What to do with Level 3 - Parramatta Leagues Club

[Suitman]

So, constantly whinging about the pokies tax and smoking laws, and talking about amalgamation isn't the way forward??

Suity

no it's not and we've all established that theory, I personaly want to look beyond that and see who has the right model to revolutionise the club industry as we know it.

Well, what you're asking is going to take more than a Denis Fitzgerald, or 3P for that matter.
I believe we should just get our own backyard in order first, and then look at revolutions.

Suity

 

[Suitman]

Just to put it in perspective and something that hasn't been mentioned, Alan was asked by someone at the meeting, where PLC stood up against other licensed clubs in the state, from memory, he said they were the 4th best performing club and if that was the case? I wonder who were the 3 clubs in front of them, what was their bottom line and how did they do things differently?

let's get one thing straight, over the past week i've thought long and hard about how the club can improve it's bottom line given the challenges they face and I really can't see an easy fix at all and whilst improving one part of the club could cushion the bottom line, both the 3P and current board they're going to need more than that to recover the losses made in the past couple of years, infact i would go as far as saying that they would need revolutionise the way clubs operate and think to get the industry pumping again.

The Clubs are
THE MOUNTIES..BANKSTOWN SPORTS (no NRL teams) and THE BULLDOGS who have the largest ethnic population who enjoy the Poker machines.

So, what you are saying Ovo is that the pokies are the only way out of this??

Suity

 

[strider]

of the roughly $6m - does anyone know how much of that is for the juniors?

 

[Yodaeel]

Yodaeel,

I really can't believe I am reading this quote from you. Is that the best you can do? Simply add more poker machines?

Whilst there is no disputing that pokies have a place at any Leagues Club, it shouldn't be the main focus. The club has heavily and disproportionately relied on pokies as a financial silver bullet for far too long. The club needs to diversify its income streams and open up to and attract a more diversified clientele. It's about time we put some young dynamic, energetic, and 'can-do' business people on the board to run the club.

The club at the moment is just a mini casino and has alienated the footy fans. Unless you are a gambler the place is a boring hole. Adding pokies is just a quick fix for the dinosaurs to get easy financial return for minimum effort.

Time for a change and fresh blood otherwise with attitudes like this I fear for the future of the Parramatta club.

They are not additional machines the 76 machines were moved from the no smoking area to the new Reno where you are allowed to smoke and play the machines.

 

[Stagger eel]

The Clubs are
THE MOUNTIES..BANKSTOWN SPORTS (no NRL teams) and THE BULLDOGS who have the largest ethnic population who enjoy the Poker machines.

thanks ovo, interesting to note that Bankstown sports is one of the clubs that the 3P group have constantly refered back to when giving examples.

 

[Stagger eel]

Well, what you're asking is going to take more than a Denis Fitzgerald, or 3P for that matter.
I believe we should just get our own backyard in order first, and then look at revolutions.

Suity

well it's going to have to take one of the 2 because at the moment they're the only options we have to get us out of this mess.

 

[Yodaeel]

So, what you are saying Ovo is that the pokies are the only way out of this??

Suity

No mate we needto tighten our belts and work hard to attract more people into the club.

Mate I am happy to listen to any good suggestions that i can get we have many people out there that are happy to bag us but not many prepared to get in and help.

 

[bartman]

I went to loads of 21st at Bankstown Sports Club in the mid-90s... it was a pretty poor looking club/place to go. Is it seriously in the top four clubs in NSW now?

I wonder what they did right in the last 14 years, that others didn't... Surely they must have done something other than just cram the place full of pokies and effectively push their "sports" members/patrons out the door?

 

[bartman]

Mate I am happy to listen to any good suggestions that i can get we have many people out there that are happy to bag us but not many prepared to get in and help.

What are your thoughts on some or all of the ideas for bringing people back into the club that have been put down in this thread so far, Ovo? Understand if you don't have time to go through one by one, but any chance of some actions before April on following any of the ideas put forward here by concerned members?

Seems to me like plenty of people here willing to help with giving their ideas about how to reverse the trend of footy/leagues club members feeling unwelcome in their own club... Perhaps they're not bagging, just wondering why there is no action, or response to the suggestions?

 

[Stagger eel]

No mate we needto tighten our belts and work hard to attract more people into the club.

Mate I am happy to listen to any good suggestions that i can get we have many people out there that are happy to bag us but not many prepared to get in and help.

Ovo, will you take on board the ideas that we spoke about at 2 of the "get togethers" you attended?

 

[Suitman]

No mate we needto tighten our belts and work hard to attract more people into the club.

Mate I am happy to listen to any good suggestions that i can get we have many people out there that are happy to bag us but not many prepared to get in and help.

