Parramatta Eels sack eight senior staff members, including the CEO of its controversial Premiership Club
Nick Tabakoff Editor-at-Large, The Daily Telegraph
44 minutes ago
PARRAMATTA wielded the axe on some of its most senior employees late Monday, with the
Eels terminating eight staff — including chief operating officer Craig Beed and the CEO of its controversial Premiership Club, John Chedid.
The club confirmed that
“a review of the structure and resources within the PNRL has been undertaken and a number of roles within the organisation have regrettably been made redundant”.
Apart from
Mr Beed and
Mr Chedid, other notable terminations performed in person by interim CEO Bevan Paul included
media manager Hugh Humphreys,
digital media specialist Sarah Neill, and the
executive assistant to Mr Chedid. The roles will not be replaced.
The redundancy of Mr Chedid — who was earning $150,000 a year — is particularly significant. His departure is the final nail in the coffin of the Eels’ controversial Premiership Club, which ex-Parramatta directors discussed using to get around the NRL’s salary cap by trying to source third party agreements.
At one point in transcripts of secret tapes of Eels board meetings obtained by The Telegraph from February this year, former chairman Steve Sharp claimed that the club needed to “sail against the wind” through the Premiership Club. He was recorded backing the use of $300,000 of Premiership Club funds to secure a single proposed $30,000 illegal third party agreement for departed star Kieran Foran.
In board meetings, now-sacked Eels directors also openly stated that The Premiership Club’s purpose was to “get people involved to tap on the shoulder for third parties”: a blatant breach of the NRL’s rules.
Mr Chedid did not return The Telegraph’s calls.
It is understood the new administration believes The Premiership Club’s $300,000-plus in losses are simply not sustainable, particularly given the questionable way in which it has operated.
The Premiership Club was set up by the Eels as a high-end business network with about 15 members — most notably property developers — schmoozing them with trips to interstate State of Origin matches and opportunities to meet Eels players.
But it ultimately proved spectacularly unsuccessful in its secret mission — to ask its members to pay under-the-table TPAs to key players like Foran in breach of the salary cap — with few of these TPAs actually proceeding. There is no suggestion Foran did anything wrong.
The redundancies mean 25 separate positions have now been axed at Parramatta since the NRL made its final rulings against the club last month — including a total of 14 board positions at the Eels and its parent, the Parramatta Leagues Club, plus most of the senior executive roles at the club.
Mr Paul said the club’s massive losses in the wake of the salary cap scandal, which are estimated to be topping $10 million, were a key motivation for the move:
“Due to matters which have been well publicised this year, the Parramatta Eels NRL (PNRL) club will run at a very significant financial loss against its budget in 2016.”
He added that the “necessary action” to terminate the staff was required “to ensure the club could reallocate resources to the core functions of its business and invest in the capabilities required to move the club forward”.
Going forward, the club will cease to have Mr Beed’s chief operating officer role. It has already commenced a search for a new CEO, head of football and commercial boss.
While some were tight-lipped about their departures, others were more open. Mr Humphreys gave a special mention to Brad Arthur and the players who he said were “absolute legends to work alongside”. Ms Neill said the club was filled with “good people”, and “good and bad memories”.