WT Ownership, The Board & Senior Management - MEGA Thread

[balmain boy]

100% they did this in 2014 when the Board was restructured after the NRL loan and Marina Go was brought in as an independent chair (with compulsory independent board members, I think 2 of them). Balmain then lost most of its seats when Ashfield eventually took over the loan. Pascoe was brought in the following year.

I'm not arguing that we shouldn't refresh the top management again, I am just saying it has definitely been done before, towards the start of this dry spell. That was 8 years ago, so fair enough it hasn't been tried recently.

In regards to what off-field changes have there been, those have been significant and you would have to be intentionally blind to ignore it - the CoE, the new pathways system and staff, the Wests Tigers Foundation, the NRLW team etc. Tigers have been making money and putting it back into Football Ops. The issue we are having is that investment has not been returned in first-grade performances.

So by all means let's remove the Board, or at least the Chair and CEO, but let's keep in mind we have done things like this before and it's not a panacea. It's simply "the thing we haven't changed in a while".

We didn't initiate that change. The NRL did.
The intention and willingness to change is what's needed.

And now the chairmanship has declared war with members with his outrageous comments in the Press today.

 

[twentyforty]

“The only alternative is for someone to fall on their own sword,” Hagipantelis says.
“If someone was able to convince me that on-field performance would improve with the termination of Justin Pascoe, for example, I would recommend it to the board of directors.
“People should not diminish the responsibility of the board in determining these things. Recommendations as to recruitment and retention, for example, are elevated to the board to sign off on.

“There are things the CEO has autonomy over, there are others he has to elevate to the board for approval. We are all accountable.”

 

[twentyforty]

There is a perception that we lurch from one inept decision to another. But that’s just not the case.’

Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis

 

[Eternal Tiger]

“The only alternative is for someone to fall on their own sword,” Hagipantelis says.
“If someone was able to convince me that on-field performance would improve with the termination of Justin Pascoe, for example, I would recommend it to the board of directors.
“People should not diminish the responsibility of the board in determining these things. Recommendations as to recruitment and retention, for example, are elevated to the board to sign off on.

“There are things the CEO has autonomy over, there are others he has to elevate to the board for approval. We are all accountable.”

Can Lee prove that since 2015 Pascoe has improved onfield performance?
Can we piss this guy off, he's a disgrace.

 

[corvo]

I may be completely wrong but I believe our Board is responsible for establishing our governance framework and take precedence (override) over all personnel anyway. They pretty much call most of the shots.

I suppose im trying to say they could do w better transparency and strategy. It all just feels 'loose' for me. Speaking of which i cant wait to read the reaction on the article published by smh. Wow...talk about loose, hey mr chairman did you prepare or just wing that crap that came outta ur mouth?

 

[innsaneink]

There is a perception that we lurch from one inept decision to another. But that’s just not the case.’

Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis

The gall of the man... I find that offensive... No perception, just fact

 

[Needaname]

There are no onfield KPIs. Because Wests Ashfield don't give a toss about Wests Tigers.

Wests Ashfield may, though I don’t think Wests Magpies does. And why would they, they own 90% of the club but keep getting shafted from executive positions and important decisions.

 

[corvo]

The gall of the man... I find that offensive... No perception, just fact

Absolutely 100% How many years of this crap? Very arrogant I mean smh is taking the piss and he dont get it!

 

[diedpretty]

Wests Ashfield may, though I don’t think Wests Magpies does. And why would they, they own 90% of the club but keep getting shafted from executive positions and important decisions.

What rubbish. For starters the Magpies executive got shafted by an inept WT board for having the gall to call them out on their lack of accountability and failing to take any responsibilty over the clubs performances. Seems he got shafted for saying pretty much the same as you and most others on here say. Wests Magpies pty ltd is virtually a shelf company that was created to park the 90% ownership of WT. They don't have a say on who is on WT board. That honour falls directly to Wests Ashfield otherwise known as the ridiculously named Holman Barnes Group.

 

[Eternal Tiger]

Wests Ashfield may, though I don’t think Wests Magpies does. And why would they, they own 90% of the club but keep getting shafted from executive positions and important decisions.

An awesome way to govern a Club. Good times coming

 

[wet tiger coloured bird]

Ridiculous, just when you thought they couldn't be any more stupid, they go and redefine stupidity, they must take it as a challenge.

lawyers can challenge any word

 

[jirskyr]

We didn't initiate that change. The NRL did.
The intention and willingness to change is what's needed.

