New stadium at Campbelltown

[Bricey]

Asia has 2/3rds the worlds population and is a growing force in the eyes of FIFA. they yanks have had it recently (94) and I dont think that fifa want a repeat of the 1/2 filled stadiums they had during the group phase.

We have a great shot. If England get 2018, that woulod mean 3 out of 4 world cups on a europian time zone. Germany, South Africa and England with only brazil outside the time zone.

By the way, brazil is 2hrs behind london time, so its kinda europian.....

 

[madunit]

I don't think they would build the new seating around the field first because I don't think the field will be exactly where it is now. There wont be enough room on the southern end. The field will have to be around 50 meters north to where it is now.

Yeah we wouldn't be able to play at Campbelltown for 2 years probably but it will be worth it in the end. After the world cup we would probably play most of the home games there, or atleast half

50 metres is sweet f**k all, thats a quick little off-season adjustment.

IF this happens, then there's no reason why half our games can't be played at Campbelltown and Leichhardt.

If the Tigers can get the council to get off it's hands and do some work on Leichhardt Oval, then we could be in a dream position.

Ideally, if we could get Leichhardt fixed up, we could play all home games there for the 2 years Campbelltown is out of use, and then when Campbelltown is fixed, they can have 2 straight years worth of games there, and then after that, a 50/50 split between the two.

 

[westie]

You'd actually have the best stadium in NSW, purely available to us and not use it as much as possible?

 

[madunit]

half the tigers home games would be maximising it as much as the joint venture could.

You and I both know westie that half the ship would get the sh*ts hard if we played all games out of Campbelltown.

Whether you give a sh*t or not about that matters not, fact is it wouldn't happen, because this joint venture is a contradiction. Even after a premiership and a decade together, it's still an arranged marriage between two parties who don't want to be married.

 

[N.C.]

Hahahah more chance of Campbelltown being named World City of Culture than there is of this world cup bid getting up

Hey if Linz can jag the European Cultural Capital tag then anything is possible!

Bring it on!!!

 

[westie]

half the tigers home games would be maximising it as much as the joint venture could.

You and I both know westie that half the ship would get the sh*ts hard if we played all games out of Campbelltown.

Whether you give a sh*t or not about that matters not, fact is it wouldn't happen, because this joint venture is a contradiction. Even after a premiership and a decade together, it's still an arranged marriage between two parties who don't want to be married.

Quite simply, if we can't be one club, then the whole thing should go to the sh*thouse.

 

[meltiger]

Quite simply, if we can't be one club, then the whole thing should go to the sh*thouse.

Welcome to the real world, until such a time as the supporter base is entirely made up of people who were too young/born post 99, these issues will always arise.

How very unsuprising you'd be all for moving perma to Campbelltown.

 

[westie]

You know better than most why a club fully servicing this area is necessary.

 

[madunit]

Quite simply, if we can't be one club, then the whole thing should go to the sh*thouse.

Not sure if you've noticed yet or not westie, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say that we are still very much struggling with the concept of being one club.

However the Wests Tigers as a conglomarate, are performing better financially and on the field than either Balmain or Wests were.

Poor old stalwarts have the alliegances torn between going backwards or going forwards.

I could almost gaurantee I reckon, that if we were to move permanently to Campbelltown, then the playing strip would become Black and Orange permanently and the name would probably change.

It's a tit for tat marriage.

"If you get that, then we get this"

etc

 

[madunit]

You know better than most why a club fully servicing this area is necessary.

We all do, but at the end of the day, the bickering powers that be will decide what happens, irrespective of common sense and what the fans say or think.

You've been around long enough to that.

 

[westie]

The amount of trouble makers with influence can be counted on one hand. If the fans stopped bitching and whinging about whether or not their old club is being disadvantaged, they would be able to claim a united club for themselves. We'd have one first class stadium, a good coach and many of the world's best juniors. The bonus is, we'd actually finally be useful in protecting the most crucial area for RL.

 

[meltiger]

You know better than most why a club fully servicing this area is necessary.

Not at all, both clubs failed previously due to neither area being able to support a team full time.

If there was a proposal to build a 40k seat stadium in Rozelle, would you support a full time move there?


Besides which, forget all this to and fro between Balmain & Wests, 40k at Campbelltown which is likely to only be used by the JV + maybe an A-League side.... Wests Tigers would be playing in front of a half empty stadium most weeks, A League side a quarter full at best. I hope like hell it doesn't get built.


Finding the funds to upgrade Campbelltown properly, with a capac of 20-25 is the optimal idea.


& no before you ask, I wouldn't want Leichhardt Oval being turned into a 40k white elephant either.

 

[westie]

Not at all, both clubs failed previously due to neither area being able to support a team full time.

If there was a proposal to build a 40k seat stadium in Rozelle, would you support a full time move there?


Besides which, forget all this to and fro between Balmain & Wests, 40k at Campbelltown which is likely to only be used by the JV + maybe an A-League side.... Wests Tigers would be playing in front of a half empty stadium most weeks, A League side a quarter full at best. I hope like hell it doesn't get built.


