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Thread: Blacktown

  1. #1
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    Blacktown

    With the imminent availability of the complex at Blacktown only a year or two away, can anyone shed some light what is happening with footy at Blacktown or the Greater West region?

    Is the NSWAFL or the AFL allowing an existing club to re-locate? Is a brand new club, like what happened in Sydney Grade cricket, being established? Are a few clubs in the region being courted to merge/form a combined club? Will the club be in the Premier League?

    What do the respective clubs in the region want? Or what are they doing?

    What do you think should happen?

    Does the NSWAFL have a formal position that they would like to announce?
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  2. #2
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    Re: Blacktown

    Originally posted by Rafters
    With the imminent availability of the complex at Blacktown only a year or two away, can anyone shed some light what is happening with footy at Blacktown or the Greater West region?

    Is the NSWAFL or the AFL allowing an existing club to re-locate? Is a brand new club, like what happened in Sydney Grade cricket, being established? Are a few clubs in the region being courted to merge/form a combined club? Will the club be in the Premier League?

    What do the respective clubs in the region want? Or what are they doing?

    What do you think should happen?

    Does the NSWAFL have a formal position that they would like to announce?
    Rafters,

    Just to bring you up to date on some background. Towards the end of last year, Dale Holmes called a meeting at Homebush between representatives of the senior clubs in the area to try and thrash out a way forward. The NSW AFL's 5 year plan (which is on their website) makes it clear that they want a ten team competition, with of course Wollongong being the ninth.

    It seems the obvious way to go to have a Premier Division presence in the corridor between Parramatta and Penrith and out to Richmond given the massive population and favourable demographic which at this point is not represented at the highest level.

    With this in mind, last years meeting was convened. Opinion was varied as to the way forward and the usual tribal issues meant that the meeting was quite acrimonious and ended with little being agreed.

    At this stage the Penrith club decided that a coming together of playing/admin resources was the only way that the game would move forward as opposed to four clubs battling away in the lower divisions for the scant resources that are available out west.

    A couple of meetings were held early this year between the Rams and the Jets with a view to forming a new entity with a medium term view of Premier Division football. An interim agreement was reached to pursue the concept further and a steering committee was then formed, chaired by a third party, and with a NSW AFL representative present.

    After a number of meetings, the steering committee then held an open forum with junior and senior clubs represented to discuss a proposed structure. Again there was a fair bit of acrimony and doubt about whether people wanted to be involved in such a concept. In the end (with some reservations) a working party has been agreed upon to look in greater detail at the nuts and bolts of how something like this might work.

    At present, the working party will be comprised of a representative from the NSWAFL, Penrith, Nor West Jets, St.Clair Crows, Greater Western Power U/18's, GWFA (Junior Association which represents the area . Parramatta attended the first meeting, however, John Perry made it clear he didn't wish for his club to be involved.

    Pekay might be able to expand on some of this as he has had some level of involvement in the whole process.

    The idea is to have one structure from junior right through to Premier Division level with the associated benefits that a rationalisation of all our scattered resources would bring. In the medium term, a Premier Division club would have to operate out of the Blacktown facility being reasonably central geographically. In the short term, I would think that a mixture of Dukes Oval and Bensons Lane would have to be the way to go. In my view the only way the game can really move forward out our way is for everyone to put the development of the game at the forefront and make their own club allegiances secondary. Easier said than done but it's worth a shot!

  3. #3
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    Hmmm ... I guess that is why the Greater Western Power u/18 team was created this year then.

    Are Collingwood Magpies involved at all or is this just a marketing ploy by them to get more spectators at the Telstra blockbusters?

    Interesting that the 5 bottom teams in the u/18 comp are from the demographic development areas of Sydney.

    I look forward to reading the 5 year plan (and compare it to previous 5 year plans put forward by the league over the years)
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  4. #4
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    Originally posted by Rafters
    Hmmm ... I guess that is why the Greater Western Power u/18 team was created this year then.