And now the chairmanship has declared war with members with his outrageous comments in the Press today.

Oh so now you concede we did change the Board, but you think a new change has to be from within. OK.

Just to be clear I was originally responding to the Corey Parker comment to "blow the club up", which is rich coming from a bloke who played for the club that instigated Super League, benefitted from the chaos and has had a rails run in Brisbane for decades. He's talking about blowing up another club that was forced to merge against its will, that has of a combined history many many times the life of the Broncos and has to compete with 8 other Sydney clubs for a share of the market. My club was already blown up in 1999, after the Super League war tore the game apart, but lucky for Corey nobody went after the Broncos when they had their lean years.

My second point was that I consider that we have significantly changed running of the club several times in the past, and the most recent shake-up of 2014 more or less coincides with the start of our horrible run.

I'm not saying don't do it, I would have no issue at all if they cut everyone at the top, but I would set low personal expectations of how much positive impact that would have. Can't hurt to try.

 

[jirskyr]

Wests Ashfield may, though I don’t think Wests Magpies does. And why would they, they own 90% of the club but keep getting shafted from executive positions and important decisions.

Wests Magpies IS Wests Ashfield - it's the same people controlling both boards.

 

[Needaname]

Wests Magpies IS Wests Ashfield - it's the same people controlling both boards.

I thought so too. But it doesn’t seem that is the case from what I’ve read on here.

 

[Lauren]

I thought so too. But it doesn’t seem that is the case from what I’ve read on here.

The Company Wests Tigers Rugby League Football Pty Ltd holds the NRL issued Wests Tigers License

Owner/Shareholder % make up of this company as of 2023 is:

Wests Magpies Pty Ltd currently holds 90% & Balmain Tigers hold 10%.

Wests Tigers Board* is made up of 8 Director Positions
- 4 from the Wests Magpies Pty Ltd (Holman Barnes Group - Formerly known as Wests Ashfield Leagues club Group)
- 1 from the Wests Magpies Pty Ltd (WSDRLFC)
- 1 from the Balmain Football Club
- 2 Independent members.

*Being a Pty Ltd company, Wests Tigers Season Ticket holders (typically called 'Wests Tigers Members') are NOT able to vote in/out Director Positions on the Wests Tigers RLF Pty Ltd Board

Anyone in Australia can become a Wests Tigers Member / Season Ticket Holder - Click HERE to Join or renew



Holman Barnes Group (formerly known as the Wests Ashfield Leagues Club Group) are the principal financial supporter to Wests Magpies.
Wests Ashfield was established in 1955 to Support the Western Suburbs Magpies and propagate Rugby League

The Holman Barnes Group has 7 members on its board of directors.
- 5 appointed in 3 year terms by the Current Group of 20 x Holman Barnes Group Debenture Holders
- 2 directly elected in 3 years terms by eligible Holman Barnes Group General members

To be eligible to vote or sit on the Holman Barnes Group board you must be a HBG General member for 3 continuous years.

Teams, Boards & Ownership - Western Suburbs Magpies

Information about our rugby league teams appearing in the NSW Knock-On Effect Cup and Ron Massey Cup, our relationship to the Wests Tigers, and our Ownership structure.

www.westsmagpies.com.au

 

[balmain boy]

Wests Ashfield may, though I don’t think Wests Magpies does. And why would they, they own 90% of the club but keep getting shafted from executive positions and important decisions.

What do/have they been shafted on?
They control the board and the direction of the club

 

[SeanT]

100% they did this in 2014 when the Board was restructured after the NRL loan and Marina Go was brought in as an independent chair (with compulsory independent board members, I think 2 of them). Balmain then lost most of its seats when Ashfield eventually took over the loan. Pascoe was brought in the following year.

I'm not arguing that we shouldn't refresh the top management again, I am just saying it has definitely been done before, towards the start of this dry spell. That was 8 years ago, so fair enough it hasn't been tried recently.

In regards to what off-field changes have there been, those have been significant and you would have to be intentionally blind to ignore it - the CoE, the new pathways system and staff, the Wests Tigers Foundation, the NRLW team etc. Tigers have been making money and putting it back into Football Ops. The issue we are having is that investment has not been returned in first-grade performances.

So by all means let's remove the Board, or at least the Chair and CEO, but let's keep in mind we have done things like this before and it's not a panacea. It's simply "the thing we haven't changed in a while".

In a while. That's the issue. It's not just the NRL side. Reserves and lower grades have been flogged often as well.

