A big read but covers a lot of topics..
What an intriguing start to the 2015 Telstra premiership. Sitting sixth after five rounds, the vast majority of Members would be thinking that this could be so much better, after a heartbreaking two weeks against last year’s Grand Finalists. Both games will remain in our young players minds and Coach Jason Taylor is sure that this will only make them stronger leading into the back-end of the season. Each of the five games played so far will be remembered for different things: individual brilliance, grafting semi-final style football, our young spine’s development, and experienced players leading by example. It’s also exceptionally pleasing to see that we are the second best defensive team in the competition after five rounds – something that is music to the ears of long time Wests Tigers Members. From a player’s point of view Tedesco, Richards, Lovett, Woods, Naiqama have been standouts. Over the coming weeks, we travel to New Zealand to take on the Warriors and play the Raiders at home at Leichhardt Oval, and then take on the Bulldogs on the ANZAC Day weekend to finish April. No doubt that we enter each game believing we can win each of these games.
In the NSW Cup Competition, it’s been pleasing to see the return of both David Nofoaluma and Tim Moltzen after their recovery from long term injuries last year. Head Coach Paul Fletcher has done an outstanding job to ensure that we have started the season well, sitting in the top four after five rounds. New NYC Head Coach Brett Kimmorley also finds his team sitting fourth, with a very young and new look under 20’s squad. Te Maire Martin continues to show class in a team full of potential NRL first graders.
Leading into the next home game, we are hopeful to share with you some news around player retention. In the meantime, our weekly recruitment and retention meetings headed by Phil Moss are well underway to discuss options for 2016 and beyond. There is much speculation around back rowers and centres, but at this stage there are no names to add. As Member’s you will be the first to know when there is news.
**Governance**
At the recent meeting of members I talked extensively about club structure and the terms of the heritage deed that binds the Wests Tigers Intellectual Property: colours, logo, name. For those people that couldn’t make this meeting, we have included an FAQ section on our website that will hopefully answer any questions you may have regarding the shareholding and board structure of the Wests Tigers. It can be found here.
Many of the details are legally binding and are therefore confidential, but everyone needs to be secure in the fact that the Wests Tigers brand will continue to thrive in its current form into the future regardless of circumstance. Since our formation in 2000 there is a generation of people that have no memories of the foundation clubs that form Wests Tigers. Whilst we respect this history and continue to see these foundation clubs represented in Junior competitions, the Wests Tigers Board is committed to creating a uniquely Wests Tigers single club identity moving forward.
**Game Day**
In 2014 the club relocated its marquee events to ANZ Stadium with a minimum of four games to be played at the venue for the next 10 years. This relationship has enabled the club to play our biggest games in our geographical footprint, and consistently draw 20,000 + people to these games. The relationship is very strong commercially and we look forward to many more years with our partners at ANZ Stadium. Our two suburban grounds are an important part of our history and will play a role in our future. As the caretakers of the Wests Tigers at this current time, our top priorities are to ensure that our Members, Corporate Partners, and fans are provided with the best possible facilities available when they spend their hard earned money with the club to attend our games, and on top of this it’s imperative that we consider options available to secure long term financial sustainability for the club.
To put our suburban grounds into perspective it costs the club anywhere between $60,000-$70,000 to open gates at a home game at either venue - depending upon day and time of game and other factors. These costs include ground hire, hire of big screen, police, security and ushers, box office staff, and other audio visual costs. On top of these costs the club also invests in game day marketing strategies relevant to each game. It’s not cheap, particularly when both venues are susceptible to weather and low-drawing fixtures.
There has been questions asked by Members why games against the bigger Sydney clubs like the Rabbitohs, Bulldogs, Eels and Roosters aren’t played at suburban venues anymore. The answer is simple economics: a full house at either of our suburban grounds would not generate the same revenue across gate receipts, merchandise or corporate hospitality that we can generate at ANZ Stadium. Heritage is important, but so is ensuring this club remains a strong force in the NRL premiership in years to come. This board does not want to see us live day to day, they want to see growth and financial independence.
The recent and unexpected decision by Balmain Tigers to hand back their lease of Leichhardt Oval to Leichhardt Council has given us the opportunity to work with the council to upgrade the facility to minimum NRL standards. Leichhardt Council have been very responsive to our requests and I’m sure you will all notice the cosmetic changes they have made. Again, these changes are to bring it in to line with NRL standards but by no means address enhancing the venue. This would require millions of dollars and need a four way commitment to upgrade the facility – Club (via minimum game commitment) and all levels of government for substantial funding – tens of millions. Parking, undercover seating, food and beverage standards, corporate and media facilities, audio visual equipment all need urgent attention. As I stated openly in the press over the last few weeks, our Board will consider the new lease terms provided to us at our next board meeting on April 30\. To avoid any confusion, let me state for the record that the proposed hiring terms are different to what was previously offered and therefore the Wests Tigers Board must consider all implications of this Deed. At no stage will any Member be disadvantaged by any future decisions. Like all of these decisions, they are made with the club at heart. In the meantime, we look forward to seeing you for our first day home game of the year in Round 7.
