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Johnny88

Juniors
Messages
1,335
Revealed: Former Eels boss helping bid to oust Parramatta directors

Former Parramatta Eels supremo Roy Spagnolo has been revealed as helping a bid to oust more than half the board of Parramatta Leagues Club, attempting to rally support from well-known friends and associates and figures from the club’s past.
Parramatta Leagues Club’s 65,000 members have been notified of an extraordinary general meeting that’s been set for November 19 after a challenge was mounted to the hierarchy of the $150 million gaming, entertainment and food venue.

A group called Make Parra Matter Again is aiming to depose four of the club’s seven directors after assembling the 200 signatures required to trigger an EGM.
Its frontman has been former pizza cafe owner Michael Barillaro, but an email seen by this masthead shows that Spagnolo, the property developer who controlled the club between 2009 and 2013, has been involved in the background.
Spagnolo, who was declared by the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority in 2015 not to be a fit and proper person to govern a registered club, appealed for support for the proposal in a note to more than 80 allies this month.
In the October 1 correspondence, Spagnolo asks them to sign a statement supporting the resolution to remove the four directors “as a matter of urgency”.
Among the recipients was Eddie Obeid jnr, the son of the jailed former Labor powerbroker from whom Eels players allegedly received off-the-books payments before the club was stripped of 12 competition points and fined $750,000 in 2016 for salary cap cheating.
Also emailed were former Eels clothing supplier Leba Zibara, who the NRL found was connected to undisclosed player payments, as well as corrupt ex-NSW minister Joe Tripodi.
Others on Spagnolo’s send list included Eels winger Eric Grothe snr and Mario Libertini, who served on Spagnolo’s Parramatta board and were also found unfit to be directors by ILGA, as well as former Soccer Australia president Tony Labbozzetta and former Club Marconi and Cronulla Sharks CEO Tony Zappia (who have not been previously involved at the club).
Spagnolo said on Monday he hadn’t initiated the move to topple directors at Parramatta but had put his weight behind it.

I’m just helping. I just emailed my friends – they’re members of Parramatta, that’s all.”
“It’s not personal against anyone. I believe in change and I believe we need a voice for the members.”
The power play comes after Spagnolo unsuccessfully ran for a return to the Parramatta Leagues Club board in February, having successfully taken to the Supreme Court to fend off attempts by the club to disqualify him.
Spagnolo was free to contest the election despite ILGA having concluded nine years ago that he had not demonstrated the skills and knowledge expected of a director, finding he had not followed the correct process in claiming expenses for parties at his house and that he had authorised an unlawful bonus to the club’s chief executive.
ILGA, however, had determined after an investigation that there was insufficient evidence to tie him to an alleged membership tampering scheme in 2013 in which the records of family and friends of his were backdated three years to make them eligible to vote.
It found that his honesty should not be questioned and recommended no further action, leaving Spagnolo to bemoan that being declared not fit and proper for what he called technical breaches was akin to a driver losing their licence for “doing 60 in a 62 zone”.
The Spagnolo-backed group would need to secure 50 per cent of the vote plus one at the EGM to achieve its desire to spill more than half the board. A total of 2749 members voted at this year’s election.
He said he was undecided if he would contest one of the vacant seats himself in that scenario. But if he and others were then able to win those positions themselves, seizing control of Parramatta Leagues Club, they would not automatically obtain the keys to the NRL club as well due to governance changes introduced after the Eels’ salary cap affair.
Unlike in the past, when there was one all-powerful board, the Parramatta NRL club board is a separate body, featuring only two directors from Parramatta Leagues Club and five independents.
Spagnolo would like to see the club constitution reformed so that Parramatta Leagues Club provides a majority of four directors to the football club board.
Eels chairman Sean McElduff warned of the risk of in-fighting at the club.
“Most of you know our troubled history, but for those who don’t here is a brief snapshot: in 2016 an administrator was appointed by the NSW government to oversee the club after six dark years of scandal and factionalism that almost brought the Eels to its knees,” he said in a message to members last week.
“Since then, the management teams and boards of [Parramatta Leagues Club] and [Parramatta NRL club] have worked incredibly hard to move the clubs forward and ensure we don’t return to those damaging days.
“Unfortunately, this EGM proposal, driven by many associated with the factionalism of the past, threatens to do just that.”
Spagnolo said the group wanted to be inclusive, not divisive, and offered a reminder that the Eels had in 2009 reached the grand final, where they were beaten by a team, Melbourne Storm, that was later stripped of the title for breaking salary cap rules.
“[McElduff] wants to talk about the dark ages. We finished [third] last this year. What’s any different?” he said.
“What is factionalism? Factionalism is two different parties, with two different views, having a crack at elections. Anyone that dares put their hand up is a faction.
“I don’t see myself as a faction. I see myself as passionate for the club and wanting good for the club. I had nothing to do with the salary cap [scandal]. That happened after me. I don’t see that I did a bad job.”

Chris Barrett
October 15, 2024
 

King-Gutho94

Coach
Messages
15,525
"Make Parra Great Again" how original is that.

It's almost like they have just copied Donald Trump. When are the blue and gold caps let's make parra great again going to be handed out.

Spags is truly bringing back the best and honest we can find fmd.

