With the 2015 NRL season quickly approaching I wanted to kick off the New Year with Wests Tigers’ first CEO update of the year.
As I’m sure you’ve heard and seen there has been a lot of change here at the Club over the last few months and we’re confident that you’ll see improvements in everything we do this year.
Statistically, the Wests Tigers is the least successful club in the past 15 years with just three finals appearances. This is clearly unsustainable and has been terribly disappointing for our Members, Corporate Partners and broader fan base. Dramatic change across the club is imperative and now with a new Board and new Coaching staff in place, we are focused on creating a club that is a “United Team with a Shared Dream”. This Club Mission has recently been signed off by the Board and fully supported by the staff and players.
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FOOTBALL OPERATIONS
Jason Taylor, Phil Moss and the coaching staff have already had a major impact on the players.
A number of improvements have been made to our rehabilitation and injury management processes. Apart from the appointment of Keegan Smith, Corey Bocking, Marcus Kain and Blake McLean in the High Performance area, the Club has also invested in a new fit out of the gym and has put more structure around player diets and nutrition. Harry Triguboff (Managing Director of Meriton) has supported these changes by completely refitting the Club’s kitchen and meals area.
It’s clear to all that the players have benefited greatly from the change in direction.
Developing a well-defined recruitment and retention strategy has been the primary focus of Phil Moss since he commenced in late September, 2014\. Squad depth is important but equally is recruitment of the right people in the right position. With the departure of players at the end of 2014, there has been a common question from Members about where the money will be spent. Without divulging specifics, player’s contracts usually increase year on year. The degree of increase differs from player to player but it all contributes to the overall salary cap spend of the Club. Put simply, releasing a player does not mean we automatically go to the market to buy a new player.
The club’s strategy is deliberate and focused on longer term success and not short term gains. Whilst we all expect results straight away, this is something that definitely takes time.
Wests Tigers have also been working hard to ensure that our future superstars reach their full potential, improving the processes to develop players and having a clearly defined pathway to the NRL.
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MEMBERSHIP
Firstly, thankyou to each one of you for joining us for the 2015 season. There’s a real buzz around the Club at the moment and hopefully we’ve been able to convey that to you over the last few months.
As of January 20 this year Wests Tigers currently have 5,843 Members signed up for 2015, well ahead of the 4,710 we had at the end of January last year. We’re happy with where we’re sitting at this stage of the year and look forward to growing that number even further as we close in on Round 1.
For 2015 we eliminated some of the complications in our Membership model, including removing the silver category so that we now just have reserved seating and general admission packages and combining the child and concession groups.
We had an early boost to our 2015 sales with the introduction of the Membership rollover, this ensured that the process became easier for members to renew each year. It’s been great to see that sales have been very consistent each month since. While the rollover process worked well for many there were also some unfortunate teething issues along the way. Poor communication, system and software errors all contributed to an all too common theme from our Membership that we have not yet got our house in order. We have listened to your feedback and worked tirelessly with our suppliers to rectify the problems. Our goal is to make the Membership process as smooth and seamless as possible for 2016 but continue to ask for your feedback and insights as to how we can continue to improve our service.
Membership packs are on track, as promised, to start arriving on your doorstep from late January. We hope that you are all impressed with what has been provided through our new membership kit supplier, including a new hat from apparel sponsor ISC.
At this stage of the year our most popular package is the ANZ Stadium package with over 1,200 already sold, closely followed by the Supporter package and with Full Season in third.
On Sunday 8 February the Club will be holding a Meeting of Members which will provide an opportunity for Members to get a thorough update on where the Club is currently sitting, and also meet members of the Board, Coaching Staff and Senior Management. This event has a very limited capacity and is currently open to those who hold a Full Season Membership and above. Those unable to attend will be able to access a live video stream of the event, with more details to be released closer to the day.
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GAME DAY
Over the next month the Club will be working with the relevant councils for both Campbelltown Sports Stadium and Leichhardt Oval to address each venue. Both venues have their strengths but also have shortcomings that are financially straining on the Club. Leichhardt and Campbelltown Council are well aware of our issues and have committed to working with us to ensure that we can retain presence in both areas into the future. The new Board and management are working through a stadium strategy that will identify where and when we play our games in the coming years.
