SOS - Save Our Sides - Press Release
SOS from Supporters of the Wests Magpies and Campbelltown- Liverpool District Rugby League to the NRL and Independent Commission:
SAVE RUGBY LEAGUE OUT HERE… WE NEED ACTION NOW!
Rugby League at all levels in the Liverpool, Campbelltown and greater Macarthur region is in an absolute shambles. We, the undersigned, have organized a protest rally and march for Sunday February 5th.
The march will start at Campbelltown City Council chambers, 10am sharp and proceed down Queen St. Campbelltown to Wests Leagues Club, Campbelltown. Here a petition will be presented to the Wests Junior League and Wests Leagues Club Campbelltown, outlining the many issues that have and are still ruining Rugby League in Campbelltown.
An on-line petition is also currently active at
http://www.petitiononlineaustralia.com/petition/save-our-sides-rugby-league-protest-rally/277for people to voice and register their support for sweeping change throughout all levels of Rugby League in the Liverpool, Campbelltown and Macarthur area.
Speakers of note have been invited to the march, with the goals of the march to highlight the following alarming concerns:
· The decline of an unacceptably poorly managed junior league, inclusive of the total loss of semi- professional senior Rugby League in the region, and the fact that three senior clubs (Campbelltown City Kangaroos, Campbelltown Eagles and Macarthur Bulls) who dared seek semi- professional competition in CRL Group 6 were forced to play and train out of the area by the NSWRL on behalf of the Junior League.
· The Imminent Death of the Wests Magpies, foundation club of the NSWRL.
· The absent parent- the Concord Tigers, who use the Campbelltown- Liverpool area only for its juniors.
· The greater Rugby League fraternity of the region will also highlight the lack of amenities and infrastructure for junior Rugby League in the Campbelltown LGA, particularly in comparison to other districts and the very well catered other sports in the Campbelltown LGA.
· Solutions to all of these issues.
Wests Magpies RIP 1908- 2012:
The great Western Suburbs Magpies DRLFC has been told that the 2012 season will be their last in existence. The Tigers aligned board of the Ashfield Leagues Club has informed the football club of this. There will be no Wests Magpies team in the NSW Cup as of 2013. There will be no Liverpool- Macarthur representative in this important Sydney wide competition for our region’s talented youth.
All junior development and control of the Magpies Harold Matthews and SG Ball teams has reverted to the far away distant, Concord based Wests Tigers.
Macarthur and Liverpool based kids, working full-time jobs, are now basically denied the opportunity to play Toyota Cup by the tyranny of distance, with the Tigers team being based at the distant and poorly public transport accessed Concord complex.
Ø We demand that the NSWRL re-affirm the status of the Western Suburbs Magpies as the District Club of Liverpool- Campbelltown.
Ø We DEMAND that the Liverpool, Campbelltown and Macarthur region retains its own NSW Cup, SG Ball and Harold Matthews representative sides as the Western Suburbs Magpies.
Ø We demand that Wests Leagues Ashfield re-affirm the status of the Western Suburbs Magpies DRLFC as their heritage.
Ø We demand that the Wests Tigers and Wests Leagues Campbelltown stop meddling in the affairs of the Western Suburbs Magpies DRLFC
The Western Suburbs District Junior League
There are way too many stories here to list- not teams lost, but of whole clubs lost, whole age groups, whole senior competitions, volunteers refused registration for speaking their mind, volunteers too intimidated to voice opinions, volunteers made examples of and given punitive 2-7 year suspensions for sending texts/ emails voicing dissatisfaction with the conduct of the competitions. One volunteer, Daniel Draper of the East Campbelltown Eagles, was banned for a conversation at a local pub.
http://macarthur-chronicle-camden.w...from-western-suburbs-district-junior-rugby-l/
http://macarthur-chronicle-campbell.../david-lucas-banned-for-18-months-over-texts/
The most telling is their common factor status in many bitter disputes against the NSWRL (refusing to affiliate), the WSDRLFC (refusing to affiliate amongst others), the CRL, CRL Group 6 and a number of its own clubs down the years.
