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Tigers in tune with big games concept
By Steve Gee From: The Daily Telegraph November 03, 2009 12:00AM
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WESTS Tigers will play a home final at the SFS and reprise the Heritage Round clash with Souths at the SCG as the club answers the call of fans demanding blockbuster clashes at the major venues.
Wests will also return to the SFS for a replay of this year's record-setting clashes with Parramatta and the Bulldogs as well as a third game against either Manly or the Roosters.
The move follows a post-season Daily Telegraph online poll that showed fans want at least three games at the SCG each season.
Wests Tigers CEO Stephen Humphreys said the club was determined to cater for fans by moving the biggest matches to the SFS, including a home semi-final, should the Tigers finish in the top four. The finals move means the club would surrender the home ground appeal of Leichhardt and Cambelltown, but would ensure no fans are turned away as was the case for the Dragon-Eels clash at Kogarah.
The Tigers have split their home games into blocks of four - to be played at the SFS/SCG, Leichhardt and Campbelltown.
"We feel those games should be our biggest crowd pulling games to maximise the financial opportunity there, but also to sit as many of our fans in comfort as we can,'' Humpreys said.
The move, set in stone until the end of 2013, comes after Wests Tigers twice broke the club's home club attendance records at the SFS and SCG this year, where the average attendance was almost 21,000 fans.
The round 10 heritage clash with Souths drew 29,970 fans to the SCG, before 34,272 fans packed the SFS for the round 24 showdown with Parramatta.
Because of renovations at Leichhardt and Campbellown early in the year, the Tigers will be forced to use the SFS in the opening six rounds meaning there will be no repeat of this year's end of year blockbuster with the Eels.
But Humpreys said the club was hopeful the NRL will be flexible and allow a possible venue switch: "You never know. We still want to be able to reserve the right to be able to move one if the commercial case was compelling,'' he said.
SCG Trust Chief Executive Jamie Barkley said several other clubs were in informal discussions about staging matches at the SCG.
Barkley said the Tigers-Rabbitohs clash was one of the season highlights.
By Steve Gee From: The Daily Telegraph November 03, 2009 12:00AM
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\
WESTS Tigers will play a home final at the SFS and reprise the Heritage Round clash with Souths at the SCG as the club answers the call of fans demanding blockbuster clashes at the major venues.
Wests will also return to the SFS for a replay of this year's record-setting clashes with Parramatta and the Bulldogs as well as a third game against either Manly or the Roosters.
The move follows a post-season Daily Telegraph online poll that showed fans want at least three games at the SCG each season.
Wests Tigers CEO Stephen Humphreys said the club was determined to cater for fans by moving the biggest matches to the SFS, including a home semi-final, should the Tigers finish in the top four. The finals move means the club would surrender the home ground appeal of Leichhardt and Cambelltown, but would ensure no fans are turned away as was the case for the Dragon-Eels clash at Kogarah.
The Tigers have split their home games into blocks of four - to be played at the SFS/SCG, Leichhardt and Campbelltown.
"We feel those games should be our biggest crowd pulling games to maximise the financial opportunity there, but also to sit as many of our fans in comfort as we can,'' Humpreys said.
The move, set in stone until the end of 2013, comes after Wests Tigers twice broke the club's home club attendance records at the SFS and SCG this year, where the average attendance was almost 21,000 fans.
The round 10 heritage clash with Souths drew 29,970 fans to the SCG, before 34,272 fans packed the SFS for the round 24 showdown with Parramatta.
Because of renovations at Leichhardt and Campbellown early in the year, the Tigers will be forced to use the SFS in the opening six rounds meaning there will be no repeat of this year's end of year blockbuster with the Eels.
But Humpreys said the club was hopeful the NRL will be flexible and allow a possible venue switch: "You never know. We still want to be able to reserve the right to be able to move one if the commercial case was compelling,'' he said.
SCG Trust Chief Executive Jamie Barkley said several other clubs were in informal discussions about staging matches at the SCG.
Barkley said the Tigers-Rabbitohs clash was one of the season highlights.