Campbelltown Sports Stadium and Campbelltown Council have so far been very receptive to work with in 2015\. There is an openness in our relationship that has seen us partner on all promotional activities for the opening rounds at the stadium. The club and its venue partners take full responsibility for the issues faced by casual ticket purchasers at the Round 2 game against the Dragons. Very few people have taken the time to ask the question about what actually happened, but I can assure you all that there was no one single contributing factor to the delays experienced. Since this game, we have had a number of operational meetings that have helped us to identify shortcomings, all of which have been addressed for future games. As Members very few of you may have noticed any delay on the night, and this is one of the key benefits of being a Member and having tickets pre-allocated.
**Membership**
This week the club has ticked over 8,500 Members for 2015\. There is still lots of work to be done in this space, and as per the introduction of the Tag-A-Tiger promotion you all received yesterday, we need your help where possible to encourage your friends and family to join the journey. On top of the $2,000 cash prize, the top three recruiters will have their Memberships renewed for free in 2016.
Since the last update, our New Member and Loyalty Program has been launched successfully with all of our 3rd, 5th and 7+ Year Member Pins all sent out to wide spread appreciation from all recipients. All Members are important to the club, but we took special care to provide our first year Members in 2015 the opportunity to receive their pins in person at our First year Members event at Round 4 against the Bulldogs. I was really humbled by the amount of people in the function who thanked the club for our efforts in making Members feel special this season. We certainly understand we can do things better but steps like this are proving that we have listened to Member feedback and are always looking to improve.
After the success of the past two years, our A Night with the Coaches Event returns in June this year. The club is looking to expand activities on the night to include more availability for new comers as well as additional content. Tickets for this will go on sale in the next few weeks, but if you’d like to pre-register your interest, please send an email to <membership@weststigers.com.au>.
**Merchandise**
Sales to date are on track to be the best sales figures for the club in the last three years. The move to ISC has proven popular and for the first time in many seasons I sense a genuine appreciation from our Members that our history is recognised and future is being formed. One thing I have noticed is that on game day this year’s range is becoming more predominant which is great for our club brand moving forward. On top of this we’re pleased to announce that the range has given us a top three club ranking for the first quarter, as opposed to being placed 13th at the same time last year.
There has been lots of commentary on social media regarding the introduction of grey, but sales indicate that there is a genuine market for these garments. As we speak, the club is already preparing for the first presentation of the 2016 range with ISC. It’s always an exciting day to see how our range will take shape with a very clear desire to have a complete range on our shelves by November 1 in 2015.
To give you an idea of our top sellers in order for the year so far, they are:
Main Jersey
ANZAC Jersey
Alternate Jersey
Heritage Jersey
Nine’s Jersey
**Corporate**
The club is finalising details of a new partnership that will see a naming rights sponsor for the Wests Tigers Women’s Strategy. This strategy is being developed with both Marina Go and Rosemary Sinclair from our Board of Directors, wo are both heavily involved with ensuring our strategy is relevant and genuine and grows women’s participation and involvement with our club.
It’s that time of year that our major events begin to gain prominence with State of Origin leading the way. The club will host two events this season: Sydney and Melbourne. Following this, we are looking at launching a Hall of Fame Dinner to be held at WatervieW in Bicentennial Park in August which will induct two more Wests Tigers Life Members. As always, the year will conclude with our much celebrated Grand Final Luncheon, which will be held for the first time at Doltone House. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks on all of the above.
**Community**
Our broader community continues to be a key focus for the Wests Tigers in 2015\. As I’ve said on numerous occasions before, we are blessed with the biggest geographical footprint in NSW and need to work exceptionally hard to introduce this club and the game to an ever-expanding borderless market. Each one of our players is committed to spending 25 half days in the community each year, and we’re often impressed about how many players go well beyond this in their own time throughout the year. The club recently completed a survey of Members asking you which types of issues matter most to you. Unsurprisingly charities involving young children were nominated most. Over the coming weeks the club will announce our partners for the year and we encourage our members to be as supportive as possible where they can.
This rounds up another edition of the CEO Update, and I thank you all for your positive feedback on these reports year to date. To ensure that we remain relevant and are giving you the information you want, please email <membership@weststigers.com.au>with any suggestions. As always, I will do my best to endeavour to be as honest and forthright as possible, whilst maintaining confidentiality where needed. I look forward to commending our leading Tag-A-Tiger champions in the next update.
