Amidst all of the talk of Parramatta’s problems, the finger often gets pointed at the fact that, probably more so than any club in the NRL, we are a membership-based club.
At our Parramatta Eels, Parramatta Leagues Club members own the joint. They also genuinely decide who runs the place and they have shown they’re not afraid to make changes when they see the need. We have the second biggest membership base in Sydney. And I’m aware of research that shows that Parramatta has the largest ACTIVE supporter base in the entire NRL.
Now some like to argue that being a sporting club at the behest of its membership is a root cause of many of the problems that we have.
They blame the volatility of the election process, the fact that our supporters are die-hard and that their passion can spill over into angst (or a Stadium that gets burnt down) for putting undue pressure on the club. They will say that our rabid base of fans cause the media to go after us because they know we sell papers or generate click throughs. Having run this site for more than a decade, I’ve constantly copped the knock that this is a “hate site”; sadly a description even applied by club directors, past and present. Apparently, real fans don’t hurt when you lose and aren’t supposed to agitate for improvement.
And so we get the calls for privatisation or for the NRL to take control. And whenever I hear those calls, I shake my head, because as a member I never want to give up being able to have a say in my club. And I will fight tooth and nail to stop anyone taking away what I believe is core to the intrinsic magic of our club.
Because when you see something grow from that base, like the 1Eyed Eel Coterie, which in 24 hours grew from a seemingly fantastical suggestion to being something very real and special, it reminds you why our club is so special. It reminds you of the lengths that our supporters will go to get behind their club. It reminds you of the passion that I believe runs deeper than any other club in our code. And part of that is because we are a club-owned and run and dependent upon the support of our members for its sustainability.
That fact, in itself is not the problem. The problem is that our club has never been run in such a way to recognise this fact. And that we can’t just be run like other clubs. I’m sure those in charge, look at the way other clubs are run and get pangs of jealousy because of the stability around their administration or the fact that they’re members are powerless to effect change. It must look very comfortable.
The way to run this club is to own the fact that we are a member-run organisation. To embrace the passion for its good and it's challenges. And the way you run a member-based club is to treat those members as your equals and not as your customers. When they’re angry at you, you listen. When you screw up, you apologise. When you want to change things, you go to them for their feedback and approval. And in everything you do, you make it a priority to communicate your actions by embracing extreme openness and transparency. A membership-based club should aim, at all times, to be as inclusive as possible and it’s simply crazy not to tap the skills, experiences and ideas of members who are all too willing to volunteer that back to the club.
Unfortunately, that’s not happened and I only have to look at the fact that consecutive administrations have promised the world in terms of key membership issues like constitutional change only to let it slip by the wayside as presumably their own tenures have come to take precedence over fixing the democratic core of the club.
This is why the coterie has a purpose over and beyond the TPA we put together. I want the 1Eyed Eel coterie to be a beacon for showing what can be achieved when you tap into the incredible diversity, collective intelligence and energy of our fan base and membership. So if you’ve ever felt you wanted to give more to the club than just to be one its “customers”, please come and join our coterie and let us demonstrate why our club is so special and what we truly are capable of achieving. Together.
Replies
Nice piece Phil. Your awareness and vision for our club is monumental.
Phil can you elaborate on your comment of present directors labelling this site a hate site, i would be very interested to know.
YEAH let us know who the f#ckers are and we will kill the bastards.
No, I won't Snake. That's a private conversation and a comment I'll put down to being born out of frustration at the time and I don't want to make a big deal of it. My point in that regard is that when things get challenging you don't get frustrated with the angst of the people you represent or work for, you acknowledge it, listen and respond with empathy.
Pou, I'm obviously totally conflicted on that front because I championed the board that won the last two elections, so I'm obviously going to say they got it right. I wrote a blog after the election arguing it was a win for the educated member and for the Internet in doing its job of making sure people are going to the polls understanding the people and what the issues are.
I tell you what Phil, a few of these clowns need to be very very thankful to this site for their landslide victory, we didnt just promote them for a few weeks during the election like they did themselves, we championed the cause for years and years here, and if any of us get wind of any of them being disrespectful to this place they will need to start looking over their shoulders politically speaking.
While I do thank you for your supportive sentiments, Fong, can I ask that we focus on the positive elements of what we can achieve with the coterie. Maybe some of my frustrations eeked out into this blog, but really I'm in a spot right now where I'm more concerned with focusing on stuff I can control than worrying about things that none of us can do anything about at this point.
I'm with Pou on this. Unfortunately the only sustained period of success the Eels have had is when the 'voting members' didn't really have much choice in the matter and Fitzgerald was in charge and was 'voted' in again and again. Now I don't want DF back in any way shape or form, but it goes to show that clubs are more successful when the voting members don't have much say in the matter.
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