St Clair deregistered - Sydney footy screws up again

[BeeEmmAre]

It's been brought to my attention this week that the St Clair Crows Football Club has folded.
This is a truly sad day for the club and those who worked so hard within that club, as well as for Sydney footy and football in general.
The reason was the league's pathetic new rule that won't allow clubs to stand alone in Second Division, and I'm told that the decision to disband was not made by the club, but by the Sydney AFL itself.
I'm told this decision came despite the fact that St Clair were still weighing up its options as to what it would do next year, with its options including aligning with the Nor-West Jets, Penrith or Holroyd-Parramatta (the Rams having been ruled out and the Jets being favourite) and becoming the Second Division team of that club.
As I said, this is a sad day for football and an absolute disgrace that the league could care so little about the game it is supposed to be running and promoting that it forces a club out of existence simply because it can't field two teams.
Hopefully someone from St Clair reads this board and can elaborate exactly on the treatment they have copped from the powers that be at the Sydney AFL.

Give yourselves an uppercut Sydney AFL - or I should say....

Ah Magoo, you've done it again.

[Pekay]

I must say, they let you know about the good news in Sydney Footy dont they?Only been a few days, but already all club contacts and links to St Clair have been removed from the website. Didnt take long?! I'll be honest and say that the best thing the Jets ever did, was drop down to Div 2 for 2 years. We've managed to get some success, which in turn has seen us get major support from the local press, gained a major sponsor for the next few years in Riverside Oaks, a blue-chip kind of sponsor i reckon, and also secured us our own facilities in the area, in the not-too-distant future. Also, we've got the club running the way it should be, not everyone is pressured to do 5 jobs. St Clair were doing a good job, passionate people doing what they love, and it gets taken from them.They wont want to put their efforts in at another club.(for the record, i approached St Clair with the offer of them being our Div 2 team.AFL by law i'm pretty sure said they must align with A footy club, it never said which one.correct me if i'm wrong here) I'm glad we were in a strong enough position to go up next year, otherwise it appears another club was headed to oblivion. Ah for the old days of SDFA.

[The Spoiler]

Originally posted by Pekay
I must say, they let you know about the good news in Sydney Footy dont they?Only been a few days, but already all club contacts and links to St Clair have been removed from the website. Didnt take long?! I'll be honest and say that the best thing the Jets ever did, was drop down to Div 2 for 2 years. We've managed to get some success, which in turn has seen us get major support from the local press, gained a major sponsor for the next few years in Riverside Oaks, a blue-chip kind of sponsor i reckon, and also secured us our own facilities in the area, in the not-too-distant future. Also, we've got the club running the way it should be, not everyone is pressured to do 5 jobs. St Clair were doing a good job, passionate people doing what they love, and it gets taken from them.They wont want to put their efforts in at another club.(for the record, i approached St Clair with the offer of them being our Div 2 team.AFL by law i'm pretty sure said they must align with A footy club, it never said which one.correct me if i'm wrong here) I'm glad we were in a strong enough position to go up next year, otherwise it appears another club was headed to oblivion. Ah for the old days of SDFA.

Interesting to note that one of the "administrators" at the Sydney AFL moves on to day!

[Pekay]

Originally posted by The Spoiler
Interesting to note that one of the "administrators" at the Sydney AFL moves on to day!

With your finger on the pulse, tell us who it is!!!

[Steiger]

Can anyone from the Sydney AFL explain the purpose of the by-law to not allow stand alone clubs in the 2nd Division comp?

I can see that it makes sense that clubs close to each other in different divisions merge.

But I don't believe that is the case with St Clair.

St Clair is close to Penrith and Parramatta but is also far enough from them to exist on their own.

[Norris Lurker]

I've never understood the logic behind that rule. It's not like having stand-alone teams will affect other clubs anyway - some Premier & Div 1 clubs have 2 teams in Div 2 and others have none, so the draw will always be different anyway.
Like Pekay mentioned, dropping down gave his club a chance at staying alive - it was never going to be a permanent relegation, but it gave them a chance to get through a rough patch and return to Div 1 hopefully a stronger club for the experience. Unfortunately any other Div 1 club that is struggling for numbers at some stage in the future won't have that opportunity and would probably be forced into recess and be gone forever.

There may be good reasons for that rule, although I don't know what they are. But unfortunately it's killed off one club, and will make it harder in future for any new clubs that want to start up.

[DLH]

I'll go through it again for about the tenth time.

St.Clair sprang up from a junior club about five years ago. At the time they said that they just wanted a club "so the fathers can have a bit of a kick". Despite the fact that there was a senior club about ten minutes up the road that was going through the perennial struggle of trying to get two teams on the paddock and finishing at the foot of the ladder year after year that could have done with all the senior players it could muster, Craig Davis in his wisdom gave it his blessing.

A couple of years ago, St.Clair approached Penrith as they had no administrative support and were going to fold without assistance. In the spirit of co-operation Penrith entered into an agreement to administer the club, with the Crows maintaining their name and jumper in Div 2. For reasons still unbeknown to us, after a year they reverted back to operating under their own structure.

Penrith continued, and still continues, to struggle for every type of resource, including players, support staff and sponsors, whilst a another senior club set up in an ad hoc manner little more than a well struck torp away sucks these resources out of an area that just does not have them.

The initial reason that the St.Clair senior club was set up is no longer relevant. My understanding is that this season only three players had children playing junior footy for St.Clair. Meanwhile, Penrith played most of the second half of 2006 with 14-15 reserve grade players, the numbers being made up by senior guys and U/18's. The Rams are quite proud of the fact that they have never forfeited a game of footy despite their difficulties, and will make every effort never to do so.

