Last week, Wagga Wagga residents and the Canberra Raiders were fuming when they learnt that the Wagga City Council will grant the Greater Western Sydney Giants $300,000 over three years.
In return, GWS will play pre-season games in the region, along with community camps and other projects.
Robertson Oval will be used as one of the locations for GWS Giants’ academy centre.
Many in the Wagga community argue that this could have all been done for free and that the AFL should be putting something back into the community.
Readers of Wagga’s Daily Advertiser weren’t happy.
“Joke! The AFL is the richest sport in Australia. Last TV rights deal was for $1.2 billion, plus huge amount of sponsorship money,” Michael wrote.
“Terrible use of our rate-payer money. With so many other great causes desperately crying out for funds I am deeply offended by this council decision and the AFL’s arrogance. The AFL should be giving back to the Riverina, not expecting rate-payer handouts to do so. Arrogant of the AFL and will turn me off attending any games,” greedwins cried.
“How about the AFL spend some of their vast riches on the local community rather than taking money or do they not care enough for that?” Emma suggested.
“Why do I as a rate payer have to pay for a rich sports expansion and promotion?” Jodie complained.
“The AFL has no conscience,” Damo lamented.
“The AFL are so up themselves that it is not funny. No respect for anyone or any other sport,” balletwithaball added.
A few in the minority, however, appreciated the council’s help to GWS.
“Honestly, would anyone pay for NRL? The empty stadiums in its Sydney ‘heartland’ show how popular it is,” Tom G noted.
“300k is nothing over three years, the insecurity is all yours, RL fans are just whingers it seems,” Lars added.
In a poll conducted by the Daily Advertiser, only 29% of people were in favour of the council giving the grant to GWS, while 71% disagreed with it.
The Canberra Raiders have also greeted the news with disdain.
Raiders boss Don Furner is keen to find out why this agreement has taken place.
”We’ve not put our hand out, and to be brutally honest it highlights how mercenary the AFL is, they’re very aggressive.”
For three decades, the Raiders have been playing pre-season games and nurturing the young talent coming through from the Riverina with no financial reward.
The region has produced current players like Glen Buttris and Josh McCrone and past greats like Laurie Daley, Luke Davico and Brett Mullins.
If anything, the Raiders can claim they bring something back to the community.
”If we take a kid from the Riverina and bring him into our system, we have to pay a $5000 development fee and that money goes straight back into country rugby league,” Furner said.
”The reasons why clubs like us and the Bulldogs take games out to the country is that it gives that regions a chance to make some money,” he continued.
The Raiders played the Bulldogs in a pre-season trial in February, which helped raised over $40,000.
The money has been used to improve facilities at Wagga’s multi-sport complex Equex Centre.
It’s not the first time Furner has taken a swipe at the AFL and GWS. Earlier in the year, Furner labelled GWS a joke after GWS signed a $26 million deal to play four games a season in Canberra over the next ten years.
Meanwhile, Canberra’s two full-time teams – the Canberra Raiders and the A.C.T Brumbies – are playing out of an ageing Canberra stadium, which is in need of upgraded facilities.
Meanwhile, NRL CEO David Gallop was perplexed by this situation.
“It is certainly an unusual step for a council to invest in a Sydney AFL club that already boasts publicly about its financial backing.”
Of course it’s not the first time GWS has caused a political storm over funding.
In November 2009, then-NSW premier Nathan Rees said it would be “a waste of money” to invest in an AFL stadium at the Sydney Showgrounds in Homebush.
A month later he was deposed as leader of the NSW ALP and was replaced by Kristina Keneally.
In June 2010, the NSW governement – headed by the new premier – agreed to help fund the Sydney Showgrounds. This would later become Skoda Stadium.
The AFL has by far the best sports-run administration in Australia. But according to majority of the readers from The Daily Advertiser, the AFL and GWS come across as greedy and arrogant.
The AFL is in its early stages of a five-year $1.25 billion television deal.
It also has sponsorship, along with record club memberships.
The AFL is swimming in cash. Does it need more from a rural council?
The NRL, on the other hand, might take the moral high ground by not asking or getting any grants from Wagga City Council.
But again, it demonstrates how the AFL is very strong in negotiations with politicians of all levels, whether it be federal, state or council (local) level.
The NRL struggles to get funds to help upgrade grounds like Brookvale Oval, while the AFL manages to get money from a Wagga rural council of all places.
