A special appeal to all Newtown Jets members and supporters:
I would like to extend an invitation to all Newtown supporters to make every effort to attend the next Newtown Jets home game in the VB Premier League competition, against Parramatta at Henson Park on Saturday, June 23rd at 3.00pm.
My name is Steve Helmich and I’m a Director of the Newtown Rugby League Football Club and a senior executive with AMP. I’ve followed Newtown since I was a small boy and both my grandfather and father played with the Bluebags. Some of my earliest memories of Newtown were watching the 1966 team coached by Dick Poole have an outstanding season and reach the semi-final series of that year. I have had the honour of being a Newtown Director for the past three years and I know full well how difficult it is to keep this club solvent and to be able to field a team in the highest-possible standard of Rugby League competition.
This season has been particularly difficult in terms of a run of Saturdays with unfavourable weather affecting our home-game attendances at Henson Park. The club’s home-game revenue, such a critical component of our projected budget, is very much down on the previous two seasons and it would be a tremendous financial boost to the club to have a huge crowd in attendance at Henson Park on June 23rd.
You would all be aware of the famous home-ground attendance figure broadcast by Newtown’s livewire ground announcer John Lynch at every home game – 8,972. While we’re not likely to better that attendance figure at any VB Premier League home game, I’m asking every Newtown supporter to make a special effort to get to this match against Parramatta – let’s call it the “Beat the Crowd Day”. The aim of the day is to set a home-game attendance record for the seasons since Newtown has resumed staging all Premier League home games at Henson Park - that is since 2001. There have been some magnificent Saturday afternoons at Henson Park in that time – let’s make this one to remember, both for the crowd and the atmosphere.
We ask you to bring along your family members, friends and workmates to help boost the crowd and give Newtown’s 2007 finances a timely boost. We really need your help – if you only get to one home game this season, please make it to this upcoming home game on June 23rd, against our old foes the Parramatta Eels.
Special features for the “Beat the Crowd Day” will include:
A two for one admission deal – that is, for each paying adult at the gate another can come in free!
Invitations will be extended to all Roosters and Parramatta season-ticket holders to attend.
A celebrity guest Newtown supporter is being invited and will be announced next week.
There will be a jumping castle and face painting for all the kids (after all, Henson Park is one of the most family-friendly grounds anywhere in Rugby League).
A special raffle prize is being arranged for the day as an additional attraction.
Please note down the match details:
“Beat the Crowd Day” at Henson Park, Saturday, June 23rd
NSWRL VB Premier League
Newtown v Parramatta
Kick-Off: 3.00pm.
We look forward to seeing a terrific response to this special attempt to set a VB Premier League home-game crowd record at Henson Park. Please be sure to send this email on to all of your friends.
Wishing you all the best,
Steve Helmich
Director and Special Events Coordinator
Newtown Jets RLFC.