Tigers set to shut doors to Leichhardt

[LaT]

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/tigers-set-to-shut-doors-to-general-public-for-future-leichhardt-fixtures-20120220-1tjre.html
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WESTS TIGERS boss Stephen Humphreys believes matches at Leichhardt Oval are set to become member-only affairs as the club's round one match against Cronulla heads for a sell-out without tickets going on sale to the general public.
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With huge interest in the March 4 clash, the club yesterday launched a special one-game membership package for the match and Humphreys said the sales had been phenomenal.
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''We have had our biggest day of membership sales today,'' he said last night. ''We will see how they go over the next few days and if they are not all gone we will put some tickets on public sale later in the week but at this stage the response has been terrific.''
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Asked what Sharks supporters wanting to see the anticipated clash between Benji Marshall and Todd Carney could do if Tigers members bought all the tickets, Humphreys said: ''They'll have to watch it on Foxtel or Channel Nine.''
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So far, the Tigers have about 10,000 members signed up for 2012, which is triple the amount they had two years ago, and Humphreys said he expected that figure to increase significantly before the season starts.
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''I do think we are approaching that day when Leichhardt games are members only, which would be great for Wests Tigers but not so good for opposing fans,'' he said.
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''At some point I would expect that we would have members-only fixtures at all our Leichhardt and Campbelltown games.
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''Whether this one does or not … we are still building towards that but I think that day will certainly come as our membership grows. This game will certainly go close, at least.''
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As it stands, all reserved seating is already sold out at Leichhardt Oval for the Tigers' three matches there this season.
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Unlike other stadiums, such as the SFS or ANZ Stadium, there is only one small grandstand and the majority of fans at the 18,000 capacity venue have to stand.
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Humphreys said the $65 membership package was the only way fans could guarantee tickets to the match. ''Regrettably we don't get too many Sunday afternoon games at Leichhardt and here we have one for round one so there is a lot of interest in it,'' he said. ''For a modest $65 they also get a whole range of member benefits and become a paid-up, proud member of the club. We have sold hundreds of them today and the response has been terrific.
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''We have sold out Leichhardt a few times over the last two or three years so I am really hopeful that people get that message that to avoid disappointment and guarantee their ticket membership is the way to go.''

What a thought, an entire Leichhardt Oval with no Sharks fans.

:laughing:

 

[azsportza]

I think it's wrong to offer GA tickets for ONE match for $65\. That is a price I know many can't afford. Yes the tickets are in high demand, but holding the tickets out on the public is not smart. I love the Tigers and often don't bad mouth them, but when you are stopping EVERYONE who loves the tigers the chance to see them live at the ground it's going against the passion which stems out of Rugby League.

 

[LaT]

Thats a big downside azsportza. Just puts it out of reach for a lot of families too.

Ticks me off a bit that I just paid $60 for a Stripes membership (northern NSW based fan) only a few weeks ago which gives you most of the benefits that this promotion does, minus the ticket for round 1 at Leichhardt.

 

[Blackandwhite]

Brilliant work Mr. Humphreys. 17,900 Tigers fans… How good is this day going to be !

 

[Demonborger]

This is a very interesting idea.

For next season we need to ensure we have 2 guarenteed sunday afternoon games in the early part of the season (opening 6 weeks or so) - one at campbelltown and the other at leichhardt.
For these two games entry should require a membership package (one off or one of the other packages).

This ensures:
99% of fans will be Tigers
Creates a new event
Adds more members, fence sitters are obliged to sign up
Ensures our opening game at each venue is on a sunday afternoon which should allow for greatest attendance rates.

From that point we should work to future seasons where all games at the two boutique venues are members only. It is possible this way to create a snowball affect where people opt to buy memberships and commit to the team rather than miss out on a chance to go to these two venues.

It does require a guarantee for matches scheduled on a sunday afternoon, and does rely upon the club adding extra value to memberships - more members events, more news and insight into the club.

The cynic might look at this as simply the club charging $65 for a ticket, but i think that is a little short sighted, one should look at the long term goal of having 20,000+ paying members and a vibrant future.

 

[LaT]

I wonder if Gallop will have anything to say over this.

I applaud the initiative, but I reckon the NRL might have something to say over a club selling tickets like this to only its members.

 

[Demonborger]

If there isn't already i suppose the NRL might have to keep a certain percentage (10%?) of ground capacity for tickets available to general public/members of the opposition club.