The NRL has to become proactive, not reactive, and should stop blaming others for their shortfall.
As for GWS Giants, the team at the centre of this controversy, who do they stand for?
Who do they represent?
Are they from West Sydney, Canberra, or Wagga?
The Giants have a base at Blacktown.
They play their home matches at Homebush (Skoda and ANZ Stadiums) and Manuka Oval in Canberra.
They get good financial deals from playing matches in Canberra and now they have this deal with the Wagga City Council.
If GWS play home matches in Canberra, why don’t they incorporate the Canberra name in GWS?
I believe they should do that, other wise it does look like GWS is using the money from Canberra for their own interests.
However, the best option for the Giants is to play all of their home matches at Skoda Stadium, full time.
Otherwise former premier Rees would have a point in saying that Skoda stadium was “a waste of money”.
Finally, and more importantly, if the GWS Giants want to gain respect from Wagga residents and West Sydney fans alike, the simple honourable thing they should do is decline the $300,000 grant from Wagga City Council.
They should do all the pre-season matches and community camps for free.
If they do that, they might win praise from the readers of The Daily Advertiser.
The real lesson to come out of this is the major sporting codes, such as AFL, NRL, ARU, FFA, and Cricket Australia, should always listen to the community.
Otherwise the politicians won’t be the only ones that pay the price.
Lazy Ted Failyou
Guest
Wagga was ALWAYS an AFL town, RL get your own patch like Bathurst and Orange. Draw a line to the coast from Wagga, that is the Barrasi line.
The High Shot
Roar Pro
You are obviously a thugby code warrior and because you're a woman you obviously hate league. Oh wait I think I am getting my code war mantras mixed up.
The High Shot
Roar Pro
So much irony, so little point in pointing it out to a zealot. Good luck with your crusade.
Gloria.Swansborough
Guest
As a ratepayer of Wagga I am concerned that the Wagga City Council sees fit to give away $300,000 to an out of town football club. . Imagine what $100,000 a year could do if spent in the city. Have we so little that needs doing in the city that we can afford to give away much needed money? The council should have know that the majority of the ratepayers would not be happy with this decision.
Brewski
Roar Rookie
It seems every one looking for flaws will find them, the constant crticism of the AFL and the Giants in Sydney will only strengthen their resolve, of that you can be sure. RL fans seem particuarly critical, maybe if they put as much energy into RL, as they do into negative jibes at the AFL then both sports would be better off.
Danny
Guest
@ The Cattery - its running out on Blacktown & the west. This is the promise GWS & AFL made when they announced this team. That it was western Sydney's team embracing the community. Toss up all the excuses you want but basing the team at Homebush & Canberra will be seen for what it is by the people of the west. It looks like the AFL decided it had better choices so it left Blacktown and the west after just a year. GWS only got 11000 last night and from what I see on AFL talk very few headed home westward on the train. Essendon brought travelling barrackers too. Let's see how Adelaide and the WA teams draw at Homebush.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Blacktown is used by cricket in Summer, it was always intended as a shared sports facility - why do people have trouble understanding this? The Giants need an all- year training base, thus the announcement. The Giants Academy will still be based at Blacktown, sounds like a good compromise. West Sydney is a large place, it's natural that this will mean two or three different locations used by the Giants across the full range of operations.
Danny
Guest
@ Brewski - in 2012 the AFL pre season not all games were televised and none were shown all around the country.
Danny
Guest
Lesson for Wagga in seeing AFL & Giants now step up their inevitable post milking exit from Blacktown and Sydney's greater west. http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/giants-search-for-excellence-in-a-home-closer-to-the-city-20120526-1zc16.html The Giants will not abandon Blacktown altogether. The club and Blacktown City Council are discussing keeping links, including playing NAB Cup matches at Blacktown International Sportspark and maintaining the club's Academy there. But after that runs out in a year or so? What then? Nothing in Blacktown or greater west at all? Just a quiet fade out from the west? Ladies & gentlemen please welcome the Auburn-Homebush-ACT Giants.