See you at Leichhardt next Sunday afternoon, and enjoy the footy!</membership@weststigers.com.au></membership@weststigers.com.au>
What an intriguing start to the 2015 Telstra premiership. Sitting sixth after five rounds, the vast majority of Members would be thinking that this could be so much better, after a heartbreaking two weeks against last year’s Grand Finalists. Both games will remain in our young players minds and Coach Jason Taylor is sure that this will only make them stronger leading into the back-end of the season. Each of the five games played so far will be remembered for different things: individual brilliance, grafting semi-final style football, our young spine’s development, and experienced players leading by example. It’s also exceptionally pleasing to see that we are the second best defensive team in the competition after five rounds – something that is music to the ears of long time Wests Tigers Members. From a player’s point of view Tedesco, Richards, Lovett, Woods, Naiqama have been standouts. Over the coming weeks, we travel to New Zealand to take on the Warriors and play the Raiders at home at Leichhardt Oval, and then take on the Bulldogs on the ANZAC Day weekend to finish April. No doubt that we enter each game believing we can win each of these games.
In the NSW Cup Competition, it’s been pleasing to see the return of both David Nofoaluma and Tim Moltzen after their recovery from long term injuries last year. Head Coach Paul Fletcher has done an outstanding job to ensure that we have started the season well, sitting in the top four after five rounds. New NYC Head Coach Brett Kimmorley also finds his team sitting fourth, with a very young and new look under 20’s squad. Te Maire Martin continues to show class in a team full of potential NRL first graders.
Leading into the next home game, we are hopeful to share with you some news around player retention. In the meantime, our weekly recruitment and retention meetings headed by Phil Moss are well underway to discuss options for 2016 and beyond. There is much speculation around back rowers and centres, but at this stage there are no names to add. As Member’s you will be the first to know when there is news.
**Governance**
At the recent meeting of members I talked extensively about club structure and the terms of the heritage deed that binds the Wests Tigers Intellectual Property: colours, logo, name. For those people that couldn’t make this meeting, we have included an FAQ section on our website that will hopefully answer any questions you may have regarding the shareholding and board structure of the Wests Tigers. It can be found here.
Many of the details are legally binding and are therefore confidential, but everyone needs to be secure in the fact that the Wests Tigers brand will continue to thrive in its current form into the future regardless of circumstance. Since our formation in 2000 there is a generation of people that have no memories of the foundation clubs that form Wests Tigers. Whilst we respect this history and continue to see these foundation clubs represented in Junior competitions, the Wests Tigers Board is committed to creating a uniquely Wests Tigers single club identity moving forward.
**Game Day**
In 2014 the club relocated its marquee events to ANZ Stadium with a minimum of four games to be played at the venue for the next 10 years. This relationship has enabled the club to play our biggest games in our geographical footprint, and consistently draw 20,000 + people to these games. The relationship is very strong commercially and we look forward to many more years with our partners at ANZ Stadium. Our two suburban grounds are an important part of our history and will play a role in our future. As the caretakers of the Wests Tigers at this current time, our top priorities are to ensure that our Members, Corporate Partners, and fans are provided with the best possible facilities available when they spend their hard earned money with the club to attend our games, and on top of this it’s imperative that we consider options available to secure long term financial sustainability for the club.
To put our suburban grounds into perspective it costs the club anywhere between $60,000-$70,000 to open gates at a home game at either venue - depending upon day and time of game and other factors. These costs include ground hire, hire of big screen, police, security and ushers, box office staff, and other audio visual costs. On top of these costs the club also invests in game day marketing strategies relevant to each game. It’s not cheap, particularly when both venues are susceptible to weather and low-drawing fixtures.
There has been questions asked by Members why games against the bigger Sydney clubs like the Rabbitohs, Bulldogs, Eels and Roosters aren’t played at suburban venues anymore. The answer is simple economics: a full house at either of our suburban grounds would not generate the same revenue across gate receipts, merchandise or corporate hospitality that we can generate at ANZ Stadium. Heritage is important, but so is ensuring this club remains a strong force in the NRL premiership in years to come. This board does not want to see us live day to day, they want to see growth and financial independence.
The recent and unexpected decision by Balmain Tigers to hand back their lease of Leichhardt Oval to Leichhardt Council has given us the opportunity to work with the council to upgrade the facility to minimum NRL standards. Leichhardt Council have been very responsive to our requests and I’m sure you will all notice the cosmetic changes they have made. Again, these changes are to bring it in to line with NRL standards but by no means address enhancing the venue. This would require millions of dollars and need a four way commitment to upgrade the facility – Club (via minimum game commitment) and all levels of government for substantial funding – tens of millions. Parking, undercover seating, food and beverage standards, corporate and media facilities, audio visual equipment all need urgent attention. As I stated openly in the press over the last few weeks, our Board will consider the new lease terms provided to us at our next board meeting on April 30\. To avoid any confusion, let me state for the record that the proposed hiring terms are different to what was previously offered and therefore the Wests Tigers Board must consider all implications of this Deed. At no stage will any Member be disadvantaged by any future decisions. Like all of these decisions, they are made with the club at heart. In the meantime, we look forward to seeing you for our first day home game of the year in Round 7.
