Democracy lost: Wests Tigers fans now have NO say

There’s always the danger of coming off as a traditionalist, perhaps even a dinosaur, but I think there’s an issue with the current governance/ownership of the Wests Tigers that we should all be made aware of.

And that problem, at least in my eyes, is the now (for all intents and purposes) lack of any form of member (or even fan) checks and balances.

The club (or perhaps as it can now more accurately be described as a ‘franchise’) has become something I presume most of us as football club members weren’t expecting when Wests Tigers was first mooted.

Or, perhaps it has become something some members back then feared.

For those of us who went along as paid-up football club members of either Western Suburbs Magpies or Balmain Tigers in 1999 and voted for the joint venture, we were promised a joint venture that would compete in the NRL and the continuation of our traditional Magpies and Tigers in the senior NSWRL competition (State Cup, etc).

With this, we assumed at the time, would be the continuation of two standalone football club boards controlled by the Balmain and Wests members.

But, a couple of decades later, what we have today is nothing like what most of us thought we were getting.

Yes, Balmain Tigers Football Club (BTFC) has been dragged down by the tragedy that became the Balmain Leagues Club redevelopment in Rozelle.

But, despite the Tiger’s woes, BTFC still today owns 10% of the company that holds the NRL license – Wests Tigers Rugby League Football Pty Ltd.

It’s only a small share, sure, but as a current BTFC member, I should be still entitled to have my say as to who sits on the BTFC board, and indirectly who then our one representative is on the Wests Tigers board.

But, as far as I can tell, BTFC hasn’t held an Annual General Meeting in years. There have been no AGM notifications posted anywhere, as far as I can tell.

Am I a paid member with voting rights or not? When is the next AGM?

BTFC memberships are now handled by Wests Ashfield and I have reached out to the membership department to clarify these issues, at the time of writing I haven’t received a response.

Now, that’s Balmain, but I have to say my eyes have really been opened about what’s going on with our comrades over at the Magpies.

Yes, the Western Suburbs Magpies Football Club (WSDRLFC) still exists and functions along the lines of a traditional football club.

The WSDRLFC will be holding an AGM at Wests Ashfield a little later this month and when the current three-year term for the club’s directors expires members will be able to again cast a vote for the representatives they so choose.

But, not for the whole board, just a minority of three board positions out of seven.

I really don’t see the point of going in and lodging a vote – the WSDRLFC board is controlled by Wests Ashfield (or, as it is now known as ‘Holman Barnes Group’ (HBG)) which appoints the majority of four directors.

Ironically, like BTFC, WSDRLFC now also has only one director appointed to the Wests Tigers board.

The proof of this control has been evident just last week when the member-elected Chairman of the WSDRLFC, Shannon Cavanagh, was hauled across the coals for questioning some of the decisions made by the Wests Tigers board.

Mr. Cavanagh, a registered charted accountant and lifelong Magpies (and Wests Tigers) fan, got involved with the Magpies first as a sponsor and volunteer, before running successfully for the board.

He was elected Chairman by his fellow WSDRLFC members to advocate for the Magpies and he has been seeking clarification around a number of matters.

One of these matters is his concern, and I presume those also of the rank and file Magpies members, that there is an alleged push from within the Wests Tigers/HBG to replace the Western Suburbs team with a Wests Tigers side in the NSW Cup competition.

Now, it doesn’t really matter where you sit with that, what matters is what the original joint venture agreement said in relation to that issue.

Another issue that Mr. Kavanagh sought clarification around was the lodgement of ASIC documents, in particular, in relation to the appointment of one Wests Tigers board member, that same board member happens to also be the WSDRLFC representative on the Wests Tigers board.

That, to me at least, tells me that WSDRLFC is now a toothless tiger (for want of a better term) and membership of that football club has no direct involvement in the running of Wests Tigers.

You could also say that the member-elected board members don’t really even get any power over the Magpies, because, ultimately, it’s what HBG wants (if the four directors vote along those lines).

Further to all this, Mr. Cavanagh now faces expulsion from the WSDRLFC board, and may even have his membership canceled, that’s despite his two fellow member-elected board members reportedly backing him.

The Wests Tigers Chairman, Lee Hagipantelis, has publically alleged that Mr. Cavanagh “has construed a pattern of behavior” that “leaves him as being not a fit and proper person to fill the role of WSDRFC Chairman, or indeed, hold a membership.”

Mr. Cavanagh has no real right of reply, no voice to explain his side of the story, and I don’t think that’s right. If the four HBG directors vote together he will be expelled from the football club with no recourse available.

Where is the evidence that Mr. Cavanagh acted inappropriately?

If what happened to Mr. Cavanagh is an example, can I now have my BTFC membership cancelled by writing this article or by sharing my opinions about the organisation on the Wests Tigers Podcast?

I understand that things change, but we now essentially have no rights at all.

Also, if at some point in the future Wests Tigers face a crucial decision, just like what we as Wests and Balmain members did in 1999, that decision will be completely out of our hands as fans and members.

I think that’s a great pity.