Wests Tigers are also working hard to improve the game day experience at all three home grounds. We’ve also made sure that ANZ Stadium and Campbelltown Sports Stadium have the same price point in order to avoid discounting casual tickets throughout the year, ensuring that you continue to see value in your Membership.
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MERCHANDISE
The change in supplier to ISC has proven to be very popular, with the run into Christmas our best for merchandise sales for three years.
Our biggest sellers year to date are the ANZAC jersey, followed by the Main and the Auckland 9’s Main jersey (black). The last result in particular is exceptionally pleasing after mixed feedback when the design was released. The Auckland 9’s tournament has been designed to be a platform for experimentation. Sales have indicated that our approach to the tournament has been well justified.
High demand pre-Christmas for some of our themed jerseys presented stock issues, but orders have since been rectified and more supply is on its way from ISC.
Please remember that it is not our intention that every person will purchase every garment in the range, more so we focus on creating a range that is diverse and allows for customers to pick and choose selected items that appeal to them. The inclusion of grey in this year’s range has broadened our appeal whilst retaining a charm to the Wests Tigers faithful, as always our greatest indication will be sales throughout the year. My personal favourite is the training jersey design which gives us a clear point of difference from all of our competitors and clearly recognises our historical and geographical roots. This will be released at tomorrow’s Member Party.
The Club is also working closely with the NRL and its appointed licensees available through Rebel Sport, Best and Less and other smaller retailers. This is to ensure in future ranges they meet our current brand guidelines and are appealing to all Wests Tigers fans. Historically this range has not been approved by the club, and has created angst among our members over the years. Whist we can’t capture all garments through these suppliers (NRL Responsibility), we have made it clear to all suppliers we deal directly with that we are a true tricolour club and where production only allows for two colour ways, we have opted for this to be orange and white in 2015 and beyond. We hope to start seeing the changes to these ranges over the next 12 months.
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CORPORATE
The Club has had a couple of changes to our Corporate Department with Michelle Baillie joining Wests Tigers as Corporate Sales and Partnerships Manager. Michelle joins the Club from the NRL and brings a wealth of experience to the position. We’re also pleased to announce that John Skandalis has come on board as South-West Sydney Corporate Sales Executive and will be working closely with a wide group of our Corporate Partners.
We’ve had strong support from our Corporate Partners for the 2015 playing kit with Meriton, XCast, Moment Media and Allied Express all returning for this season. They’ll be joined on the jersey by Brydens Lawyers who will feature in the makers mark position.
Heading into the new season the Club is currently looking for a sleeve sponsor and coaches sponsor, and we acknowledge that these are important for the member base. Repucom, and independent brand exposure analysis company continues to confirm that the Wests Tigers remain in the top half of all professional clubs when it comes to television and broader media exposure.
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TRAINING FACILITIES
2015 is an important year for the Club regarding our training base. Concord Oval has served us well over the past 10 years but without doubt we have one of the most basic training and administration bases of any of any professional sporting club in Australia. It’s just not good enough.
Over the past four months, we have worked with the NRL and a specialist consultant on the design of and potential sites for our future training base. Canada Bay, Leichhardt, Liverpool and Campbelltown Councils have all been provided with a clear set of criteria that we require of our new base. Criteria includes:
Site fundamentals (i.e. available space/size for development, site ownership, land owner support)
Existing characteristics (i.e. existing facilities, existing use/user groups, zoning, environmental, access)
Financial (i.e. partnership opportunities, capital contribution, leasing terms)
Ease of Implementation (i.e. site remediation, planning approvals)
Geographical relevance
We expect that the upcoming state election will provide the opportunity for the Club to work with State Members to attract the level of funding required to set us on our path. To be clear, any development of our training base requires strong financial support from local, state and federal governments, as well as a similar commitment from the Club.
\
\
\
In summary, the changes at the Wests Tigers have been dramatic and emotional for many people that hold this Club close to their heart. Criticism from the Membership base regarding lack of communication from the Club around major decisions has been taken on board and I hope that this update, and monthly updates throughout the season, will give you comfort and confidence around our future direction. Having been involved with Rugby League for more than 15 years, I can assure you that the environment, culture and enthusiasm across the playing group and broader staff confirms that we are on the right path.
You can see this first hand at tomorrow’s event, we hope to see you there!
