So tell us more about this Greater Western Club

[Northern_Swan]

Pekay and others,
You have been talking about the advent of the Greater Western Power club and we know there is an 18's side, but I am curious is it a joint venture between yourselves & Penrith at an Under 18 level or are the club's merging as a whole?

[benny_w]

The Greater Western Power is a whole new entity. No link to the three senior clubs in the district. We are starting Under 18's next year (2005) but are looking to the future of maybe a premier league team in the next 2-3 years

Benny_w
Match Day Co-Ordinator
Greater Western Power Football Club

PS: How did you know about us?

[Northern_Swan]

Just from reading snippets in other threads. I was a little confused as to wether it was a merger or new entity.
It would have been most dissppointing if clubs had merged to form the new entity (from a participation viewpoint).
What impact do you think it will have on the other clubs in the area (both premier & 1st division) & where are the players coming from? (local juniors, new to area players etc)

[DLH]

Originally posted by Northern_Swan
Just from reading snippets in other threads. I was a little confused as to wether it was a merger or new entity.
It would have been most dissppointing if clubs had merged to form the new entity (from a participation viewpoint).
What impact do you think it will have on the other clubs in the area (both premier & 1st division) & where are the players coming from? (local juniors, new to area players etc)

Just a couple of points to make on this. Firstly, it is great that there is a concerted effort being made at the U/18 level. Unfortunately, despite the perceived growth in our game in Western Sydney, we have gone from having two sides representing each of Penrith and Hawkesbury/Jets to not being able to field a composite side between us last season. So first of all kudos to those that have made the effort to get something happening. To answer your question, to my knowledge a fair proportion of the players are coming from the GWFA U/16 competition from this year, plus a number of guys who played seniors this season for Penrith who are still eligible.

The concern I have is that it is yet another separate entity in a region that clearly is desperately lacking in resources at all levels (ie: playing, administration, coaching, support, sponsors). You only need to look at the facts and listen to the anecdotal evidence. Since the competition was restructured in '93, Penrith have made the finals just twice and the Jets are yet to do so, our Reserves sides have been uncompetitve for most of this period, yet the last 3 years has seen the advent of two new senior entities in St.Clair (Division 2) and now Greater Western Power (U/18's).

Add to this the Greater Western Football Association Junior competition which has been up and running for 5-6 years and it becomes obvious that the already miniscule level of resources are being stretched way beyond what is feasible.

Until a major rationalisation of resources occurs, football in this massively growing area population wise will continue to be third and fourth best. Basically this means that the five seperate "islands" that exist now (ie: Penrith , Nor West, St.Clair, GWFA and GW Power) must come together in some form in the best possible structure to help ensure the game's future success.

I know there was a meeting recently involving all of the aforementioned interests, initiated by the Commission on the need for a plan to move forward. Unfortunately, from what I can gather it degenerated into the usual tribal stuff that tends to get in the way of a broader issue such as this. Hopefully common sense will prevail before it's too late. I know it sounds melodramatic, but those who are trying to operate under the current structure know it's reality.