The League finally have shown some sense in making the decision they have. If these guys don't want to come to Penrith and would prefer to travel greater distances to play for other clubs, that is their prerogative, although they are more than welcome to play with us. The main thing is that in time the limited natural football resources that do exist in the outer west can flow through unimpeded to a club that has been in existence for more than 25 years and would as likely as not folded without this step being taken.

[The Spoiler]

Originally posted by Pekay
With your finger on the pulse, tell us who it is!!!

I can only give you the initials and they are a well known brand of petrol!

[RPM]

Originally posted by The Spoiler
I can only give you the initials and they are a well known brand of petrol!

Thank F@@K for that, as you might be able to tell i am not a big fan of his. To continue with the thread thou SWS may be Folding as well in that case.

[BeeEmmAre]

Originally posted by DLH
I'll go through it again for about the tenth time.

St.Clair sprang up from a junior club about five years ago. At the time they said that they just wanted a club "so the fathers can have a bit of a kick". Despite the fact that there was a senior club about ten minutes up the road that was going through the perennial struggle of trying to get two teams on the paddock and finishing at the foot of the ladder year after year that could have done with all the senior players it could muster, Craig Davis in his wisdom gave it his blessing.

A couple of years ago, St.Clair approached Penrith as they had no administrative support and were going to fold without assistance. In the spirit of co-operation Penrith entered into an agreement to administer the club, with the Crows maintaining their name and jumper in Div 2. For reasons still unbeknown to us, after a year they reverted back to operating under their own structure.

Penrith continued, and still continues, to struggle for every type of resource, including players, support staff and sponsors, whilst a another senior club set up in an ad hoc manner little more than a well struck torp away sucks these resources out of an area that just does not have them.

The initial reason that the St.Clair senior club was set up is no longer relevant. My understanding is that this season only three players had children playing junior footy for St.Clair. Meanwhile, Penrith played most of the second half of 2006 with 14-15 reserve grade players, the numbers being made up by senior guys and U/18's. The Rams are quite proud of the fact that they have never forfeited a game of footy despite their difficulties, and will make every effort never to do so.

The League finally have shown some sense in making the decision they have. If these guys don't want to come to Penrith and would prefer to travel greater distances to play for other clubs, that is their prerogative, although they are more than welcome to play with us. The main thing is that in time the limited natural football resources that do exist in the outer west can flow through unimpeded to a club that has been in existence for more than 25 years and would as likely as not folded without this step being taken.

I feel for Penrith and its struggles for sure, but would it be this attitude that had St Clair players not wanting to play for you or to allow the league to go down the deregistration path rather than accept the decree that they merge with you?

[humphrey bear]

I agree with BeeEmAre.

DLH 's post, attitude and sense of entitlement and self interest is the reason why footy in Sydney and particularly the Western areas have stagnated or gone backwardsa for 30 years.

Blame every one else for your club not being able to field a full reserves team.

[The Spoiler]

Originally posted by humphrey bear
I agree with BeeEmAre.

DLH 's post, attitude and sense of entitlement and self interest is the reason why footy in Sydney and particularly the Western areas have stagnated or gone backwardsa for 30 years.

Blame every one else for your club not being able to field a full reserves team.

So Humphrey, how would you improve Sydney football? I don't think you can include the removal of that favourite team of yours!!

[humphrey bear]

Why would I want to get rid of Baulkham Hills?

Who would I laugh at then?

[DLH]

Originally posted by humphrey bear
I agree with BeeEmAre.

DLH 's post, attitude and sense of entitlement and self interest is the reason why footy in Sydney and particularly the Western areas have stagnated or gone backwardsa for 30 years.

Blame every one else for your club not being able to field a full reserves team.

Sense of entitlement? Really?

There are three clubs that exist in greater western Sydney. Hawkesbury/Nor West Jets who for years have struggled to field two sides, to the point that through circumstances not of their own making they had to drop back into Division Two.

Parramatta, who were once a proud and successful SFL club forfeited a number of reserve grade games in Division One this season, and Penrith, who struggled to field two sides as they perenially do.

And in this environment people want another senior club, seemingly for the sake of being able to say that there is another senior club? Ludicrous.

We have no interest in merging with St.Clair. If they want to head en mass to Nor West or Parramatta or even a combination of the two, then brilliant, it will help these two clubs with a long and keen history to become stronger in numbers and depth.

As for blaming everyone else for our problems, what you need to understand is that just as Sydney as a microcosm of Australia struggles football wise, you can magnify that even further for outer western Sydney as a microcosm of Sydney as a whole.

In case you're unaware, Penrith is the largest junior Rugby League nursery in the world. It's about as staunch a League area (and hence anti AFL) as you could get. People who move from interstate or the bush through work or study, which let's face it makes up a large proportion of footy talent in Sydney, don't move to Penrith, they choose to live far closer to the city. The bottom line is it's very very difficult to attract playing stocks. If they're not there, they're not there!

Call it blaming everyone else if you like, the reality is that these are in built environmental factors that make every season a struggle.

Clearly though you wouldn't have a clue.

[Rafters]

If St Clair are re-badged as the Jets or Goannas third grade side does that effectively make a mockery of the decision to de-register them?

Have a look at park cricket ... many guys play 15th or Z grade that could play to a higher level but enjoy playing a season with their mates.

Should be encouraging people to play footy ... not find reasons why they should not play.

Sydney AFL at times is akin to Soccer Australia isn't it??