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A WEEK after a jubilant return to their home ground of Leichhardt Oval, Balmain are fighting for a financial lifeline to stay in their merger with Western Suburbs.
Unless Leichhardt Council approves a $130 million redevelopment of the Balmain Leagues Club site on Tuesday night the Tigers may be forced out of the partnership.
"If we don't get the approval to expand our league club we won't have the funds to pay our way in the merger with Wests," said the club's former Test star and board member Benny Elias.
"This is not a case of a developer standing to make millions of dollars from a project.
"This is for the community. It is incredibly serious. We are gone without council approval to develop the club."
Western Suburbs - Balmain's partners in the merger created in 2000 - are watching developments carefully. Without Balmain Leagues Club's annual grant of up to $1.5 million the merger could face a crippling shortfall that will threaten its continuation.
Leichhardt Council meets on Tuesday night to hopefully end Balmain's four-year wait for a decision on the expansion.
When the project was first mooted Leichhardt Council suggested Balmain would have a greater chance of success if it owned more land.
So the club spent $9 million acquiring adjacent properties to the Leagues Club in Rozelle but council approval has still not been granted. Meanwhile interest payments on the money borrowed to buy the properties along with increased poker machine taxes and smoking bans have slashed the club's revenue streams.
Total outgoings to service the loans exceed $100,000 a month - more than $4 million during the four-year wait.
The crisis comes just days after Wests Tigers attracted a near-capacity crowd of around 20,000 to Leichhardt Oval last Sunday for the match with the Titans
"It is an illustration of how valuable rugby league is to the community," said Tigers chairman David Trodden. "I'm confident the council will make a decision on Tuesday night and I'm confident it will endorse the recommendations of its professional staff to proceed."
The council website says: "Council officers consider the site suitable for the proposed amendment . . . and in the public interest.
"(They) recommend (the development) . . . be supported."
Balmain's redevelopment calls for a super club to emerge from the current deteriorating site.
It will include 160 apartments in three buildings, 12 terrace houses and a public plaza surrounded by shops and restaurants.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/sport/nrl/story/0,26746,23774354-5003409,00.html
Unless Leichhardt Council approves a $130 million redevelopment of the Balmain Leagues Club site on Tuesday night the Tigers may be forced out of the partnership.
"If we don't get the approval to expand our league club we won't have the funds to pay our way in the merger with Wests," said the club's former Test star and board member Benny Elias.
"This is not a case of a developer standing to make millions of dollars from a project.
"This is for the community. It is incredibly serious. We are gone without council approval to develop the club."
Western Suburbs - Balmain's partners in the merger created in 2000 - are watching developments carefully. Without Balmain Leagues Club's annual grant of up to $1.5 million the merger could face a crippling shortfall that will threaten its continuation.
Leichhardt Council meets on Tuesday night to hopefully end Balmain's four-year wait for a decision on the expansion.
When the project was first mooted Leichhardt Council suggested Balmain would have a greater chance of success if it owned more land.
So the club spent $9 million acquiring adjacent properties to the Leagues Club in Rozelle but council approval has still not been granted. Meanwhile interest payments on the money borrowed to buy the properties along with increased poker machine taxes and smoking bans have slashed the club's revenue streams.
Total outgoings to service the loans exceed $100,000 a month - more than $4 million during the four-year wait.
The crisis comes just days after Wests Tigers attracted a near-capacity crowd of around 20,000 to Leichhardt Oval last Sunday for the match with the Titans
"It is an illustration of how valuable rugby league is to the community," said Tigers chairman David Trodden. "I'm confident the council will make a decision on Tuesday night and I'm confident it will endorse the recommendations of its professional staff to proceed."
The council website says: "Council officers consider the site suitable for the proposed amendment . . . and in the public interest.
"(They) recommend (the development) . . . be supported."
Balmain's redevelopment calls for a super club to emerge from the current deteriorating site.
It will include 160 apartments in three buildings, 12 terrace houses and a public plaza surrounded by shops and restaurants.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/sport/nrl/story/0,26746,23774354-5003409,00.html