Not sure how pathways are working. There are players coming though but not sure they are ready when they are here. They lack the basics and not sure where the lack of training has come from in their development.

I for one think we need a new change. 8 years where they have been the ones to recruit the coaches we have had. I remember back in the day they thought Jason Taylor's interview was fantastic and then signed him up. Didn't turn out well. Potter was a decent coach but the CEO and board didn't give him any responsibility in the recruitment. He was coaching with one arm tied behind his back. Cleary,Madge, Sheen's. All these coaching setups is on them.

Having a coaching director was a great idea. Seperating the football department from the offices is common sense. It also stops the leaks that plagued this place too. That's gone to mud now too.

Feels like they have no idea what they are doing.

 

[jirskyr]

Not sure how pathways are working. There are players coming though but not sure they are ready when they are here. They lack the basics and not sure where the lack of training has come from in their development.

I'll give them a pass on the pathways planning. By all accounts Matt Bedsey is a shrewd operator and they are giving him the funds to get things done.

There are lots of promising juniors especially in the Magpies ranks, and Balmain appear to have made some wise junior recruitment decisions as well, e.g. Feledy from Manly.

I still think they are making a mistake splitting out the Magpies and Balmain junior sides, but I don't know if there is a reason for this beyond pre-merger semantics.

The primary issue with pathways is that the new strategy was only implemented in mid 2021, so we haven't even had 2 years of the program running - we aren't realistically going to see the full output of the strategy for a few years yet.

 

[liltiger]

Oh so now you concede we did change the Board, but you think a new change has to be from within. OK.

Just to be clear I was originally responding to the Corey Parker comment to "blow the club up", which is rich coming from a bloke who played for the club that instigated Super League, benefitted from the chaos and has had a rails run in Brisbane for decades. He's talking about blowing up another club that was forced to merge against its will, that has of a combined history many many times the life of the Broncos and has to compete with 8 other Sydney clubs for a share of the market. My club was already blown up in 1999, after the Super League war tore the game apart, but lucky for Corey nobody went after the Broncos when they had their lean years.

My second point was that I consider that we have significantly changed running of the club several times in the past, and the most recent shake-up of 2014 more or less coincides with the start of our horrible run.

I'm not saying don't do it, I would have no issue at all if they cut everyone at the top, but I would set low personal expectations of how much positive impact that would have. Can't hurt to try.

It would work on the condition the new board members were Wests Tigers board members. Like Ben Gales, Hodge, Prince. Guys that represented the Wests Tigers. Even financial backers on the board who support the Wests Tigers.
If we bring in new board members from Wests, Balmain and independents nothing will change, it'll still be fictionalised and run for individual self interest and preservation

 

[jirskyr]

I thought so too. But it doesn’t seem that is the case from what I’ve read on here.

As per Lauren's post, Holman Barnes Group (i.e. Wests Ashfield rebranded) hold voting power on both the Wests Magpies Pty Ltd Board and Wests Tigers Board.

HBG have 4 of the 7 votes at Wests Magpies Football Club ("Magpies FC"), the remaining 3 elected by Football Club members. This is how they were able to wrap the current Magpies FC chairman over the knuckles for his recent outburst.

HBG also have 4 of the 8 seats on the Wests Tigers Board, with a 5th seat going to Magpies Football club, a 6th to Balmain Football club, then 2 independents. However it appears that the 5th "Magpies FC" seat, by voting control at Magpies FC, also goes to a HBG person.

So who are the members on the Wests Tigers board?
Tony Andreacchio - HBG who is also on the Board at Magpies FC
Dennis Burgess - debenture Wests Ashfield (HBG)
Simon Cook - CEO Wests Ashfield (HBG)
James Myatt - Balmain's appointee
Julie Romero - Wests Ashfield (HBG)
Danny Stapleton - is somehow an independent even though he's Balmain to the core
Rick Wayde - Wests Ashfield and Magpies FC (HBG)

So you see how HBG use their Magpies control to put a 5th HBG person on the Wests Tigers Board. This means even if there was a split vote at Wests Tigers (and I have no idea if these exist, if there are factions within the WT Board), HBG cannot be out-voted. In theory, if there was a Magpies FC WT Board member independent of West Ashfield, they could vote with the 2 independents plus Balmain chair to block motions from HBG.

In the original WT days, it was Balmain and Wests 50/50 split of Board members (5 each), with the Chairperson rotating. But that led to the in-fighting we are familiar with.