More talk on Campbelltown's first crowd of 2013

[ball_main]

they say watching a wanderers normal game is better than watching a NRL grandfinal.
According to rugby league supporters attending Wanderers matches.

Absolutely better than a grandfinal. The sleeping giant has awoken.

_Posted using RoarFEED 2013_

 

[gallagher]

WESTS Tigers want Campbelltonians to look beyond jersey colour — after public claims on the Advertiser's Facebook page of a disconnection between club and community.

Almost half of the more than 100 comments claimed the Tigers were not being a part of the Campbelltown community, or accused the club of being "too Balmain", blaming this for the poor crowd at the first Campbelltown Stadium game of the season.

But Wests Tigers western suburbs development manager Ben Rogers said actions over the past three years proved the club was committed to the local community.

The club now spends $500,000 a year, provides 10 staff to directly service the area and takes part in several programs and partnerships with local organisations and schools.

"It's an important part of the world for us," Mr Rogers said.

"The crowd figures aren't a reflection of what we'd like but we're not going to give up on the area."

He said the area possessed an extensive talent pool in Campbelltown junior competitions and the club intended to make every effort to produce more local NRL players like Chris Lawrence and James Tedesco.

"We realised we were losing kids so we decided [to do something] to keep them," he said. Mr Rogers also refuted claims the club didn't engage enough with the community.

He said a lot of work occurred behind the scenes in the community, particularly in Macquarie Fields, where several programs were run in co-operation with the police, TAFE and the Koch Centre for Youth.

"There's an enormous amount of things we do that don't get publicised," he said.

Feedback from readers suggested the predominantly orange Wests Tigers jerseys represented Balmain Tigers and failed to acknowledge the Western Suburbs Magpies. But Mr Rogers said people needed to look beyond the playing strip.
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"It's not Balmain, it's a Wests Tigers jersey," he said. "The Magpies jersey was mostly white in the later years and the two Wests Tigers playing strips are orange and white — and the heritage jersey is black and white.

"People want to debate the size and position of the magpie [on the jersey] but we don't want to be Balmain Tigers or Western Suburbs Magpies, we want to be a joint venture."

He also said suggestions Campbelltown should be the club's training base weren't practical.

"There is nowhere here where we can do weights apart from private gyms and we have to pay extra for that," he said. "We train at St Gregory's College for field but then players have to drive back to Concord from Campbelltown to the gym."

_Posted using RoarFEED 2013_

Not that I care where we train but that last comment about no place for the gym in Campbelltown sounds ridiculous to me. I'd assume we own the equipment in the gym so no place in campbelltown to put the equipment sounds weird. Telling supporters to get over the jersey isnt solving an issue either.
Mr Rogers seems the kind of bloke who accepts barriers and isnt concerned how to knock them down.

 

[Yossarian]

WESTS Tigers want Campbelltonians to look beyond jersey colour — after public claims on the Advertiser's Facebook page of a disconnection between club and community.

Almost half of the more than 100 comments claimed the Tigers were not being a part of the Campbelltown community, or accused the club of being "too Balmain", blaming this for the poor crowd at the first Campbelltown Stadium game of the season.

But Wests Tigers western suburbs development manager Ben Rogers said actions over the past three years proved the club was committed to the local community.

The club now spends $500,000 a year, provides 10 staff to directly service the area and takes part in several programs and partnerships with local organisations and schools.

"It's an important part of the world for us," Mr Rogers said.

"The crowd figures aren't a reflection of what we'd like but we're not going to give up on the area."

He said the area possessed an extensive talent pool in Campbelltown junior competitions and the club intended to make every effort to produce more local NRL players like Chris Lawrence and James Tedesco.

"We realised we were losing kids so we decided [to do something] to keep them," he said. Mr Rogers also refuted claims the club didn't engage enough with the community.

He said a lot of work occurred behind the scenes in the community, particularly in Macquarie Fields, where several programs were run in co-operation with the police, TAFE and the Koch Centre for Youth.

"There's an enormous amount of things we do that don't get publicised," he said.

Feedback from readers suggested the predominantly orange Wests Tigers jerseys represented Balmain Tigers and failed to acknowledge the Western Suburbs Magpies. But Mr Rogers said people needed to look beyond the playing strip.
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\
See your ad here
"It's not Balmain, it's a Wests Tigers jersey," he said. "The Magpies jersey was mostly white in the later years and the two Wests Tigers playing strips are orange and white — and the heritage jersey is black and white.

"People want to debate the size and position of the magpie [on the jersey] but we don't want to be Balmain Tigers or Western Suburbs Magpies, we want to be a joint venture."

He also said suggestions Campbelltown should be the club's training base weren't practical.

"There is nowhere here where we can do weights apart from private gyms and we have to pay extra for that," he said. "We train at St Gregory's College for field but then players have to drive back to Concord from Campbelltown to the gym."

