Leagues Club Funding - The End of Some Clubs?

[imported_Bigbopper]

The just announced changes to the rules governing the use of poker machines in NSW, especially by large clubs, could pose even more problems for the NRL. John Ballesty says that the Canterbury Leagues Club will not be able to support the Bulldogs in the NRL because their income will be drastically cut. While he is undoubtably exaggerating for effect this could be the nail in the coffin for a number of clubs.
This could lead to a further rationalisation of Sydney teams in the next few years. If some sides are struggling financially now, how could they survive having their Leagues Club grant cut in half (or worse)?B

 

[TheSaint]

I think it won't kill many clubs. The most a club can lose is 10%. Most Leagues clubs didn't have the 450 Poker machine new limit so won't be affected.

How ever, this will probably stop Canterbury's move to Liverpool. If it doesn't stop the move, a more realistic plan would have to be submitted, especially considering that they wanted1000 odd pokies. The Stadium they proposed was a bit ridiculous to, 50,000 with a roof. Who were they kidding.

 

[imported_Storm]

Only Bulldogs have such a realiance on their club. The others it wont affect them all that much.

Newcastle will be least affected, their league's club gives them nothing, it makes a loss

 

[imported_Bigbopper]

It's not just the number of machines, they have to close for at least 6 hours a day and that will affect income.
On the score of who it will affect, what about the Roosters?
Cheerse

 

[TheSaint]

How many people are on these machines between lets say 3:00am and 9:00am. I don't think it will cut into their prospective ockets to deeply.

 

[legend]

What about Penrith and Parra? Penrith relies quite heavily on pokies does'nt it? The smaller clubs like Canberra will benfit from this and it may level the playing field a little. In our case their is still no excuse for inept management and poor recruiting policies but that's another story.

 

[Cronulla_Mania]

I can tell you all that Canterbury leagues club will probably end up buying Marconi. Although it is in debt at the moment (due to inept management) it can make huge revenues if it is run properly and the money stops falling into the directors back pockets. Marconi is situated in quite a high-income area, so the dogs may get enough revenue from this project alone to go ahead with plans at Liverpool. Marconi directors don't want it to be bough out, but trust me, they got no bargaining power, they have debts of over 20m and haven't got any legs to stand on.....
I agree with Saint but, it will make little difference. If you walk into a club between 3am-9am you would struggle to see more then a few desperados on the machines. People will just spend more money during the other 18hrs in order to compensate. It is a ridiculous proposal, and does nothing to help problem gamblers. It was quite laughable to see the telecrap proclaiming that leagues teams will die because of this.....CRAP, absolute crap, whoever wrote that is either:
a)Braindead
b)Union stooge
c)AFL stooge
d)A Twit
e)A Twit
In all honesty, the integrity of newspapers writers continues to slide downhill. They all have their silly little agendas, and the end result is that nothing gets written anymore without a slant/bias in it.
Saint, canterbury are cashed up. They have got heaps of money due to their leagues club, i think they would have the $$ to build a 50,000 seater with the help of marconi....
MFC.

 

[TheSaint]

Have you seen the artists impression, retractable seating, a roof, AFL capabilities.

No club has that much cash, especially to build a ground at Liverpool, well away from their Leagues club and possible second club. The problem with the Marconi club is they have to keep it as an Italian club to retain it's patronage. This put off other non-Italians. Theres probably enough land at Marconi to build a large stadium (the fields out the back are huge, but it's a bit out of the way and not near any really major roads.

 

[tigger]

The Newcastle RLFC actually funded the losses of the Newcastle Leagues Club! The only team in the NRL that gives money to its Leagues Club.The Financial Viablility question is a joke, how many of these clubs were around before pokies became a part of our general society? All of them & they all gave grants to the football clubs. Yes, they did have card machines, but unfortunately for everyone except the pub/club owner, Aristocrat share holders& the government, pokies take some ridiculous % of our weekly earnings, this was never the case when it was only card machines.
League is kicking itself in the arse by paying players on the basis of their past achievements. A sign on fee & winning pay/losing pay.
John Ribot said that the Storm only needed 6,500 paying customers to attend Colonial Stadiumfor them to break even (Colonial costs $100,000 per game inclusive of all costs). Other grounds areless than this. Reduce costs, keep revenue steady, buy some fixed assets.
If League is turning unto big business, then i suppose it should act 100% like a business.

