WT Forget Campbelltown

[Byron_Bay_Fan]

It is very unfair and unwise to expect teams from outer town to then do the extra trip out to Cambo - ridiculous in one word. NRL (and JV) shooting themselves in the foot.

 

[Fade_To_Black]

It was plenty full in round 2\. Can't expect a full house in 7 degree temperature, against an out of town team, in the middle of the losing streak we were in.

12,232 isn't exactly jam packed

Double what was there the other night. Ctown has been bashed from pillar to post the last few years regarding crowd numbers, when the truth is, overall they aren't too much different to Leichhardt.

Yes the media and even the club often seem to make out that the crowd numbers at the venues are polar opposites, but that's not really the case. Not to mention, many of the teams we are scheduled to play at Campbelltown are usually the out of town teams! Unfair comparisons.

Comparisons are fair IMO. Leichhardt games usually feature Storm, Cowboys, Warriors, Raiders, Titans…....never Parra, Souths, Dogs or other crowd-pulling clubs.

 

[TrueTiger]

When the Magpies originally came out to Campbelltown they really started to look after the schools in and outside the area,they advertised in the newspaper and on the radio,they where at junior games in Group 6 pumping the magpie cause but this to me and others has really stopped even before the merger.Our crowds ranged from 7-8 thousand up to when the merger came through.To me personally West Ashfield are really yo blame for the mess of not looking after the area.And in my area of Ingleburn i know kids who are at Souths,Roosters,Bulldogs and they all say the same thing there is no one really running and looking after the Juniors that has been a bug bare for the last 10yrs.

I have stayed out of this discussion mainly for two reasons…..

Firstly my inlaws are all Campbelltown residents and that includes areas like Bradbury,Woodbine and Leumeha...
Secondly I reside in and was a junior of the Moss Vale dragons which is part of group six...

As many know on this forum that I spoke of playing for Turvey Park in group nine for 6 years,that was my choice and I don't regret it one bit...

Iam now saying that I'm back in Moss Vale which is group six working because both my parents have passed away and I have a property here to look after....every second kid wants to be a WTs player when they grow up...mainly because of Benji...the WTs have had many clinics in Moss Vale, Bowral and Mittagong and they have been packed...if the hierarchy of the WTs realised that this club and team are MORE than just a Sydney club and are a diverse regional club then they would be on a winner...most people I talk to from the City don't want to travel to Campo because it is to far,here in the Southern Highlands we try and get to Campo to support the team as much as we can and its over an hours drive there and an hour back home.

There is plenty of support for our club out here,hopefully they will realise it before it is to late....

 

[west_67]

Very well written TT

 

[shane2801]

If they're not going to move out to Campbelltown fulltime then make ANZ our home and stay there.

 

[jirskyr]

When the Magpies originally came out to Campbelltown they really started to look after the schools in and outside the area,they advertised in the newspaper and on the radio,they where at junior games in Group 6 pumping the magpie cause but this to me and others has really stopped even before the merger.Our crowds ranged from 7-8 thousand up to when the merger came through.To me personally West Ashfield are really yo blame for the mess of not looking after the area.And in my area of Ingleburn i know kids who are at Souths,Roosters,Bulldogs and they all say the same thing there is no one really running and looking after the Juniors that has been a bug bare for the last 10yrs.

I have stayed out of this discussion mainly for two reasons…..

Firstly my inlaws are all Campbelltown residents and that includes areas like Bradbury,Woodbine and Leumeha...
Secondly I reside in and was a junior of the Moss Vale dragons which is part of group six...

As many know on this forum that I spoke of playing for Turvey Park in group nine for 6 years,that was my choice and I don't regret it one bit...

Iam now saying that I'm back in Moss Vale which is group six working because both my parents have passed away and I have a property here to look after....every second kid wants to be a WTs player when they grow up...mainly because of Benji...the WTs have had many clinics in Moss Vale, Bowral and Mittagong and they have been packed...if the hierarchy of the WTs realised that this club and team are MORE than just a Sydney club and are a diverse regional club then they would be on a winner...most people I talk to from the City don't want to travel to Campo because it is to far,here in the Southern Highlands we try and get to Campo to support the team as much as we can and its over an hours drive there and an hour back home.

