Betterdays22
Well-known member
Dogs are an example of engaging the community in their heartland really well. Many first gen Australian kids in their patch love the Doggies.
$50 Million reason Wests Tigers are prepared to quit Campbelltown.
- Thread starter Tigerdazz2
- Start date
weststigers
Well-known member
According to stats, whole of NSW has 131k polynesian/maori ancestry.
Half that to remove women. Take out people who don't even play rugby league. Take out those that play for other clubs. It's not as big as you think.
Compare with Indian and Chinese. They Indians and Chinese dwarf any polynesian population. We are close to 750k in NSW alone as of 2021...
I swear some just like to dream their own dream and run with it.
Tom Shines
Well-known member
.
We need to tap into Wests Ashfield …. A lot of their clientele are from overseas…. There is a certain Australian custom they seem to have adopted pretty quickly…
We need to tap into Wests Ashfield …. A lot of their clientele are from overseas…. There is a certain Australian custom they seem to have adopted pretty quickly…
weststigers
Well-known member
Mate...Lebanon has a national team. Very different. They are also physically suited to the game and have a long history in rugby league from back in the 80s even.
Lots of examples or South European or Middle Eastern players over the years. Can't find 1 Indian or Chinese player. But look...if the people arguing against me really think these groups will embrace rugby league, I hope I'm wrong because they certainly win the numbers gane when it comes to population.
weststigers
Well-known member
Haha pokies I'm guessing Tom?
Tom Shines
Well-known member
Yeah … I’ve only been there once …interesting joint
weststigers
Well-known member
It might fill HBG's coffers...getting them to put some of that into the club might be the difficult part.
Betterdays22
Well-known member
Are we talking about development of players or building a fan-base here? Probably 2 separate issues.
I've worked in pretty diverse areas of Western Sydney and I've seen plenty of kids from all backgrounds support their local team. Not saying there is going to be a huge take up in the Chinese or Indian diaspora, but with direct community engagement it is absolutely possible to grow supporters in 2nd and 3rd gen Australian's from different backgrounds.
Was due to go to England and visit some pommie mates and watch the mighty Hammers play as well as another side who are in the 5th divison in England, this club is very small
has gotten any better in 30 years.
gallagher
Well-known member
Of course 2nd and 3rd generations will adopt to their surrounding cultures.
gallagher
Well-known member
Remove all the Indians and and all the women too hey.
Better go polish the Kingswood's dip stick Ted.
Bus 2 Terrigal
Well-known member
Geez thanks scoop - he’ll be one of the scholarship lads I mentioned - Catch Up !
weststigers
Well-known member
On the one hand support is linked to both playing the game yourself AND players from other backgrounds do get some support from their community.
For example, you would get far more American support if a few of their players ended up making it in the NRL. The interest for that group goes way up. But in sayingnthat, the NRL is a very niche competition compared to world soccer or even cricket.
Perhaps you can market your way to 2nd and 3rd gens giving support, but it would be a very small minority. A lot of these countries already support other sports or....none at all. The sport culture is nowhere near as big in these places and leads towards NBA and EPL if any.
Australians routinely support and watch league in winter, cricket in summer, then some like to add UFC, NFL, EPL etc. If you've travelled to those countries you'll see the mentality towards sport....it is seen as a distraction to academia or work rather than a positive influence. Not all...but most think this way.
Again, we have a hard time in Australia imagining that other people don't want to be like us and are happy with their own culture. They don't come for our culture. They come for economic reasons.
Anyway...this conversation could reallybstart getting into the weeds wuth long drawn out posts. No one wants to read that, so we'll leave it at us being in disagreement on the issue.
weststigers
Well-known member
he was born in Orange you donut. He wasn't even from the Western Suburbs.
Bus 2 Terrigal
Well-known member
And Bob Fulton was born in England you snot block. He wasn’t even from Australia 🤷♂️
Makasini has been in Campbelltown since he was 11. Newington gave him a scholarship from there. He began playing for Wests aged 14.
So what’s your point exactly ?
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weststigers
Well-known member
Please... I'd rather not engage with you.
weststigers
Well-known member
What the hell man? This is a totally dishonest appraisal of what I said. Anyway...Indian 2nd and 3rd gen migrants is your position...they'll assimilate. Government propoganda really does work!
TheEnz
Well-known member
My father was a first-generation immigrant from Lebanon, arriving in 1959. He supported St George because the team was named after a saint who is a significant figure in Lebanon. Naturally, his son chose a different path and became a Tigers fan, mainly due to my childhood love for big cats and a particular fondness for the Tiger (though I reluctantly admit Benny, being Lebanese, also influenced my allegiance). All this happened while I was growing up in Cronulla and playing in the local competition. Eventually, my dad became a passionate Tigers fan as well, staying devoted to the team until his last days. He would even watch replays of old games during the off-season, driving my mother crazy.
So, to get to my point... my parents were not thrilled about me playing rugby league and union. They disliked the idea of me playing a contact sport and couldn’t see any financial future in it during the 80s and 90s, so they pushed me to prioritize education. I think this is similar to what’s happening now with Indian, Chinese, Filipino, and other families. It would be great to see targeted campaigns and a stronger NRL presence in schools out west to encourage kids from these backgrounds to play or at least support a team. Many would embrace the Tiger as it's a popular and revered animal in Asia.
The key difference between my father’s time and now is the variety of sports available and less pressure to integrate. Back then, he was part of a true minority and had to embrace NRL since cricket was the only other option, a game he never quite understood.
So, to get to my point... my parents were not thrilled about me playing rugby league and union. They disliked the idea of me playing a contact sport and couldn’t see any financial future in it during the 80s and 90s, so they pushed me to prioritize education. I think this is similar to what’s happening now with Indian, Chinese, Filipino, and other families. It would be great to see targeted campaigns and a stronger NRL presence in schools out west to encourage kids from these backgrounds to play or at least support a team. Many would embrace the Tiger as it's a popular and revered animal in Asia.
The key difference between my father’s time and now is the variety of sports available and less pressure to integrate. Back then, he was part of a true minority and had to embrace NRL since cricket was the only other option, a game he never quite understood.
Thought I'd just drop this here for all the "immigrants from Asia don't play in the NRL crew". The ethnic diversity of the league is a lot greater than some would expect and this is only for the 2025 NRL and NRLW playing squads so doesn't include other countries where a previous player represented that nation (i.e Shaun Johnson and Laos). If anyone wants to educate themselves further then click here.
