Campbelltown's council has called an extraordinary meeting in a last-ditch bid to commit cash to stadium upgrades as it fights to keep Wests Tigers playing in the area.
Two months after being told by the Tigers that Campbelltown Stadium needed a $50 million upgrade or the NRL club could walk, funding is yet to be secured for the ground.
Campbelltown's council has been clear that it cannot afford the upgrades, and would need significant support from the state or federal government.
That support is yet to be forthcoming and appears increasingly unlikely, leaving Campbelltown with the very real threat of the Tigers leaving the stadium.
The Tigers have extended a June 30 deadline to lock in upgrades back to the end of July, but have requested the council shows them its own financial commitment by Monday.
An extraordinary council meeting has been called for Friday evening, when the local council will consider its options for the ground, which also houses the Macarthur Bulls in the A-League.
Inner West Council last year put forward $10 million to upgrades of the Tigers' other traditional home of Leichhardt Oval, in order to gain financial support from the state or federal governments.
AAP understands Campbelltown's council could opt for a similar amount, with any funding being contingent on the state or federal government coming to the party.
"The bottom line is we want the Tigers here full-time, with seven or eight games at Campbelltown," Mayor Darcy Lound told AAP last month.
"With the growth of the region out here it's a massive future supporter base. It's a massive junior nursery for rugby league out here.
"We're up there in numbers with Penrith, we're almost No.1 in NSW. There is a massive advantage."
A $50 million upgrade would increase capacity from 17,000 to 21,000 and include improvements to the western side of the ground.
Beyond that, the Tigers have also asked for a total of $100 million of work to be done at the venue over the next five years to take capacity up to 24,000 and corporate spaces to 1200.
A previously announced $40.3 million sporting and health centre of excellence, funded largely by council and state government, is scheduled to be completed at the ground by 2027.
That will double corporate capacity from 450 to 900, while also providing game-day facilities that will assist with hosting women's matches.
Fans turn up at Campbelltown Sports Stadium to watch Wests Tigers. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)
But the Tigers have told council those developments are separate to their current requests.
"We require investment into Campbelltown or we just can't play there," Tigers CEO Shane Richardson said this month.
"It's not financially viable for us to play there.
"We can't hang around waiting on promises that may or may not happen.
"We need something definitive ... or we will have to make a decision on where we play besides Leichhardt."
The Tigers bank about $400,000 from sold-out home games at their suburban grounds, compared with $1.05 million in sell-outs at CommBank Stadium.
They play four games at Campbelltown and CommBank this year and three at Leichhardt.
Campbelltown's council has called an extraordinary meeting in a last-ditch bid to commit cash to stadium upgrades as it fights to keep Wests Tigers playing in the area.
Two months after being told by the Tigers that Campbelltown Stadium needed a $50 million upgrade or the NRL club could walk, funding is yet to be secured for the ground.
Campbelltown's council has been clear that it cannot afford the upgrades, and would need significant support from the state or federal government.
That support is yet to be forthcoming and appears increasingly unlikely, leaving Campbelltown with the very real threat of the Tigers leaving the stadium.
The Tigers have extended a June 30 deadline to lock in upgrades back to the end of July, but have requested the council shows them its own financial commitment by Monday.
An extraordinary council meeting has been called for Friday evening, when the local council will consider its options for the ground, which also houses the Macarthur Bulls in the A-League.
Inner West Council last year put forward $10 million to upgrades of the Tigers' other traditional home of Leichhardt Oval, in order to gain financial support from the state or federal governments.
AAP understands Campbelltown's council could opt for a similar amount, with any funding being contingent on the state or federal government coming to the party.
"The bottom line is we want the Tigers here full-time, with seven or eight games at Campbelltown," Mayor Darcy Lound told AAP last month.
"With the growth of the region out here it's a massive future supporter base. It's a massive junior nursery for rugby league out here.
"We're up there in numbers with Penrith, we're almost No.1 in NSW. There is a massive advantage."
A $50 million upgrade would increase capacity from 17,000 to 21,000 and include improvements to the western side of the ground.
Beyond that, the Tigers have also asked for a total of $100 million of work to be done at the venue over the next five years to take capacity up to 24,000 and corporate spaces to 1200.
A previously announced $40.3 million sporting and health centre of excellence, funded largely by council and state government, is scheduled to be completed at the ground by 2027.
That will double corporate capacity from 450 to 900, while also providing game-day facilities that will assist with hosting women's matches.
Fans turn up at Campbelltown Sports Stadium to watch Wests Tigers. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)
But the Tigers have told council those developments are separate to their current requests.
"We require investment into Campbelltown or we just can't play there," Tigers CEO Shane Richardson said this month.
"It's not financially viable for us to play there.
"We can't hang around waiting on promises that may or may not happen.
"We need something definitive ... or we will have to make a decision on where we play besides Leichhardt."