Finding the funds to upgrade Campbelltown properly, with a capac of 20-25 is the optimal idea.


& no before you ask, I wouldn't want Leichhardt Oval being turned into a 40k white elephant either.

My reasons for wanting a Campbelltown/South West Sydney stadium are and remain these:

1. Most importantly, we are a very crucial club in the make up of the league. Both because the AFL wants our territory and because of the quality and quantity of our juniors which we should be developing for our benefit and that of the league. I don't think we can win hearts and minds unless based out there.

2. Transport links remain excellent, with almost all lines converging at Campbelltown and the M5 right next door. The inner city and even Homebush make things very difficult for a significant number of fans trying to access stadiums. A metro to Moore Park would improve things, and make the SFS a viable option for many of our wide-spread supporter base, but this abandons the west which I obviously think is the key to our long term success.

3. It's about time Sydney got it's act in to gear with regards to stadia and professionalism. Melbourne, Brisbane, The Gold Coast and Central Coast now all have first class stadiums servicing their needs. I think you would have a far better picture than I of how Melbourne's crowds will explode once leaving a ground which is superior in quality to the ones we use. Newcastle will soon reach 40k and Townsville's quality will go through the roof. Auckland only have 2 grand stands and can hold 30k.

We averaged 17k or more marauding around for a few years. That's including really sh*t patches of form throughout the season affecting crowds. I like to think that if we had an accessible, first class "home" - home being a very key word - and had a modicum of success our crowds would boom. And that's not even taking into account the fact that we still haven't realistically tapped the Marcarthur market.

Memberships are being pushed (seemingly by everyone except us) and crowds are generally expected to rise across the board. League is coming out of the dark days and the competition is strong and entertaining. If we moved into the stadium this off-season, taking into account the immense publicity and what not it would provide, I think we could average 25-30k if the other Sydney clubs were performing and providing derbies. Our clash with the Eels, for example, would have sold out with ease.

---

You asked if i'd be happy with a stadium at Rozelle. No, but only because the inner west is a dumb place to be. Almost 10 clubs have folded from this region and we still want to stay there?

If I were in charge of the league, I'd force us to move west...

 

[meltiger]

My reasons for wanting a Campbelltown/South West Sydney stadium are and remain these:

1. Most importantly, we are a very crucial club in the make up of the league. Both because the AFL wants our territory and because of the quality and quantity of our juniors which we should be developing for our benefit and that of the league. I don't think we can win hearts and minds unless based out there.

Disagree, they are still the local team. Whether they play out there full time or not.

2. Transport links remain excellent, with almost all lines converging at Campbelltown and the M5 right next door. The inner city and even Homebush make things very difficult for a significant number of fans trying to access stadiums. A metro to Moore Park would improve things, and make the SFS a viable option for many of our wide-spread supporter base, but this abandons the west which I obviously think is the key to our long term success.

The Western Metro is going to have a stop near Balmain LEagues? Club runs (free) shuttles from metro down to Leichhardt = almost as good as having stadium right next door.

But yes, Campbelltown Stadium does have fantastic transport links I'll agree there.

3. It's about time Sydney got it's act in to gear with regards to stadia and professionalism. Melbourne, Brisbane, The Gold Coast and Central Coast now all have first class stadiums servicing their needs. I think you would have a far better picture than I of how Melbourne's crowds will explode once leaving a ground which is superior in quality to the ones we use. Newcastle will soon reach 40k and Townsville's quality will go through the roof. Auckland only have 2 grand stands and can hold 30k.

With Melbourne, for sure we are all hoping their crowds increase now that they are out of that turd athletics stadium, but they and all the other clubs are one city teams.

For all bar the bigest clashes, Sydney clubs are never going to regularly pull more than 30. That's a fact people need to accept, which is why I'd prefer the team to stay in more boutique grounds (With better facilities than present) than play out of a half full monstrosity every week. By all means leave the option open to either playing out of Moore Park or Homebush Bay for the games that are going to draw mega crowds (Like the Parrascum game last year) ... But how many times a year does that happen? Outside of Souths and Parra games last year, how many of the JVs games have broken 25k at either Olympic Park or the SFS/SCG?

We averaged 17k or more marauding around for a few years. That's including really sh*t patches of form throughout the season affecting crowds. I like to think that if we had an accessible, first class "home" - home being a very key word - and had a modicum of success our crowds would boom. And that's not even taking into account the fact that we still haven't realistically tapped the Marcarthur market.

Mate, we've played hal.f our games in the first class stadiums, and half of them in the (usually packed) suburban grounds, yet the average sits around what the suburban grounds hold. That should tell you something.

Memberships are being pushed (seemingly by everyone except us) and crowds are generally expected to rise across the board. League is coming out of the dark days and the competition is strong and entertaining. If we moved into the stadium this off-season, taking into account the immense publicity and what not it would provide, I think we could average 25-30k if the other Sydney clubs were performing and providing derbies. Our clash with the Eels, for example, would have sold out with ease.