    Are Collingwood Magpies involved at all or is this just a marketing ploy by them to get more spectators at the Telstra blockbusters?

    Interesting that the 5 bottom teams in the u/18 comp are from the demographic development areas of Sydney.

    I look forward to reading the 5 year plan (and compare it to previous 5 year plans put forward by the league over the years)
    The Greater Western Power were created by the GWFA to give their juniors a pathway after U/16's. You will recall that only five years ago there were U/18's teams representing both the Rams and the Jets. Numbers became problematic so they fielded a combined side for a couple of years. Numbers continued to dwindle and there weren't even enough kids in what is a massive area for even one team which is a real worry. Subsequently a handful of guys involved in the GWFA decided to put together their own club for this year, given that they haven't had the greatest relationship with certainly the Penrith Rams in the past.
    The AFL let them run with the concept but have since made it clear that they expect the Power to fall in under a senior structure in the near future rather than remain a stand alone concept.

    Collingwood have no involvement in any of this, Port Adelaide have had a minor involvement with the U/18's (hence the name) but that's about it.

    You do make a good point re the U/18's and their relative positions on the ladder in relation to their geographic locations. It certainly correlates to senior football as well if you take a look at where the four clubs in area currently sit in terms of ladder position as well as off field factors.

    I don't know how much more obvious it needs to be to people for them to want to band together and try to come up with some real solutions. Ten percent of the entire population of this country and it's basically a football wasteland with a few hearty souls doing their own thing.

  5. #5
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    The GWP was formed with the view that it would fall in under a senior setup in the next few years. We have taken some beatings this year but the boys are putting in 100% both on and off the field of which they should be commended for.

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  6. #6
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    So with almost another season gone since initial meeting convened by the NSWAFL the question remains are we any closer to having a team playing in Blacktown in the Premier League in the not too distant future?

    Sounds like everyone wants the benefit but they all want it for themselves.

    Will the corporate dollar remain available in Blacktown or will the grade club milk it dry til the Aussie Rules community does something about it?

    With not too many local juniors in competitive Premier teams (ie need to attract players from other parts of Oz), will a "Greater West" team be able to attract the superstars?

    Will there be a cash injection to get them started?

    What are local junior numbers etc like in that immediate area?
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  7. #7
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    Originally posted by Rafters
    So with almost another season gone since initial meeting convened by the NSWAFL the question remains are we any closer to having a team playing in Blacktown in the Premier League in the not too distant future?

    Sounds like everyone wants the benefit but they all want it for themselves.

    Will the corporate dollar remain available in Blacktown or will the grade club milk it dry til the Aussie Rules community does something about it?

    With not too many local juniors in competitive Premier teams (ie need to attract players from other parts of Oz), will a "Greater West" team be able to attract the superstars?

    Will there be a cash injection to get them started?

    What are local junior numbers etc like in that immediate area?
    We're not a hell of a lot closer to a Premier League presence, no. There are probably half a dozen seperate entities which need to come together (both junior and senior) for a concept like this to work. As you can imagine, this is a pretty difficult thing to achieve, with different clubs having varying levels of commitment to the whole thing and various viewpoints which is entirely their prerogative.

    At the end of the day, if it doesn't have the support of the senior players from certainly Penrith, Nor-West and St.Clair in the initial stages, then it doesn't work, simple as that.

    As we all are aware, the corporate dollar for local footy in Sydney is extremely hard to come by, even more so in the western suburbs where the game is particularly foreign. Being able to attract talented players is another major hurdle. Guys who move from the country or interstate generally do so for employment or study purposes and they certainly don't tend to settle in Blacktown, Penrith or Richmond. It's the perenial problem which goes a long way to explaining why clubs in this region tend to struggle year after year. There are very few guys with talent who walk through the door and there are no local SAFL clubs where guys who want to drop back a level in standard can be recruited from.

