We’ve been busy of late bringing the Sydney Rovers F.C. to life. But we promised to check in with you from time to time to keep you up to speed with our progress, so here’s the latest installment.
We’ve spent our first 100 days or so putting the corporate and financial structure for the club together, finalizing our vision for the club and completing our business plan, including management and football structure.
We’ve also been working with Reebok to bring our strip to life.
Most recently, we issued an EOI Document (Expressions of Interest) to a number of Sydney Councils and potential stadium vendors so we can establish where our home base should ultimately be.
We’ve had a great response and our target is to have a more definitive idea on the options for a base for our headquarters, training, facilities, academy and our home stadium by early to mid-March.
As you can imagine, it’s a big decision and one that has many great options. We’ll keep you posted as we work towards making our final decision.
Among all that, we’ve spoken with some prominent current and former football people to survey what’s needed for the Club to succeed.
To further that progress, in February and March we will be out in the community meeting with local associations, State League Clubs and the NSW Federation. We’ll be sharing our vision and taking a lot of time to listen to all the important football community stakeholders.
We need everyones support and we’ll be out to get it.
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January 30th 2010 @ 1:09pm
Con Stamocostas said | January 30th 2010 @ 1:09pm | Report comment
Ian,
Yesterday I was helping my brother and his wife move house. A carpet steam cleaning company arrived. On the van was a Sydney FC sticker. My bro’s wife asked if he was an FC supporter. He said no, and that his son was an FC supporter and he stuck it on the van.
He said that we was an Apia supporter and that because of the way they had been treated he refused to follow Sydney FC because of Frank Lowy and all that old Soccer vs new football stuff.
The parents have the shits with the new football regime because of what the perception of old Soccer vs new Football did to the old NSL cubs . The wife said that Lowy doesn’t own Sydney FC anymore. The father said: “it doesn’t matter maybe when the new team comes”
This attitude is not uncommon for football fans all over Australia particularly in NSW and Victoria.
The kids now support Sydney FC but the parents don’t. The parents still watch on Foxtel but no way will they go to games. Sydney FC didn’t engage with this community at the beginning and relied on new fans and the wow factor of Dwight Yorke and bling.
You have an opportunity to get these disgruntled fans and with the kids being fc supporters and the parents being potentially Rovers supporters you already have a healthy rivalry happening.
But It’ not just words like engage or community that will get them to come. It’s free passes for the kids and volunteers that are on the football pitches every weekend it’s going into schools and talking to the kids and teachers.
That’s it. You can send my
January 30th 2010 @ 1:18pm
hazza said | January 30th 2010 @ 1:18pm | Report comment
Thats great news. News on the Melbourne Heart coming your way next week . Once the Aussie open is out of the way. Can someone please tell me why Reebok is still the kit sponsor? I thought the 5 year deal was finishing at the end of the season.
January 30th 2010 @ 1:30pm
rugbyfuture said | January 30th 2010 @ 1:30pm | Report comment
still….don’t like the sydney thing, should be parramatta, cumberland or western sydney
January 30th 2010 @ 2:13pm
Footbal Person said | January 30th 2010 @ 2:13pm | Report comment
it is western sydney…………… its just not called that. The reasons for this have already been spoken on this site.
January 30th 2010 @ 9:07pm
jimbo said | January 30th 2010 @ 9:07pm | Report comment
Thanks Ian,
excellent news and I’m glad you are engaging with the community and taking time to research the whole thing.
I know you are doing a great job as Chairman and CEO, Asia Pacific. at Saatchi & Saatchi and expect you to do a similarly fine job with the Rovers.
I’m a Sydney FC fan but live half way between Sydney and Parramatta Stadiums, so I’ll be going along to a few Rovers games as well, especially the Sydney Derbies. You never know I might even buy two memberships next year.
Keep up the fantastic work and thank you very much for investing your time, energy and money in the A-League.
Cheers
January 30th 2010 @ 9:09pm
Mr said | January 30th 2010 @ 9:09pm | Report comment
Don’t touch ANZ if you want a crowd, argumentum ad verecundiam
February 1st 2010 @ 8:43am
Simmo said | February 1st 2010 @ 8:43am | Report comment
The NRL clubs that have moved there (Souths and Canterbury) have not only improved their crowd averages but have improved their bottom line because of the sweet deals offered by Stade D’Oz management.