_Posted using RoarFEED 2013_

Not that I care where we train but that last comment about no place for the gym in Campbelltown sounds ridiculous to me. I'd assume we own the equipment in the gym so no place in campbelltown to put the equipment sounds weird. Telling supporters to get over the jersey isnt solving an issue either.
Mr Rogers seems the kind of bloke who accepts barriers and isnt concerned how to knock them down.

So people aren't turning up because of the jersey? Well what are you suggesting?
Personally I think he's being more reasonable…

 

[Gary_Bakerloo]

I think this is the problem:

He said a lot of work occurred behind the scenes in the community, particularly in Macquarie Fields, where several programs were run in co-operation with the police, TAFE and the Koch Centre for Youth.

"There's an enormous amount of things we do that don't get publicised," he said.

No doubt they are wonderful programs and the club should be applauded, but there is no visibility or something tangible for the overall area to grasp.

Play more games in the area. Let's go back to 6 & 6 split.

 

[kh_canada]

I love the A-League as I play soccer/football for sport but I also love my rugby league even though I don't play.

But that could definitely be a recent issue for League with younger kids connecting with the game they play. Soccer is a much more popular sport for kids than league and a lot of these days supporters of league are of the older generation.

 

[wtfl1981]

Mixed reasons re poor campbelltown turnout

I will say again.. Average form, Identity crisis and 4 nrl games a year wont pack the house out.

_Posted using RoarFEED 2013_

 

[AmericanHistoryX]

they say watching a wanderers normal game is better than watching a NRL grandfinal.
According to rugby league supporters attending Wanderers matches.

Absolutely better than a grandfinal. The sleeping giant has awoken.

_Posted using RoarFEED 2013_

From the horses mouth.

Its a bloody circus!

 

[Alf_Duguid]

As the great Kevin Costner said "Build it and they will come". The club needs to seriously re-engage with the community for them to get the crowds back. You certainly cant blame the beautiful folk of the Golden West for feeling like the black sheep of the family. It doesnt help when the players also have a blatant bias to playing at Leichhardt

Now that Noycey is in charge of the Wobbygongs, they might relocate and become the Macarthur Wobbygongs?

 

[gallagher]

**<big>So people aren't turning up because of the jersey? Well what are you suggesting?
Personally I think he's being more reasonable…</big>**
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Its not me suggesting that Yoss. I dont know why people didnt turn up the mtach, But the article said that feedback from readers suggested that. I would expect the club to look into that feedback rather than just say get over it.
That would be more reasonable.Or maybe responsible.

 

[Yossarian]

@gallagher:

**<big>So people aren't turning up because of the jersey? Well what are you suggesting?
Personally I think he's being more reasonable…</big>**
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Its not me suggesting that Yoss. I dont know why people didnt turn up the mtach, But the article said that feedback from readers suggested that. I would expect the club to look into that feedback rather than just say get over it.
That would be more reasonable.Or maybe responsible.

Fair enough.

I think it's more that some people are never going to be satisfied so long as there is any orange in a jumper worn out there. The next week after that game there seemed to be a predominantly black jumper at Leichhardt with little negative reaction.

I get the idea that was what he was getting at. Perhaps he could have phrased it better.

 

[happy_tiger]

As the great Kevin Costner said "Build it and they will come". The club needs to seriously re-engage with the community for them to get the crowds back. You certainly cant blame the beautiful folk of the Golden West for feeling like the black sheep of the family. It doesnt help when the players also have a blatant bias to playing at Leichhardt

Now that Noycey is in charge of the Wobbygongs, they might relocate and become the Macarthur Wobbygongs?

Alf Kevin Costner said nothing ,the Voice from the Fields did

 

[Black_n_White]

As the great Kevin Costner said "Build it and they will come". The club needs to seriously re-engage with the community for them to get the crowds back. You certainly cant blame the beautiful folk of the Golden West for feeling like the black sheep of the family. It doesnt help when the players also have a blatant bias to playing at Leichhardt

Now that Noycey is in charge of the Wobbygongs, they might relocate and become the Macarthur Wobbygongs?

Alf Kevin Costner said nothing ,the Voice from the Fields did

hahahaha so much awesome. Love your work!

 

[Goose]

I cant believe how much attention this is getting.

The reason I didnt go, was because it was a nice day, my wife wanted to "do something" (for her going to the football isn't "doing something")

Im hoping the club will do something to change my wife's mind :slight_smile:

crowds are always sketchy, but if people are hanging out for more games in Campbelltown, I dont think it is ever likely to happen for financial reasons.

I was also thinking the tribal days of supporting your local team are not what they used to be, Id be confident to say that most people on here do not live in either of our "catchment zones"

Perhaps it is as simple to say there are bigger crowds at Leichhart (currently) and SFS because of greater population density around the 2 grounds.

 

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

"There is nowhere here where we can do weights apart from private gyms and we have to pay extra for that," he said. "We train at St Gregory's College for field but then players have to drive back to Concord from Campbelltown to the gym."

Does this once again come down to the placement of the gym equipment?