Aussie Community Rugby
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Eastwood rugby club here in Sydney are in a bit of a pickle.
To sum up: their sold their soul a while back because they ran up hideous debts in the traditional vein of couldn't-run-a-chook-raffle old boys who think they know better i.e. rugby people.
The facility they were in (TG Millner) was built on what was the edge of Suburban Sydney in the 60s, and since then the demographics in the area have changed; several rugby clubs in the area suffering a similar fate.
It was slated to be replaced by hi-rise apartments, but lo and behold that is getting pushback from the local council who - under protest from residents - want to keep the green space in a suburb where that is rapidly disappearing.
Just beore COVID hit, they had planned to move out our way and get a new facility built in Castle Hill (the former Pony Club). But yeah... COVID. Follow that with the local residents putting up an absolute stink about the land clearing required for the new facility in an already sports-heavy facility, the concerns over the third field being artificial pitch etc. etc.
Fast forward to this very morning, where I get an email from Eastwood's GM, addressed to my club and a stack of others in NW Sydney, talking about an alliance. This was tried last year and failed due to lack of organisation (duh), so will be interesting to see what happens.
If they 're without a ground, that is peak Premier Rugby
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damn, i feel i said exactly this earlier in the thread...it never gets easier does it
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@Kiwiwomble said in Aussie Community Rugby:
damn, i feel i said exactly this earlier in the thread...it never gets easier does it
I have limited sympathy for them. Their financial situation is entirely of their own making, as is the situation around their ground.
The true idiocy is that they're moving into an area - northwest Sydney - which is increasingly becoming high rise living catering to south-and east-Asian immigrants, who won't play rugby for a generation or maybe 2.
I sat down with Eastwood's GM last year and had a couple of starter plays e.g. their U20 colts playing U21 with us for a year, and it went nowhere. Partly because the head coach is a known fwit and the Colts coordinator isn't much better.
This was a club that won back-to-back First Grade (Shute Shield) Premierships a decade ago, and was a powerhouse club in the Sydney scene. Brett Papworth is one of their Directors and one of the guys screaming that club rugby should be prominent like when he was playing
yeah mate before you fucked off to league? -
@NTA its scary how that can happy to a club thats had success
i say that and then remind myself we're the current dewar shield prems and dont have facilities next to our ground or anything, council could screw us in a heartbeat if they wanted
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@Kiwiwomble said in Aussie Community Rugby:
@NTA its scary how that can happy to a club thats had success
i say that and then remind myself we're the current dewar shield prems and dont have facilities next to our ground or anything, council could screw us in a heartbeat if they wanted
Guess it shouldn’t be surprising that these sorts of problems are almost universal.
Clubs in this neck of the woods recently got savvy and started discussions with the City and school board to turn longstanding recurring short term leases into longer term leases with investment on all sides to upgrade facilities and expand usability.
So what had been fairly spartan, poorly maintained single use pitches will be converted into multisports grounds with better land use and community fitness facilities alongside rugby specific clubhouse etc.
While it took a lot of work to put it all together, it was interesting how eager the politicians were to help once they were engaged and had the potential spelled out to them. Doesn’t hurt that membership base of a Club is a fair chunk of votes.
What I don’t get is how the Union isn’t trying to replicate these sorts of successes in other chronically underclubbed areas of our province.
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just saw this posted, mad if true, a regional club team offering all that
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@Kiwiwomble said in Aussie Community Rugby:
just saw this posted, mad if true, a regional club team offering all that
Tumut Bulls are up against some fairly well funded opposition in the Riverina comp.
There would be a few handy sponsors in the area from agriculture or heavy industry - Snowy Hydro is just up the valley and provide a lot of business I'd say
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I've been involved in a comp started up by some local schools out this way - one guy in particular (son of a former State Premier) got half a dozen of them together and ran a comp for U14, U16, and Opens school players. Was a lot of fun and showed the potential, even if a lot of them are league kids.
Check the trophies out:
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thats awesome work @NTA
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I'm mostly peripheral to this
The guy driving it is from one of the Colleges involved and really open to helping the schools work with Junior clubs and clubs like ours to help keep people in the game.No surprise as he teaches at Redfield College, and played until recently for Redfield Old Boys, with whom Renegades enjoiy a fierce local rivalry...
