Panthers and Wolves - joint venture for Premier League

[mightypanther]

.

Panthers and Wolves - joint venture for Premier League


http://www.panthers.com.au/default.aspx?id=3&ArticleID=508


Jul 09 - The Panthers and Windsor Wolves have formed a joint venture to play in the Premier League from next season onwards.

The announcement was made today by Dick Prior, President of Windsor Rugby League Club Inc. and Michael Leary, General Manager of Penrith District Rugby League Football Club Ltd.

The agreement is for an initial period of three years. The main points are:

• Windsor will enter a team in Premier League, bearing its name and colours
• All home games will be played at Windsor
• Penrith’s top grade players who are not required for 1st Grade in any given week will be made available to play Premier League for Windsor. As well, players from Penrith’s new Under 20s side who are not required for that competition will be made available to play either in Premier League or Jim Beam Cup with Windsor.
• Penrith will provide the coaching and support staff for Premier League.
• Penrith’s coaching structures and organisation will be duplicated at Windsor so that players coming through are schooled in the requirements of the Panthers First Grade coaching staff.

“We see only plusses for our club in this,” Dick Prior said. “We think it is a step up to another level. We want to become an apprenticeship-style club – so that when a player comes to Windsor they will have the opportunity to work their way through Jim Beam, to Premier League and into 1st Grade."

“The main advantage for Penrith is that it gives us a Premier League side in which to keep our elite players and two competitions – Premier League and Jim Beam – through which our younger players can progress to the NRL,” said Michael Leary.

“There are also considerable cost savings for us, which is good because of the need to maintain a strong squad for the new National Under 20s competition."

The unified training will come into effect when players return to camp later this year.
.
.

 

[NK Arsenal]

good work panthers!

 

[mightypanther]

.
.

Great. This is the Penrith-St Marys fiasco all over again.

Only this time the team will play ALL home games at Windsor, which means we will hardly ever get to see the players in this team at all. (And this will be all over age 20 players who are not playing 1st grade)

And watch the price of home tickets go up again next season (as always), yet we will have one less game to watch.

If the 20's team are scheduled to play an away game at a venue other than that of 1st grade, there will be times when we will see only one game, but still pay more than we do this season.

What a rip off. I'm not going to be happy if I am paying top dollar to watch one game.

I hated the previous joint venture with St Marys, and I'm hating this one even more.

And I will feel for the poor players in the premier league side who will have to wear Windsor jerseys and be lucky to play in front of a couple of hundred people each week.

Another downward decision by management, another decision that takes more footy away form the fans while they maximise the amount of dollars that they can suck from us.

Wow, this club is just the happiest place to be a part of nowedays isn't it??? NOT.
.
.

 

[*Sandy*]

I agree that in the regards that it's great for Windsor to have the facilities of Penrith's coaching but why oh why do they have to crap all over it by making all home games played at Windsor? It's just ridiculous!!!

 

[The Wrong Eye]

I hope Penrith has looked into this set up with Windsor or is it just another way of them saving money ?I hear Windsor pay $120k to be part of this joint venture.
They have Jim Beam Cup now but there poor old A grade get hammered every week because no one gives a rats from the club.They just care about the Jim Beam team , so does this mean next year they will only care about the Premier league team ??

On top of that they promise kids from other junior clubs that they will play Jim Beam and then have them play in C grade etc , they are destroying the junior league out here.

 

[Caged Panther]

.


If the 20's team are scheduled to play an away game at a venue other than that of 1st grade, there will be times when we will see only one game, but still pay more than we do this season.

.

The way I understand the structure for the under 20's competition this won't be a possibility MP. All NRL teams will have an under 20's team scheduled to play on the same day (and I believe) to the same draw as their NRL counterparts. This means whenever Penrith play at home you will have two games to watch.

Maybe someone with a more intiment knowledge of the under 20's comp could confirm this though.

 

[mightypanther]

The way I understand the structure for the under 20's competition this won't be a possibility MP. All NRL teams will have an under 20's team scheduled to play on the same day (and I believe) to the same draw as their NRL counterparts. This means whenever Penrith play at home you will have two games to watch.

Maybe someone with a more intiment knowledge of the under 20's comp could confirm this though.

I hope you're right Caged Panther, but I was actually referring to the away games.
I won't be happy if the 20's were to play at a different away venue, on a different day, as has happened many times with Premier League and Jersey Flegg in the past.

