & 2027, personally can't see there being much of an uptake on that based on where we currently are. However some may read in to the offer of a 3 year pass deal as a bit of desperation & the club needing a bigger cash injection etc.

These are all things that will in my mind contribute to so many conflicting/unsettling matters when it comes to people parting with their hard earned cash.
Lets be honest its not our first rodeo as fans in being let down rather magnificently by the club after failing to deliver on promises made.

Will we now start to get some answers or are all the questions currently up in the air be addressed around the time of the forum that was announced recently?

Cust is one. Remember this time last year when AP said something about 6 new signings coming in even though we’d only made 5 or whatever and everyone was trying to guess who it could be? it ended up being Diakhate who’d already spent the previous season in the reserves. I’d always take any claims at season ticket time with a pinch of salt, I expect all clubs do it.

you would have to be an idiot to take up that offer

It will just be fudge
They are hardly likely to allow any soul-searching questions to either Pearson or Myler

I've no problem with the three year membership. I wouldn't do it myself even though I'll still be going for three years (all being well). It's a bit too much of an outlay for me.

If people can afford it and want to do it that's up to them. It doesn't make them "an idiot".

well I have a pretty good idea but as I remember it facts are a bit sketchy, 3 days after the merger was confirmed we all went to the Charleston Club to hear from two of the Gateshead Directors about the future of the club in my diary I wrote that they definitely mentioned a life time pass for supporters maybe being on the cards but the club back then had to raise some cash quickly. The first day of sales of season tickets was brought forward and around £100,000 worth were sold in the first two days. However it was not all plain sailing as on the Stock Exchange KC shares started to lose value and in Hull, Shane Richardson had to move quickly to quash rumours that the Club was being liquidated.

This was November and was just another rumour borne out of the fact that the first instalment of the £1.25m merger sweetener from the Rugby League would not be forthcoming until 1st January so cash flow was a problem. Again I think there Richo mentioned the lifetime pass as possibly a way of raising some much needed cash flow. As it happened we at the City Council came to the rescue with an advance on the sale of the Stadium and Willie Peters, our talented Australian Scrum Half, was sold to Wigan for an unlikely £100,000 (see I told you he was once useful ) The only other thing I think I remember was Rule alluding to any such passes being rescinded at a fans forum at the start of his 'rule' of terror. I'd be really interested to know if anyone on here bought one or any more information about them.

A reasonable, moderate take as always.

If you pay a 3 year pass over 12 months and the money is spent in 2025, where does the income come from for 2026 and 27? This sounds very iffy

It's not Cust. A domestic prop and outside back (hopefully)

Cust is happening but it’s not been announced yet so must be one of the two signings. New DT article on the membership launch goes into a little bit of detail on the second target and says ‘hard working middle’ as we all expected it would be.
Closest to that would be Bullock maybe? Unless they pull something off left field.

Shouldn't all this player signing talk be on the other thread about signings?

yes preferably, will try and move some of the posts when I get chance

Sorry to cause you more work

I've moved a couple of posts re players/signings etc to the 'DoR - New Coach - Investor & Adam - New signings' thread as as they were going off the topic a little of the Membership etc. There are still some I've left as they've quoted the membership so wouldn't make sense to people reading once moved.

Please we keep player signings/talk to either of the more relevant threads such as 'DoR - New Coach - Investor & Adam - New signings' or 'Shopping list'. Thanks

Received my 2025 application / begging letter this morning. The only difference between the past six years and this year is that it's now Myler telling us how we will be putting right the wrongs of past years rather than Adam!
Thought there is a heavy emphasis on the 'in any kind of weather' fan loyalty, in particular the little speech on the back of the pamphlet ('It's a big City out there..').

Thought there is a bit of an air of desperation about the 'stick with us' exhortations for the Faithful to renew, maybe a tacit acknowledgment that these past eight months have tried everyone's patience almost to breaking point, even those with decades of commitment behind them, as voiced at length by some posters on here.

For all that, I will be renewing my place, chiefly down to three reasons:
1. It's still relatively cheap for me, and well within my budget, working out at under £20 per game if I attend all 13 .
2. I don't have far to travel, so it's no great imposition for me and it doesn't take a large chunk out of my time on a weekend.
3. It's a fifty year habit that not even the, at times, traumatic afternoons we all had to suffer this year made me consider breaking. I don't know how low we would have to sink before my faith broke completely, but I guess we still haven't reach that point yet, at least not for me!

Those are my chief reasons for stumping up my money once more, although it's telling that there isn't a rugby based reason in there for my renewal. I remain to be convinced that we have reached the bottom of the curve regarding on the pitch, the answer to that question will be revealed through 2025, fingers crossed here.

I understand that my reasons for committing to the club (once more!!) won't resonate for others and I wouldn't bad mouth anyone who decided that enough was enough after the frankly unacceptable performance of the club, in every single aspect of operations, in 2024. Now matter how many years support you may have devoted to the club, they would only have themselves to blame for anyone who walks away, for good this time.

As for the three year pass, I'm unconvinced. There are too many unanswered questions, surrounding both the club and the game in general, to make the additional outlay tempting. Who seriously knows what may be happening in two years time (again both at club and SL level) to commit. For me it would probably amount to a saving of around £60-80 at a rough guess, spread over three years. I will almost certainly still be watching the club in 2027 (see reasons above) but the relatively small saving for me doesn't outweigh the open-ended questions surrounding the current direction of the club and indeed of Rugby League as a sport.

So, I will still be there in 2025. It has to be better next year doesn't it, surely to God it cannot be as bad as what we had to suffer over the past eight months (one afternoon versus Wigan excepted).
The only way is up, as someone once memorably said a long time ago!!