WT Forget Campbelltown
- Thread starter Byron_Bay_Fan
- Start date
Tiger_Watto
New member
I watch FTA TV but it is through the internet… From my understanding, catch-up FTA is huge and is in growth. I think the FTA networks are just caught up in the current transition and once they adjust their financial structures [much like newspapers], they will rebound.
I really can't understand the arguements in regard to Campbelltown,I travel an hour up and an hour back to watch the WTs play and to support them,the kids want jumpers,hoodies,caps etc..Yet people say that fans won't travel,what sort of supporters or fans are they..I'm an out of town member and do my best to get to games with the family…I have been there on numerous occasions when the team was winning,crowds of anywhere between 18/ 20 k,if the team starts winning and being a lot more competitive over the coming seasons then Campo will be rocking...
I know many will absolutely bag me for my comments,however I only say what I have seen and been apart of...I also have been to LO and ANZ,Campbo has a really good atmosphere,especially when the team is winning...
So overall my opinion is the more we win then the more will come and watch....don't forget that most who critise the South West are people who want Soccer and AFL in that area..the NRL must promote our game and stay one step ahead of the opposition,otherwise we will be left behind...we don't need that at this point in time..
I know many will absolutely bag me for my comments,however I only say what I have seen and been apart of...I also have been to LO and ANZ,Campbo has a really good atmosphere,especially when the team is winning...
So overall my opinion is the more we win then the more will come and watch....don't forget that most who critise the South West are people who want Soccer and AFL in that area..the NRL must promote our game and stay one step ahead of the opposition,otherwise we will be left behind...we don't need that at this point in time..
Nucky_Thompson
New member
Can anyone explain to me why Wests magpies club is located in ashfield and campbelltown?
innsaneink
Well-known member
@ said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Suburbs_Magpies
Byron_Bay_Fan
New member
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Suburbs_Magpies
Current Days[edit]
The Western Suburbs Magpies home matches are played at Campbelltown Stadium, Leumeah and their training facilities, along with offices are at the Whitlam Centre in Liverpool. The club has state of the art facilities here, and they are regarded as some of the best in the league.
In 2000 the Western Suburbs Magpies Under 20's team were runners up to the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs, captained by Mitch Zammit and Luke Duffy. The Western Suburbs Magpies last title was won in 2002 when the Western Suburbs Magpies captained by Liam Fulton won the New South Wales Rugby League Under 18's competition.
From 2000 - 2012 the Western Suburbs Magpies fielded teams in the NSWRL First Grade competition now known as the NSW Cup.
In 2006 the Wests Tigers on advice from Tim Sheens pushed the notion that the NRL side would be better served with a single NSW Cup side. Western Suburbs board opposed this decision and decided to continue fielding their own team. Wests Tigers then allocated all NRL contracted players to the Balmain Tigers (the Wests Magpies had six junior players in that group, as opposed to one from Balmain), citing the advantages of both the NRL and NSW Cup teams training together at Concord Oval. This continued from 2006 to 2007.
Magpies Chairman Kevin Hammond was disappointed at the Wests Tigers decision and informed the Wests Tigers of that in 2008, if the Magpies did not receive a fair share of player allocation from the Wests Tigers, they would form a feeder partnership with rivals Canberra Raiders. The Wests Tigers capitulated.
The Western Suburbs Magpies made the semi finals in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
In 2012 funding was withheld from the Magpies by Wests Ashfield Leagues Club Directors (not unanimously) as they now supported Wests Tigers proposal for a single NSW Cup side, even though this was done simply because Balmain couldn't afford a side and Wests could.
