@helmesy Very good question.The more one tries to make heads or tails of the whole structure of governance of the Wests Tigers the more confusing it becomes,hence the situation now.We still seem to be lurching about on the very issue that is so vital to our success.Little wonder that we’ve been out in the cold for coming up to a dozen years.Are we a united front in all seriousness or are we different body parts pulling in different directions?
@helmesy Very good question.The more one tries to make heads or tails of the whole structure of governance of the Wests Tigers the more confusing it becomes,hence the situation now.We still seem to be lurching about on the very issue that is so vital to our success.Little wonder that we’ve been out in the cold for coming up to a dozen years.Are we a united front in all seriousness or are we different body parts pulling in different directions?
What we are is basically stuffed. The people at the top of the pyramid have no hope of finding the answers and I fear we will just continue to bump along in mediocrity until it becomes untenable. This of course means the NRL becoming involved or someone buys us (which I think is the long term plan).
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
So basically the expectation of management is that the fan base faithfully invests and trusts the processes whilst having negligible or no say in them.Sounds incredibly democratic to start with,but more so a taller order on the back of persistent underachievement.Is restructure of our charter and constitution likely to come from within?Does anyone in there desire true representation and basic democracy?
@helmesy Very good question.The more one tries to make heads or tails of the whole structure of governance of the Wests Tigers the more confusing it becomes,hence the situation now.We still seem to be lurching about on the very issue that is so vital to our success.Little wonder that we’ve been out in the cold for coming up to a dozen years.Are we a united front in all seriousness or are we different body parts pulling in different directions?
it’s actually very straight forward. Wests Ashfield have the majority board seats on Wests Tigers and WDRLC and they own the Balmain licensed club also and can make any decision they want. WA is run by 25 unelected people (debenture holders) and they have decided to put in place a very weak WT board, chaired by a buffoonish sponsor.
framed in that way it’s easy to see why we are a basket case. The question I can’t work out is why WA wants it run this way and why they don’t just sell the NRL club (or a majority share) to someone who will run it properly.
@helmesy Very good question.The more one tries to make heads or tails of the whole structure of governance of the Wests Tigers the more confusing it becomes,hence the situation now.We still seem to be lurching about on the very issue that is so vital to our success.Little wonder that we’ve been out in the cold for coming up to a dozen years.Are we a united front in all seriousness or are we different body parts pulling in different directions?
it’s actually very straight forward. Wests Ashfield have the majority board seats on Wests Tigers and WDRLC and they own the Balmain licensed club also and can make any decision they want. WA is run by 25 unelected people (debenture holders) and they have decided to put in place a very weak WT board, chaired by a buffoonish sponsor.
framed in that way it’s easy to see why we are a basket case. The question I can’t work out is why WA wants it run this way and why they don’t just sell the NRL club (or a majority share) to someone who will run it properly.
Because that is what those 20 people want. Nothing can change at Wests Ashfield without those 20 people. That is close to the best understanding of our club make I have seen.
In memory of Geoff Chisholm (1965-2022)
Great pod on the Ambush event. Remarkable how clear and consistent the feedback of all the speakers were.
I joined the forum on a “wests tigers should play out of SFS” platform and I am extremely envious of the teams that get to play at SFS and Commbank because it is night and day the fan experience. I also think we will not see a rebuild at LO or CSS in the next 10 years given the state of the NSW budget.
All that said, I am extremely concerned about the club and in particular its identity crisis. there was very reasonable arguments made, and I have seen it myself, we are a toxic brand for young kids. There are no young kids attracted to this club, there are some who are co opted into it by parents but aside from that kids support winners. We need to change the results on the field but the biggest issue off the field this club faces is our identity and I think it’s clear that we need to make a much more aggressive change. I think the time has come to go all in on Campbelltown with the view that it is a 10 year all or nothing bet. We should play 3 games a year a LO to give respect to our heritage but we need 9 at CSS and if that means we start with only 10k fans to begin with so be it. Tamworth needs to get cut, it is NOT wests tigers responsibility to give back to country football. Magic round needs to get cut. The NZ game needs to get cut. This club is on life support, we need to take aggressive action to rebuild the social contract with our existing fans and we need to build something new in the south west.
Great pod on the Ambush event. Remarkable how clear and consistent the feedback of all the speakers were.
