OFFICIAL Q&A Club discussion with Shaun Mielekamp

[Tigerwould]

Accok

The corporates and board members
just a excuse for a nice holiday in NZ with a hotel near by which they couldn't get if there home game is based on Sydney. Pretty obvious, West's tigers is a combined inner/south west club, either play at accor or Sydney show ground when you're not playing at Leichichart oval due to the renovations.

Jetstar, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, and Air New Zealand will be flying out of Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) soon.

 

[westielife]

Afternoon everyone, I wanted to start a thread to primarily show my personal support for the forum and the importance I see in this medium. This also can be a genuinely helpful way for the club to source feedback from time to time in an online space that will self-regulate and fuel healthy debate.

I tried to post a few days ago but appropriately the moderators ran their checks to confirm that yes this is actually me rather than someone pretending to be the CEO.
I have been actively reading the forum since I started at the club over 2 years ago and several times I was very close to jumping on and saying hi several times but decided to take the safer route.

I've seen many posts on here that wonder if the club does read the forum and it is worth knowing that some staff do at times jump on. I am a huge fan of online forums because I believe it is a key part of fan culture and debate, especially in a modern social media world where it is hard to see through the online trolls and the media agendas. At least here you know someone will call out BS and as long as people remain within the forum rules good debate and conversation can foster.

I am keen to hear from people on their views passions and opinions, but I do want to put in a disclaimer that I simply won't be able to reply to every question or comment on every topic. I'm sure you will all agree that I should be spending 99.99% of my time working as hard as I can as CEO and getting caught up too much on here with debate is not the best use of my time or head space.

Please know that I can't and won't be able to talk on a lot of topics - players and football in particular. I know you all would love me to give a blow-by-blow account of every team list, recruitment discussion, on field decisions, board discussions etc etc obviously that would not be professional and not in the best interest of the club. Plenty of things that happen at the club need to stay confidential at the club and I know that what is said on here simply won't stay on here.

I hope to jump on at random every few weeks or so but there will be times that I might not get on to reply for a few months - like I said I will need to make sure I prioritise 99.99% of my time on the day to day job and hopefully this is still and opportunity that is welcomed here on the forum.

I do have thick skin so I get that I will get some frank feedback at times, just please remember I am a human with a family.

So please know that I will read this thread, unlikely that i will be able to read all the other though. I'm still learning everyday about the very unique journey this club has been on and I can't rewrite or comment on decision made before my time. I do believe in the Wests Tigers and that includes everyone that cheers on our players and spend your hard earned money on supporting this club.

Thanks for being part of this forum and reading my long post, most of all thanks for being part of the Wests Tigers family.

Hey Shaun what about Sydney showground stadium? (Engie stadium)

 

[westielife]

Afternoon everyone, I wanted to start a thread to primarily show my personal support for the forum and the importance I see in this medium. This also can be a genuinely helpful way for the club to source feedback from time to time in an online space that will self-regulate and fuel healthy debate.

I tried to post a few days ago but appropriately the moderators ran their checks to confirm that yes this is actually me rather than someone pretending to be the CEO.
I have been actively reading the forum since I started at the club over 2 years ago and several times I was very close to jumping on and saying hi several times but decided to take the safer route.

I've seen many posts on here that wonder if the club does read the forum and it is worth knowing that some staff do at times jump on. I am a huge fan of online forums because I believe it is a key part of fan culture and debate, especially in a modern social media world where it is hard to see through the online trolls and the media agendas. At least here you know someone will call out BS and as long as people remain within the forum rules good debate and conversation can foster.

I am keen to hear from people on their views passions and opinions, but I do want to put in a disclaimer that I simply won't be able to reply to every question or comment on every topic. I'm sure you will all agree that I should be spending 99.99% of my time working as hard as I can as CEO and getting caught up too much on here with debate is not the best use of my time or head space.

Please know that I can't and won't be able to talk on a lot of topics - players and football in particular. I know you all would love me to give a blow-by-blow account of every team list, recruitment discussion, on field decisions, board discussions etc etc obviously that would not be professional and not in the best interest of the club. Plenty of things that happen at the club need to stay confidential at the club and I know that what is said on here simply won't stay on here.

I hope to jump on at random every few weeks or so but there will be times that I might not get on to reply for a few months - like I said I will need to make sure I prioritise 99.99% of my time on the day to day job and hopefully this is still and opportunity that is welcomed here on the forum.

I do have thick skin so I get that I will get some frank feedback at times, just please remember I am a human with a family.

So please know that I will read this thread, unlikely that i will be able to read all the other though. I'm still learning everyday about the very unique journey this club has been on and I can't rewrite or comment on decision made before my time. I do believe in the Wests Tigers and that includes everyone that cheers on our players and spend your hard earned money on supporting this club.