I think the club is doing quite well pushing membs? Although not being up there (Sydney) day to day I'll accept you having better knowedge on that than me. Absoloutely agree that this is something the club needs to push.

re: Parra game ... Didn't sell out at the SFS with plenty of neutrals attending. What makes you think would be any different down the Sth West?

---

You asked if i'd be happy with a stadium at Rozelle. No, but only because the inner west is a dumb place to be. Almost 10 clubs have folded from this region and we still want to stay there?

If I were in charge of the league, I'd force us to move west...

Well I'm certainly glad you're not in charge of the League/Killing the last remnants of my old club ;-)

re: Inner West, yes we'd fold if we were there on a full time basis, hence why generally even those like me now accept the JV as being neccesary. There is no reason we can't exist there part time though and retain our roots.


(Sorry for spelling errors, sitting with keyboard on my lap glancing at laptop screen)

 

[magpie_man]

You'd actually have the best stadium in NSW, purely available to us and not use it as much as possible?

sad thing is the bulldogs would probably end up playing more games there then we would.

 

[westie]

Too late for a long response, though thank you for yours.

I don't think we've even come close to attracting anything like a small amount of the potential support from out west. With regards to junior development, most good youngsters go to Parra or the Dogs. I'd like to see us commit to the area and from there aim to improve these things. Folau, Inu etc should be ours.

I think Sydney should be able to attract regular, AFL sized crowds, simply by doing what the AFL did. Promote membership and attending the game as a necessary thing for fans and get them into the habit of doing 10-12 games a year instead of just 2-3. There were 60-70k at our grand final claiming to be hardcore supporters. Not all will come all year, but if we have an event in a good stadium we should be aiming to collect heaps of them. The Dogs pulling 40k for an "event" this year is another example of people coming out if the hype is there. The second a match looks like selling out, it will consistently.

The WT membership levels are disgraceful. Around 1.5k or something - meanwhile, the other clubs continue to head towards 10k.

I think we'd have attracted 40k to a west sydney stadium because many people who travelled 30mins - 1.30hours to the SFS - from both teams - would have had a much easier journey to a local venue. Though obviously this ignores our fan-base closer to the city, from all areas, but it's still very very easy to access Campbelltown. Realistically, we've already got far more fans living further west. But I guess it comes back to my idea of capturing a heartland that's never had a successful, relevant club.

I don't by any means wish to alienate "half" the fan base. But quite simply, the area shouldn't be an issue. Especially when many aligned to the Orange side actually live closer to Campbelltown than LO. I think it's about time the WT generation of fans is allowed to create their own memories, heritage and culture and doing it in broken down grounds on separate sides of Sydney simply isn't good enough.

 

[blackandwhite]

I don't think we've even come close to attracting anything like a small amount of the potential support from out west. With regards to junior development, most good youngsters go to Parra or the Dogs. I'd like to see us commit to the area and from there aim to improve these things. Folau, Inu etc should be ours.

You will find that this has changed in the last couple of years with the advent of SWSAS. The best players are identified early and are retained at Wests as evident by the top 4 finish of the Harold Matts team in 2009.

The majority of the Wests Tigers cubs are Wests Juniors. Problem is they have to travel from Campbelltown, Camden, Picton etc to Concord at 4pm for training......what fun .. Now that's what I call a joint venture !

I grew up in Gladesville and we all loved the Tigers the players trained played and lived in the area.

The sooner Wests Tigers move to Campbelltown to train, play and live the sooner people will start supporting "their" local team because they will actually have a local team.

In the meantime they are just the Tigers who play an occasional game at Campbelltown Stadium, train at Concord Oval and live all over the place.

 

[westie]

I agree with most of that. There's still a feeling among the young blokes that they'd be a lot better off at the Dogs, or Parra especially. Something that needs to be changed. I think all these things go hand in hand.

 

[N.C.]

As an old time Tiger from way back, I find myself in agreement with much of the above assessments.

It's well and truly time to move on and concentrate on being the Wests Tigers. We've had ten years to settle our nerves and our differences - and we've even won a premiership in that time... Now is the time to entrench our position in Sydney, the NRL and the Australian sporting landscape. By the end of the next decade we should be well and truly identified as the number one elite sports team of the Campbelltown area. A 40k seat stadium will do us no harm - even if it is only half full some of the time...

I'm not advocating for the abandonment of the inner-west here, either. I think we'd be silly not to spend some time and money fixing up Leichhardt (bring it to 25K capacity at least) so we can play some of the traditional derbies there too. But I see no reason to hang onto the inner-west as a training venue considering most of our talent comes from further afield.

Balmain stalwarts may cringe, but the reality is that there's nothing really left of Balmain but the stalwarts.

 

[madunit]

So westie, if the Tigers were to play out of Campbelltown full-time, what do you propose could be done to keep the Balmain side of the JV happy?

Because we all know, that is something that will need to happen, whether we like it or not.