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Good read.
http://www.newcastleknights.com.au/news-display/Did-all-this-really-happen-in-20-months/57240
http://www.newcastleknights.com.au/news-display/Did-all-this-really-happen-in-20-months/57240
They say a day in politics is a long time!
20 months in sport can be an eternity.
In September 2010 the Newcastle Jets were about to fold, broke and demoralised, leaving the large football family of Newcastle and Northern NSW without an A-League team.
On a handshake, the Jets were saved and the Hunter Sports Group was formed.
During the past 20 months supporters and the entire Hunter community have been on a roller coaster ride that has placed our region under the Australian sporting microscope.
There have been some amazing ups with the world wide exposure generated by David Beckhams visit with LA Galaxy, a sold out rugby league test to celebrate Darren Lockyer's last game in Australia, a sold out netball test between Australia and England and turning around massive financial losses in both the Knights and the Jets.
On the roller coaster ride there was also the father and son departure of Branko and Jason Culina, the handing back of the Jets A-League licence, dismantling the Jets Advisory Board and a particularly disappointing start to the season by the Knights. All of this while the red and the blue of Newcastle was unified to be a national symbol of sport in the Hunter.
No doubt, the critics will see the glass half empty and highlight these issues but looking closely, the glass is really pretty full.
Knights and Jets members now enjoy the most affordable prices in either competition for season passes. The community has embraced this and the Knights have seen memberships rise from less than 5,000 to 17,000 the largest increase in the NRL. Jets fans have also stepped up from less than 1,000 to over 10,000 members. The biggest rise in the A-League.
Corporately, the all-year-round package and exposure for Knights and Jets sponsorship has seen both Clubs now enjoy partnerships with some of the countrys biggest companies, while smaller sponsorships and corporate hospitality have increased in many areas by more than 100 per cent.
Perhaps the biggest change in both Clubs has been the major investment in junior development. While this will take several years to bear fruit, the seeds have been sewn to ensure a clear path will be available for all children to follow their dreams and talent to become Knights and Jets.
CEOs Matt Gidley and Robbie Middleby have underscored this with the appointment of Gary van Egmond, Wayne Bennett, Rick Stone, Graham Murray, Clayton Zane and Craig Deans to guide our future stars on a clear pathway.
New state of the art training facilities for both Clubs will certainly hold them in good stead and ensure all Knights and Jets players, no matter what age, will have every opportunity to reach their full potential.
Playing and watching both teams in a genuine state of the art stadium is an added pleasure, but there is no hiding from the facts both teams have not reached their full potential on the field.
Working feverishly behind the scenes is a Knights Advisory Board headed up by Chairman Paul Harragon and supported by Club stalwarts Steve Crowe, Michael Hagan and others who are determined to ensure the Knights remain community focused and have success off and on the field.
The first steps were recently taken with the inaugural Hall of Fame which the Knights community really embraced as we welcomed five true legends of the Club in its first intake.
An all-new community department has been set-up and is taking its initial steps to keep up the good work of the 100% Knights program and a host of other community initiatives featuring Knights and Jets players.
The Jets Advisory Board is being restructured with Ray Baartz at the helm ensuring that it reemerges with contributors from politics, the community, football and commerce.
Perhaps, the two biggest stories in Australian and Newcastle sport over the past 20 months have been the privatisation of the Knights and the decision to hand back the Jets licence.
This licence decision still has its critics who are dominated by self-interest, but the majority of the football world held its breath and then applauded as the Jets made a real breakthrough.
The Club managed to tear down a six-month old brick wall by ensuring the Jets acquisition fee was brought into parity with the game, the Jason Culina insurance debacle was finalised with a compromise by all parties and the A-League competition is now under going financial restructuring with input from all Clubs.
The Jets stand has now been acknowledged as a watershed moment for the sport all around the country and ensured stability for the Club and the entire A-League competition.
On the field, the Jets are now assembling one of the most talented young squads ever seen in Australian football and the future for the Club is bright.
Naturally, with the Knights privatisation and rebuilding the Jets, we all wanted instant success on and off the field but unfortunately, it can be a slow and exhausting process.
Be assured that no one wants success more than the entire coaching staff, players and management. As a group we share your frustrations and disappointments particularly when so many of you have bought into the dream of making Newcastle and the Hunter the sporting capital of this great country.
Sport is a roller coaster ride as the past 20 months have shown with the emotional highs and lows.
We invite you to come on board and enjoy the ride as we attempt to do what could have only been a dream two years ago. That is, have a community that has pride in successful teams representing the region and being showcased to the rest of Australia.
We will make Newcastle proud of the Knights and Jets and ensure every child in the region has a chance to wear the red and blue with pride!
