M
mezza
Guest
We (Western Force members) all received an email open letter yesterday from Greg Harris (CEO RugbyWA). I am guessing it is pretty much a standard public relations type activity but I thought I would copy and past some aspects of it since clearly none of you here on TYS are Force members, or even have much of an interest in them so I thought I would take on the role of the Force's PR person while on here.
It is interesting to note several things: that we have the largest membership base in Aus; that we do still have sponsors even though there seems to have been plenty of speculation about that not being true; and the stadium issue is being discussed from the Members Equity stadium perspective rather than a new stadium. (the stadium is more of a problem for AFL and while it has been on the boards for some time I think the current economic crisis will see it shelved indefinitely).
Dear valued Emirates Western Force members,
?The sea of blue? is renowned across the competition as being the most vocal and enthusiastic crowd in the Investec Super 14 and we are honoured to boast the largest membership base of any rugby team in the country.
I wanted to ??.update you on a number of matters currently being addressed at RugbyWA.
You will be aware that there have been speculative reports in the news about player unrest at our club.
The organisation has recently completed an annual review ??
You would be aware of reports recently about one of our major sponsors, Firepower, failing to honour sponsorship commitments with RugbyWA and third party arrangements with a handful of Emirates Western Force players.
RugbyWA is doing everything possible to assist players who were affected by the Firepower fallout to secure alternative arrangements with respect to third party sponsorships. We are delighted to have Volvo on board and also ET Mining Hire & Sales. Our naming rights sponsor Emirates has renewed until the end of 2011, the club is now in a strong position ?off the field?.
Much of our off-season has been spent solidifying our roster for the 2009 season, with a focus on retaining the young talent we have at the club. Two of our brightest young talents, David Pocock and James O?Connor, extended their contracts with the Emirates Western Force this year
The debut of Richard Brown in the Tri Nations decider, followed by the introduction of these two youngsters, has only enhanced the reputation of the Emirates Western Force as a breeding ground for future Wallabies.
Coupled with the retention of key senior players over the past 12 months, including Scott Staniforth, Nathan Sharpe, Ryan Cross and Cameron Shepherd, the future certainly is bright.
We have also bolstered our playing list for 2009 with the addition of four-Test scrumhalf Josh Valentine, who we believe will compliment our style of play and become an influential member of the team.
Another major event on the horizon for RugbyWA is the relocation of our team and administration from our current facilities at Perry Lakes. Following 12 months of planning for a move to a site in Mount Claremont, we learned recently that an issue with soil contamination will prevent the state government from building a purpose-built facility at the proposed site. .... and we are confident of securing a new site to build new facilities and complete our relocation by mid to late 2010. We are continuing to lobby the government on this issue and the RugbyWA Board has confirmed its support for an upgrade to Members Equity Stadium to increase its seating capacity to 25,000 with 2,000 seats for corporate supporters.color]
It is interesting to note several things: that we have the largest membership base in Aus; that we do still have sponsors even though there seems to have been plenty of speculation about that not being true; and the stadium issue is being discussed from the Members Equity stadium perspective rather than a new stadium. (the stadium is more of a problem for AFL and while it has been on the boards for some time I think the current economic crisis will see it shelved indefinitely).
Dear valued Emirates Western Force members,
?The sea of blue? is renowned across the competition as being the most vocal and enthusiastic crowd in the Investec Super 14 and we are honoured to boast the largest membership base of any rugby team in the country.
I wanted to ??.update you on a number of matters currently being addressed at RugbyWA.
You will be aware that there have been speculative reports in the news about player unrest at our club.
The organisation has recently completed an annual review ??
You would be aware of reports recently about one of our major sponsors, Firepower, failing to honour sponsorship commitments with RugbyWA and third party arrangements with a handful of Emirates Western Force players.
RugbyWA is doing everything possible to assist players who were affected by the Firepower fallout to secure alternative arrangements with respect to third party sponsorships. We are delighted to have Volvo on board and also ET Mining Hire & Sales. Our naming rights sponsor Emirates has renewed until the end of 2011, the club is now in a strong position ?off the field?.
Much of our off-season has been spent solidifying our roster for the 2009 season, with a focus on retaining the young talent we have at the club. Two of our brightest young talents, David Pocock and James O?Connor, extended their contracts with the Emirates Western Force this year
The debut of Richard Brown in the Tri Nations decider, followed by the introduction of these two youngsters, has only enhanced the reputation of the Emirates Western Force as a breeding ground for future Wallabies.
Coupled with the retention of key senior players over the past 12 months, including Scott Staniforth, Nathan Sharpe, Ryan Cross and Cameron Shepherd, the future certainly is bright.
We have also bolstered our playing list for 2009 with the addition of four-Test scrumhalf Josh Valentine, who we believe will compliment our style of play and become an influential member of the team.
Another major event on the horizon for RugbyWA is the relocation of our team and administration from our current facilities at Perry Lakes. Following 12 months of planning for a move to a site in Mount Claremont, we learned recently that an issue with soil contamination will prevent the state government from building a purpose-built facility at the proposed site. .... and we are confident of securing a new site to build new facilities and complete our relocation by mid to late 2010. We are continuing to lobby the government on this issue and the RugbyWA Board has confirmed its support for an upgrade to Members Equity Stadium to increase its seating capacity to 25,000 with 2,000 seats for corporate supporters.color]