 

[Kul]

three things

1 - If this happens, then the case for more games/increased funding for Leichhardt is realised. Continually sold-out matches and high demand are two missing pieces in the puzzle that have held more back more development of the ground. If we keep getting near sell-outs then the numbers will speak for themselves. Awesome!

2 - this proves all those Leichhardt/Inner West baggers wrong

3 - more proof that Humphreys is destroying this club :roll

 

[Discussion_Bot]


WESTS TIGERS boss Stephen Humphreys believes matches at Leichhardt Oval are set to become member-only affairs as the club's round one match against Cronulla heads for a sell-out without tickets going on sale to the general public.

With huge interest in the March 4 clash, the club yesterday launched a special one-game membership package for the match and Humphreys said the sales had been phenomenal.

''We have had our biggest day of membership sales today,'' he said last night. ''We will see how they go over the next few days and if they are not all gone we will put some tickets on public sale later in the week but at this stage the response has been terrific.''

"At some point I would expect that we would have members-only fixtures at all our Leichhardt and Campbelltown games" … Wests Tigers boss Stephen Humphreys. Photo: Steve Christo

Asked what Sharks supporters wanting to see the anticipated clash between Benji Marshall and Todd Carney could do if Tigers members bought all the tickets, Humphreys said: ''They'll have to watch it on Foxtel or Channel Nine.''

So far, the Tigers have about 10,000 members signed up for 2012, which is triple the amount they had two years ago, and Humphreys said he expected that figure to increase significantly before the season starts.

''I do think we are approaching that day when Leichhardt games are members only, which would be great for Wests Tigers but not so good for opposing fans,'' he said.

''At some point I would expect that we would have members-only fixtures at all our Leichhardt and Campbelltown games.

''Whether this one does or not … we are still building towards that but I think that day will certainly come as our membership grows. This game will certainly go close, at least.''

As it stands, all reserved seating is already sold out at Leichhardt Oval for the Tigers' three matches there this season.

Unlike other stadiums, such as the SFS or ANZ Stadium, there is only one small grandstand and the majority of fans at the 18,000 capacity venue have to stand.

Humphreys said the $65 membership package was the only way fans could guarantee tickets to the match. ''Regrettably we don't get too many Sunday afternoon games at Leichhardt and here we have one for round one so there is a lot of interest in it,'' he said. ''For a modest $65 they also get a whole range of member benefits and become a paid-up, proud member of the club. We have sold hundreds of them today and the response has been terrific.

''We have sold out Leichhardt a few times over the last two or three years so I am really hopeful that people get that message that to avoid disappointment and guarantee their ticket membership is the way to go.''

[Source](http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/tigers-set-to-shut-doors-to-general-public-for-future-leichhardt-fixtures-20120220-1tjre.html)

 

[Guest]

Looks like the Tigers are going to make an excellent statement for round 1 with this match. This game will be pretty much guaranteed to be sold out and I reckon the Sharks will be lucky to get 1000 fans to the game. Great work by the club!

 

[2041]

I think this is terrific news for the club, and I think it's bigger than just a one-off game.

I've believed for a long time that part of the reason why crowds in Sydney are generally so pathetic is that it's always incredibly easy to make a decision at the last minute about games: nothing sells out, and if there's any prospect of it doing so the game will probably be moved to a bigger ground anyway. There's no sense of occasion about anything, just rock up if the weather's nice or they do a cheap promo ticket. No need to join the club because there's no real benefit.

So yeah, I think it's great that we might be able to have some exclusivity about some of our games - it should help foster demand, grow our membership numbers and make going to these games an aspiration. I know some people will trot out the "what about the kids/I can't take my whole family" line but, well, it's sad that we can't all take our kids to everything but that's life. It doesn't seem to have done crowds in the Premiership any harm to charge 50 quid minimum to get in. Maybe Sunday at Leichhardt has to become a birthday treat, or maybe some kids only get to go to games at the SFS. Maybe you have to make the effort to drive your kids to Cambelltown (there's another thread about that I believe!).

Bottom line for me is anything that makes people feel like they have to get in early to secure attendance at our games can only be a good thing.

 

[mikey]

While I think it's great to have a sell-out game at the best league venue in Sydney, I do not agree with making games at Leichardt or any venue for that matter members only games. It smells of elitism, exclusivity and snobbery - elements which any true Magpie or Tigers fan from the traditional bases would be offended by.

Besides that, who are you going to give to on the day without having an Eagles, Roosters or for that matter a poor, longt-suffering Sharkies fan near you? Having opposition fans at a game is an integral part of league. We are not effete Manchester, Liverpool, or for that matter rugby fans.