February 1st 2010 @ 9:51am
Mr said | February 1st 2010 @ 9:51am | Report comment
I stopped going to the Bulldogs when we switched to Homebush, even though it was closer than Belmore. Better to watch a home match on TV than in an empty stadium.
February 1st 2010 @ 10:35am
Simmo said | February 1st 2010 @ 10:35am | Report comment
well they’re now averaging 22k at Homebush. That’s better than the other grounds they’ve played at and it’s money in the bank.
http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/crowds/canterbury.html
They can’t satisfy everyone by playing there but they are doing a lot better than they have been.
February 1st 2010 @ 10:45am
Jay said | February 1st 2010 @ 10:45am | Report comment
I can only imagine that figure will increase soon.
Bulldogs are committed to playing out of ANZ and increasing their crowds through membership rather than go to surburban grounds.
They have made some great moves recently and Im liking their new logo.. great stuff.
February 1st 2010 @ 11:01am
Dogz R Barkn said | February 1st 2010 @ 11:01am | Report comment
It’s all about a vision for the future.
Look at what Hawthorn has been able to achieve since they left their pissant ground some 20 yuears ago.
They’ve now got 52,000+ members, and Kennet is talking about a future when they might ahve something like 75,000 members.
They are the sorts of numbers we should be looking at as well 10 to 15 years down the track.
April 24th 2010 @ 10:27am
Manfred Schaeffer said | April 24th 2010 @ 10:27am | Report comment
MR is not a Bulldogs fan .. if he was he’d support the club’s initiatives.
Plenty of atmosphere at Bulldogs games … shame you are missing it MR … another ANZ basher is all you are
(probably got evicted from the CLASSY members’ area for wearing thongs – which are OK at Belmore)
January 31st 2010 @ 2:14pm
kman said | January 31st 2010 @ 2:14pm | Report comment
Please Ian, DO NOT PLAY AT ANZ STADIUM!!!!!!! i dont care how much money u will save, donty do it! it is far to big a stadium, and their would hardly be an atmosphere. Also, ANZ Stadium is only 20 mins from the SFS! the rovers should play at CUA stadium, to tap into the ethnic football supporters. As much as the FFA want to deny it, the league needs the ethnic supporters back. A lot of the NSL supporters have stuck with their clubs e.g. Marconi, and hopefully playing in West sydney and being a community club will get them to A-league matches
January 31st 2010 @ 2:30pm
Bay35Pablo said | January 31st 2010 @ 2:30pm | Report comment
Agreed stay away from Olympic Stadium. Far better to look at Parra Stadium, or even the Showground at Homebush.
Even Campbelltown or Penrith for some games.
January 31st 2010 @ 2:45pm
ItsCalledFootball said | January 31st 2010 @ 2:45pm | Report comment
Yeah even Homebush Showground – 21K, next to the Olympic Stadium for transport etc and 10K parking spaces.
January 31st 2010 @ 4:13pm
Dogs Of War said | January 31st 2010 @ 4:13pm | Report comment
Olympic Stadium >>>>>>> Homebush Showground.
Watched too many Bulldogs games at that crap venue.
February 1st 2010 @ 8:16am
Jay said | February 1st 2010 @ 8:16am | Report comment
ANZ stadium 20 mins away from SFS? You sure mate?
Maybe driving at 2am Sunday morning… but getting from SFS to ANZ requires a bus to central, train to lidcombe, change trains to olympic park…. and thats probably the quickets way and definatley not 20 mins… even 40mins is being generous!
February 3rd 2010 @ 8:44pm
kman said | February 3rd 2010 @ 8:44pm | Report comment
might have over exagerated a bit with the timing but u get my point
January 31st 2010 @ 2:39pm
ItsCalledFootball said | January 31st 2010 @ 2:39pm | Report comment
I guess the home ground options out west Sydney way are:
ANZ Stadium – 85K
Belmore Sports Ground – 25K
Campbelltown Stadium – 21K
Concord Oval – 20K
CUA Penrith – 21K
Edensor Park – 15K
Lidcombe Oval – 20K
Leichardt Oval – 20K
Marconi Stadium – 15K
Parramatta Stadium – 20K
The really engage the community you should really choose a stadium deep in the heart of the west and avoid ANZ except for any major games that would get more than 30K or so.
