He forgets those critics are usually the ones putting backsides on seats, it those critics that are buying season memberships and it's those critics that are buying merchandise. Hell, it's those critics that regularly fill up the Dome.

Mal's had a monumental brain fart. I just wonder if it is really his money..

Sounds like he has no interest in the team

I have to agree with all of the above comments.

You have to wonder if he has the same great attitude towards his work with the Northern Connections Project.

The club with all its great history is bigger than one person & the sooner he understands that & gives up / sells his licence the better for all the players, staff, fans who deserve much better.

I also noticed that his daughter is the clubs Marketing Manager! I wonder when she'll be appointed to the Northern Connections Project.

Love this, he showed absolute contempt for the fans and the club in that article. Hope he gets heaps when does show his face.

I agree that this article shows Mal's contempt for the team, its name and what it stands for in South Australia. My concern is that this article has been published before the sale/transfer has been completed and I would hate to think that he could dig his heels in and refuse to give the lisence to the SOS.

I also feel confident that with the passion the SOS has for the game it will mean they will run the club in the best possible way for everyone concerned and we as a fan base need to reward the SOS with our full support.

yeah i have absolutley nothing constructive to add, but i must release some of my anger and just say Mal is f#@kwit. I cant wait to see how Karma is going to bite him in the ass.

If that's his attitude to the team he (and Eddy) owns then the Northern Suburbs are in a heap of trouble. Give SOS the licence so we can have people to trust running our club again and I can put my money into an organisation worthy of it.

I'm a 36ers sponsor, have been for a while now.
What an interesting experience that has been, wish I could say it was a good one.
Where is the respect to sponsors?
I'm assuming the 36ers have now closed shop and will wither up and die should the SOS bid not be successful. It sure was nice of the club to send letters out to all their loyal sponsors thanking them for their support, explaining the unfortunate situation that the club has found itself in blah, blah, blah.... If for no other reason than to show us what a professional organisation they are and to ensure continued support should the club be saved on the 11th hour... How much does a simple email cost for crying out loud??

I now wouldn't piss on anything run by the current administration... By the way Mal, SDOM (Step-Daughter of Mal), Potsie & Co, when should we be expecting the final few items of our sponsorship package? You got our money now it's your turn to hold up your end of the deal

Unfortunately Mal and Co have been showing what sort of professional organisation they run for years and look at where we are. Let's not let the crap experience of being involved with them (I to was waiting for things) not let us give the SOS group a chance, Somebody has got to stand up and make things better and I reckon a board of 7 gives us a much better chance than 1 tosser that thinks he has all the answers.

YET AGAIN...HODGE was a problem, that is a different issue to all this. I really worry when sponsors have to come on here and detail just how unprofessional the organisation is! What can I say, i guess as a 12+ year season tickey holder, id like to thankyou for all the support!

I reckon the core of the current admin all need to look elsewhere when the SOS are looking to recruit new staff. The current culture has been disgusting by the sounds of it.

New era, new staff, no reason why a nw culture wouldnt lead to new success!

Sponsor,

Please don't let your past bad experience stop you from supporting the SOS. They will need all the support that we can give them to ensure the success of the team that we are all so proud of.

A lot of current sponsors won't sponsor again whilst any of the current admin team is there, includes Potsy in particular. He was Mals RH man. Says yes to everyone. Goes to show good blokes don't necesarily make good administartors.

I believe Potsy has secured employment elsewhere.

All we can do is voice our support for the SOS team.
Also to sponsor, thanks for your input, and I hope you can see your way clear to remain involved in the future.

It's a shame - I don't believe that Potsie was Mal's right hand man, just more the man that copped the flack for the whole Sixers administration.

I agree Bizzy, as 1 of the seven in the sos potsie did all he could. He has a genuine love of the game and shouldn't be associated wth anything that Mal and Kate have done.

so if you are 1 of the 7 who are you and who are the other 6. Potsie might not need to be associated with the others but to have a new start do we need new people ??

It's a difficult situation. Keep things unchanged and the problems remain. Make some changes, and some of the bad habits can live on as they're passed from existing to new staff. Clean out everyone and then who has the knowledge of the ongoing sponsors, the deals done, the history, etc?

If sponsors report trouble making contact (has come up a number of times on here), then a manager could track that with an internal CRM (picture a support/ticket system - not ticket in the Venuetix sense though) with metrics relating each staff member to things like 'tickets processed', 'unresolved tickets open', 'average time until resolution', etc. And also, if it's not done already, retaining a good contact stream indicating what's been promised and what's been provided.

But surely with 7 guys who by the sounds of it have different backgrounds that have brought themselves together for this one cause you would expect alot of experience and ideas to make sure it is going to be done better than ever (not just better than the last lot). I seem to have alot of faith in 7 guys getting together like this for a cause alot more than 1 guy o an ego trip because he owns a basketball team

Our 36ers sponsorship (like many others I suspect) has always been more of an emotional decision than a commercial one... after all there are better ways to promote your business than being involved with something that has very limited market penetration and only appeals to a small portion of the general public.
We are involved with several other organisations that do a really good job of building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships, something that is becoming increasingly important in the current economic client. (Not taking half a season to get the spelling of your company correct helps too)
Look after your sponsors and they will look after you... It's a pretty simple concept.