<big>This also went against the Magpies Football Club members wishes and they organised a Protest Rally through the streets of Campbelltown.[9] Wests Ashfield Leagues Club under pressure reinstated funding late in the off season after the Magpies players had already signed on to play with other teams.</big>
The Wests Tigers however decided to cease all support of the Magpies NSW Cup side whilst continuing support for Balmain Ryde Eastwood Tigers even though it was continuously reminded that Wests Tigers shouldn't be the ones telling Wests Ashfield what to do, they are employees of Wests Ashfield and Balmain, NOT the other way around. The Magpies failed to win a game in 2012 whilst Balmain Ryde Eastwood Tigers made it to the Grand Final where they were defeated by the Newtown Jets.[10]
The Magpies dropped back to the third tier Ron Massey Cup in 2013,[11] with members voting to field a separate NSW Cup team in 2014, although this did not eventuate.[12] The Magpies playing in the Ron Massey Cup was a great source of amusement to many on the Balmain side of the Wests Tigers, citing how a once great club had fallen so far. Ironically, as recently as 2014, the Balmain Tigers were trying to raise funds to themselves enter a Balmain team in the Ron Massey Cup.
In 2015 the Magpies added a team in the Sydney Shield competition to act as a feeder for their Ron Massey Cup campaign.
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Fancy even a protest rally!
Current Days[edit]
The Western Suburbs Magpies home matches are played at Campbelltown Stadium, Leumeah and their training facilities, along with offices are at the Whitlam Centre in Liverpool. The club has state of the art facilities here, and they are regarded as some of the best in the league.
In 2000 the Western Suburbs Magpies Under 20's team were runners up to the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs, captained by Mitch Zammit and Luke Duffy. The Western Suburbs Magpies last title was won in 2002 when the Western Suburbs Magpies captained by Liam Fulton won the New South Wales Rugby League Under 18's competition.
From 2000 - 2012 the Western Suburbs Magpies fielded teams in the NSWRL First Grade competition now known as the NSW Cup.
In 2006 the Wests Tigers on advice from Tim Sheens pushed the notion that the NRL side would be better served with a single NSW Cup side. Western Suburbs board opposed this decision and decided to continue fielding their own team. Wests Tigers then allocated all NRL contracted players to the Balmain Tigers (the Wests Magpies had six junior players in that group, as opposed to one from Balmain), citing the advantages of both the NRL and NSW Cup teams training together at Concord Oval. This continued from 2006 to 2007.
Magpies Chairman Kevin Hammond was disappointed at the Wests Tigers decision and informed the Wests Tigers of that in 2008, if the Magpies did not receive a fair share of player allocation from the Wests Tigers, they would form a feeder partnership with rivals Canberra Raiders. The Wests Tigers capitulated.
The Western Suburbs Magpies made the semi finals in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
In 2012 funding was withheld from the Magpies by Wests Ashfield Leagues Club Directors (not unanimously) as they now supported Wests Tigers proposal for a single NSW Cup side, even though this was done simply because Balmain couldn't afford a side and Wests could.
<big>This also went against the Magpies Football Club members wishes and they organised a Protest Rally through the streets of Campbelltown.[9] Wests Ashfield Leagues Club under pressure reinstated funding late in the off season after the Magpies players had already signed on to play with other teams.</big>
The Wests Tigers however decided to cease all support of the Magpies NSW Cup side whilst continuing support for Balmain Ryde Eastwood Tigers even though it was continuously reminded that Wests Tigers shouldn't be the ones telling Wests Ashfield what to do, they are employees of Wests Ashfield and Balmain, NOT the other way around. The Magpies failed to win a game in 2012 whilst Balmain Ryde Eastwood Tigers made it to the Grand Final where they were defeated by the Newtown Jets.[10]
The Magpies dropped back to the third tier Ron Massey Cup in 2013,[11] with members voting to field a separate NSW Cup team in 2014, although this did not eventuate.[12] The Magpies playing in the Ron Massey Cup was a great source of amusement to many on the Balmain side of the Wests Tigers, citing how a once great club had fallen so far. Ironically, as recently as 2014, the Balmain Tigers were trying to raise funds to themselves enter a Balmain team in the Ron Massey Cup.
In 2015 the Magpies added a team in the Sydney Shield competition to act as a feeder for their Ron Massey Cup campaign.
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Fancy even a protest rally!
@ said:
If we don't fix our address soon. We might find our mailbox mailed interstate.
Wests home is Campbelltown. Balmain is ofcourse Balmain.
Campbelltown has expanded dramatically to include Macarthur, Minto, Glen alpine, Camden… It is huge.