 

[imported_Bigbopper]

Fan,
That's interesting news about Marconi - we miss out on that sort of news in Melbourne.
The Telegraph did quote John Ballesty who saidi that the Leagues Club would not be able to fund the Bulldogs (and the Razorbacks). Was he misquoted or just exaggerating for effect?
Cheers
Bigbopper

 

[Cronulla_Mania]

BigBop, im led to believe that was a gross exaggeration, the revenue that they would lose from these new pokie machines regulations would hardly be enough to send the razorbacks down the gurgler. If you ever get the chance to take a look at the books of the club, do so. They make mega profits, all the expansion that has gone on and attempts to buy Marconi just illustrate how cashed up the bulldogs are.
Ballesty was talking through his wallet. But he is right (i think he said this) reduce open trading hours to 18hrs a day will do nothing to help problem gamblers. Its just a bandaid solution from a band-aid government.
Its true Saint, the italian influence on the club has been their since its inception. Many don't go near the club because of this, although i have been there lately and they have really tried to change their image. Renevations were aimed at creating a more 'welcoming' atmosphere, although this has had limited success. Attempts from them to remove the 'italian aspect' out of their soccer team has failed dismally though, and attendances at stallions games this year were shocking.
So what do they do? If they keep going the way they are with the heavy italian influence, they will be out of business in a year. If they sell to the bulldogs, they risk losing a large percentage of their patronage (italians)...catch 22 situation really. Although if the club is to survive, then the bulldogs will have to take over...
They could also build a footy stadium there. Its in a huge growth area, they could easily attract many young families from the local areas, as well as developing estates at Cecil Park, Horsley Park, Abbotsbury, Horningsea Park, Green Valley and Bonnnyrigg. The demographics of the area include many young families, a perfect opportunity to build a loyal supporter base.
Marconi own all that land down to the roundabout, the only trouble would be public transport issues (no train station...although buses from fairfield do go past marconi)...
MFC.

 

[Bebeto in Japan]

I know we are slightly digressing away from the topic here but I don't see Club Marconi as being a typically Italian club. I am a non-Italian, but up until I left Australia, I was a member of the club and so to were many of my non-Italian friends. Ironically, my Italian friends had no interest in becoming members of that place. But I must say, Club Marconi, despite its Italian roots, is a very multi-cultural club (but I am dead sick of the latin band that plays there every friday night, playing the same songs in the same order for the last 9 years or so). Club Marconi claims to have members from up to 100 different cultural backgrounds. Even though I am not surprised by this (because everyone from the Fairfield area goes there and it is a known fact that there are around 100 different languages spoken in Fairfield), I still wonder how Club Marconi would be able to measure this. Still, I think it is a growth area like MFC stated and potentially, a good business plan for the Bulldogs. Just keep the mafia bosses like Labbozetta out and it will be a successful club.

 

[TheSaint]

There is no way in hell Parramatta would let Canterbury take Fairfield. Clubs and juniors like Mt Pritchard, Cabramatta, Fairfield United, Fairfield Pats, Westfields Sports High are going no where.

Would Marconi come with Tony Labozetta? Good help the Dogs if that was the case. If they bought Marconi, would that mean the Bulldogs had three sides to fund in three national Leagues.

As for land, they've got plenty, and near large residential areas to. Liverpool however is a much better location for a Stadium and Club due to the Road Network. I lived in Fairfield for eighteen years and refused to use the buses their. Westbus runs an unreliable and slow crowded service. The area is close to Greystanes as well but that to is Parramatta's area. It is a good growth area but hardly ideal.

 

[Bebeto in Japan]

TheSaint,

I have been out of Australia too long and I guess I did not think about the Parramatta factor (Some Eels fan I am....LOL). However, I remember several years ago, rumours of Marconi having a Rugby League in the Metropolitan Cup. If the Bulldogs wanted a presence in the Metropolital Cup, it could be a mutually beneficial alliance.