There is plenty of support for our club out here,hopefully they will realise it before it is to late....

And no offence, I am sure you are accurately reporting your area, but the same could also be said of pockets of strong support for Tigers in Queensland, central coast, NSW south coast. How can we service all these potential pockets of support?

 

[TrueTiger]

When the Magpies originally came out to Campbelltown they really started to look after the schools in and outside the area,they advertised in the newspaper and on the radio,they where at junior games in Group 6 pumping the magpie cause but this to me and others has really stopped even before the merger.Our crowds ranged from 7-8 thousand up to when the merger came through.To me personally West Ashfield are really yo blame for the mess of not looking after the area.And in my area of Ingleburn i know kids who are at Souths,Roosters,Bulldogs and they all say the same thing there is no one really running and looking after the Juniors that has been a bug bare for the last 10yrs.

I have stayed out of this discussion mainly for two reasons…..

Firstly my inlaws are all Campbelltown residents and that includes areas like Bradbury,Woodbine and Leumeha...
Secondly I reside in and was a junior of the Moss Vale dragons which is part of group six...

As many know on this forum that I spoke of playing for Turvey Park in group nine for 6 years,that was my choice and I don't regret it one bit...

Iam now saying that I'm back in Moss Vale which is group six working because both my parents have passed away and I have a property here to look after....every second kid wants to be a WTs player when they grow up...mainly because of Benji...the WTs have had many clinics in Moss Vale, Bowral and Mittagong and they have been packed...if the hierarchy of the WTs realised that this club and team are MORE than just a Sydney club and are a diverse regional club then they would be on a winner...most people I talk to from the City don't want to travel to Campo because it is to far,here in the Southern Highlands we try and get to Campo to support the team as much as we can and its over an hours drive there and an hour back home.

There is plenty of support for our club out here,hopefully they will realise it before it is to late....

And no offence, I am sure you are accurately reporting your area, but the same could also be said of pockets of strong support for Tigers in Queensland, central coast, NSW south coast. How can we service all these potential pockets of support?

Jirskyr,I do not for one minute critise your questioning of my post,I was referring to Campo being a base for the WTs,Qld doesn't interest me at all,we are talking about the immediate area as a base,I have travelled to the Central Coast and have lived on the South Coast,neither are that far away for a day trip to support your club…the Admin of the WTs should really do an intense survey of the areas I have mentioned and then calculate if Campo should or should not be an option as a home base..Qld people are staunch supporters of our club,but distance to travel is a fair bit more than the CC or SC of NSW.,.I love our Qld WTs supporters as much as I love our NSW guys,but we must be reasonable within our assessment of the given area..

 

[Magpie_Magic]

When the Magpies originally came out to Campbelltown they really started to look after the schools in and outside the area,they advertised in the newspaper and on the radio,they where at junior games in Group 6 pumping the magpie cause but this to me and others has really stopped even before the merger.Our crowds ranged from 7-8 thousand up to when the merger came through.To me personally West Ashfield are really yo blame for the mess of not looking after the area.And in my area of Ingleburn i know kids who are at Souths,Roosters,Bulldogs and they all say the same thing there is no one really running and looking after the Juniors that has been a bug bare for the last 10yrs.

I think super league stuffed everything. In 91 and 92 as a top 5 side we averaged 11k and close to 10 in 96 as a top 8 side and I'm from the traditional Wests area but heard others from the SW saying Wests were really promoting the juniors but 5 years later with super league things went down.
Always something I guess you cant blame club for disintegration in 98 and 99 when they knew they were to be pushed out by outside interference.
When you look at it if you follow a club like Wests or Balmain or the WT or most Sydney clubs uts a bit of a fail. The administration is always against us promoting the interests of Brisbane and Melbourne etc for the " good of the game".
Who's good? Cam Smith? certain clubs?

Not ours!

 

[TCL]

Forget the article that is agenda driven.