The Tigers bank about $400,000 from sold-out home games at their suburban grounds, compared with $1.05 million in sell-outs at CommBank Stadium.
They play four games at Campbelltown and CommBank this year and three at Leichhardt.
Wests Tigers chairman Barry O'Farrell has called for an 11th-hour meeting with the NSW Government as the clock ticks down on the NRL club's threat to leave Campbelltown Stadium.
Campbelltown's council last week pledged $10 million to upgrading their stadium, but say they need state or federal support to meet Wests Tigers' demands for the ground.
The Tigers have given Campbelltown City Council an extension until July 31 to secure a $50 million upgrade for the ground, but say they will otherwise have to leave the venue.
Campbelltown City Council's commitment is conditional on support from higher levels of government, and would go to increasing the capacity of the ground to 21,000 with improvements to the western grandstand.
The chances of the state or federal government coming to the party appears to be dwindling with nothing pledged since the Tigers threatened to leave the ground in April.
Tigers and Campbelltown council representatives have met with the NSW government in recent months to push for the funding and are keen to speak with treasurer Daniel Mookhey again.
"Barry O'Farrell has made representations to the treasurer to try and catch up now that the budget is over," Tigers CEO Shane Richardson told
"It's to have one last try at trying to get funding for Campbelltown council."
Western Suburbs have played out of Campbelltown since 1987, before the merger with Balmain in 2000 saw the Tigers split their games with Leichhardt.
The number of games at the club's traditional home grounds has since reduced, but the Tigers will commit to playing up to eight games at Campbelltown if upgraded.
Campbelltown mayor Darcy Lound had previously hoped the Tigers would play the long game and stay in the city regardless of upgrades, but that now appears unlikely.
"Ultimately it's important that we definitely try and keep the stadium fit for purpose, which this would do," Lound told last Friday night's council meeting.
"I think it's really important that we fight as hard as we can, and we're showing the Tigers we want them here.
"I know it's very difficult for any council across Australia to find $10 million across Australia.
"We have been put in a position ultimately by the Tigers saying that our stadium is not fit for service, and we need to do something about it."
A previously announced $40.3 million sporting and health centre of excellence is scheduled to be complete by 2027 at Campbelltown, doubling corporate spaces from 450 to 900.
But the Tigers consider that separate to the requested upgrades.
The club is locked in to playing four games at Campbelltown next year, but would play the bulk of their matches at CommBank Stadium from 2027 if they do leave the venue.
Leichhardt Oval would host either three or four matches a year, but it too could be unavailable in 2027 while it receives $50 million in upgrades that were locked in last year.
Wests Tigers boss Shane Richardson has dismissed Campbelltown Council’s pledge to contribute $10 million towards a $100 million upgrade of Campbelltown Stadium.
And he has given notice that unless state and federal governments came to the party with the rest of the money by the end of this month the club would be looking elsewhere to play NRL games from 2027.
Council sought a three month extension for its bid to gain funding but it was rejected by the Wests Tigers, who offered just one month.
In a letter to Mayor Darcy Lound, the club CEO says the “commitment to $10 million based on gaining funding from the NSW and Australian Governments looks to be a bridge too far’’.
“Wests Tigers will do everything possible to assist you to try and get the extra funding from State and Federal Governments over the next 30 days, however, if there is nothing concrete in place, we will have to move on to alternate contracts elsewhere.
“We will of course, as per our contract, be playing at Campbelltown in 2026,’’ says Mr Richardson in the letter, which will be part of the agenda at next Tuesday’s ordinary council meeting.
“It is disappointing that we cannot gain the funding for Wests Tigers to play at Campbelltown,’’ he writes.
“You will find attached letters from the Holman Barnes Group and Western Suburbs District RLFC themselves supporting the stance we are taking.’’
The letter from Daniel Paton, the interim chief executive officer and chief financial officer of the Holman Barnes Group – essentially the owners of Wests Tigers – confirms their “strong support for the proposed $100 million upgrade of Campbelltown Sports Stadium, with the goal of establishing it as a primary home ground for the Wests Tigers NRL team’’.
This letter will also be tabled at Tuesday’s meeting.
“The Wests Tigers have publicly expressed a desire to play more games in Campbelltown and are actively advocating for much-needed stadium improvements,’’ says Mr Paton in the letter.
The third letter that will be tabled is from former Western Suburbs player and current club chief Leo Epifania, who has just been appointed to the Wests Tigers board.
“Without facilities we suffer the issues of attracting quality players, experiencing quality training, having a home that we can call home and the simple but important feeling that we didn’t have what was needed to build around,’’ says Mr Epifania in his letter to council.
“The Wests Tigers are invested in the area and understand the significant growth happening there, but they are just not able to fulfil what they want to achieve without the necessary commitment from Council.
“As the original NRL occupants of Campbelltown and the Macarthur region, Wests Magpies throws its full support behind Wests Tigers and urges Council to do their best to take away any barriers preventing the Wests Tigers from building a future in the region.’’
