Merge they said

[saint.nick]

I have no doubt we'll see another premiership long before the Eels do.

And it's a joint venture, not a merger.

Can you please explain the difference?

 

[Russell Crowe's Band]

So just on the business side.
like, if a team like St George, with 20k members, a traditional powerhouse of the league..cant make money there is obviously a huge flaw in the overall business model and strategy of all clubs and the league.

backwards sport

 

[Back Door Man]

It's not the merging that has caused problems, it's the management of the Club. Over many years St George have been one of the leading clubs both on and off the field but in recent times have been stuck in yesteryear with 'old boys club' administrators who just aren't up to the professionalism and progressive demands required to run a successful rugby leagues club of today's era. No longer can we rely on yesterday's reputation together with funding from te pokies to get us through. I've been saying for some time we need a cleanout and replacement of the board, CEO, head coach, recruitment team and football manager with people who are true professionals rather than 'old boys'.

We experienced a glimpse of true professionalism when we hired Bennett as coach and at the same time were reminded of the Club's limitations with regards to savvy administration when Doust declined Bennett's request for a 5 year deal at 750,000 a year and offered him a 3 year deal instead. It's history that during Bennett's final year Doust tried all he could to get Bennett to agree to an extention of his contract at a much larger salary. It's also history now that Bennett signed with Newcastle for a much larger sum than the 750,000 he was on at the Dragons.

For years now the Club has financially been going down hill and many of the recruitment decisions have been greatly influenced by the availability of cash rather than the right player for the job; this is despite the fact that the NRL provide close to 100% of the salary cap.

The fact is that despite the 'superior marketing', 'the brand', 'the organic growth policy' and the numerous other lines of spin, Doust has presided over our Club's financial decline and the Board has supported him along this path. This in itself is reason enough for the clean out.

The merge is not the reason for the decline and I believe the Club would not do any better if the merge was reversed.

another great post

 

[Mr Red]

joint venture was a smart idea.... jump before you're pushed so to speak..
we have seen how "successful" those mergers were where the NRL forced clubs into a partnership in order to stay in the NRL.....
leaving the same nuff-nuffs in charge is the problem...

 

[Saintsified]

I dont mind the StGeorge Illawarra thing, tbh I dont even think about it till these posts come up, we still have the Red V, we still refer to ourselves as StGeorge, but we have the benefit of more juniors/crowds/funding..

OK sure its not perfectly ideal but considering the situation I thought we did well.. we might have been the club booted out like Souths were.

Seeems being booted out woke them up, look at them thrive now.

 

[Willow]

Can you please explain the difference?

A joint venture is when two organisations or companies form an agreement to conduct business in a specific area. It is usually more short term and subject to renewal (or can be dissolved) at the end of the term of the agreement. In our case, the joint venture gets renewed every 5 or 6 years. The last renewal was in 2011.

A merger is when the two entities come together to form a single entity. All assets and resources are combined in a merger.

So St George-Illawarra is a joint venture because both entities still hold their own assets and boards of control.

All parties to the agreement hold shares in the joint venture as well as seats on the joint venture board. Currently, it is roughy St George 50%, Steelers 25% and WIN TV 25% (give or take 0.5%).

The current term of the joint venture is due to expire in 2016-17; while it is quite likely that the agreement will be renewed, the JV board members have to agree to do so.

 

[saint.nick]

A joint venture is when two organisations or companies form an agreement to conduct business in a specific area. It is usually more short term and subject to renewal (or can be dissolved) at the end of the term of the agreement. In our case, the joint venture gets renewed every 5 or 6 years. The last renewal was in 2011.

A merger is when the two entities come together to form a single entity. All assets and resources are combined in a merger.

So St George-Illawarra is a joint venture because both entities still hold their own assets and boards of control.

All parties to the agreement hold shares in the joint venture as well as seats on the joint venture board. Currently, it is roughy St George 50%, Steelers 25% and WIN TV 25% (give or take 0.5%).

The current term of the joint venture is due to expire in 2016-17; while it is quite likely that the agreement will be renewed, the JV board members have to agree to do so.

Thanks, that was informative. So what would happen if they didn't renew? Would the NRL allow a St George team and an Illawarra team?

 

[Prometheus]

That would be for the NRL to decide if the time ever comes. They have never said what would happen because nobody of consequence has ever seriously suggested ending the joint venture.

 

[Willow]

Thanks, that was informative. So what would happen if they didn't renew? Would the NRL allow a St George team and an Illawarra team?

I really don't know the answer to that one. It all depends on who actually owns the license, what the future holds and who makes the decisions.

Logic dictates that the NRL would still want a team south of the Cooks River. I imagine it would come down to which entity could meet the criteria.

 

[TruSaint]

Just what we need, another thread that alienates our supporter base and further erodes our status.
Other fans from other clubs would be enjoying this as they troll on by.
I'm from the Illawarra side of the JV and will always be thankful we still have a presence in the big show.

All for a healthy debate but this is a stretch.

Message to regional NSW Police rescue service...

" Stop search, i repeat stop search, subject found"

Well said.