Brewski
Roar Rookie
The big difference is that Nerrandera was getting all the AFL games, and they actually televise the AFL pre-season games around the country, i am not aware that the NRL does that, that is why Wagga wanted them.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
A city that suffered recent flooding ,has a council suddenly finding $300,000 to spend on a team domiciled in Sydney,or is it the Blue Mountains,or the ACT.One never knows where they put up their tent. The same team that secured $45m for a new stadium,and $10m for a training ground in sydney,plus money from the ACT govt.. OK accept that,as other code gets new stadiums courtesy of govts.. The Raiders have been doing their bit over the many years in that area,and have not asked for a bean from Wagga council. If it is good enough for the AFL to secure funding in a city ,where loyalties are reasonably evenly divided,then it is good enough for the NRL(courtsey of D Gallop)and where his code has also done his bit there,to ask for similar funding.Any CEO of a sporting organisation,worth his salt ,should do likewise.Its called balance or fairness else arrogance is the winner.. Other codes there have their noses out of joint,not just rl and I suggest a fair slice of ratepayers. Stabpass,And AFL clubs don;t have poker machines in that area and surroundsplease!!!! The raiders have been there since the early 80s,they can arrange their fixtures whenever they want They are like the Brumbies the local team,playing all their home matches there.They are not the greater Sth Western Raiders. Lauboy if the Anzac Bridge at Glebe is apparently part of Greater Western Sydney,then geography takes on a new meaning.Manly must be part of the Blue mountains.
lauboy
Guest
Can anyone explain to me how Wagga Wagga fits into the Greater Western Sydney (GWS) team catchment?
TomC
Roar Guru
One of the dumbest posts I've ever read on this forum. So many reasons why this is dumb. 'Self-pawnage' gawd help us...
stabpass
Guest
Not only that, but in this article below Furner claims that the Raiders money is all spent locally, whilst in reality their $33 million property portfolio is all property bought outside of the ACT, with money made in it, primarily from their 7 licensed premises which have 840 poker machines. http://www.smh.com.au/sport/battle-of-the-codes-20120313-1uyu6.html Not only that, but the 3 Giants Canberra games, will co-incide with 3 Raiders home games, although the AFL released their fixture well in advance of the NRL's, thus limiting people whom may want to see both.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
1. It's a sponsorship deal - similar to the Hawks in Tassie. GWS advertises the Canberra name on their jumper when they play games in Canberra. 2. Part of the deal is that GWS establishes an Academy in Canberra, funded jointly by GWS and the ACT Govt, an ultra-cheap version of the AIS if you like. With the Raiders, with its owners earning a fortune from pokies revenue - you'd reckon the Raiders could at least pay market rents on Bruce stadium - at least!!
jamesb
Guest
So Cat "The Raiders have been accepting $2 milllion of ACT govt money every year, year on year, for decades." Which makes it $20 million over a 10 year period for a full time team in the Raiders, yet GWS gets $26 million over the same period, and they don't represent Canberra!
clipper
Guest
Yes, sorry The Wookie, I worded that incorrectly in trying to get the point across that it isn't privately owned.
Rossi
Guest
Yes, because the afl's business acumen and nous is much worse than the nrls... FFS how tragic that gallop goes limping in 2 some small local council 2 harass them? 4 googness' sake, the nrl (& nrl media) need 2 get the chip off their shoulder. Small man syndrome.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
jamesb $300k is chicken feed, and at least GWS are offering something back to Wagga. The Raiders have been accepting $2 milllion of ACT govt money every year, year on year, for decades, why?? It's a straight out hand out to fund its operations. There's nothing else the ACT is receiving back for its money. Similarly the Federal government is funding the establishiment of a new sydney club in the A-Leauge - but what is the quid pro quo? Where's the money from these sports going into sporting infrastructure? I don't see it anywhere - no one apart from the AFL funds sporting infrastructure!
Rossi
Guest
Yep, I tried 2 watch 10 minutes & my wife got wind of it an turned it off. My mate, an nrl tragic moved 2 Melbourne 2 b with his missus who loves sport. She has fox specifically 2 watch north & he's allowed 2 watch epl, afl, NHL... Anything but thugby. I've lived in Sydney & Brisbane (5 yrs & 3yrs) & I know that, compared 2 the afl & Aussie rules, women aren't into it. Cantebury and the gold coast's team bonding exercises are only the beginning 2 attitudes 2 women in league. But hey, first hand evidence & observations aren't a study so... Accept that afl have the better image, government, tv & big business want to get on it & MOVE ON. Once you realise u r second fiddle (@ best) then u can find something better 2 do with ur time.