 

[2041]

While I think it's great to have a sell-out game at the best league venue in Sydney, I do not agree with making games at Leichardt or any venue for that matter members only games. It smells of elitism, exclusivity and snobbery - elements which any true Magpie or Tigers fan from the traditional bases would be offended by.

Besides that, who are you going to give to on the day without having an Eagles, Roosters or for that matter a poor, longt-suffering Sharkies fan near you? Having opposition fans at a game is an integral part of league. We are not effete Manchester, Liverpool, or for that matter rugby fans.

What's "snobbish" about giving your members priority? If it was "corporate clients only" that would be one thing, but surely our members are by definition our biggest fans? If you've got 30,000 of demand for 20,000 tickets how do you decide which 10,000 miss out?

Also, don't forget every Sharks fan there = one Tigers fan who wanted to go but couldn't get in. Balls to 'em I say.

 

[cunno]

I like what the club has done but then I am in a position to be able to buy membership and have done so for a number of years. However, I remember a time when buying membership wouldn't have been an option and I guess there are a number of Wests Tigers supporters who are currently in that boat. These people should not be forgotten imo there must be options to maximise revenue for the club, reward those who want to be members and at the same time provide some opportunity to those supporters who can afford to go to games from time to time but can't afford membership.

 

[prattenpark]

I'm not sure this is gonna work. 10,000 members so far, that leaves about 10,000 of these 'one off' memberships to be sold.
Is there really 10,000 mugs out there prepared to pay the asking price?
I doubt it. What really fills Leichhardt is the walk up crowd from the local area who decide whether or not they will go depending on the weather.
I think this might backfire and they might scare some people off. He's already lost 6 people I know of - my sister and her two six year olds are not going to risk driving up from Kiama now, and I doubt the woman from work and her two kids who lives locally (that I've worked on all off season to attend this match) will now attend.

 

[tiga4eva]

Me and my 3 kids are members so excuse the bias but if someone is going to part with their hard earned each year ($240 from me) I think they should be entitled to first preference to games. Non-ticketed members packages are as low as $60 and they can debit it monthly. It's a reward for support.
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[2041]

I'm not sure this is gonna work. 10,000 members so far, that leaves about 10,000 of these 'one off' memberships to be sold.
Is there really 10,000 mugs out there prepared to pay the asking price?
I doubt it. What really fills Leichhardt is the walk up crowd from the local area who decide whether or not they will go depending on the weather.
I think this might backfire and they might scare some people off. He's already lost 6 people I know of - my sister and her two six year olds are not going to risk driving up from Kiama now, and I doubt the woman from work and her two kids who lives locally (that I've worked on all off season to attend this match) will now attend.

This is exactly what I mean. No disrespect to your sister but you don't build AFL-sized crowds and membership lists based on people who may or may not go depending on the weather. Presumably if there are tickets on sale on the door there will also be some available to buy online in advance - buy them and there's no danger of missing out on the day. If we've got enough interest to sell out without an advance sale or any on the door then, well, that's great - some people are going to miss out but that's what happens when you're popular.

imo there must be options to maximise revenue for the club, reward those who want to be members and at the same time provide some opportunity to those supporters who can afford to go to games from time to time but can't afford membership.

That opportunity exists: it's called every game we play that isn't Sunday afternoon at Leichhardt. If you want to go to games and can't afford to join there's four SFS games, one SCG game, two or three other games at Leichhardt and four at Campbelltown. It's a shame that some people might have to miss round one because they haven't got a lot of money but there will also be hundreds of people who weren't going to bother becoming members because they didn't think they'd need to who will now have to decide whether to invest. Which, presumably, is exactly what we want to achieve.

 

[white]

great idea. 65 bucks is not alot get real do gooders. people waste that on a meal or some other garbage like the easter show. it will drive up memebership. create a parochial crowd. and create a strong revenue stream. like celtic in spl. sick of people saying its out of reach. people spend 20 bucks on cigarettes etc. great idea and good business idea

 

[Ed_Reschs]

I think all this article does is build momentum for the argument against playing games at an old dilapidated ground from the 70's. At the end of the day if u sell 20 tickets for the bus and you only have 10 seats the writing is on the wall. Increasing the capacity of LO is pure fantasy.
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[Cultured_Bogan]

Ask yourselves this question: Would you prefer 20,000 Wests Tigers fans there draped in Gold, White and Black or 10,000 Sharks supporters (not sure they even have that many,) polluting the place with sky blue?

I'd like to see fellow WT supporters get through the door before Sharks fans.