On the topic of Campbelltown, our club should embrace it and the surrounding areas (back towards Liverpool, out to Camden and north towards Penrith). We should consider ditching Homebush if Campbelltown and surround councils fill the financial gap left by moving games out there. Play a couple of of games at Liechhardt to keep us Balmain fans happy.

We need to build a fortress and I think Campbelltown is the place for that, it won't harm our clubs future. Leichhardt is already strongly associated as tiger sacred ground.

Keep concord as our training ground, players would prefer an inner west facility, given most would live out this way.

 

[TYGA]

WS Magpies have been based out of Concord, Ashfield and Lidcombe for 77 years in Cambo for 12 years. Balmain Birchgrove and Balmain mainly since foundation. From a historical perspective we are best served in Concord playing out of ANZ. The issue is moving forward the Southwest will grow massively and the juniors are neglected. Are we a forward looking club or one hung up in history. Cambo being the home of the Magpies is a myth but our future should lie there if we have any brain.

 

[Telltails]

Depends where the revenue is most lucrative. Fans are attracted to successful clubs and revenue is essential for success.
Campbelltown may embrace a new club, but if NRL fans in Campbelltown have not already embraced Wests Tigers I cant see how moving out there will change that now.
The inner city is growing just as rapidly as any area in Sydney and if the corporate dollars are more attracted to city venues then thats where our target base should be.
Fan bases are only strong when teams are successful. We should not contemplate going anywhere that is not providing scope for generating more revenue than we are getting now and you would hope that those in control will make those decisions knowing where our base wiil be best served in maintaining a financially viable club.If that's Campbelltown so be it, if not then the alternative needs to become a reality once and for all.

 

[Club_Sandwich]

Geez this guy goes on and on and on.

 

[hammertime]

I can see why WT don't want to go there with the way this guy carries on. Erratic, emotional and illogical.

The fact is cambo wests pulled out of the merger, home crowds have been similar to leichhardt and the supporting businesses (that I believe would provide more cash than members) are mainly inner city.

Certainly, let's keep supporting the region, keep getting the players into the schools and carnivals, play 4 games a year there and generally keep making more of an effort there than we do for inner west since it's a 'growth region'.

But the simple fact is that there is no indicators or incentives to increase that presence as they've seen no growth from that increased focus. Maybe that will change, but for now it would be incredibly dumb to move. It's a massive punt.

 

[Elderslie_Tiger]

Wests Tigers need to keep their eyes wide open in regard to the Macarthur area we know it is one of the fastest growing area in NSW. Just in case people have forgotten what has happened over the past few years Bulldogs were looking to relocate to Liverpool.Roosters gave been sniffing around the Narellen Jets.South Sydney looking go play games out of Campbelltown.In the last month Moorebank Sports (with connections to the bulldogs club gave announced and been given approval to build a new club at Gregory Hills with the changing face of Sydney and its surrounding suburbs WT have to be vigilante not to miss out on a great opportunity they have built over the years.

 

[mike]

What a nightmare all of this stuff is. I'm not sure what the answer is but I think it'd be better if the Macarthur region showed they were behind the Tigers via crowd support prior to councillors stating things like that.

It was plenty full in round 2\. Can't expect a full house in 7 degree temperature, against an out of town team, in the middle of the losing streak we were in.

Sydneysiders wont support a losing team….win and 'watch them come'

Yep, always said that. Win a few in a row and watch the attendance skyrocket.

 

[gallagher]

Wests Tigers need to keep their eyes wide open in regard to the Macarthur area we know it is one of the fastest growing area in NSW. Just in case people have forgotten what has happened over the past few years Bulldogs were looking to relocate to Liverpool.Roosters gave been sniffing around the Narellen Jets.South Sydney looking go play games out of Campbelltown.In the last month Moorebank Sports (with connections to the bulldogs club gave announced and been given approval to build a new club at Gregory Hills with the changing face of Sydney and its surrounding suburbs WT have to be vigilante not to miss out on a great opportunity they have built over the years.

Thats three smart clubs you mentioned and none of them want to play fulltime at Campbelltown. No AFL, cricket or soccer teams either.
There must be something to that.

