What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

What to do with Level 3 - Parramatta Leagues Club

Parra Future

Juniors
Messages
890
To all,

Knock yourselves out. Lets see what ideas we can come up with for better things the Leagues Club could be doing better than currently. I don't really care if 3P introduce it or the incumbants get it happening straight away. The sooner the better in my eyes. Apart from re-utilising the auditorium much better, lets get some ideas rolling. Bring back the TAB, more areas for Keno ?, Nightclub ?, More family orientated activities for the little ones to be welcomed in ?, you guys and gals tell us all what you reckon needs to be done. Whatever is posted prior to this Tuesday 5pm, I will take to the 3P team meeting with me. Anything after that, I will present to some of the guys on Saturday before our catch up at Sterlos with everyone.
 

Parra Future

Juniors
Messages
890
By the way, if it is something else you can think of but not level 3, write it down anyway. Lets come up with some top notch ideas for improvement that WE the supporters would like to see.
 

Suitman

Post Whore
Messages
54,908
Col,

Wouldn't you prefer to have control of the Leagues Club Board before starting threads like this? Just a thought.

Suity
 

parra pete

Referee
Messages
20,533
Turn it into a brothel...Oh wait, if it can't sell beer, I don't think it would be able to sell broth...
 

bartman

Immortal
Messages
41,022
Col,

Wouldn't you prefer to have control of the Leagues Club Board before starting threads like this? Just a thought.

Suity

I don't really care if 3P introduce it or the incumbants get it happening straight away. The sooner the better in my eyes.
Good to see it's not all about the politics of the situation, in my view.

Prior to the contested FC election we used to freely put ideas down here in the knowledge that some directors and managers at the club read through these pages regularly. Anything that might spark something good happening is worth a shot.
 

Parra Future

Juniors
Messages
890
I know this might surprise some Suity, but fair dinkum mate, whoever implements it, the better. If the current board want to do it, good on em. If not and they win the leagues club election, well then they would want to get it done, or potentially bye bye in 2 years more time. If they do it and we win, then well good on them for getting the ball rolling. If they don't do it and we get in, then we need to get it done or otherwise we are just as bad and potentially bye bye to us.

In all reality, I am the same as everyone else. I want change and I want it now. It would please me no end, if the people currently in power would at least start to listen and act. We are not going to just wait to get into power before trying to get things implemented now.

On another note, I'm not really that worried Suity. I believe the current boards response to whatever is posted here is the following.
1) They won't even know about it, apart from Ovo who is the only one that actually does care.
2) I don't believe that Ovo could possibly get it approved at board level because the Leagues Club board already seems to have a lot of inhouse fighting issues preventing them from doing anything at this point in time it seems.
3) If it did get to board level, a majority would rule against it anyway and say that if it does not include pokies, chinese fortune cookies or dim sims, then they are not interested. The attitude will be to tell the Crown and Rose about it and keep away from the casino.
4) They are not going to cater for individuals that they believe currently cripple their business whenever they attend the club. It scares people away don't forget.

If they do act, good on them. If they don't. WE WILL.

And by the way Parra Pete since you love sayings so much. Heres one from Elvis for you.

" A LITTLE LESS CONVERSATION, A LITTLE MORE ACTION PLEASE".
 

Fee

Juniors
Messages
947
As a mother of 4 and a Eels supporter ,I try to do as much as I can to support my team, unfortunately there are few options at Parra Leagues for us to take our kids before or after a game. I am sure that I am not the only parent who would love to see some family friendly places that they could provide (not just to eat ) so that we could socialise with our friends and fellow supporters and with our kids.
 

Parra Future

Juniors
Messages
890
Fee,

I used to be at Parra Leagues Club every Friday, Saturday and Sunday over about a 10 year peiord with family and friends. Since having a son with my wife nearly 2 years ago now, we hardly every go to Parra Leagues Club. Sometimes we go in and have a meal. Straight after that, we leave. There is nothing family friendly about the current club. Two years ago, we signed up as members of Wenty Leagues Club. That club has done a bloody good job in regards to atmosphere and family feel. I have talked to numerous people within PLC and never is anything done about it. It is one of the areas that I would like to see change when we take power.
 

bartman

Immortal
Messages
41,022
The auditorium... looks in perfect nic. I think they've still even got the frosted glass DJ booth with the last incarnation of the niteclub's name on it (Huuuj?).