As I’m sure you’ve heard and seen there has been a lot of change here at the Club over the last few months and we’re confident that you’ll see improvements in everything we do this year.
Statistically, the Wests Tigers is the least successful club in the past 15 years with just three finals appearances. This is clearly unsustainable and has been terribly disappointing for our Members, Corporate Partners and broader fan base. Dramatic change across the club is imperative and now with a new Board and new Coaching staff in place, we are focused on creating a club that is a “United Team with a Shared Dream”. This Club Mission has recently been signed off by the Board and fully supported by the staff and players.
\
\
\
FOOTBALL OPERATIONS
Jason Taylor, Phil Moss and the coaching staff have already had a major impact on the players.
A number of improvements have been made to our rehabilitation and injury management processes. Apart from the appointment of Keegan Smith, Corey Bocking, Marcus Kain and Blake McLean in the High Performance area, the Club has also invested in a new fit out of the gym and has put more structure around player diets and nutrition. Harry Triguboff (Managing Director of Meriton) has supported these changes by completely refitting the Club’s kitchen and meals area.
It’s clear to all that the players have benefited greatly from the change in direction.
Developing a well-defined recruitment and retention strategy has been the primary focus of Phil Moss since he commenced in late September, 2014\. Squad depth is important but equally is recruitment of the right people in the right position. With the departure of players at the end of 2014, there has been a common question from Members about where the money will be spent. Without divulging specifics, player’s contracts usually increase year on year. The degree of increase differs from player to player but it all contributes to the overall salary cap spend of the Club. Put simply, releasing a player does not mean we automatically go to the market to buy a new player.
The club’s strategy is deliberate and focused on longer term success and not short term gains. Whilst we all expect results straight away, this is something that definitely takes time.
Wests Tigers have also been working hard to ensure that our future superstars reach their full potential, improving the processes to develop players and having a clearly defined pathway to the NRL.
\
\
\
MEMBERSHIP
Firstly, thankyou to each one of you for joining us for the 2015 season. There’s a real buzz around the Club at the moment and hopefully we’ve been able to convey that to you over the last few months.
As of January 20 this year Wests Tigers currently have 5,843 Members signed up for 2015, well ahead of the 4,710 we had at the end of January last year. We’re happy with where we’re sitting at this stage of the year and look forward to growing that number even further as we close in on Round 1.
For 2015 we eliminated some of the complications in our Membership model, including removing the silver category so that we now just have reserved seating and general admission packages and combining the child and concession groups.
We had an early boost to our 2015 sales with the introduction of the Membership rollover, this ensured that the process became easier for members to renew each year. It’s been great to see that sales have been very consistent each month since. While the rollover process worked well for many there were also some unfortunate teething issues along the way. Poor communication, system and software errors all contributed to an all too common theme from our Membership that we have not yet got our house in order. We have listened to your feedback and worked tirelessly with our suppliers to rectify the problems. Our goal is to make the Membership process as smooth and seamless as possible for 2016 but continue to ask for your feedback and insights as to how we can continue to improve our service.
Membership packs are on track, as promised, to start arriving on your doorstep from late January. We hope that you are all impressed with what has been provided through our new membership kit supplier, including a new hat from apparel sponsor ISC.
At this stage of the year our most popular package is the ANZ Stadium package with over 1,200 already sold, closely followed by the Supporter package and with Full Season in third.
On Sunday 8 February the Club will be holding a Meeting of Members which will provide an opportunity for Members to get a thorough update on where the Club is currently sitting, and also meet members of the Board, Coaching Staff and Senior Management. This event has a very limited capacity and is currently open to those who hold a Full Season Membership and above. Those unable to attend will be able to access a live video stream of the event, with more details to be released closer to the day.
\
\
\
GAME DAY
Over the next month the Club will be working with the relevant councils for both Campbelltown Sports Stadium and Leichhardt Oval to address each venue. Both venues have their strengths but also have shortcomings that are financially straining on the Club. Leichhardt and Campbelltown Council are well aware of our issues and have committed to working with us to ensure that we can retain presence in both areas into the future. The new Board and management are working through a stadium strategy that will identify where and when we play our games in the coming years.