Most of these stadiums are only used in the winter for league or rugby, so they should come cheaply enough for the A-League season.
February 1st 2010 @ 8:19am
Jay said | February 1st 2010 @ 8:19am | Report comment
They should play at Parra. Easy to access, close to resturants, football ethnic heartland.. etc.
Also Parra Power had some sort of success there. just seems to work. People from the west would prefer going to parra than anywhere else (homebush included)
February 1st 2010 @ 8:45am
Simmo said | February 1st 2010 @ 8:45am | Report comment
“Parra Power had some sort of success there”? I don’t recall PP ever topping 10k for a single match. That club was no kind of success.
February 1st 2010 @ 8:54am
Jay said | February 1st 2010 @ 8:54am | Report comment
More of a reference to onfield success.. they won the last NSL title, but lost a truckload in cash and probably not the best decision made by dennis fitzgerald.
February 1st 2010 @ 9:43am
Simmo said | February 1st 2010 @ 9:43am | Report comment
Fair enough. I think the best options are Parramatta and Homebush. The final decision will be about how much ground hire costs.
February 1st 2010 @ 8:49am
Simmo said | February 1st 2010 @ 8:49am | Report comment
ANZ Stadium – 85K – okay
Belmore Sports Ground – 25K – now derelict
Campbelltown Stadium – 21K – too remote from the rest of the city
Concord Oval – 20K – now derelict
CUA Penrith – 21K – too remote from the rest of the city
Edensor Park – 15K – true capacity is less than 10k, no corporate facilities, difficult to generate $$
Lidcombe Oval – 20K – derelict
Leichardt Oval – 20K – too close to the SFS, not close enough to the Heartland (TM: SFCU)
Marconi Stadium – 15K – true capacity is less than 10k, no corporate facilities, difficult to generate $$
Parramatta Stadium – 20K – probably the only other realistic option with Homebush
April 24th 2010 @ 10:24am
Manfred Schaeffer said | April 24th 2010 @ 10:24am | Report comment
Parramatta
old
no transport
no parking
antiquated corporate facilities
there are only two stadis fit to do this west of Strathfield … ANZ and CUA, and the latter is too far away
February 1st 2010 @ 11:18am
Fisher Price said | February 1st 2010 @ 11:18am | Report comment
Leichhardt – west Sydney?
February 1st 2010 @ 3:39pm
DaMan3000 said | February 1st 2010 @ 3:39pm | Report comment
“Wests” Tigers HQ in Rozelle?
February 1st 2010 @ 3:53pm
Jay said | February 1st 2010 @ 3:53pm | Report comment
its a joint venture mofo.. wests magpies home ground in campbelltown.. BALMAIN tigers are inner west.
February 1st 2010 @ 4:18pm
DaMan3000 said | February 1st 2010 @ 4:18pm | Report comment
MOFO??? calm down. H/O is in Concord. Not exactly Campbelltown (Where they have played homegames for the last 20/100 years). Magpies played in Ashfield/ Leichardt for 70 years before that.
February 1st 2010 @ 10:59am
True Tah said | February 1st 2010 @ 10:59am | Report comment
Ian
are there any moves to work with the Parramatta Eels, Wests Tigers, Penrith Panthers or Bulldogs in terms of tapping into these fanbases? Last year the Dogs v Eels semi final drew 75,000.
February 2nd 2010 @ 7:11am
albe said | February 2nd 2010 @ 7:11am | Report comment
hahaha yeah parramatta power style… u rugby fans don’t matter to our club… amazing how people round here always veer a football discussion to NRL or AFL…
February 1st 2010 @ 11:56am
ItsCalledFootball said | February 1st 2010 @ 11:56am | Report comment
Is there a difference between “not being used” and “derelict” maybe councils would give them a lick of paint and they would be dirt cheap – but the facilities have to be good for the fans.
February 1st 2010 @ 2:36pm
Simmo said | February 1st 2010 @ 2:36pm | Report comment
Lidcombe is just a suburban oval with a very old grandstand. It’s not a stadium in any meaningful sense.
Belmore and Concord would each need several months and several million dollars worth of re-fits to be brought up to scratch for professional football. Not quite “derelict” yet but definitely not fit for purpose either. They’re okay as long as you’re not expecting a crowd to turn up.