And we now know that we will definitely NEVER see the Premier League team in action, unless we choose to go to windsor. I like to watch the under 20's, but I also like to watch those players who are over 20 but are not required in 1st grade, as they are the first choice players to replace 1st graders who lose form or get injured, and these are the players we will no longer get to see play at all.

And in the end, we will still be losing at least one match to watch each week, yet you can guarantee that the tickets will cost us more. They take and take. Take away a game, and take away more of our money.

I can't see how fans are getting a fair deal in this arrangement. Panthers are saving money, and that is their only interest (as per usual).
.
.

 

[*Sandy*]

I would imagine it would make an extremely difficult decision for Pridds and Tony Puletua on their current proposal from the club. If they choose to stay it could very well mean they might be playing out their careers at Windsor...

 

[mightypanther]

I would imagine it would make an extremely difficult decision for Pridds and Tony Puletua on their current proposal from the club. If they choose to stay it could very well mean they might be playing out their careers at Windsor...

Exactly........and in doing so, we would not get to see them play, or others in line for 1st grade spots.
.
.

 

[Black Majik]

But what are other clubs doing with their Premier League squads?

Are we alone in our decision? Roosters have Newtown, Storm have the Bears. As far as I know neither of their PL teams play at all (if any) home games with first grade.

In regards to the ticketing increase, its a distinct possibility. I mean when you have 3 games you obviously have patrons spending more on food and drink because they ae there longer. Only 2 games a night, loss of sales in my limited marketing/business management knowledge.

 

[LeagueLegend]

I hope you're right Caged Panther, but I was actually referring to the away games.
I won't be happy if the 20's were to play at a different away venue, on a different day, as has happened many times with Premier League and Jersey Flegg in the past.

And we now know that we will definitely NEVER see the Premier League team in action, unless we choose to go to windsor. I like to watch the under 20's, but I also like to watch those players who are over 20 but are not required in 1st grade, as they are the first choice players to replace 1st graders who lose form or get injured, and these are the players we will no longer get to see play at all.

And in the end, we will still be losing at least one match to watch each week, yet you can guarantee that the tickets will cost us more. They take and take. Take away a game, and take away more of our money.

I can't see how fans are getting a fair deal in this arrangement. Panthers are saving money, and that is their only interest (as per usual).
.
.

Caged you are correct. All 16 NRL teams will in 2008 have a National Under 20's team. The 20's draw will be the same as the NRL draw and as such when Titans play Penrith in Penrith you will see the Titasn in 20's and in NRL. Same as when Penrith play Melbourne in Melbourne etc etc.

Mighty, perhaps you should be dirty with the NRL and NSWRL rather than Panthers. They are the ones who instigated the youth comp which I think Penrith were one of the last few teams to agree to it. You'll find other NRL clubs ditching Premier their club run premier league side in favour of ventures such as the Panthers and Windsor. The Dragons dumped their 20's team this year.

 

[Bob]

If Windsor and Penrith request an alternate home draw from the Panthers I think it would work just fine. If the Panthers play away every second weekend and Windsor play that weekend it allows Panther fans the oppurtunity to see Rugby League every week. I have seen a few games at Windsor and quite enjoyed the experience. There's a leagues club on the ground and a good old fashioned hill to sit on. What a great way to spend a sunday afternoon.

 

[cumberlandsashes81]

Windsor Sporting Complex isn't a bad place to watch a match -- it's a pretty good set up out there -- also, all their home games (?) are broadcast on Hawkesbury FM.

Penrith won't be the only ones. Most of the NSW NRL teams will be going down this route. Seems that Manly, Cronulla, Newcastle and StG-Illa will be the probable exceptions. Canterbury have entered a JV with Sydney Bulls, Parramatta will announce any time now that they've entered into one with Mt. Pritchard.

While I'm a bit disappointed in seeing my own side almost certainly going down this path I guess it's an opportunity to support grassroots clubs and get involved in watching more RL below the NRL level.

 

[choc_soldier]

I don't know what to think - it's good for Windsor on one hand, giving them a higher profile, and bolstering what is already a strong set-up (they have been Jim Beam Cup frontrunners for the past few years).

But on the other hand, players who are surplus to the requirements of the Panthers in both first grade and the under 20's will be "shunted" to a suburban ground 25 kilometres away.

Not knocking the facilites at Windsor - I have driven past them at Bligh Park, and they look good. But surely SOME games could still be played at Penrith.