fish eel said:
I think you're really comparing apples with oranges my learned friend. ;-)
Those games were moved to take the game to regions where Parramatta aren't seen very often. Also, wasnt the parkes game part of an nrl push to take games to the regions, and we were one of few clubs to do it?
The STH fiasco aside, I think the most concerning thing about this is for some people, that Telstra is just down the road, and this may well be the beginning of a slow relocation to Telstra, or at least more games being played there should it prove to be successful from a financial perspective.
Thank you for expressing so well what has been beyond me due to my annoyance!
Not to mention the fact that we have already agreed to five years of this. What's in store for us in 2009 - Manly and Dogs games at Telstra?
Hey, here's an idea - why don't we have ALL the Sydney derby games there, and totally defeat the point of a derby!!
Out of curiosity, how many games did we sell out last year? Honestly, I think considering how many people roll up each week on average, Parra stadium is almost the perfect size for us. There is nothing wrong with having a ground that gets full 2 or 3 times a year for a 'marquee' game. It creates a buzz, it makes tickets to see Parramatta worth something and sought after, and if a family misses out on a 'marquee' match because it's sold out, they may well choose to make their one game a year another one.
Exactly.
Talking to an English friend about the A-League, and he said they should have it in smaller grounds until it is more popular. That way, they sell out, good atmosphere, looks good on tv, people get interested. Then, when you keep selling out you move to a bigger ground. That's what they do in England, and that's what Melbourne Victory did. They didn't start at the Dome first, but now they're regularly getting 30+ and have hit 50 for normal league games v Sydney.
The games we have at Parra stadium next year are mainly sh*te, and will do nothing to encourage people to come. If someone goes to Parra stadium to watch the sh*te atmosphere of a Raiders game, will they come back? Maybe, but it's less likely than if they see a Dogs game, isn't it.
eelavation said:
I've been saying all along, this is not about getting bums on seats but getting a financial windfall which the club desperately needs thanks to a state government who have been picking the eyes and continue to pick the eyes out of the club who ultimitely funds us.
And I fail to understand why that hasn't been communicated to us. Is Denis worried that his image is purely that of a financial controller, and that if he loses that good fiscal image he will be seen simply as a terrible man manager who pisses off everyone else surrounding the club?
As i have said, the club is consistently failing us. We're run by geriatrics. Where's the new managerial blood? Ron Hilditch? f**k sake, from all accounts Ron's a good bloke but it's jobs for the boys. We knew the poxie tax was coming, what have we done?
Is it not true that the Wests Tigers were advertising in O'Connell St - the very street that our ground is on? What were we doing?
Is it not true that Wests conduct recruitment drives for their members?
Is it not true that Souths have sent out letter-box drops to people in their area, on the fringes of their area, and beyond (and by all accounts their brochure and options are far superior to ours)?
Is it not true that some clubs have now taken private investment (not that that's perfect either) in order to stave off financial troubles? I don't see the Sea Eagles leaving Brookvale.
Is it not true that the club won't partake in after game functions (a fantastic way for the fans to feel a valuable part of the club), yet the players seem to manage to hike down to the Rose every time. Is their two block walk the warm-down?
Where are crowds on a weekly basis? They're not there because they are not being enticed to come.
I have lived pretty much all my life in Parramatta - over 30 years - and I have never receieved anything from the club that I didn't ask for or had already laid out fees for. NOT ONCE!! Not a flyer, nothing.
You ask why the hysteria Eela, it's because it has come to this. If I thought the club were doing an awesome job and hunting down every prospective fan and sponsor it could, then there'd be no hysteria. There'd just be a kind of quiet resignation that sport these days is kinda sad. But, whilst I am sad it has come to this, I'm f**king angry too.
And I'm angry at the fact that hardly anyone else is angry. It's so ingrained in us now to accept these 'business' decisions that we don't even question why they have to be made. I'll tell you why:
THE CLUB HAS FAILED US!!
And this won't help. Ok, it might fix the monetary short-fall at current, but what is it doing for the future? What is the long-term plan? Do they have one? If so, what is it?