 

[cqtiger]

Wests Tigers need to keep their eyes wide open in regard to the Macarthur area we know it is one of the fastest growing area in NSW. Just in case people have forgotten what has happened over the past few years Bulldogs were looking to relocate to Liverpool.Roosters gave been sniffing around the Narellen Jets.South Sydney looking go play games out of Campbelltown.In the last month Moorebank Sports (with connections to the bulldogs club gave announced and been given approval to build a new club at Gregory Hills with the changing face of Sydney and its surrounding suburbs WT have to be vigilante not to miss out on a great opportunity they have built over the years.

LOL
All of these clubs you mention may play a token preseason game or the odd NRL game at Campbelltown but not one will ever relocate lock, stock and barrel out there. WT's have committed to 4 NRL games a year and preseason games - that's the best action that Campbelltown will ever get.

 

[jirskyr]

Wests Tigers need to keep their eyes wide open in regard to the Macarthur area we know it is one of the fastest growing area in NSW. Just in case people have forgotten what has happened over the past few years Bulldogs were looking to relocate to Liverpool.Roosters gave been sniffing around the Narellen Jets.South Sydney looking go play games out of Campbelltown.In the last month Moorebank Sports (with connections to the bulldogs club gave announced and been given approval to build a new club at Gregory Hills with the changing face of Sydney and its surrounding suburbs WT have to be vigilante not to miss out on a great opportunity they have built over the years.

LOL
All of these clubs you mention may play a token preseason game or the odd NRL game at Campbelltown but not one will ever relocate lock, stock and barrel out there. WT's have committed to 4 NRL games a year and preseason games - that's the best action that Campbelltown will ever get.

Well it's chicken and egg. Do they not play more games because they don't get the crowds and sponsorship, or do the crowds and sponsorship elude them because they don't play enough games?

WT hands are mostly tied: you can't take 4 games off LO and we cannot afford not to play games at ANZ, because there is guaranteed profit. The club would happily play 50% of games at LO and CSS if they could make decent money off the matches, but they can't. It's the same reason why Dogs don't play 100% of games at Belmore, Souths don't play 100% of games at Redfern Oval, Saints don't play 50/50 split at Jubilee and Wgong… all the ANZ tenants.

ET's comment about population growth is a limited view, because population growth is occurring all over the city and you cannot make sweeping assumptions that more population means more football support. Potential is there yes, but if an area doesn't follow football, it might not matter how many thousands of people live there. For example one of the strongest drivers of Western Sydney population growth is immigration, and there will be a limit to which you can turn new immigrants into rugby league supporters, particularly those from countries with no RL background at all.

The Top 10 local government areas (LGA) for predicted growth (%) to 2036 are: Camden, Parramatta, The Hills, Liverpool, Botany Bay, Strathfield, Sydney, Burwood, Blacktown, Wollondilly. The Top 10 when taken as population volume: Parramatta, Blacktown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Camden, The Hills, Liverpool, Sydney, Cumberland, Penrith, Campbelltown.
http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/projections

So out of 20 slots, the Macarthur is represented 4 times, and "the Macarthur" cheats a bit because it's the combination of 3 LGAs - Campbo, Camden and Wollondilly. I mean can Tigers really lay claim to Wollondilly when most of the towns in that LGA are half as far from Wollongong as they are Sydney CBD?

Compare this to the Eels, they are sitting right in the joint of 9 slots, if you include penetration into The Hills and Liverpool LGAs.

It's all well and good to say that Tigers should do more in the Macarthur, but the same argument exists for any large population LGA in Sydney, particularly those not dominated by any one club e.g. Liverpool and The Hills.

In fact there is strong argument about indeed focusing on the inner city and inner-west, which take up 4 slots in the above 20, including huge population growth in Sydney council (bigger than Campbelltown as both % and total volume); and this does not include Canterbury, which old Wests Ashfield / Balmain territory sits against.

 

[Knuckles]

It's not really about Crowds as far a Wests Tigers are concerned…Lets face it Crowds are largely dependant on a winning football team...Playing 4, 6, 8, 12 games out of Campbelltown will only change attendances if it is winning or losing..the great bandwagon effect..