I joined the forum on a “wests tigers should play out of SFS” platform and I am extremely envious of the teams that get to play at SFS and Commbank because it is night and day the fan experience. I also think we will not see a rebuild at LO or CSS in the next 10 years given the state of the NSW budget.
All that said, I am extremely concerned about the club and in particular its identity crisis. there was very reasonable arguments made, and I have seen it myself, we are a toxic brand for young kids. There are no young kids attracted to this club, there are some who are co opted into it by parents but aside from that kids support winners. We need to change the results on the field but the biggest issue off the field this club faces is our identity and I think it’s clear that we need to make a much more aggressive change. I think the time has come to go all in on Campbelltown with the view that it is a 10 year all or nothing bet. We should play 3 games a year a LO to give respect to our heritage but we need 9 at CSS and if that means we start with only 10k fans to begin with so be it. Tamworth needs to get cut, it is NOT wests tigers responsibility to give back to country football. Magic round needs to get cut. The NZ game needs to get cut. This club is on life support, we need to take aggressive action to rebuild the social contract with our existing fans and we need to build something new in the south west.
That’s a big change for you. I don’t think the management know who we are or where we are going, so I don’t expect anything more than the status quo over next 5 years.
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
Just watching the roosters and dragons from a sold out or close to it sfs (or what ever it is called this week). I just realised we will have to sell out lo and css 2 weeks in a row to hit the same ticket sales.
If we play out of lo and css we are not wanting to compete against the bigger teams. This is showing a line in the sand...we are stuck in the 90's. We are still thiinking pre merger.
Basically it is optics small grounds /small team
@tigertownsfs I think if club goes with a 9 css 3 lo split we are doomed unless campbletown can secure an upgraded stadium. Never worked for Magpies and won't work for us. Has to be a 6 css and 6 LO split.
I give up....
Basically it is optics small grounds /small team
I'm an old Balmain dieheart but now fully committed to the Wests Tigers and I'd be more than happy to see an up graded LO or CSS. An increased capacity and great amenities. Yes I'd give up LO if we had one ground that we could truely say is ours and our kids could identify us to it.
In fact a move out of the city and further west would eventually win me over, a true "West" of Sydney team... Maybe Bathurst.
A new board structure, a new ground and a new location. It's probably been said a thousand times and maybe it can't be done for whatever reason, so for that I apologise.
@tigertownsfs I think if club goes with a 9 css 3 lo split we are doomed unless campbletown can secure an upgraded stadium. Never worked for Magpies and won't work for us. Has to be a 6 css and 6 LO split.
it’s clear that all our juniors will now come from the south west with the occasional player to emerge from the inner west or where a player from elsewhere in Sydney or Qld is placed into the Balmain system due to proximity to the city (eg. Feledy).
but the kids will all come from the south west. I don’t see us being able to hold onto our old identity because those generations are dying out. I don’t know much about the south west but the population explosion out there in and of itself is hugely compelling for a sport that relies on getting value out of players in their system that can find early and develop.
Given our ownership structure I can’t see us becoming a south’s or roosters club that can survive by bringing in the best kids from other systems once they have already been identified. I think our only hope is a firehose of kids coming out of our systems and we manage to hold on to some of the good ones. I think at this point that is our only strategy and I think that means we need to move our centre of gravity to Campbelltown. 6/6 LO/CSS I think dilutes too much the argument that we are committed to the south west. LO is never going to get cash spent on it, CSS is a chance. I’m all in.
@tigertownsfs LO gets used a bit I think it will get an upgrade at some point. Put an academy at the south wests get the juniors that way.
@tigertownsfs LO gets used a bit I think it will get an upgrade at some point. Put an academy at the south wests get the juniors that way.
LO might get a bit of modernisation but I can’t see capacity being upgraded beyond 20k. CSS has the potential to be a 30k stadium like the one at Newcastle
We can't give up on the inner west - that's the origin of both stake holders in the joint venture. A lot of corporate $$ available as well.
All for embracing the SW as the predominant junior base, but doing so to such an extent that the IW is forgotten would be a terrible idea.
In terms of the stadia, we basically need both areas to develop into marginal seats - that seems to be the most reliable avenue to getting infrastructure updates.
