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The Wests Tigers have recently announced that the Wests Cambelltown Leagues Club, which has a 17% share in the Tigers, is withdrawing their ongoing financial support of the club.
While details are still yet to be confirmed, speculation has arisen that the Tigers may stop playing at Campbelltown stadium.
Given that the Tigers currently split games between Campbelltown, Leichhardt and Allianz, this poses a number of questions about where they will play the rest of their games.
Removing any home games from the rest undermines the notion of being a Western Sydney team, so perhaps its time to think outside the box and consider moving the Tigers all together.
While I am not suggesting that this something that the NRL should definitely do, there are a number of advantages.
Firstly, it reduces the number of teams in the overcrowded western Sydney market.
It allows struggling Penrith access to a greater share of the west. It would also help the Tigers consolidate their brand.
Finally, expansion into a new market without increasing teams allows for further expansion into new markets and does not drain the NRL’s resources.
The Tigers are also perfect candidates for relocation because they play home games all over Sydney and don’t have a designated ‘home’ and they are a strong, well liked brand that draws a lot of support from all over Sydney and beyond.
The only major disadvantage is that any such move would essentially put the final nail in the coffin of the Western Suburbs Magpies legacy and possibly alienate any remaining Magpies fans.
There are essentially two areas that would be best suited for a Tigers relocation.
1. The Central Coast
While it pains me to admit this, as a Bears supporter, the Tigers would make themselves right at home on the Coast. They get big crowds at their annual clash against Manly (despite them being Manly home games).
This also doesn’t alienate current Tigers fans too much, since the trip from Allianz Stadium to Bluetongue is hardly further than the trip from Allianz to Campbelltown.
Another reason that the Central Coast would be a prime location is the strength of the Entrance Tigers Leagues Club and its success.
2. Perth
Having a well established and well liked brand such as the Tigers in Perth may give the NRL a running start as opposed to a startup franchise such as the Pirates.
They wouldn’t even need to change their name from ‘Wests Tigers’.
Of course, the downsides to this idea are that this may alienate their solid Sydney supporter base.
There is also the possibility that locals may reject the Tigers on the perception of them being a ‘reject Sydney team.’ However improved on-field performances may assuage some of this fear.
This is certainly not a fool-proof idea.
However, I do believe that, despite the obvious drawbacks, there is some real merit in this idea worth exploring further with solid marketing research.
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