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$8m question for Wests Tigers
BY ALEXANDRA BEECH
01 Sep, 2010 12:00 AM
THE NRL will offer Wests Tigers cash NOT to play their home ground finals at newly-renovated Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
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The Tigers should decide later this week.
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The club can either take the NRL offer and the larger gate receipts from the 45,000-seat Sydney Football Stadium or refuse the cash and keep a stronger home advantage in the smaller suburban home grounds at Campbelltown or Leichhardt.
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Tigers chief executive Stephen Humphreys described Campbelltown as a strong contender.
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``There are a number of factors,'' he told the Advertiser yesterday.
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``The key considerations are around crowd capacity how many of our fans can get to the game and be part of the finals experience and doing what we can to have the best advantage for the team.''
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Campbelltown mayor Aaron Rule said the Leumeah stadium, which has just undergone an $8 million redevelopment, was capable of hosting at least one rugby league semi-final and shouldn't be overlooked.
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``We've got one of the best stadiums in the sport, completely redeveloped with state of the art facilities, excellent public transport and a crowd that you'd hear from Sydney as the Tigers scored tries,'' Cr Rule said.
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``I think it would also do so much for the local sporting community.''
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Councillor Paul Lake, who is likely to become our new mayor this month, said Campbelltown Stadium was a better venue with more facilities than Leichhardt Oval.
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Cr Lake plans to raise the matter with the council's general manager and to lobby hard.
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He has won the backing of Macarthur's new Liberal MP, Russell Matheson, and also the former MP for Werriwa, Chris Hayes, who secured the funding for the ground's renovations.
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``It would be disgraceful for Wests Tigers to turn their back on Campbelltown after we have spent $8 million to give them the ground they wanted,'' Mr Hayes said on Monday.
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Cr Lake said Campbelltown Stadium won't hold a Sydney Football Stadium-sized crowd, but the size of the crowd needed to be accommodated would depend on who Wests Tigers was playing.
>
``If it's the Broncos or the Warriors, most of the fans are going to be Wests Tigers.''
>
``But if they were playing South Sydney, the crowd would be huge.''
>
Campbelltown Stadium has seating for 13,500 spectators or a capacity of more than 20,000 and also received upgraded amenities in the recent redevelopment.
>
Australian Associated Press reported last week that Stephen Humphreys had hinted that the Sydney Football Stadium was the favourite, unless the Tigers were to play the Roosters, whose home field is the Sydney stadium.
>
But Mr Humphreys told the Advertiser yesterday that the huge role played by Campbelltown crowds in supporting the Tigers this season needed to be taken into serious consideration.
>
``In Campbelltown, we've enjoyed three out of four wins this year, so that's why Campbelltown is a strong contender,'' Mr Humphreys said.
>
He said the players loved all three venues, so choosing between them would be a difficult decision.
>
Cr Lake said that with only four Campbelltown games this season, local fans had had a raw deal and that it was about time they ``got a share of the game''.
>
Last week, The Sydney Morning Herald reported NRL chief operating officer Graham Annesley as saying they were happy to discuss a cash payment for the Tigers to move their final to a larger venue.
>
``There's no current money offer sitting on the table for anyone, but if the club came to us and said we'd be prepared to discuss playing at a bigger venue, of course we'd discuss that with them, and possibly come to a suitable arrangement,'' Mr Annesley said.
$8m question for Wests Tigers
BY ALEXANDRA BEECH
01 Sep, 2010 12:00 AM
THE NRL will offer Wests Tigers cash NOT to play their home ground finals at newly-renovated Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
>
The Tigers should decide later this week.
>
The club can either take the NRL offer and the larger gate receipts from the 45,000-seat Sydney Football Stadium or refuse the cash and keep a stronger home advantage in the smaller suburban home grounds at Campbelltown or Leichhardt.
>
Tigers chief executive Stephen Humphreys described Campbelltown as a strong contender.
>
``There are a number of factors,'' he told the Advertiser yesterday.
>
``The key considerations are around crowd capacity how many of our fans can get to the game and be part of the finals experience and doing what we can to have the best advantage for the team.''
>
Campbelltown mayor Aaron Rule said the Leumeah stadium, which has just undergone an $8 million redevelopment, was capable of hosting at least one rugby league semi-final and shouldn't be overlooked.
>
``We've got one of the best stadiums in the sport, completely redeveloped with state of the art facilities, excellent public transport and a crowd that you'd hear from Sydney as the Tigers scored tries,'' Cr Rule said.
>
``I think it would also do so much for the local sporting community.''
>
Councillor Paul Lake, who is likely to become our new mayor this month, said Campbelltown Stadium was a better venue with more facilities than Leichhardt Oval.
>
Cr Lake plans to raise the matter with the council's general manager and to lobby hard.
>
He has won the backing of Macarthur's new Liberal MP, Russell Matheson, and also the former MP for Werriwa, Chris Hayes, who secured the funding for the ground's renovations.
>
``It would be disgraceful for Wests Tigers to turn their back on Campbelltown after we have spent $8 million to give them the ground they wanted,'' Mr Hayes said on Monday.
>
Cr Lake said Campbelltown Stadium won't hold a Sydney Football Stadium-sized crowd, but the size of the crowd needed to be accommodated would depend on who Wests Tigers was playing.
>
``If it's the Broncos or the Warriors, most of the fans are going to be Wests Tigers.''
>
``But if they were playing South Sydney, the crowd would be huge.''
>
Campbelltown Stadium has seating for 13,500 spectators or a capacity of more than 20,000 and also received upgraded amenities in the recent redevelopment.
>
Australian Associated Press reported last week that Stephen Humphreys had hinted that the Sydney Football Stadium was the favourite, unless the Tigers were to play the Roosters, whose home field is the Sydney stadium.
>
But Mr Humphreys told the Advertiser yesterday that the huge role played by Campbelltown crowds in supporting the Tigers this season needed to be taken into serious consideration.
>
``In Campbelltown, we've enjoyed three out of four wins this year, so that's why Campbelltown is a strong contender,'' Mr Humphreys said.
>
He said the players loved all three venues, so choosing between them would be a difficult decision.
>
Cr Lake said that with only four Campbelltown games this season, local fans had had a raw deal and that it was about time they ``got a share of the game''.
>
Last week, The Sydney Morning Herald reported NRL chief operating officer Graham Annesley as saying they were happy to discuss a cash payment for the Tigers to move their final to a larger venue.
>
``There's no current money offer sitting on the table for anyone, but if the club came to us and said we'd be prepared to discuss playing at a bigger venue, of course we'd discuss that with them, and possibly come to a suitable arrangement,'' Mr Annesley said.