 

[Godz Illa]

Just what we need, another thread that alienates our supporter base and further erodes our status.
Other fans from other clubs would be enjoying this as they troll on by.
I'm from the Illawarra side of the JV and will always be thankful we still have a presence in the big show.

All for a healthy debate but this is a stretch.

Yep. A rather pathetic whinge. More a howl at the moon than healthy debate

 

[saints4me]

Look at the Sharks situation. Under threat of of relocation and when it does happen (and it will) we'll have the genuine support base from Kogarah to Batemans Bay. Why weaken a club base that gives us the potential to be the strongest club/s in the land?
Possm is 100% correct - great post. Hope a media/club troll reads his post. Imagine the potential of the club and team with a corporate clean-out and some real business-savy types coming in to grow the business. Look at the Taj. Been there lately? Used to be the bench-mark of clubs years ago. Not so now by a long way and the current board is directly responsible for the decline. Give me a reason to go there and I will.

 

[Willow]

True, but they wouldn't be in the NRL. The NRL licence belongs to the JV, not to St George or Illawarra. The only reason Manly automatically kept their spot in the competition was because the Northern Eagles had been using Manly's licence. The NRL made it clear when Ben Elias was trying to break up Wests Tigers that if Balmain decided to go alone they couldn't continue to use the JV's licence.

If I may ask, where did you get your info on this? My understanding was that the NRL license is held by St George, and would revert back to St George in the event of the JV dissolving. That came from one of the club bosses a few years ago, so the source isn't in print.

The Wests Tigers situation would be different, just because they may jointly hold the license, doesn't mean the same goes for us.

 

[bottle]

Should become a permanent merger, including the adoption across the board, of a unified and singular history encompassing all that has come before it.

We've been living together for 15 years, we've had a kid. Time to do the right thing by each other and get married. It's about commitment.

 

[big pat]

Should become a permanent merger, including the adoption across the board, of a unified and singular history encompassing all that has come before it.

We've been living together for 15 years, we've had a kid. Time to do the right thing by each other and get married. It's about commitment.

that explains all the bitching that's been going on in here.

 

[IFR33K]

I have no doubt we'll see another premiership long before the Eels do.

And it's a joint venture, not a merger.

Wasn't trolling son. Sorry if I hit a raw nerve, was asking a genuine question.

Joint venture and not a merger???? Wtf.

 

[Cagey Mac]

What a load of rubbish
It’s the kind of dribble that you get from shock jocks and journalists that don’t have time or inclination to research matters probably

The reasons that the club is doing it a bit tough are manyfold
• The changing demographic of the area which leads to revenue loss to both clubs
• Poor marketing by the NRL and Channel 9 including the Tom Waterhouse gambling fiasco
• Lack of performance leading to loss from low ticket sales and merchandising and lack of FTV coverage which diminishes sponsors ROI
• ASDA premature ejaculation and exploitation by Jason Clare which sullied Rugby League as a brand
• Economic downturn in Wollongong
• The Sharks for existing and being a scandalous pain in the arse
Good management should see us through

Oh I forgot to mention
f**kING STEVE PRICE!!
GER RID OF HIM NOW!!

 

[jenninga]

Look at the Sharks situation. Under threat of of relocation and when it does happen (and it will) we'll have the genuine support base from Kogarah to Batemans Bay. Why weaken a club base that gives us the potential to be the strongest club/s in the land?
Possm is 100% correct - great post. Hope a media/club troll reads his post. Imagine the potential of the club and team with a corporate clean-out and some real business-savy types coming in to grow the business. Look at the Taj. Been there lately? Used to be the bench-mark of clubs years ago. Not so now by a long way and the current board is directly responsible for the decline. Give me a reason to go there and I will.

We need to get our heads out of the sand at management level,the Red V brand is strongbut times change and to attract new fans and funds management can't keep using our history to sell the brand.
Souffs have all of a sudden become hip and Crowe has done a magnificent job in boosting the Rabbitohs brand in marketing it as a prestigious club to be a member without sacrificing their roots.How else do you explain the record memberships.Recruiting a coach and players who have excelled on field have helped them to the level they are at.
We have Doust and a board who have never changed their ideas,Bennett fell into our lap and success,but do we build on that ,no,back to the sloppy conservative ideas.
And don't get me started on the StGeorge Leagues club,a club which needs to be bulldozed ,staff attitude and all.

 

[big pat]

Crowe has done a magnificent job in boosting the Rabbitohs brand in marketing it as a prestigious club to be a member without sacrificing their roots,


yeah look what happen with all their roots, years of toothless centrelink inbreds.

 

[Back Door Man]

We need to get our heads out of the sand at management level,the Red V brand is strongbut times change and to attract new fans and funds management can't keep using our history to sell the brand.
Souffs have all of a sudden become hip and Crowe has done a magnificent job in boosting the Rabbitohs brand in marketing it as a prestigious club to be a member without sacrificing their roots.How else do you explain the record memberships.Recruiting a coach and players who have excelled on field have helped them to the level they are at.
We have Doust and a board who have never changed their ideas,Bennett fell into our lap and success,but do we build on that ,no,back to the sloppy conservative ideas.
And don't get me started on the StGeorge Leagues club,a club which needs to be bulldozed ,staff attitude and all.

well said