Battle to save Vikings

[Gronk]

Battle to save Vikings

24 MAY 12 @ 05:32AM BY DI BARTOK
​

Former Eels start Steve Sharp and businessman Tom Issa are fighting to stop Parramatta Leagues Club from selling the Vikings Club in Dundas Valley​

FORMER Eels player Steve Sharp has joined the fight against Parramatta Leagues Club’s plan to sell the Vikings Sports Club in Dundas Valley.
Mr Sharp, who was a premiership player in the 1980s, will be running on a ticket with businessman Tom Issa in the leagues club board elections next April.
Their first issue against the current board is the “selling of a core asset”, which they say should have been decided at an extraordinary meeting of members rather than at the annual general meeting.
The decision to sell the Vikings was made on an 88-84 vote at the annual meeting, which opponents of the decision claim was too close a vote to decide the sale of a core asset.
Mr Sharp and Mr Issa say the vote on the Vikings sale was done after many people had left the meeting.
“The meeting started with the players there, with the focus on the state of the team, and then this item came up which many people would have missed,” Mr Sharp told The Advertiser.
Mr Issa said the board was out of touch with members’ wishes and fears the intent of the leagues club all along was to run down the Vikings club, which it had taken over under a deed of agreement in 2004.
The former Dundas Valley Rugby Club had been losing money and the leagues club paid off its debts and poured a total of $6 million into renovations.
Mr Issa said the leagues club would be able to transfer the licences of the Vikings’ 62 poker machines to the main club, which called into question the original intent of the takeover.
“The Vikings club should have been run as a separate club with its own general manager and not as an extension of the main club,” Mr Issa said.
Another community leader, Michael Maughan, put in an official complaint against the leagues club’s annual general meeting to the Department of Liquor Gaming and Racing.

http://parramatta-advertiser.whereilive.com.au/news/story/battle-to-save-vikings/

 

[emjaycee]

i think this issue could swing the election next April if played right by either party.

 

[Stagger eel]

it's half obvious who's part of the next ticket for the ellections..both gentlemen did fail in their first attempt and then obviously realied at the AGM that there could be votes won on this agenda...vikings should be sold, it's been losing money since Fitzy bought it, it's an absolute white elephant.

PS: someone not even connected with the lat ellection told me that Tony Issa is actually a Saints fan!! weird..

 

[cv8z]

i think this issue could swing the election next April if played right by either party.

Fitzy bought it and couldn't make a go if it with his 30 years experience
I can't see it being an election issue for the leagues club members
Let's see if the locals really want it now. How many will go there and support the place now?

 

[The Elephant In The room]

So they took it over, spent $6m on renovations, but are trying to run it into the ground at the same time? Makes perfect sense to me.

 

[Delboy]

Ho hum, a story for those that oppose the board to stir things up.

If the club doesnt make decisions based on financials then they would be derelict in their duty, they bought the club to prevent it disappearing previously and it is in ana area that cant support its future. No need to beat around the bush, if you go there it is full of people older than me, and that is saying something, tough call but I dont think you can run things at a permanent loss these days, and the Vikings has been floundering for years.

 

[cv8z]

So they took it over, spent $6m on renovations, but are trying to run it into the ground at the same time? Makes perfect sense to me.

It was just one of the many dud buys by you know who

 

[Stagger eel]

Fitzy bought it and couldn't make a go if it with his 30 years experience
I can't see it being an election issue for the leagues club members
Let's see if the locals really want it now. How many will go there and support the place now?

well I think it will be an electtion issue as it appears that Sharpy and Issa want to make it an issue..I will say one thing about Sharpy, he seems to be very commited to this and is constantly seen on game days in and around the club, he's also very approachable and a guy that can cause the current LC board some headaches in 12 months..I hope he does because the more quality candidates the better.

 

[Gronk]

Sharpie will need to come up with some solid proof to back up his shenanigans claims.

It's not the first local club to close it's doors and it won't be the last. Bowling clubs are closing everywhere and being snapped up by developers.

One thing that does irk me is that clubs like the Dundas Valley RU would have bought the land way back then with money raised from chook raffles, prawn nights etc and spent their own cash on the club house and now end up with zippo.

 

[cv8z]

well I think it will be an electtion issue as it appears that Sharpy and Issa want to make it an issue..I will say one thing about Sharpy, he seems to be very commited to this and is constantly seen on game days in and around the club, he's also very approachable and a guy that can cause the current LC board some headaches in 12 months..I hope he does because the more quality candidates the better.

I agree he is very approachable
But what is he offering as a solution to increase patronage?

 

[Bigfella]

I've had a fair bit to do with Vikings club.

We bought it out of administration or liquidation. It was sitting on a big pile of land with poker machine licenses. Years of trading losses and some staff issues had brought it to its knees.

We bought it presumably for additional machine licenses and the potential to rezone.