I wish the SOS group the best of luck in acquiring, then restoring what has become IMO a tarnished brand through years of poor management and neglect.
I don't believe a proper rebuild can occur without a complete staff clean out, in any case it sounds like most of the current staff have probably found or are close to finding new jobs anyway.

Hey Charlie,
you say Pottsie has already secured another job, where?

A lot of people will see the Admin Officer job at Sturt and say "1+1 = 3"

Unfortunately, while I like Pots, I just don't think its the job for him. He basically fell into the job and has no background suited to it. Season ticket holders, sponsors and general public have all had bad experiences. Perhaps the 36ers brand is not that good a one!
New management is definately required.

Again people seem to be blaming Potsie for problems with sponsors etc - it wasn't his job - that's the marketers job.

Here is an example - Triple M had the mascot race - Sixers were contacted and marketing declined saying it was pointless - Ex Sixers Marketing worker contacted Potsie and told him the idea - Potsie organised for the mascot to attend the race - Murray was promoted on Triple M, was shown on the news etc all for a tax deductible donation of $104.

It seems that people think Potsie was in charge of marketing etc, he wasn't he was in charge of Basketball Operations - meaning contract talks etc.

I don't no Potsie but he seems to get alot of the blame, whatever happened to so goes the leader so goes the team. It would seem there was no leadership so where does that leave the team.......to pick up the pieces as best they can ?

By default sponsors (in our experience at least) would be made to speak to Potsie and the young front desk girl regarding sponsorship matters as SDOM never made herself available, or would pull out of a meeting at the last minute.
I'm sure Potsie is a great guy Bizzy, he was just out of his depth in the role he found himself in.

I must agree that in my experience, Paul was some what hamstrung in any endeavor he tried to take on by those already mentioned in this thread.

Paul was in charge of the team and not looking after sponsors or any other facet of the club. When the owner shows a lack of interest and appoints a staff member to run the club that does not demonstrate the necessary characteristics to get the job done, often he was left to pick up the pieces.

Paul was often relied upon by what i would call basketball people as a point of contact for the club as 1) he was known to most 2) he actually answered the phone and returned calls/emails 3) he was actually there day in day out and not on holidays or ongoing sick leave.


Questions must be asked as to why so many great workers and basketball people left the halls of the dome after one particular persons appointment. It is not like those staff where incompetent as they have demonstrated much success in their subsequent jobs.

I hope the SOS is successful as the 36ers and basketball people of SA deserve to have passionate people involved.

As I have previously said Ben so goes the leader and so goes the team and the buck stops with the man in charge. I to hope SOS is successful for 1 because we all want elite basketball in this state and for the other because as I have siad already 7 passionate committed people are bound to come up with the best way to run this club to benefit all of us. Call them SOS call them the magnificent 7 let's just hope they get their chance.

Unfortunately a lot of people seem to want to point the finger at Potsie for all the problems associated with the 36ers. Paul was placed in a position that was possibly beyond his capabilities. That was not his fault!! I believe that Mal promised to help him in all aspects of the job and then just walked away and gave Paul no direction or advice. Mal then placed Kate into a position THAT SHE DEFINITELY WAS NOT QUALIFIED FOR and gave her anything she asked for.
I have been told that Kate would not even communicate with Potsie on a daily basis. What sort of executive does that indicate Kate is?????? Lots of people got burnt by poor business decisions that Kate made especially with regards to promotion and merchandising and the subsequent revelations that sponsors have not been provided with all that they paid for in their packages.
I still do not believe that Mal owns the 36ers, NO MATTER WHAT HE SAYS. The fact that negotiations are being handled out of Brisbane certainly raises more questions than there appear to be answers.
I hope that Paul finds suitable employment elsewhere because, unfortunately, he has been linked to the problems associated with the 36ers and some people are very unforgiving and have long memories.

Jack, hopefully he's found something a bit better than 0.3 FTE!

Isaac, Yes, I know, just stirring the pot as always

Mal; you may have won some good gigs in the past but perhaps that was when you were younger and fresher...full of ideas.

Fast forward to the 6ers. No new ideas, no fresh attitude, no leadership from the top.

Thanks for the "its my money, my team, I'll do what I want" attitude.

If you had of shown this shocking attitude from the start I would be at least $1200 richer today because I would not have wasted one cent on you and your ego.

I'm not too sure what "Northern Connections Project" is, but I'm starting to feel plenty sorry for them.

Shame on you.

Funny how others involved in the Grand prix days are still delivering success with Clipsal V8s and other great events. Maybe his influence on the grand prix is being proved by history to be somewhat overstated.

(Not taking half a season to get the spelling of your company correct helps too)

Nipplehero.

Or Zeronipple if you're like me at the moment.

"Jervis Subaru?
Cheep Auto Parts?
Fight Centre?
Westfield Tea Tree Pizza?
God Guys?
National Farming?
Milbank Photocopying?
ABD Learning Centres?
Pura Hilk?"