 

[Cronulla_Mania]

I know what you are talking about Bebeto, don't worry, its still the same with the latin music ....It may have a wide 'ethnic' group who visits, but the facts are that it is still run by a group of Italian businessmen who have their noses in the snout. They still print out their annual reports in italian (as well as english) and just taking a look at how the marconi soccer club is promoted reinforces that.
I actually saw Labbrozetta on fox sports the other day after the Copa America game. He once again started to tear strips off Robbie Slater for criticising him, and the funny thing was that Slater was part off the commentary team! When they came back, he was fuming, demanding a meeting with him (all of this took place on air, andy paschiledies looked a bit embarrased lol) I refuse to talk much about him, i think we all know about the man....
Parra already have a large enough area. I know where you are coming from Saint, but parra virtually have the whole of north western sydney, all of the huge parramatta area and surrounding districts and out west to lets say fairfield. I know that parra still plays a big part in junior development out here (vella is a canley vale junior, so are a few others) but if canterbury moved in, i think parra should just let them be and concentrate on the vast north western sydney area.
And yeah....i hate westbus! Nothing has changed saint, they are still slow, unreliable, late, smelly and have incoherent drivers
The Fan.

 

[TheSaint]

Canterbury are the Leagues nomads. They know they belong in the Western Suburbs, but where? Belmore, Olympic Park, Concord, or Liverpool. The question is, where do most of Canterburys supporters live. I would say the majority live in the South West. Basically the areas that fall under Canterbury or Bankstown Councils, and a lot of the old Western Suburbs (Strathfield/Ashfield/Lidcome).There would be a considerable number of supporters in Liverpool and Campletown due to the demographics of the area, and because Wests never really caught on down there and to far away from Parramatta.

I think Canterbury will eventually take the Southern Parts of Fairfield, (Villawood, Cabramatta, Bonyrigg etc...) but Smithfield andWetherill Park will remainas Parramatta's area and Fairfield will probably be the new boarder. A sort of cross over zone.

Fairfield Pools and near the RSL would be the best place for a Stadium with a lot of land (Sporting Fields etc...), closeness to the Rail netwok and being near roads that link with the Cumberland Highway and Hume Highway. How ever, Canterbury aren't going to take over an RSL or build on that particular site. Liverpool is beter for the trains as a both Granville, Bankstown and Regents Park lines pass through.

 

[imported_Rasputin]

I know that parra still plays a big part in junior development out here (vella is a canley vale junior, so are a few others) but if canterbury moved in, i think parra should just let them be and concentrate on the vast north western sydney area.
LOL, Moff you have finally lost it ) Not a chance in buckleys of that happening, least of all for the doggies at that.

Redistributing junior boundaries is a major deal and has nothing to do with the NRL but is under the NSWRL. Parra wouldnever agree and it can't happen without their full agreement. Parra puts more $'s into junior league than any other club and they are not going to just throw that investment away. I think the Saint is on the mark with the southern area being more likelybut even that will prove tough. The ole Nomads have been jumpy about their future location for years butthey'll just have to keep on looking elsewhere.

And yeah....i hate westbus! Nothing has changed saint, they are still slow, unreliable, late, smelly and have incoherent drivers
At least you got that part right Moff

 

[TheSaint]

When Parramatta were founded, the only territory Wests wanted to give them was Rookwood Cemetry.

I think a permanent move to Liverpool in effect would give grounds for a land swap. the problem is no one knows what Wests Tigers plans are. If they moved to Concord Oval, they might take a few Canterbury Juniors like the Berala Bears, who originally were part of Wests Juniors. If Liverpool went to Canterbury, Campletown should try to reunite with Group 6.

All very complicated

 

[imported_Rasputin]

When Parramatta were founded, the only territory Wests wanted to give them was Rookwood Cemetry.
Not so Saint. West's actually supported Parra's entry and allocated them a greater area than they nowhave. Mind you back in 1947 that area was not much more populated than Rookwood but nevertheless Wests did hand it over willingly. It is the same area the original Cumberland occupied in 1908 but handed over to Wests when they folded the same year. Wests simply gave it back when the Fruitpickers returned. Parra originally controlled all thePenrith area but handedover that big chunk willingly to the Panthers when they supported Penrithsentry into the comp.

 

[Bebeto in Japan]

MFC.....You cleared up somthing for me because Robbie Slater's website was talking about some cheep shots and I never understood what that was about. You can read his version of events at http://www.theworldgame.com.au/content/news/displayContent.asp?CID=12907&PID=15


Can someone explain why Canterbury don't want to base themselves in Canterbury or surrounding suburbs? Why are they so nomadic?