Obviously it should be used more often. Here's some possibilities:

f**king after match functions for fans and players after every f**king home game - it's not that hard LC Directors, you bunch of clowns! Open the bar in the auditorium and make some money to cover any cost (of which there is probably none). Twelve a year, simple.

Gigs. And I don't mean f**king Jade Hurley or equivalent once a month. I remember seeing Midnight Oil play in the auditorium about ten years ago. It was toward the end of their career/popularity, but it was a great venue for a gig. Offer gigs by known bands every fortnight, get involved in the entertainment booking circuits, promote the venue to bands and punters. Open the bar, make some money. The Roxy is now a gig venue I understand, so why can't Parra Leagues be the same (again)? 26 times a year, pick whichever day/night suits as a regular night for gigs and stick to it.

Niteclub. Not really my thing, but it's been successfully done before at Parra Leagues, so why not again? Friday or Saturday night, every week. Promote, build the audience, make some money. I remember in the days of Kicks and Eelectriques, the queue to get in used to go all teh way along the side of the club in (?) Fennel Street. Panthers club operates successful night club nights, and I believe the Roxy is essentially that too now? 52 times a year, no reason why we can't do it.

(Imperative in this idea is that the Club and the League tell Ch 9 to get f**ked when it schedules club games only 5 weeks in advance and on all sorts of timeslots that might create a venue booking clash. We should follow the English model where clubs nominate their preferred home game day and kick-off time, and the games are allocated on that basis, with only one or two changes close to the semis if TV needs to show a game that isn't a dead rubber in it's two prime slots.)

Sterlos. I think it is or used to be called a Sports Bar? So f**king turn it into one and attract patrons back. When I think Sports Bar I think of a pub with multiple big screens, a bit of a buzz to it with posters on the wall about coming televised matches (of any sports), a basic pub kitchen for meals while you are sat there. It's not rocket science! Build it (and promote it) and the people will come.

The hall of honour (not 3rd floor).
Needs to be more prominantly displayed in the club, not on the 3rd floor, and not at the back of Sterlos either. The reason given for why it was moved from its central location on the lower floors was that it was getting too big to fit. Pity then that they just stuck up a TV screen basically showing a DVD on rotation in the new location... they could have done that in it's existing location, but they fed the members lies. Move some of the pokies form the front entranceway and make everyone walk through the f**king thing every time they come in, so they remember who they have to thank that they can be in the place to play their blessed pokies.

Access to the 3rd floor. I think we can all agree that the club has very bad access to the 3rd floor - and always has. That shouldn't be an excuse to not have the 3rd floor operating - it should be a challenge that is a priority in any club expansion. But under the advise of the blinkered pokies-for-profit crew, that priority has basically taken over the whole club. They expand pokies rooms, build f**king special sections for pokie players who smoke etc. When they should have used the space on the carpark side to build a three floor escalator to get patrons up and away quick and effectively. Then they could have let the pokies players run riot on the other two floors, and we never would have heard a thing about the football focus taking a back seat when there's a conflict.

Parking. I reckon the argument that pokie players don't come on game days can be put down to the parking situation. Again it is not a reason not to have after match functions - after all, if match days are the lowest days for pokies takings, then the people already aren't there, so the Club may as well make some money out of the footy fans.

Instead of building on the real estate that is sitting unused on the opposite corner, Parra should have done like Wests (Ashfield) did and build some decent carparking. So potential patrons (pokies or footy fans) know that they don't have to worry about whether it's a game day or not in terms of us all being able to use our club together.


The above is nothing that hasn't been said 100 times before by 100 different people. It's not rocket science, and you don't have to do anything wacky that hasn't been tried before. The more I think about the coming LC elections and issues like this about how the club has moved so far from its remit and yet has nothing to show for it but doom and gloom predictions, the more I think the incumbents (except for maybe Gethro who is a recent addition) deserve a hiding in the coming LC vote.
 

Parra Future

Juniors
Messages
890
Good start Bartman.

As you said, alot of them are commonsense and should have been done already. Lets keep them going. I am going to print this entire thread once we have enough ideas and then we start pushing for them. Now or later, incumbants or 3P, we need to get this stuff happening.
 

