What's happening out West?

[red dragon]

A rumour doing the rounds is the once mighty and proud Campbelltown Blues will not be fielding a Premier Division or an u/19's side in 2015, just a Div 4 side.. Bit late to pull out at this stage!

[Footy Barista]

surely not?

[tara]

I wonder where the rumours come from.

I highly doubt the AFL would let this happen as they see Town as strategically important and have been doing everything they can to prop them up. Be interesting to see how they compete going forward based on trials. Blacktown beat Holroyd by 6 or 7 goals in a trial last week and then on the weekend just passed Holroyd beat town. Hate to think what the result would have been had Magic played them

Wont be surprised if this Sydney Uni win div 1 after two in a row at div 2.

[red dragon]

I wonder where the rumours come from.

I highly doubt the AFL would let this happen as they see Town as strategically important and have been doing everything they can to prop them up. Be interesting to see how they compete going forward based on trials. Blacktown beat Holroyd by 6 or 7 goals in a trial last week and then on the weekend just passed Holroyd beat town. Hate to think what the result would have been had Magic played them

Wont be surprised if this Sydney Uni win div 1 after two in a row at div 2.

I tend to agree Tara. But can Sydney Afl come up with 50 blokes to play footy in a month? Would be devastating for the area footy wise if they were to go under.

[Norris Lurker]

First I've heard of it. Would be sad for a club that had so much success in the past and representing an enormously fast-growing part of Sydney if that was to happen.

[water boy]

Must have some truth to it if nuttsey is keeping quiet.

[Pekay]

If I've learned a few things about running a football club, it's that if you don't have players to fill teams, nothing the league says will change that.

You can't force players to play footy, they do it for the love of the game. If Town need to drop out of Prems, so be it. It'd be pride stopping the league from allowing it.

Having said that, Prems to Div 4 would be drastic, maybe drop their Seniors to Div 1 or 2 and do away with Div 4. Hope it doesn't happen though. Wasn't long ago they couldn't stay in Sydney due to their dominance.

[Mug Punter]

If I've learned a few things about running a football club, it's that if you don't have players to fill teams, nothing the league says will change that.

You can't force players to play footy, they do it for the love of the game. If Town need to drop out of Prems, so be it. It'd be pride stopping the league from allowing it.

Having said that, Prems to Div 4 would be drastic, maybe drop their Seniors to Div 1 or 2 and do away with Div 4. Hope it doesn't happen though. Wasn't long ago they couldn't stay in Sydney due to their dominance.

If Campbelltown are to fold then that will be an absolute stain against the game in Sydney.

And I might say the management of the NSWAFL who have run effectively been running a team (the Magick) out of HQ funded by the NSWAFL when those precious resources could have been used to save an existing club.

Clubs can fight and fight and then disappear very very quickly. Look at Balmain (again, while the NSWAFL sat on their hands and let a=n ex NSWAFL employee destroy the club) and how that club almost folded. It is also much much harder for a club to be resurrected than propped up.

This also illustrates starkly the parlous state of the game in the west of Sydney - isn't the district that GWS were meant to be conquering. Well, maybe if they had concentrated on trying to help Campbelltown rather than an idiotic tie up with Manly (possibly the dumbest thing I have ever seen) then they might have at least ONE senior AFL club in their catchment area

Have a look at the teams from the West

Campbelltown - about to fold
Camden - progressive but still playing at a very weak level
Penrith - had a small surge but now wallowing
Hawkesbury - perennial battlers
Parramatta - no more than a solid Div 2 club, going better since that mob went off to Auburn
Liverpool - possibly the best run club in the region and on the up but still at Div 2
Blacktown - AFL Pet, built on very shaky foundation

And let's not forget the debacle of the Lebanese experiment in Auburn....

Not trying to denigrate these clubs (except maybe Blacktown and Auburn) as they are having a crack in a difficult market. But let's be honest, all the growth in the game has come at the inner city (i.e. Uni clubs) and North Shore clubs. And they are smack bang in the Swans sweet spot.

