Season Ticket Holders and Both Campbelltown and Leichhardt are already counted before people start walking through the turnstiles. In regards to Junior and Adult Season passes, they should be made to walk through the turnstiles. I don't know why this isn't being done.
In regards to the poor crowd figure last sunday. Being brought up on the Hill at Campbelltown Sports Ground as a kid, it hurts to see such a lame crowd. Speaking to Lochie who is a resident in the area, i asked him about the marketing and promotional activity the club does in the Macarthur-Campbelltown region. He gave me a simple answer....'Not enough'. Wow, the team appears at Macarthur Square once duing the week leading up to a Campbelltown Home Game. Sure they get some coverage in the local newspaper's, but seriously, that's as far as it goes. From a business perspective, this is barely enough.
The marketing department at Wests Tigers need to seriously have a look at themselves and their marketing strategies towards the fans and the area of Campbelltown. To me, it sounds like that if i was a Wests Tigers supporter living in the area, i'd be asking the question why should i turn up to the game? The club hardly attempts or tries to associate itself with the community and area on a regular basis. And with the club playing in the area not on a regular basis it makes it harder for fans to appreciate that the Joint-Venture is apart and representing the area.
Everyone knows that success will bring fans out of the woodwork, but still, its not like Wests are struggling. The Tigers are in the top 8. the closeness of this year's competition is shown by taking a look at the ladder. So can this really be blamed as an issue for fans not wanting or willing to rock up? I think not. As stated above the area has the potential to i think, become a Newcastle. It's rich in junior talent, population growth continues to rise, and has the facilities in place to acommodate 20,000 people. The club must address this issue sooner rather than later.
In the early and mid 90's crowds at Campbelltown were great. The Magpies were accepted and being treated at the community and area's team. People associated Western Suburbs as being the Macarthur-Campbelltown region's home. And the Magpies were proud to be based in the area and did everything to make sure that they community and its new supporter base accepted them. The fans felt attached to the Magpies. This is something Wests Tigers have failed to do. It is hard, as the essence of a Joint-Venture is to show equality to both sides. It's a pickle of a situation to be in, but they must start showing more commitment to the area, hence, the support will increase for the club overall.