Campbelltown Sports Stadium and Campbelltown Council have so far been very receptive to work with in 2015\. There is an openness in our relationship that has seen us partner on all promotional activities for the opening rounds at the stadium. The club and its venue partners take full responsibility for the issues faced by casual ticket purchasers at the Round 2 game against the Dragons. Very few people have taken the time to ask the question about what actually happened, but I can assure you all that there was no one single contributing factor to the delays experienced. Since this game, we have had a number of operational meetings that have helped us to identify shortcomings, all of which have been addressed for future games. As Members very few of you may have noticed any delay on the night, and this is one of the key benefits of being a Member and having tickets pre-allocated.
**Membership**
This week the club has ticked over 8,500 Members for 2015\. There is still lots of work to be done in this space, and as per the introduction of the Tag-A-Tiger promotion you all received yesterday, we need your help where possible to encourage your friends and family to join the journey. On top of the $2,000 cash prize, the top three recruiters will have their Memberships renewed for free in 2016.
Since the last update, our New Member and Loyalty Program has been launched successfully with all of our 3rd, 5th and 7+ Year Member Pins all sent out to wide spread appreciation from all recipients. All Members are important to the club, but we took special care to provide our first year Members in 2015 the opportunity to receive their pins in person at our First year Members event at Round 4 against the Bulldogs. I was really humbled by the amount of people in the function who thanked the club for our efforts in making Members feel special this season. We certainly understand we can do things better but steps like this are proving that we have listened to Member feedback and are always looking to improve.
After the success of the past two years, our A Night with the Coaches Event returns in June this year. The club is looking to expand activities on the night to include more availability for new comers as well as additional content. Tickets for this will go on sale in the next few weeks, but if you’d like to pre-register your interest, please send an email to <membership@weststigers.com.au>.
**Merchandise**
Sales to date are on track to be the best sales figures for the club in the last three years. The move to ISC has proven popular and for the first time in many seasons I sense a genuine appreciation from our Members that our history is recognised and future is being formed. One thing I have noticed is that on game day this year’s range is becoming more predominant which is great for our club brand moving forward. On top of this we’re pleased to announce that the range has given us a top three club ranking for the first quarter, as opposed to being placed 13th at the same time last year.
There has been lots of commentary on social media regarding the introduction of grey, but sales indicate that there is a genuine market for these garments. As we speak, the club is already preparing for the first presentation of the 2016 range with ISC. It’s always an exciting day to see how our range will take shape with a very clear desire to have a complete range on our shelves by November 1 in 2015.
To give you an idea of our top sellers in order for the year so far, they are:
Main Jersey
ANZAC Jersey
Alternate Jersey
Heritage Jersey
Nine’s Jersey
**Corporate**
The club is finalising details of a new partnership that will see a naming rights sponsor for the Wests Tigers Women’s Strategy. This strategy is being developed with both Marina Go and Rosemary Sinclair from our Board of Directors, wo are both heavily involved with ensuring our strategy is relevant and genuine and grows women’s participation and involvement with our club.
It’s that time of year that our major events begin to gain prominence with State of Origin leading the way. The club will host two events this season: Sydney and Melbourne. Following this, we are looking at launching a Hall of Fame Dinner to be held at WatervieW in Bicentennial Park in August which will induct two more Wests Tigers Life Members. As always, the year will conclude with our much celebrated Grand Final Luncheon, which will be held for the first time at Doltone House. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks on all of the above.
**Community**
Our broader community continues to be a key focus for the Wests Tigers in 2015\. As I’ve said on numerous occasions before, we are blessed with the biggest geographical footprint in NSW and need to work exceptionally hard to introduce this club and the game to an ever-expanding borderless market. Each one of our players is committed to spending 25 half days in the community each year, and we’re often impressed about how many players go well beyond this in their own time throughout the year. The club recently completed a survey of Members asking you which types of issues matter most to you. Unsurprisingly charities involving young children were nominated most. Over the coming weeks the club will announce our partners for the year and we encourage our members to be as supportive as possible where they can.
This rounds up another edition of the CEO Update, and I thank you all for your positive feedback on these reports year to date. To ensure that we remain relevant and are giving you the information you want, please email <membership@weststigers.com.au>with any suggestions. As always, I will do my best to endeavour to be as honest and forthright as possible, whilst maintaining confidentiality where needed. I look forward to commending our leading Tag-A-Tiger champions in the next update.
See you at Leichhardt next Sunday afternoon, and enjoy the footy!</membership@weststigers.com.au></membership@weststigers.com.au>