Wests Tigers are also working hard to improve the game day experience at all three home grounds. We’ve also made sure that ANZ Stadium and Campbelltown Sports Stadium have the same price point in order to avoid discounting casual tickets throughout the year, ensuring that you continue to see value in your Membership.
\
\
\
MERCHANDISE
The change in supplier to ISC has proven to be very popular, with the run into Christmas our best for merchandise sales for three years.
Our biggest sellers year to date are the ANZAC jersey, followed by the Main and the Auckland 9’s Main jersey (black). The last result in particular is exceptionally pleasing after mixed feedback when the design was released. The Auckland 9’s tournament has been designed to be a platform for experimentation. Sales have indicated that our approach to the tournament has been well justified.
High demand pre-Christmas for some of our themed jerseys presented stock issues, but orders have since been rectified and more supply is on its way from ISC.
Please remember that it is not our intention that every person will purchase every garment in the range, more so we focus on creating a range that is diverse and allows for customers to pick and choose selected items that appeal to them. The inclusion of grey in this year’s range has broadened our appeal whilst retaining a charm to the Wests Tigers faithful, as always our greatest indication will be sales throughout the year. My personal favourite is the training jersey design which gives us a clear point of difference from all of our competitors and clearly recognises our historical and geographical roots. This will be released at tomorrow’s Member Party.
The Club is also working closely with the NRL and its appointed licensees available through Rebel Sport, Best and Less and other smaller retailers. This is to ensure in future ranges they meet our current brand guidelines and are appealing to all Wests Tigers fans. Historically this range has not been approved by the club, and has created angst among our members over the years. Whist we can’t capture all garments through these suppliers (NRL Responsibility), we have made it clear to all suppliers we deal directly with that we are a true tricolour club and where production only allows for two colour ways, we have opted for this to be orange and white in 2015 and beyond. We hope to start seeing the changes to these ranges over the next 12 months.
\
\
\
CORPORATE
The Club has had a couple of changes to our Corporate Department with Michelle Baillie joining Wests Tigers as Corporate Sales and Partnerships Manager. Michelle joins the Club from the NRL and brings a wealth of experience to the position. We’re also pleased to announce that John Skandalis has come on board as South-West Sydney Corporate Sales Executive and will be working closely with a wide group of our Corporate Partners.
We’ve had strong support from our Corporate Partners for the 2015 playing kit with Meriton, XCast, Moment Media and Allied Express all returning for this season. They’ll be joined on the jersey by Brydens Lawyers who will feature in the makers mark position.
Heading into the new season the Club is currently looking for a sleeve sponsor and coaches sponsor, and we acknowledge that these are important for the member base. Repucom, and independent brand exposure analysis company continues to confirm that the Wests Tigers remain in the top half of all professional clubs when it comes to television and broader media exposure.
\
\
\
TRAINING FACILITIES
2015 is an important year for the Club regarding our training base. Concord Oval has served us well over the past 10 years but without doubt we have one of the most basic training and administration bases of any of any professional sporting club in Australia. It’s just not good enough.
Over the past four months, we have worked with the NRL and a specialist consultant on the design of and potential sites for our future training base. Canada Bay, Leichhardt, Liverpool and Campbelltown Councils have all been provided with a clear set of criteria that we require of our new base. Criteria includes:
Site fundamentals (i.e. available space/size for development, site ownership, land owner support)
Existing characteristics (i.e. existing facilities, existing use/user groups, zoning, environmental, access)
Financial (i.e. partnership opportunities, capital contribution, leasing terms)
Ease of Implementation (i.e. site remediation, planning approvals)
Geographical relevance
We expect that the upcoming state election will provide the opportunity for the Club to work with State Members to attract the level of funding required to set us on our path. To be clear, any development of our training base requires strong financial support from local, state and federal governments, as well as a similar commitment from the Club.
\
\
\
In summary, the changes at the Wests Tigers have been dramatic and emotional for many people that hold this Club close to their heart. Criticism from the Membership base regarding lack of communication from the Club around major decisions has been taken on board and I hope that this update, and monthly updates throughout the season, will give you comfort and confidence around our future direction. Having been involved with Rugby League for more than 15 years, I can assure you that the environment, culture and enthusiasm across the playing group and broader staff confirms that we are on the right path.
You can see this first hand at tomorrow’s event, we hope to see you there!
