There are 4 or 5 financially stable clubs in the NRL.(And it's not surprising that those clubs are the same ones that feature regularly in the end of season games. They have the capacity to compete for the best coaches, the best medical staff, they have the latest equipment for training and rehab, and so on). There are the majority of clubs that struggle, and then there are a few that are in real trouble. And our club is one of the latter.
The Weststigers are on skid row. So how do we fix it?
The most important thing for this club right now, is to get the Board right. Everything starts at Board level and filters down from there.
Every potential sponsor in every sphere of business, when considering where to place his/her dollars, will first look at the Board of Directors. Unless the Board is able to impart confidence in their ability to run the business efficiently and intelligently, then the potential sponsor will walk before opening the cheque book.
(Seriously, if you were a potential sponsor of the Weststigers and you looked at the list of names on the current Board of Directors, what would your conclusion be)? And the mess we see every year coming out of our organisation proves it.
A Board needs demonstrable expertise in corporate governance, in financial intelligence, in business management. That sort of expertise is in high demand, and those who possess it often sit on numerous Boards of Directors and are well remunerated for their time and effort.
The NRL has found just how difficult it is to attract that sort of expertise when you are asking these people to give up their valuable time for no remuneration!
However, it is absolutely vital, that they are successful in attracting the properly qualified people. So if it takes a little longer folk, it's worth it.
The number one priority for the new Board must be to put in place the mechanisms that will attract more sponsorship. This is the only way, the Weststiges will move forward. Perhaps by creating a new position - largely incentive based - within the club dedicated solely to raising corporate sponsorship and answerable only to the Board. I don't know, but it needs to be done. And the CEO has so much on his plate already, it would be impossible for him to dedicate the necessary time this project deserves/requires.
With new sponsorship, all the advantages currently enjoyed by the few 'rich' clubs, will also be available to our club.
With those advantages comes on field success. With on field success comes more membership and even more sponsorship opportunities.
No doubt the Board will be pressured into sorting the coaching position - to me this is not as necessary as getting the financial plan in place. It's doubtful that the new Board members will have much expertise in football anyway. And they don't need it. That's the role of the CEO and the representatives on the Board from the JV partners. So to me, in the short term, it's almost irrelevant as to who coaches next year or the year after. If it's Potter - fine. If it's not - fine. Just get on with it. But - get the business plan in place that will secure the financial future of the club.
The unlimited potential that we see in our football team will be wasted unless we get a stable financial footing laid that will support the football operations with the best available - coaches, ancillary staff, equipment etc. With that stability, we will see the back stabbing, the people with their own agendas, the leaks - disappear. They'll disappear because they can't survive in an environment where everything runs with brutal efficiency. That's what this club deserves. A brutally efficiently run club. And it all starts with 3 people. The new Board members.
Here's hoping …
The Weststigers are on skid row. So how do we fix it?
The most important thing for this club right now, is to get the Board right. Everything starts at Board level and filters down from there.
Every potential sponsor in every sphere of business, when considering where to place his/her dollars, will first look at the Board of Directors. Unless the Board is able to impart confidence in their ability to run the business efficiently and intelligently, then the potential sponsor will walk before opening the cheque book.
(Seriously, if you were a potential sponsor of the Weststigers and you looked at the list of names on the current Board of Directors, what would your conclusion be)? And the mess we see every year coming out of our organisation proves it.
A Board needs demonstrable expertise in corporate governance, in financial intelligence, in business management. That sort of expertise is in high demand, and those who possess it often sit on numerous Boards of Directors and are well remunerated for their time and effort.
The NRL has found just how difficult it is to attract that sort of expertise when you are asking these people to give up their valuable time for no remuneration!
However, it is absolutely vital, that they are successful in attracting the properly qualified people. So if it takes a little longer folk, it's worth it.
The number one priority for the new Board must be to put in place the mechanisms that will attract more sponsorship. This is the only way, the Weststiges will move forward. Perhaps by creating a new position - largely incentive based - within the club dedicated solely to raising corporate sponsorship and answerable only to the Board. I don't know, but it needs to be done. And the CEO has so much on his plate already, it would be impossible for him to dedicate the necessary time this project deserves/requires.
With new sponsorship, all the advantages currently enjoyed by the few 'rich' clubs, will also be available to our club.
With those advantages comes on field success. With on field success comes more membership and even more sponsorship opportunities.
No doubt the Board will be pressured into sorting the coaching position - to me this is not as necessary as getting the financial plan in place. It's doubtful that the new Board members will have much expertise in football anyway. And they don't need it. That's the role of the CEO and the representatives on the Board from the JV partners. So to me, in the short term, it's almost irrelevant as to who coaches next year or the year after. If it's Potter - fine. If it's not - fine. Just get on with it. But - get the business plan in place that will secure the financial future of the club.
The unlimited potential that we see in our football team will be wasted unless we get a stable financial footing laid that will support the football operations with the best available - coaches, ancillary staff, equipment etc. With that stability, we will see the back stabbing, the people with their own agendas, the leaks - disappear. They'll disappear because they can't survive in an environment where everything runs with brutal efficiency. That's what this club deserves. A brutally efficiently run club. And it all starts with 3 people. The new Board members.
Here's hoping …