If we focus on Balmain, we will become like the Newtown Jets. We can be the Penrith of the south
Pawsandclaws
New member
@ said:
WTs should have a strong presence in the South West Growth area but I don't know what this should look like now. I worry because the ASSRL Open Schoolboy Championships are on at the moment and Balmain SGBALL has four reps in the NSWCCC Squad from Holy Cross and at least one other Balmain SGBALL rep in the NSWCIS squad. With the strength of the juniors in the South West, how many Wests SGBALL players are playing in these squads? I have had a look and it doesn't look like there are too many. This is my worry and I write this not to have a go at the Wests Campbelltown component but because this usually gives a good indication of the health of the juniors.
gallagher
Well-known member
@ said:
Why is everyone quoting Penrith as the bench mark club all of a sudden. 2 premierships in 50 years isn't enough for my liking.
diedpretty
Well-known member
@ said:
I wouldn't be surprised if mobile broadband becomes the way of the future. I have an Optus deal at the moment which is 100gb for$70 on the 4g network. Put the SIM in a mobile wi fi modem and away you go.
@ said:
Wests originally played out of Pratten Park in Ashfield & St Luke's Oval in Concord (primarily the former after starting at the latter). They then moved to Lidcombe in the 60s, and then Campbelltown in the 80s.
Whilst the recent history is out of Campbelltown, the origins of both Wests and Balmain is in the inner west so it's important to maintain a foothold in the area IMO.
Seems plain bizarre for the club to turn down a (free) first class training facility at a University with medicine and sports science. Particularly when this was one of the strategic priorities.
Sounds a hell of a lot better than training out of a gym under an old grandstand with one bottle of Gatorade limit per session.
Sounds a hell of a lot better than training out of a gym under an old grandstand with one bottle of Gatorade limit per session.
Gary_Bakerloo
New member
Wests Ashfield was never a fan of the Campbelltown move.
Spud_Murphy
New member
@ said:
Yes and don't they hang onto their grudges for all of eternity!
The board and committee at Wests Ashfield have always been problematic, from as far back as I can remember. At one point during the 70s they had more nterest in and more money invested in their bloody Bowles team than they did in the Rugby League team. Somehow they forgot they were actually a 'Leagues' club! Those old dinosaurs have most likely died off, but perhaps some of their offspring are still about today carrying daddy's stodgy mindset within them and the flag of resistance to all things progressive!
jirskyr
Well-known member
@ said:
I've never had a perfectly exact history, and the different parties seem cagey about it, but Wests Ashfield was established 1955 to support the Wests Football Club, which at the time were out of Ashfield as ricksen notes (different definition of "West" back then).
With their borders being squeezed by the other inner-city clubs (Dogs, Tigers), Wests made a strategic move to Campbelltown in 1996 - they relocated the Football Club and Wests Ashfield bought the Campbelltown City Kangaroos Club, rebranding them as Wests Leagues Club.
So for the first decade or so of the Magpies and then JV, Wests Ashfield owned / controlled both clubs. But then there were a series of changes to Wests Campbelltown - they bought the Tennis Club in 2007, amalgamated with Lakeside Golf Club, then amalgamated again with Gledswood Hills Country Club. Exactly what happened at the board level at the time is murky to me (as a former Balmain supporter) but around about that time Wests Campbo's influence and involvement in WT declined and their business strategy changed.
I am of the understanding they are now two separate businesses and really weren't particularly aligned during the early days of the JV anyway, with Wests Campbo politically aligned with Balmain most of the time.
I am not privy to the politics of how the two entities changed direction, but Ashfield is owned and operated by Wests Ashfield Leagues Club Pty Ltd. Campbo is owned and operated by Western Suburbs League Club (Campbelltown) Ltd. Wests Ashfield are an owner of the JV and Wests Campbo are not since 2013, they are instead a sponsor.
They are of course not to be confused with the unrelated Wests Group in Newcastle, nor the Wests Brisbane JRLFC.
Tiger_Steve
New member
@ said:
Sadly, Fox have started doing it as well. I find it really annoying.
Nucky_Thompson
New member
@ said:
Thanks gents for the info.
It makes it hard for Wests tigers to embrace an identity when there's so many parts to it.
And to me inner city suburbs and Campbelltown are so geographically different.
