http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/disjointed-venture-campbelltown-withdraws-funding-for-tigers-20130612-2o4gj.html
Disjointed venture: Campbelltown withdraws funding for Tigers
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Wests Campbelltown Leagues has withdrawn from the Wests Tigers joint venture, sending a serious signal to the NRL that one of the sport's wealthiest backers in a region rich in playing talent will no longer financially support the amalgamated Magpies-Balmain club.
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While the Wests Campbelltown licensed club will continue its $200,000 a year support of the Campbelltown junior league, it will not contribute any funds to the NRL club. The message to the joint venture was communicated on Friday in a letter by lawyers acting for Wests Campbelltown. Wests Campbelltown held one of Wests' five votes on the NRL club board and, until this year, had often voted with Balmain, giving the Tigers a 6-4 victory in meetings.
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While the Wests Campbelltown vote will now flow to the Wests side of the joint venture, ensuring the Magpies camp can't be beaten in the boardroom, it will involve Wests Ashfield Leagues having to meet the share of cash traditionally contributed by Campbelltown.
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Future investment in the joint venture has been the cause of friction between Wests and Balmain.
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A $6.8 million debt at Balmain Leagues Club has meant the Tigers have experienced difficulty answering calls to satisfy the joint venture's rising debt. The Wests Group offered to provide Balmain's share of new funding in exchange for a casting vote at board meetings but this was rejected by Balmain.
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It is understood Wests Campbelltown's frustration with the failure of the two owners to reach agreement on funding precipitated their withdrawal. Wests Campbelltown chief executive Tony Mathew claimed his club's exit would allow the Wests half of the joint venture to consolidate. ''There has been a lot of discussion in regards to an overdue change and restructuring. Those arrangements will still be 50-50\. It's just that our one director out of 10 won't be there. We've still got our support of rugby league, that's still our primary charter and we're still going to be involved in junior rugby league out here. We just think in the consolidating and restructuring of Wests Tigers going forward, we're happy to do this to allow Wests Tigers to move forward.''
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Asked why Wests Campbelltown had chosen now to exit the joint venture that began in 2000, he said: ''Our operation at Wests Campbelltown is very different now to the one 13 years ago … Our circumstances have changed here and yet we still spend an enormous amount of time on Wests Tigers. We just feel it needs to be consolidated … We do get on well with Wests Ashfield … we've never been closer.''
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Wests and Balmain alternate the joint venture chair annually, with the Magpies' Mike Bailey, currently in the position. Bailey said: ''Nothing really changes in terms of Wests Tigers. Campbelltown have given no indication they will withdraw any of the support they currently provide for the juniors of the Macarthur region. Through our funding of Wests Magpies, we [Wests Ashfield] look after the junior rep sides of the area, the SG Ball and Harold Matthews competitions. We have no intention of backing away from that support.''
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Wests have outsourced that spending to the joint venture, ensuring the Magpie junior representative teams receive professional coaching and management. ''In terms of grassroots football in western Sydney, nothing changes,'' Bailey said. ''From an NRL perspective, at this stage there is no plan to alter the number of games played at Campbelltown Stadium or cut back the services in terms of what Wests Tigers players do in servicing the area. We are hoping to increase our presence in the region, and establish a centre of excellence there. If we ever need [Wests Campbelltown's] support for that, we'd be prepared [to ask them].''
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Wests Tigers deputy chairman Nick Di Girolamo the leader of the Balmain side of the joint venture, said: ''We have a presence in the western suburbs of Sydney and will continue to do so.'' However, with the AFL investing funds in the Campbelltown region and no possibility of government money allocated for the redevelopment of Campbelltown Stadium, the ARL Commission must be concerned at the loss of a huge backer. Bailey hinted at this, saying: ''We've lost one entity and therefore it looks a bit cleaner on paper but it doesn't really address the key issues which the [ARLC] suggests need to be addressed. We are going to look at those issues.''