Hehe.
It was a few seasons ago, but just goes to show what we're dealing with. Like I said, sponsorship was purely an emotional one... with the 36ers it really has to be.

Jack

What I heard is that potsie has got a job with the adelaide crows. Not sure when he starts, he gets married in just under 6 weeks so i guess he is planning a honeymoon so maybe he will start after that

Can anyone confirm the report in todays Tiser that great man has cut short his well deserved holiday & is in fact back in town?

Well most know my thoughts re mighty mal the face of grubby Groves the real owner.
Mal you really have shown your true colours let the Magnifecent Seven get on getting our club organized so that many more great times ahead
I am sure they will not only get the sponsors but look after them properly

Mal is back and he wants big bucks for the licence

You let the cat out the bag Charlie, I was hoping that Pottsie would tell the forum himself.

he should have to pay to give SOS the licence

I have read all posts with interest and although I had high hopes for this team under Mal's administration, I am very disappointed in the qualities he has shown during these tough times and to me demonstrates more about the man than any previous success does. It does make me suspicious about his legitimate interest in the club, I cannot understand why an owner of a business would go on holidays whilst his ship is sinking.

As an immediate relative of someone who has pumped thousands and thousands into the club through loyal sponsorship since the early 90's I have witnessed the very basic errors this and past administrations have made which has no doubt caused sponsors or season ticket holders to let their support lapse.

IMO one of the biggest mistakes made was several years ago significantly increasing the price of season tickets. I personally know about 25 people that stopped going to games after that.

Simple summary: Less bums on seats = crappy atmosphere = people talking = less bums on seats etc which leads to less sponsorship and reduced chance of return to free TV.

I do remember the good old days when dinner was served to a full room down by the players race and you come out to a full stadium for a great night's basketball but that was a long time ago. I do believe it can get back there especially in Adelaide as late last year proved we can still fill the stadium, people just need a reason!

To the new SOS people. I assume you are successful business people so please apply those business principles to the team. Do what you can to fill the stadium, you have a huge supporter base who do not come to games anymore, contact them, give them an incentive to return but do not offer what you cannot deliver.

More importantly, look after the existing sponsors and season ticket holders. Keeping them happy with a few phone calls, some personal treatment etc is a lot easier and more cost effective than trying to continuously replace lost sponsors. An experienced CRM would be a valuable asset imo.

One last thing if I may, please refrain from cheap gimmicky entertainment, imo it does more damage than an empty court at half time would. There are numerous associations, groups etc that are good at what they do and would jump at the chance to demonstrate their talent and I doubt it would cost much. Maybe even give half-time to various school basketball teams to play a short game and give them game tickets and a few red frogs. I would love to hear lots of little tackers going nuts for their team.

I wish the SOS the best of luck in the future and hope Mal has the decency to do what is needed to transfer the license and enable the Sixers to continue with owners who are passionate about the sport and the team.

Sorry for the long post.

Sorry Jack.... but you asked the question.

Great post indeed but let's hope this sort of forum is not used to turn on SOS the minute they do something we don't agree with. They are going to have to make the big decisions and the hard decisions to move forward and as much as everyone gets on here and says what they think is right we got to trust these guys.The minute they make a decision we don't agree with are we going to get on here and bag them or support and trust them to do what needs to be done.

Some of the comments above supirse me that the owner is asking for big bucks for the licence given they have run the name & the club into the ground.

IMO the purchase price should be heavily discounted to reflect how poorly the club has been operated & that it has been brought into disrepute.

Jake, I believe Charlie's suggestion is that Mal is looking to change the deal that had already been established with SOS and was about to get things moving.

The "it's my team and my money" line is fine if you're selling an everyday second-hand car, but (as we've all highlighted in the past) with something like the 36ers comes responsibility to very passionate customers. The brand loyalty when it comes to sport is pretty strong and should be respected.

I have no problem with someone taking a crack at club ownership and then moving on if it proves beyond their means, but don't be an obstacle and hold the club to ransom when those getting involved are doing so out of genuine interest more than anything.

Is the name "Adelaide Sixers" still under "patent" by the club? Could this be used with a new start by SOS and let Mal use his licence to wipe his big fat A$%#

Give yourself a ball Isaac!!!!!

Bear, I doubt he's asking as much as a license would cost.

The subject article indicated that Mal thought it was worth about $1M.

Sorry Issac, My understanding was that a license was not an essential part of the "new" NBL - just a business plan and the $1M deposit. Therefore is the license only worthwhile as a trademark?

I haven't seen Isaac on here for a day or so.
The existing clubs , such as the 36ers do not have to pay for a licence in the newNBL. But new clubs wishing to enter EG Wellington Saints do have to pay $1M for a licence. And, all have to pay the finacial guarantee. Therefore a new Adelaide club would have to pay $1M licence fee and $1M security.
By buying the 36ers for a bit under $1M you get a licence and 36ers trademark.
Maybe the asking price of just under $1M , therefore could be considered about a reasonable amount to ask for. Then work from there.

maybe some confusion between the 1m guarantee and the need to buy a new licence potentially for any new comers being 1mill