Neither fitzy nor subsequent leagues club admin could be blamed for it failing because it had entirely failed on its own before we were involved.

Just a question now of whether the investment should be cut loose or sat on. Don't see it as a big emotional issue.

 

[emjaycee]

As I understand it there are at least 3 issues that will make this an election matter next year.
I will post my thoughts when not on the Droid

 

[Stagger eel]

Sharpie will need to come up with some solid proof to back up his shenanigans claims.

It's not the first local club to close it's doors and it won't be the last. Bowling clubs are closing everywhere and being snapped up by developers.

One thing that does irk me is that clubs like the Dundas Valley RU would have bought the land way back then with money raised from chook raffles, prawn nights etc and spent their own cash on the club house and now end up with zippo.

just a couple of things, Sharpie was made to look like a bit of a goose when Spag insisted on a re count, what he didn't realise was the vote went 88-84 in favour..also, the people that left were a about a dozen people who were only there because the footy players were in attendence, as soon as the players left, they got up and left therefore they didn't give toohoots about anything else that was going on.

 

[Stagger eel]

I agree he is very approachable
But what is he offering as a solution to increase patronage?

well give him a chance, he's got a year to come up with a solution, he's obviously keen to make a difference, let's see what happens.

 

[born an eel]

well give him a chance, he's got a year to come up with a solution, he's obviously keen to make a difference, let's see what happens.

how does he have a year?
didn't the vote allow them to "market it for sale" in they want to?

 

[jimmy77au]

Really - The club has spent a fortune trying to improve it - they've come to the realisation that you cannot polish a turd.

People voted, the motion to sell carried.

Time to move on people.....

 

[emjaycee]

As I understand it there are at least 3 issues that will make this an election matter next year.
I will post my thoughts when not on the Droid

I attended the AGM and think that there are at least 3 issues that will see Sharp and co drive this as an election issue in April.

1) according to the annual report, the Vikings premises is listed as a "core asset" of the club and the Registered Clubs act (http://www.olgr.nsw.gov.au/legislation_disp_core_prop.asp) applies special conditions to the sale of core assets. One of these conditions is that a "(3) A registered club must not dispose of any core property of the club unless: (b) the disposal has been approved at a general meeting of the ordinary members of the club at which a majority of the votes cast supported the approval" (http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/rca1976173/s41j.html). I have bolded the part of the act that has and will continue to come under scrutiny as the act also states that an "ordinary member" of a club means a person who is elected to membership of the club in accordance with the rule of the club referred to in section 30 (1) (g)" (http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/rca1976173/s4.html#member) - this means ANY financial member and not only one who has been financial for 3 consecutive years.

By stating in the agenda for the AGM that only members who have been financial for 3 years would be eligible to vote at the AGM, meant that a number of 'ordinary' members who could have voted on this issue did not attend. The Clubs lawyer claimed that the 3 year provision in our constitution overrode this clause and that has what has been referred to the Liquor and Gaming Board I believe.

2) Despite the potential for limited votes, there remains some question over the validity of the count (Forum Poster who help scrutineer exempted from this). I know for a fact that I was counted as vote #76 and I was counted three-quarters of the way through the vote. There were at least another 30-40 people to be counted after me and I heard on the night that the number the chief scrutineer gave the Chair was not the same as announced. Sharp also heard this and was not impressed.

3) The timing of the proposed sale is interesting to say the least. Vikings is zoned for club activities and yet all around it, Dundas Valley is receiving zoning changes to allow for more medium density development. Not only does this improve the chances of the club being made more successful if marketed properly, it also begs the question as to the intent of any purchaser. If I was a developer or an investor, I would look to buy the club on the cheap, say for the cost that PLC has invested (~$5-6M). I would sit on it for 5 years until zoning changed to medium density housing (inevitable if the club shuts its doors and is left to ruin) and then spend $10M developing it into houses. Sell 40 properties at say $600k - $700k each and pocket about $8M+ profit. I would happily share this with anybody who helped me achieve this profit.

Now, I just need to find an investor and a developer and sit back and wait. Steve Sharp has also considered this as a motivation to sell and i am sure we will read more about this over time.

 

[Suitman]

Matt,

I've heard that a major water course runs right through the middle of the property, under the carpark. This might reduce the available land that can be built upon, affecting profits of any proposed development.

Suity

 

[Gronk]

Matt,

I've heard that a major water course runs right through the middle of the property, under the carpark. This might reduce the available land that can be built upon, affecting profits of any proposed development.

Suity

Funny, I was thinking the same thing this morning. I bet much of that parcel is below 1:100 AHD levels and considered a flood risk.

 

[emjaycee]

Matt,

I've heard that a major water course runs right through the middle of the property, under the carpark. This might reduce the available land that can be built upon, affecting profits of any proposed development.

Suity

Thanks for that Suity.

GoogleMaps shows the watercourse behind the property.