Thanks for being part of this forum and reading my long post, most of all thanks for being part of the Wests Tigers family.

Could the wests tigers ask for a big wests tigers logo to be placed alongside the eels and wanders logo on-top of the box office B? of CommBank stadium so it feels more like wests tigers territory?

 

[Pringle Gold]

Shaun, why would you gift the Warriors an extra Home Game by playing our Home Game in NZ? I get the Revenue argument, but surely the cost of travelling, time, physical disruption, accommodation, etc., eats into those revenue rewards? The Club can't be so tight for a $ that you'd give up the home-game advantage that makes the Warriors travel across the ditch instead? In other words, is the money more important than a Win? In the end, it's just another piece of perceived Club dysfunction that feeds the Media - Tigers Nomads etc.

It just shows how poorly this club is run and that on-field results are secondary to revenue and gimmicks.

We sacrificed a home game and played the Warriors in NZ back in 2023. We lost.

Seems like the club owners and Management care more about paid holidays to Vegas and NZ, than winning footy games.

 

[westielife]

Could we rename the wests tigers to the South west tigers?

 

[boonboon]

Could we rename the wests tigers to the South west tigers?

Inner West Tigers sounds better 🙂

 

[westielife]

Inner West Tigers sounds better 🙂

I'm all for it but I want my west tigers to be playing somewhere in homebush so it feels like the west tigers that I remember from the 2000s.

 

[cochise]

I'm all for it but I want my west tigers to be playing somewhere in homebush so it feels like the west tigers that I remember from the 2000s.

No where there to play

 

[clontarfkid]

No where there to play

Actually theres quite a big stadium avialble at Homebush..but very ordinary viewing experience
Even the Bunnies fans dont wanna go there..all over Alliance,and rightly so
Stadiums like Alliance/Commbank really spoil us..and then theres a rejuvenated Leichardt which is the best experience of them all.And maybe a Cambelltown in 3 trs time
I feel for the CEO..its quite a conundrum, with no easy fix short/medium term
And needs to optimise revenue opportunities in the interim,like maybe Dunedin
If hes any good,he will sort it all out,and more importantly the WTs results,one way or the other...if we perform ,the crowds will come wherever we play!!

 

[cochise]

Actually theres quite a big stadium avialble at Homebush..but very ordinary viewing experience
Even the Bunnies fans dont wanna go there..all over Alliance,and rightly so
Stadiums like Alliance/Commbank really spoil us..and then theres a rejuvenated Leichardt which is the best experience of them all.And maybe a Cambelltown in 3 trs time
I feel for the CEO..its quite a conundrum, with no easy fix short/medium term
And needs to optimise revenue opportunities in the interim,like maybe Dunedin
If hes any good,he will sort it all out,and more importantly the WTs results,one way or the other...if we perform ,the crowds will come wherever we play!!

I don't consider it an option. Need to be able to at least half fill a venue before it's an option.

 

[westielife]

No where there to play

2 perfectly ready to be played on stadiums next to a train line and a future Metro

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Hardly fair for ticket holding members to dudded yet another home game.

Is this NZ home game an initiative driven by the club or the NRL?

 

[westielife]

Hardly fair for ticket holding members to dudded yet another home game.

Is this NZ home game an initiative driven by the club or the NRL?

By the board members who want a little holiday and hotel in NZ

 

[clontarfkid]

I don't consider it an option. Need to be able to at least half fill a venue before it's an option.

Agreed....in the highly unlikely event of it being half filled ,it's a very ordinary experience
So I'd be parking that option
Alternatives all have limitations, but the almighty $$ has to play a role
Commbank has to figure in mix somewhere @ 30k seats,but somehow doesn't feel like home..particularly with all the wall pics and boxes featuring Eels players
Suspect we will be rotating between a rejuvenated LO,css and Combank for next decade weighting towards css when we attract sufficient numbers out there

 

[innsaneink]

Agreed....in the highly unlikely event of it being half filled ,it's a very ordinary experience
So I'd be parking that option
Alternatives all have limitations, but the almighty $$ has to play a role
Commbank has to figure in mix somewhere @ 30k seats,but somehow doesn't feel like home..particularly with all the wall pics and boxes featuring Eels players
Suspect we will be rotating between a rejuvenated LO,css and Combank for next decade weighting towards css when we attract sufficient numbers out there

'29 onwards the majority of games will be at Cambo

 

[clontarfkid]

'29 onwards the majority of games will be at Cambo

Not if they attract < 10000.
It's the future,for sure,but gotta give em a reason to attend..successful team...decent opposition..improved facilities ..afternoon games during mid winter with kids free
Overinvest in the area once Css completed..or we may not have a future
And discounted hot dogs for all!