NEW DEAL SIGNED WITH SCG TRUST

[Guest]

NEW DEAL SIGNED WITH SCG TRUST
Monday, 2 November 2009

Wests Tigers has signed a new three-year deal with the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust.

The deal sees four marquee games to be played at the Sydney Football Stadium and Sydney Cricket Ground until the end of the 2013 season.

Wests Tigers were already locked in with the SCG Trust for 2010\. Last week, Wests Tigers and the SCG Trust re-negotiated a new deal that sees the club playing four home matches each at Campbelltown Stadium and Leichhardt Oval next season.

The agreement follows Wests Tigers highly successful debut home season at the SFS and SCG in 2009 where the average attendance was almost 21,000 fans.

In 2009, Wests Tigers broke its home crowd record when 29,970 fans attended the clash with South Sydney at the SCG in May.

This record was later smashed when 34,272 fans, strongly decked out in their gold, black and white colours, watched the thrilling encounter with Parramatta at the SFS in August.

Wests Tigers Chief Executive Stephen Humphreys said the three annual games at the SFS and the fourth fixture at the SCG were important to the club and its fans.

“Playing at major venues like the SFS and SCG is an aspect of our business we clearly need to retain,” said Mr Humphreys.

“We feel it is important to settle into a permanent home ground for these four marquee games. It gives us stability.

“The SCG match against Souths has become one of the real blockbusters on the rugby league calendar and has its own identity now. The match has attracted crowds of around 30,000 each over the past two seasons.

“We were very pleased with the SFS experience this season and were happy to extend for a further three years rather than open up to potential offers to keep moving around.

“The feedback from the players and the coaching staff was that the SFS was a great venue to play out of.

“Playing three marquee matches at the SFS gives Wests Tigers the maximum opportunity to allow all fans to be able to watch the games in comfort at one of Sydney’s premier sporting venues.’’

SCG Trust Chief Executive, Jamie Barkley, said the Trust was delighted to extend Wests Tigers partnership. The new agreement with Wests Tigers further increases the Trust’s strong rugby league association which also includes Sydney Roosters home games, NRL finals series fixtures and Australian Kangaroo internationals.

“Wests Tigers play an attractive, attacking style of rugby league which excites NRL fans,” said Mr Barkley.

“Fans love to see Wests Tigers in action at our venues and this was clearly evidenced by the record home crowds they drew to the SCG and SFS in the 2009 season.

“Fans can now enjoy watching Wests Tigers at Sydney’s number one NRL venue, the SFS, plus at rugby league’s traditional home, the SCG,” added Mr Barkley.

“We are happy to partner and assist Wests Tigers play games at Campbelltown and Leichhardt in 2010 and look forward to working with the club over the next four years.

“Wests Tigers’ four annual games at the SFS and SCG will be their four marquee games of each season, and this concept is an initiative which excites Wests Tigers and NRL fans.

“These four games will clearly appeal to the wider rugby league fan base and stand out as the match of the round.”

 

[alien]

Well I am very very disappointed about this. The extra home game at Campbelltown per year was a step forward in the right direction. Signing with the SFS/SCG for an extra 3 years is 4 steps backwards. The upgrades of Campbelltown Stadium will be completed next year and I thought in 2011 we might see 6 home games played out of Campbelltown Stadium. I am not sure why they bother spending millions of $$$ upgrading Campbelltown Stadium when Wests Tigers choose to only play 1 extra game there per year for the next 4 years. 4 games a year there really isn't enough and it doesn't make the locals feel that the Wests Tigers are commited to the area. The Wests Tigers should play 50% of their home games minimum at Campbelltown Stadium in 2011 and beyond. The Campbelltown/Macarthur population is growing and growing so the attendances will be good if the Wests Tigers show some more commitment to the area.

Playing only 4 games at Campbelltown and 4 at Leichhardt per year isn't the only disappointment. It's the fact that the games that we should play at the traditional grounds are the games that are being moved to SFS/SCG. We need to get the traditional games back to the traditional grounds. We may fit more into the SCG for the Wests Vs Souths games than we can at Leichhardt Oval, but a fullhouse at Leichhardt Oval has 10 times the amount of atmosphere. You sit way too far from the action at the SCG. We need to get home games against Manly, Canterbury, St. George back at Campbelltown and games against Souths and Parramatta etc back to Leichhardt. These traditional rivalries are the type of games fans love to go to and look forward to every year. It's not the same when these 'home' games are played at SFS/SCG/ANZzzz.

 

[system]

It is the best agreement we could have hoped for and from words around the traps our crowd average was such that we were able to secure the same amount of $$$ for 4 games as we were for 6.

You will find the NRL is actually considering a rule allowing for mandatory shifts of Blockbuster games away from suburban venues. I would rather Wests Tigers stay ahead of the curve, stay a growing financial entity and in four years time, with Humphries influence, get sufficient upgrades to both our traditional homes to make them a better hoem ground option.

I honestly believe long term a 5/5/2 split is the most likely outcome

 

[alien]

get sufficient upgrades to both our traditional homes to make them a better hoem ground option.

Campbelltown is already doing that. It will have a capacity of 25,000\. In 4 years time the Wests Tigers will say "Campbelltown Stadium needs to improve it's facilities and make the capacity larger so we can play more games there". We have waited long enough already. The Wests Tigers wanted Campbelltown Stadium upgraded and now they sign with SFS/SCG for another 3 years. Why make a commitment for 3 years??? Why not a year at a time.

“We feel it is important to settle into a permanent home ground for these four marquee games. It gives us stability."
:laughing:

 

[system]

Simple reality is they were making alterations to a previous deal to allow for the extra game at each of our traditional homes. As such they were always going to have to concede a few points.

I see it as a important stepping stone. It shows that if improvements are made than the games played there can increase.

Also the upgrades to Campbelltown are good but there is alot more that needs to be done. The seated undercover areas are not enough to ensure a income stream in foul weather (this is also a problem going forward for Leichhardt obviously) which can encompass large parts of a football season. The diehards will turn up but that doesn't keep the coffers full.

Humphries actually knows what he is doing. He has to walk the tightrope of financial solvency and adhering to tradition. It would be wonderful if it works out we make a profit in the coming years independant of Leagues Club grants so we can finally have cause to remove the fossil board elements from the club and move forward as one

 

[gallagher]

Gotta love tradition. I take it, though, that Wests tradition only goes back to 1988.

 

[Yossarian]

Personally I think the 4/4/4 split is pretty much right on the mark.

 

[galahs]

4 is better than 3
5 is better than 4
6 is better that 5

 

[Juro]

Gotta love tradition. I take it, though, that Wests tradition only goes back to 1988.

Are you suggesting we take some games back to Lidcombe Oval? Pratten Park maybe?

 

[Geo]

Gotta love tradition. I take it, though, that Wests tradition only goes back to 1988.

Are you suggesting we take some games back to Lidcombe Oval? Pratten Park maybe?

Manly at Lidcombe…..........Yeah baby........open the bike track let the kids on....... :wahoo:

 

[alien]

Pratten Park is terrible. You sit too far from the action, just like SCG.

We started playing at Campbelltown in 1987 by the way gallagher.

Smeg is right about Campbelltown Stadium and Leichhardt Oval needing more shelter. It doesn't need to be anything that expensive though, just something to stop the rain. It wouldn't matter though because they still would have extended the deal with SFS/SCG for another 3 years anyway.