Hellsy

Immortal
Messages
30,754
I like your ideas Bart, altho I can tell you we did try to build a carpark, it was the council that knocked back the building permit.
 

Parra Future

Juniors
Messages
890
If the council knocked it back, then I think we need to speak to Rowdy & MR PJ Marshall. Call in some favours. ;-)
 

strider

Post Whore
Messages
78,603
yeah - i think "friends of parramatta park" aren't friends of parramatta leagues club.
 

bartman

Immortal
Messages
41,022
Thanks hellsy, didn't know. Still it doesn't take much to get a DA approved, you just have to follow the rules under the DCPs and go about re-zoning in the right way.

Merrylands RSL had a huge multi-level carpark put through when I was working at a nearby Council - they had to change things as suggested by drainage guys, traffic management guys and me (community/disability access) but a few versions later the plans were acceptable. Stockland Mall Merrylands is growing at an ever increasing rate, I can't understand why our Club was so inept at getting it's parking approved?

Better still Col, skip PJ and speak to the Councillors... she's an Arsenal fan rather than a league/NRL fan, but Clr Julia Finn (Labor) should understand the need for sporting infrastructure and access to venues for the citizens of her city. Paul Garrard has a sporting background as well, and was involved with a cricket and soccer club at Granville for many years.

Don't know any of the other councillors anymore. I'm presuming that someone in 3P has contact with the Lib Councillors already, Like Clrs Issa and Lim. For them it should just be a simple business solution, approve a carpark and it will turn extra money into Parra.
 

Parra Future

Juniors
Messages
890
I know this might sound crazy, but I don't know, it may work. Suity, your a builder aren't you? Couldn't the club go and build a carpark under the ground and dig down about 5 or 6 levels under the existing carpark. Something like the much smaller carpark inside Northcott (I think its called that). Do you think that is feasible??
 

bartman

Immortal
Messages
41,022
yeah - i think "friends of parramatta park" aren't friends of parramatta leagues club.

Thats them, I couldnt remember the name of the organisation
Are they still around?

Another idea that a few of us have chatted about (can't remember who), is for the club to do something on the space that that little brick house is on, between the club and the stadium... I'm not sure if it's heritage listed (and if so why?) but even so you could propose something to be built behind/around it that could "serve to display it's heritage significance in a more identifiable way".

I'm actually talking a stinking great carpark built there to surround the house except on the side toward the street, and then you could propose some historical/cultural/environmental mural be done on the car park wall that would be immediately behind the house when viewed from the street. Councils love that hybrid development with community contribution sh*t, and culture/history and environment are usually easy wins. Get rid of the grass and make it all stones and pebbles, and it'd look really nice...

That or build something new there for Northcott (fmrly the Spastic Centre), move them there and then use their land next to the club for a car park.
 

Hellsy

Immortal
Messages
30,754
There was a dispute from the friends of the park people though, youd have to have them onside first me thinks
 

Parra Future

Juniors
Messages
890
I'm presuming that someone in 3P has contact with the Lib Councillors already, Like Clrs Issa and Lim. For them it should just be a simple business solution, approve a carpark and it will turn extra money into Parra.

There is a counciller within the Lachlan Macquarie ward who has been extremely nice towards 3P so far to date. I am sure that he would not mind being named on here due to his efforts so far. His name is Pierre Esber and he is the Deputy Lord Mayor. Maybe we need to see if he can be of assistance with the above.
 

bartman

Immortal
Messages
41,022
I know this might sound crazy, but I don't know, it may work. Suity, your a builder aren't you? Couldn't the club go and build a carpark under the ground and dig down about 5 or 6 levels under the existing carpark. Something like the much smaller carpark inside Northcott (I think its called that). Do you think that is feasible??
I think the traffic entry to/from Fennel (?) St might be the Council issue with doing something like that (presuming Suity the builder says it's structurally possible).

It'd have to include and alternate entrance tunnel on the other side of the club - maybe leading to that underutilised set of lights at the stadium entrance? That way you can have one way in through Fennel Street, and one way out through the Stadium lights... that little house is still pretty much in the way of things though :lol:
 

Latest posts

Top