Eddie Obied Jnr, Leba Ziebra, Joe Tripodi, Tony Zappia a few in there give me a break. Typing up the rap sheet between the lot of them would resemble a Ram Post.

Oh and how quick was Spags to mention we made the 2009 GF when he was in charge.

Mate you were voted in halfway through the year and your presence was irrelevant in that season to the performance.

It was so good you sacked the coach 12 months you peanut. And appointed a dribbler in Steve Kearney.

2 x Wooden Spoons and was one more loss from a third wooden spoon in 4 years in charge.

Let's make Parra Great Again

The biggest poison to ever work for this club is Roy Spagnolo in 78 years.

Go and get f**ked Roy
 

King-Gutho94

Coach
Messages
15,525
I almost feel this EGM deserves its own thread with its discussion any chance a Mod can create one and merge all the posts in regards to this into there.

November 19 could be one of the most important/defining days in the history of the football club moving forward i don't feel like its getting enough traction being hidden away on this thread here just my personal opinion.

If mods want to keep it here thats fine i suppose

But i just thought i don't feel like a lot of posters actually visit this thread.
 

King-Gutho94

Coach
Messages
15,525
Found this on Facebook.


Are these those loose units that do that podcast ?

View attachment 95439


Screenshot_20241015_082212_Facebook.jpg


Screenshot_20241015_082219_Facebook.jpg


Yeah they are this was there full post.

I don't think they support this movement and have stated they asked us some of these blokes to come onto the podcast to share there vision which they have declined.
 

hineyrulz

Post Whore
Messages
153,792
I almost feel this EGM deserves its own thread with its discussion any chance a Mod can create one and merge all the posts in regards to this into there.

November 19 could be one of the most important/defining days in the history of the football club moving forward i don't feel like its getting enough traction being hidden away on this thread here just my personal opinion.

If mods want to keep it here thats fine i suppose

But i just thought i don't feel like a lot of posters actually visit this thread.
Good idea, we can’t let these clowns have another crack. The club probably won’t survive it.
 

T.S Quint

Coach
Messages
14,598

Uh, it says here that the football club doesn’t receive money from the Leagues club anymore. Is that right?

If it is, then why? Sure the football club might be able to operate on its own but I’m sure they could always use some more money. Isn’t the point of the leagues club to provide for the football club (and the local juniors)?
 

Poupou Escobar

Post Whore
Messages
91,385
Uh, it says here that the football club doesn’t receive money from the Leagues club anymore. Is that right?

If it is, then why? Sure the football club might be able to operate on its own but I’m sure they could always use some more money. Isn’t the point of the leagues club to provide for the football club (and the local juniors)?
The PLC is supposed to be a resource, but with all these f**kwits fighting to get their snouts in the trough it might be more of a handbrake to the NRL club’s success.
 

JokerEel

Coach
Messages
13,422
Ok so can someone give me the shirt version how the Football club being the Eels and the Leagues club board work?

The current motion is to get new members on the Leagues club?

Which in turn will give them the rights to call for a whole new football club board?
 

T.S Quint

Coach
Messages
14,598
Ok so can someone give me the shirt version how the Football club being the Eels and the Leagues club board work?

The current motion is to get new members on the Leagues club?

Which in turn will give them the rights to call for a whole new football club board?

They want to have a majority on the leagues club board. If they achieve this they then want to change things back the way they were so that the leagues club board have control over the NRL team (which it currently doesn’t).

Both will be big hurdles for them to overcome, I think.
 
Messages
15,410
Uh, it says here that the football club doesn’t receive money from the Leagues club anymore. Is that right?

If it is, then why? Sure the football club might be able to operate on its own but I’m sure they could always use some more money. Isn’t the point of the leagues club to provide for the football club (and the local juniors)?
The NRL Fully fund over the Salary Cap to all clubs.

After that we have Sponsorships and Memberships all in all the Leagues club is not finacially on the hook for the NRL side or most football operations.

I have stated this many times and it was stated to me by Ovo, but the number 1 objective of the leagues club is to provide benifits for its members, the number 2 is to "Promote Rugby League in the Parramatta District"

How you define "Promote Rugby League" is a matter for the board and was going to be one thing if challenged in a proposed merger, The constitution does not state to support the Parramatta Eels in any specific context.
 
Messages
15,410
Ok so can someone give me the shirt version how the Football club being the Eels and the Leagues club board work?

The current motion is to get new members on the Leagues club?

Which in turn will give them the rights to call for a whole new football club board?
Parramatta Leagues Club Group Pty LTD has 7 directors.

Parramatta Leagues Club Group Pty LTD (PLC) has numerous sub companies one of which is Parramatta National Rugby League Club (PNRLC) Limited, a limited liability club without members. The Leagues Club (PLC) has 2 delegate positions on the board of the 7 seat PNRLC and the others are appointed.

Back in the 2009 elections we called it the "Special Condition" and as such you had 2 elections. 5 board members elections and 2 board members that were already LC board members and as such meet the "Special Condition"

The current proposal is to vacate instead of the standard 2 board members per year that 4 are vacated. Allowing a ticket if formed and elected to take control of the board in one go.

The intent for this EGM is for the PLC to provide the PNRLC with 4 delegates and as such have a majority.
 
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