    A new entity would begin in Division One and would have to prove itself over two or three years before being considered for Premier Division according to the blueprint. Almost certainly it would require some sort assistance from head office although what that assistance might be would be a moot point.

    The GWFA competition runs along similar geographical boundaries to those mentioned and is growing well. Certainly up to U/12 level numbers are good but after that they tend to drop off (which is reasonably common everywhere) to the point that at U/16 level there are only enough kids to fill 2-3 teams. Ultimately the desire to give the talented kids a local club at the highest level for them to aspire to play for is one of the main goals.

  8. #8
    Well retired, still sore Pekay's Avatar
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    i've been following this thread very closely,but havent put my 2 cents in yet,as last time i did,the committee of this new identity painted me as the guy trying to run it into the ground!this couldnt be further from the truth,i was right behind this ENTITY(we'll call it that for now)with our Club Prez at the time.until my club president, full committee besides one,and 70 plus players left my club,all in the space of 6 weeks,this entity had my full support. but when your club falls apart on you in an instant,the very furthest thing from your mind SHOULD be starting a club that doesnt even exist. in short,i agree that it SHOULDNT be aiming at Premier Division(to be honest,put Parra-Penrith-NorWest from 2004,take the very best players from there into a regional outfit and play Prems,wouldnt do too bad,probably similar to the Gong this year.however,Goannas and Jets lost a motzer of quality players over summer to Prems clubs)First Div should be their focus,whether it is or not is another matter....and i still cant do paragraphs.

  9. #9
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    Sounds like the clubs in the area are falling over themselves trying right their own ships first.

    What does Oscar & ECE or Spanner & WS have to say on the issue?

    Either of these established SFL clubs interested in re-locating to Blacktown?
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  10. #10
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    Originally posted by Pekay
    i've been following this thread very closely,but havent put my 2 cents in yet,as last time i did,the committee of this new identity painted me as the guy trying to run it into the ground!this couldnt be further from the truth,i was right behind this ENTITY(we'll call it that for now)with our Club Prez at the time.until my club president, full committee besides one,and 70 plus players left my club,all in the space of 6 weeks,this entity had my full support. but when your club falls apart on you in an instant,the very furthest thing from your mind SHOULD be starting a club that doesnt even exist. in short,i agree that it SHOULDNT be aiming at Premier Division(to be honest,put Parra-Penrith-NorWest from 2004,take the very best players from there into a regional outfit and play Prems,wouldnt do too bad,probably similar to the Gong this year.however,Goannas and Jets lost a motzer of quality players over summer to Prems clubs)First Div should be their focus,whether it is or not is another matter....and i still cant do paragraphs.


    Pekay, Dale Holmes was pushing for a 2007 start in the initial stages with just the one year (2006) in Division One, but I think those of us on the ground would all agree that he's being a bit optimistic. The current thinking is for a combined entity to have 2-3 years in Division One before making a judgement on it's prospects of a successful promotion to Premier Division. It sounds easy enough when you say it quickly, but as you know, unforseen circumstances can put a spanner in the works! It's good to see you blokes taking all before you in Div 2 anyway judging by the results you've been having.

    Rafters, I had heard a couple of whispers that ECE might become the Blacktown tenant in future years but I've no idea if there's any substance there or not. In any case, it wouldn't help the AFL in their stated ambition for a ten team competition if this were to occur. I would be guessing if this scenario were to take place that they would be looking at a Newcastle side to make up the tenth team.

  11. #11
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    Originally posted by Rafters
    Sounds like the clubs in the area are falling over themselves trying right their own ships first.

    What does Oscar & ECE or Spanner & WS have to say on the issue?

    Either of these established SFL clubs interested in re-locating to Blacktown?
    Last I heard, East Coast were eyeing off a new ground that's in the planning stage up past Kellyville near the Mean Fiddler.

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  12. #12
    Peter Physick Oscar's Avatar
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    East Coast are totally concentrating on securement of the Withers Road ground in Rouse Hill / Kellyville.

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