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New Wests Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe outlines plans for Robbie Farah and the future of suburban grounds
Michael Chammas
Published: September 21, 2015 - 7:52PM
New Wests Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe has placed urgent priority on resolving the Robbie Farah saga, while admitting the long-term future of the club will involve the use of just one home ground.
The former Penrith Panthers boss, who has already met with coach Jason Taylor and Farah's agent Sam Ayoub, begins his tenure at the Tigers on Tuesday and comes into the job with an open mind.
Farah is on holidays in Bali and won't return home until next Tuesday, but Pascoe insists he doesn't want the saga dragging into the pre-season.
"It's certainly something that needs to be addressed immediately," Pascoe told Fairfax Media.
"The one thing I will say is that there will be a clear and definitive approach to it. The members and fans expect that. Building a culture of trust with our stakeholders is essential. My task is simple - I come in very open-minded and keen to understand the situation. I have started to and will continue to talk to all the relative people.
"It's the most immediate priority because I think the fans deserve clarity around it and we need to create some stability.
"Decisions made at this time of year affect the outcome of 2016. I wasn't meant to start until November 1 but I felt compelled that I had to start right now. I want to be involved in these decision-making processes and be held accountable for those outcomes next year."
While there is uncertainty around the Tigers roster for next season, they recently announced their venue allocation for 2016 which will see ANZ Stadium, Leichhardt Oval and Campbelltown Stadium host four games each.
Pascoe is keen to improve the club's relationship with the community, but admits there is a strong possibility the club will move to secure its financial viability by establishing one home base in 2017 and beyond.
"I'll obviously go through the process of doing the full review of our agreements," Pascoe said.
"I'll be keen to go meet all those councils and get an understanding of where our members actually reside.
"Whether we play games at Campbelltown or Leichhardt or not, the main emphasis will be to maintain or increase our engagement with our fans out there and really invest in the communities out there.
"I don't think there has been a community strategy in place for the last couple of years and that's something I'm keen to implement.
"But one thing I will say unequivocally is that there needs to be one defined home to complement the one defined brand of the Wests Tigers.
"It's not just about what's good for our playing group, it's what's good for our members. Determining which stadia is going to offer up the best facilities for the public to come and watch the game."
It's understood the Tigers have a long-term deal with ANZ Stadium that requires them to play a minimum of four games a season there.
Where their training base will be is also up in the air with Concord Oval a month-to-month proposition as they explore the possibility of a centre of excellence in Liverpool.
Pascoe believes the club has plenty of potential to grow, describing his challenge as a re-engineering exercise rather than a rebuild.
"You certainly always understand and respect where that joint venture has come from but it's now 15 years the Wests Tigers have been in existence and it's time to put some real equity in that brand itself," Pascoe said.
"I don't think this is a rebuild, this is a re-engineering. It's substantially different, this is about getting this organisation to rethink the way we do things around operational activities by applying business disciplines to all strategic thinking."
This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...ture-of-suburban-grounds-20150921-gjrm6b.html
Michael Chammas
Published: September 21, 2015 - 7:52PM
New Wests Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe has placed urgent priority on resolving the Robbie Farah saga, while admitting the long-term future of the club will involve the use of just one home ground.
The former Penrith Panthers boss, who has already met with coach Jason Taylor and Farah's agent Sam Ayoub, begins his tenure at the Tigers on Tuesday and comes into the job with an open mind.
Farah is on holidays in Bali and won't return home until next Tuesday, but Pascoe insists he doesn't want the saga dragging into the pre-season.
"It's certainly something that needs to be addressed immediately," Pascoe told Fairfax Media.
"The one thing I will say is that there will be a clear and definitive approach to it. The members and fans expect that. Building a culture of trust with our stakeholders is essential. My task is simple - I come in very open-minded and keen to understand the situation. I have started to and will continue to talk to all the relative people.
"It's the most immediate priority because I think the fans deserve clarity around it and we need to create some stability.
"Decisions made at this time of year affect the outcome of 2016. I wasn't meant to start until November 1 but I felt compelled that I had to start right now. I want to be involved in these decision-making processes and be held accountable for those outcomes next year."
While there is uncertainty around the Tigers roster for next season, they recently announced their venue allocation for 2016 which will see ANZ Stadium, Leichhardt Oval and Campbelltown Stadium host four games each.
Pascoe is keen to improve the club's relationship with the community, but admits there is a strong possibility the club will move to secure its financial viability by establishing one home base in 2017 and beyond.
"I'll obviously go through the process of doing the full review of our agreements," Pascoe said.
"I'll be keen to go meet all those councils and get an understanding of where our members actually reside.
"Whether we play games at Campbelltown or Leichhardt or not, the main emphasis will be to maintain or increase our engagement with our fans out there and really invest in the communities out there.
"I don't think there has been a community strategy in place for the last couple of years and that's something I'm keen to implement.
"But one thing I will say unequivocally is that there needs to be one defined home to complement the one defined brand of the Wests Tigers.
"It's not just about what's good for our playing group, it's what's good for our members. Determining which stadia is going to offer up the best facilities for the public to come and watch the game."
It's understood the Tigers have a long-term deal with ANZ Stadium that requires them to play a minimum of four games a season there.
Where their training base will be is also up in the air with Concord Oval a month-to-month proposition as they explore the possibility of a centre of excellence in Liverpool.
Pascoe believes the club has plenty of potential to grow, describing his challenge as a re-engineering exercise rather than a rebuild.
"You certainly always understand and respect where that joint venture has come from but it's now 15 years the Wests Tigers have been in existence and it's time to put some real equity in that brand itself," Pascoe said.
"I don't think this is a rebuild, this is a re-engineering. It's substantially different, this is about getting this organisation to rethink the way we do things around operational activities by applying business disciplines to all strategic thinking."
This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...ture-of-suburban-grounds-20150921-gjrm6b.html