Ø We demand that the Board of the NSWRL or the new Independent Commission complete a rigid and thorough examination as to why in 1991 this junior league had 20 clubs and in 2012 will be down to 12-13 clubs and why this junior league has lost 400 players senior players in the last two seasons. How can this be possible when the area has trebled in population? The Wests junior league should also be called to account on how it lost the operation of an entire 5 grade senior competition between 1991 and 1997.
Ø We demand that a thorough and rigid investigation of the ‘health’ of the unaffiliated Western Suburbs District Junior League (to the District Club and NSWRL) is conducted, and upon receipt of negative findings, is placed under the administrative control of the NSWRL and immediately re-affiliated to the WSDRLFC and NSWRL.
The separation of the Combined Wests Juniors/Group 6 Competition in 2011 has seen 3 senior clubs and over 400 local Wests senior Rugby League players (aged 16yo and older) make the move to play and train in the Group 6 area. These three clubs requested to be based to play/train in the Campbelltown area but were driven out of the area by the junior league to continue playing semi-professional Rugby League in the bordering CRL Group 6 competition. Campbelltown has been deprived of a high standard semi- professional Senior Rugby League competition since the original split from Group 6 back in 1983. The running of the senior Competition should be handed back to its rightful owner the Group 6 Senior Country Rugby League.
We DEMAND that CRL Group 6 be allowed to professionally run a Sunday Senior Competition for all clubs in the Campbelltown and Liverpool district.
We DEMAND that Rugby League clubs be allowed to play and train at a Home Ground of their own choosing.
http://www.macarthuradvertiser.com....roup-6-votes-to-accept-defectors/2000023.aspx
http://www.macarthuradvertiser.com....its-a-bloody-disgrace-says-henry/2181668.aspx
http://digitaledition.macarthurchro...spx?iid=48810&startpage=page0000006#folio=005
The Wests Tigers- the absent parent
Driven from Campbelltown to Concord lately? It’s a fair hike. There ain’t much in common between the two areas. One could be mistaken for thinking that the old inner-city guard put the old Balmain and the old Western Suburbs together to form a super Ashfield- Concord team.
What does Campbelltown get out of this ill-conceived arrangement? Four games against the out of town, low marquee event teams.
Wests Tigers do not have a presence in the schools of Liverpool, Campbelltown or Macarthur. Requests for player appearances fall on deaf ears from the Concord Tigers club. It’s a bit far from Concord.
Macarthur and Liverpool based juniors are now denied opportunity to play NSW Cup for a Campbelltown- Liverpool based club with the imminent death of the Magpies. Successful Macarthur juniors kept by the Tigers have to travel to the inner city and play for the Balmain Tigers NSW Cup team, making a mockery of the concept of a ‘local junior’. Four Campbelltown- Liverpool juniors took the field for the Wests Tigers in the Toyota Cup semi final against North Queensland. How is this providing opportunity for the youth of Liverpool- Macarthur?
-We DEMAND that the Wests Tigers establish a Campbelltown office.
-We DEMAND that the Wests Tigers at least relocate the training operations of their NYC Toyota Cup team and ‘Cubs Program’ to the Macarthur region.
Campbelltown Council and JRLC Amenities/ Infrastructure
Take a drive around Campbelltown and compare the different fields of the codes. Case closed.
Ask any junior league volunteer how hard it is to deal with employees at Campbelltown Council.
Problem solved with a new junior league administration and the return of semi- professional Rugby League.
Rugby League in the Liverpool, Campbelltown and Macarthur regions has been slowly dying since the loss of the Magpies to the NRL in 1999. We won’t be losing them as the District Club of the area. Enough is enough. It is time for the Wests Tigers to stop interfering in the Magpies and Rugby League throughout the Liverpool and Campbelltown regions. Go run the NRL team as you were charged to do.
After 20 years, change is far overdue in the ranks of the local Junior League. Retire them gracefully, give democratic power in the Junior League back to the volunteers and clubs, and install new blood at the helm.
At 10am on Sunday February 5th, Magpies supporters once again have to rally to save their club. Supporters of Rugby League in Campbelltown will rally also for long overdue change at Junior League level.
This is an invitation for you to join us.
Save or Sides Action Group,
Graeme Szynal
Western Suburbs Magpies Member 366
Mobile: 0407 929 124
Email:
g.szynal@gmail.com
Trevor Williams
East Campbelltown Eagles Life Member