Ovo, with all due respect, there have been many suggestions on this thread in particular that have been put forward. Some may work, some may not. The outstanding theme though, is that the club has become a mini casino. It is not a desirable place to go anymore.
Even Sterlos sports bar used to have pool tables and indoor bowls, and would be more full than it has been of late.
If you want people to come back to the club, then you need to give them something to come back to, besides pokies and a Chinese restaurant.
We all want to help, but we just keep being pedalled the same old lines.
Pokies, pokies, pokies.
Everyone wants to see this club survive, not the least you.
Your passion is unquestioned, there is no doubt about that, but all many of us have seen over the past few years has been backwards steps. I don't think anyone holds you personally accountable, and if they do, they are fools. It is the entire board that is being held accountable.
And it is the entire board that has been voted in, to keep the Eels moving forward.

Suity

 

[Stagger eel]

I went to loads of 21st at Bankstown Sports Club in the mid-90s... it was a pretty poor looking club/place to go. Is it seriously in the top four clubs in NSW now?

I wonder what they did right in the last 14 years, that others didn't... Surely they must have done something other than just cram the place full of pokies and effectively push their "sports" members/patrons out the door?

it's been mentioned more than once that we should probably explore what model BSC have but at the same time it must be considered that they and Mounties don't fund an NRL side which will always look pretty to their bottom line.

 

[Gronk]

So, what you are saying Ovo is that the pokies are the only way out of this??

Suity

No what he is saying is that Clubs are still profitable. They just don't make enough to support an NRL team anymore.

 

[bartman]

Obviously those clubs don't pour $6mil toward an NRL team... but fact remains we do, and that isn't (hopefully) going to change in a hurry.

If we are just behind the Bulldogs club in this ranking, how are the other clubs that do run NRL sides finding the money to do so, if their club operations are "performing" less than ours? Surely they have done more than just stuff the place full of pokies and make their old footy-related members walk the streets looking for other venues?

I've never been there, but I'd reckon the Bulldogs have far more going for them as a club operation than just a large ethnic membership that "enjoy the pokies"? I'm a bit miffed at the oversimplification of their success as a club entity there... I understand the Bulldogs own/operate lawn bowls clubs on the Central Coast for just one example - a world away from rugby league, but a world away from pokies-are-our-only-answer as well.

 

[bartman]

No what he is saying is that Clubs are still profitable. They just don't make enough to support an NRL team anymore.

Well that's true. The costs of the NRL have indeed escalated, and we should all back Denis' call for the salary cap to be reduced across the board. Seriously.

But I personally am looking for some Board candidates who have some future plans other than pokies, and are willing to regularly discuss them with interested members, as well as communicate their progress toward realising those plans.

 

[Stagger eel]

Obviously those clubs don't pour $6mil toward an NRL team... but fact remains we do, and that isn't (hopefully) going to change in a hurry.

If we are just behind the Bulldogs club in this ranking, how are the other clubs that do run NRL sides finding the money to do so, if their club operations are "performing" less than ours? Surely they have done more than just stuff the place full of pokies and make their old footy-related members walk the streets looking for other venues?

I've never been there, but I'd reckon the Bulldogs have far more going for them as a club operation than just a large ethnic membership that "enjoy the pokies"? I'm a bit miffed at the oversimplification of their success as a club entity there... I understand the Bulldogs own/operate lawn bowls clubs on the Central Coast for just one example - a world away from rugby league, but a world away from pokies-are-our-only-answer as well.

but barty, they're still NSW licensed clubs and still face the same sort of taxes and laws that Parra does, Penrith own dozens of clubs in the state and are currently bleeding to death.

 

[spiderdan]

but barty, they're still NSW licensed clubs and still face the same sort of taxes and laws that Parra does, Penrith own dozens of clubs in the state and are currently bleeding to death.

but i am also pretty sure panthers have an enourmous debt. a big chunk of the bleeding can be put down to a depreciation expense.

 

[bartman]

but barty, they're still NSW licensed clubs and still face the same sort of taxes and laws that Parra does, Penrith own dozens of clubs in the state and are currently bleeding to death.

That's kind of my point Stags...

How are those other Sydney clubs that also support NRL teams coping financially, if they are further down this ladder of operational success which puts ours 4th?

They aren't making as big losses as we are (I think there was a comparison table posted in a recent newspaper article?), so they must have some different strategies in place, to cope with those same taxes and laws that are all we have heard about from our club's administrators. Some of them must have been getting on with the job...

If some of us were full-time employees of the club or directors, then we'd be able to that research and have the answers, and some knowledge of future plans (beyond pokies). Until then we just have to wait to be told by those who are in that position, I guess...

 

[Stagger eel]

but i am also pretty sure panthers have an enourmous debt. a big chunk of the bleeding can be put down to a depreciation expense.

well there's that also...

 

[strider]

but i am also pretty sure panthers have an enourmous debt. a big chunk of the bleeding can be put down to a depreciation expense.

when we talk depreciation .... what is depreciating in value? are we talking about property values? or other assets?