Is this all that AFL in western Sydney have to show for the tens and tens of millions of dollars thrown at that Franchise club playing out of Spotless?

A serious question for the likes of tara and others associated with "Western Sydney" clubs. What has GWS done for your club? And is there any enthusiasm for GWS amongst your players?

Cos if your players can't be bothered with them how can non AFL people care?

[tara]

MP GWS have done nothing for our club except try an woo our major sponsor. They have no idea who we are and have made absolutely no effort unless you count invitations to the chairmans lounge to drink free piss 2 days before games.

The completely lost our club with the manly venture

[Pekay]

We had our Gala Day for the junior club recently, at Richmond Oval. The Giants support was staggering. No players, but they sent out some games and G-Man's suit, which my brother had to wear.

I've gone right off them, they can fold tomorrow for all I care, they give nothing to the football community out here. The Swans do more.

[tara]

Also heard around the traps that ECE the cricket club and Baulko council are not impressed with the Giants either. The community game the other week was supposed to be played at Bruce Purcer and was pulled last minute. Cricket had relocated games to accomadate the game, the council had built a hill for the crowd and the junior and community clubs that ECE invite to help on the day missed out on revenue that would have helped immensely. One could say it was a giant disaster in terms or PR for those clubs involved out west.

[Pekay]

Also heard around the traps that ECE the cricket club and Baulko council are not impressed with the Giants either. The community game the other week was supposed to be played at Bruce Purcer and was pulled last minute. Cricket had relocated games to accomadate the game, the council had built a hill for the crowd and the junior and community clubs that ECE invite to help on the day missed out on revenue that would have helped immensely. One could say it was a giant disaster in terms or PR for those clubs involved out west.

Moved to Weldon?

[water boy]

If Campbelltown are to fold then that will be an absolute stain against the game in Sydney.

And I might say the management of the NSWAFL who have run effectively been running a team (the Magick) out of HQ funded by the NSWAFL when those precious resources could have been used to save an existing club.

Clubs can fight and fight and then disappear very very quickly. Look at Balmain (again, while the NSWAFL sat on their hands and let a=n ex NSWAFL employee destroy the club) and how that club almost folded. It is also much much harder for a club to be resurrected than propped up.

This also illustrates starkly the parlous state of the game in the west of Sydney - isn't the district that GWS were meant to be conquering. Well, maybe if they had concentrated on trying to help Campbelltown rather than an idiotic tie up with Manly (possibly the dumbest thing I have ever seen) then they might have at least ONE senior AFL club in their catchment area

Have a look at the teams from the West

Campbelltown - about to fold
Camden - progressive but still playing at a very weak level
Penrith - had a small surge but now wallowing
Hawkesbury - perennial battlers
Parramatta - no more than a solid Div 2 club, going better since that mob went off to Auburn
Liverpool - possibly the best run club in the region and on the up but still at Div 2
Blacktown - AFL Pet, built on very shaky foundation

And let's not forget the debacle of the Lebanese experiment in Auburn....

Not trying to denigrate these clubs (except maybe Blacktown and Auburn) as they are having a crack in a difficult market. But let's be honest, all the growth in the game has come at the inner city (i.e. Uni clubs) and North Shore clubs. And they are smack bang in the Swans sweet spot.

Is this all that AFL in western Sydney have to show for the tens and tens of millions of dollars thrown at that Franchise club playing out of Spotless?

A serious question for the likes of tara and others associated with "Western Sydney" clubs. What has GWS done for your club? And is there any enthusiasm for GWS amongst your players?

Cos if your players can't be bothered with them how can non AFL people care?

How long do sydney afl need to prop this poorly run club up for? Players don't want to play for them ,volunteers don't want to help them and sponsors don't want to sponsor them. I don't think GWS would of helped them either.

[tara]

No mate it was the game at Spotless the other night that was a nightmare for the 2 people who attended with all the detours in place around the stadium due to the easter show.

[Pekay]

Oh yeah, I saw that on TV. Looks like the player's own families didn't even bother to show up.