Simple fact of the matter is the Corporate $$$$$ for the Wests Tigers comes largely from the inner west and that's where they will base themselves....If Corporate's from the MacArthur started backing the Wests Tigers to a similar or larger degree Wests Tigers would be there in a flash...

Spot on ….... Paul Wakeling, Jim Masterton and John Marsden were good but we needed much more ...... why they didn't continue to support the club may be another matter.

 

[Snake]

Wests Tigers need to keep their eyes wide open in regard to the Macarthur area we know it is one of the fastest growing area in NSW. Just in case people have forgotten what has happened over the past few years Bulldogs were looking to relocate to Liverpool.Roosters gave been sniffing around the Narellen Jets.South Sydney looking go play games out of Campbelltown.In the last month Moorebank Sports (with connections to the bulldogs club gave announced and been given approval to build a new club at Gregory Hills with the changing face of Sydney and its surrounding suburbs WT have to be vigilante not to miss out on a great opportunity they have built over the years.

LOL
All of these clubs you mention may play a token preseason game or the odd NRL game at Campbelltown but not one will ever relocate lock, stock and barrel out there. WT's have committed to 4 NRL games a year and preseason games - that's the best action that Campbelltown will ever get.

Well it's chicken and egg. Do they not play more games because they don't get the crowds and sponsorship, or do the crowds and sponsorship elude them because they don't play enough games?

WT hands are mostly tied: you can't take 4 games off LO and we cannot afford not to play games at ANZ, because there is guaranteed profit. The club would happily play 50% of games at LO and CSS if they could make decent money off the matches, but they can't. It's the same reason why Dogs don't play 100% of games at Belmore, Souths don't play 100% of games at Redfern Oval, Saints don't play 50/50 split at Jubilee and Wgong… all the ANZ tenants.

ET's comment about population growth is a limited view, because population growth is occurring all over the city and you cannot make sweeping assumptions that more population means more football support. Potential is there yes, but if an area doesn't follow football, it might not matter how many thousands of people live there. For example one of the strongest drivers of Western Sydney population growth is immigration, and there will be a limit to which you can turn new immigrants into rugby league supporters, particularly those from countries with no RL background at all.

The Top 10 local government areas (LGA) for predicted growth (%) to 2036 are: Camden, Parramatta, The Hills, Liverpool, Botany Bay, Strathfield, Sydney, Burwood, Blacktown, Wollondilly. The Top 10 when taken as population volume: Parramatta, Blacktown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Camden, The Hills, Liverpool, Sydney, Cumberland, Penrith, Campbelltown.
http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/projections

So out of 20 slots, the Macarthur is represented 4 times, and "the Macarthur" cheats a bit because it's the combination of 3 LGAs - Campbo, Camden and Wollondilly. I mean can Tigers really lay claim to Wollondilly when most of the towns in that LGA are half as far from Wollongong as they are Sydney CBD?

Compare this to the Eels, they are sitting right in the joint of 9 slots, if you include penetration into The Hills and Liverpool LGAs.

It's all well and good to say that Tigers should do more in the Macarthur, but the same argument exists for any large population LGA in Sydney, particularly those not dominated by any one club e.g. Liverpool and The Hills.

In fact there is strong argument about indeed focusing on the inner city and inner-west, which take up 4 slots in the above 20, including huge population growth in Sydney council (bigger than Campbelltown as both % and total volume); and this does not include Canterbury, which old Wests Ashfield / Balmain territory sits against.

You have done a lot of work there ,so it is plain to see where the club should settle,this only reinforces my views , the population growth along the Parrammata Road corridor from Parra to Homebush is going to be huge not withstanding a new suburb on the old Clyde refinery site camellia.
The agenda that Gould is pushing for the Tigers reflects the same he does not want 2 clubs playing out of The new Stadium at Parra as this will pigeon hole Penrith so his agenda is get the Tigers out of town.. do not be fooled many people in the right places do not want the Tigers to settle in one spot and especially in the Metro city basin .