I believe it’s fair to say that the Eels have been at a crossroads. Stay loyal to their roots, or aim to become something altogether different. I believe differing opinions on those two fronts, is what led to today’s shock departure of Ken Edwards.
Ken Edwards never made a secret of his grand ambitions for the club. He wanted 40,000 members and he wasn’t afraid to say that to achieve that goal, we needed to make ANZ Stadium our future home. That was clearly the path that Ken wanted to take us down.
However, in my view, we never could have achieved that as the Parramatta Eels. I believe if we had travelled down that route, it would have made sense to merge with Wests Tigers and become the Western Sydney Eels or the Parramatta Tigers. Wests are in massive financial trouble, having lost the support of their Campbelltown partner, and if we had true ambitions to be the sort of club that Ken Edwards wanted us to be, a merger like that would have made perfect sense. That Western Sydney super club would immediately have had around 30,000 members, could have pieced together a formidable roster between the two clubs and the corporate sponsorship opportunities for a club that spanned the combined regions would have been absolutely enormous. And yes, the 25,000 plus crowds that the club would have drawn on a weekly basis, would have absolutely have necessitated a shift to ANZ.
Now, I’m not saying that was ever in Ken Edwards’ plans. But quite frankly, if it wasn’t, it should have been. If you’re going to take Parramatta out of Parramatta, and try and build a super-club, you can’t do it half-heartedly. Realistically, nothing in our past history, could allow you to do any modelling to arrive at the kind of numbers that have been talked about in anything less than a decade of steady progress without making such a big move. The NRL would have jumped at it, ANZ would have loved it, and maybe, just maybe, the potential success of such a club would have gotten both sets of supporters to have reluctantly swallowed it.
I can see if that you’re a sports administrator, coming in from the outside, that such a vision would be incredibly appealing. If you don’t bleed Blue and Gold, that course of action, would be compelling.
However, Rugby League is not built on dollars and sense. It’s built on passion. It’s built on its history and tradition. It’s why I believe most supporters would turn their back on the opportunity to become this Western Sydney super club, in preference for forever playing in the blue and gold as the Parramatta Eels.
My own view is that the Eels mean something more, than just being a football team. For its die hard supporters, the Eels are a part of us. They form part of our identities. They are also synonymous with the greater Parramatta region. And that’s why such a massive majority of supporters, have stood so vehemently against a move away from Parramatta Stadium.
It’s that sentiment, that Steve Sharp’s board campaigned on. They promised to bring their home games back to Parramatta Stadium. They have worked closely with the Parramatta community on a number of fronts, including the Stadium upgrade and fighting to give the Vikings club a chance to survive. You would not be wrong to say they are driven by the central objective to put the Parramatta back into the Parramatta Eels.
I believe that in the end our CEO and board were at cross-purposes. Edwards was headed down the super-club route, whereas our board has made a commitment to prioritising the club’s roots. Something had to give and one only has to look back to the embarrassing Parramatta Stadium upgrade announcement, with its contradictory messaging to see that everyone wasn’t on the same page and that for us to move forward, that had to change, and change quickly.
Who knows how history will judge this moment in the history of the Parramatta Eels (or whatever we might become). There is at least now the opportunity to move forward under a united vision, starting at board level and flowing down to the wishes of the majority of the supporter base. I strongly believe that at least right now most Eels supporters want a Parramatta Eels rugby league club, to play out of Parramatta Stadium - and not some of the time, but all of the time.
To borrow an expression used by one particular member on this website, quite frequently. We are Parramatta.
Replies
I don't know how I could support the team and I'm sure I wouldn't have the emotional attachment to it that I do by supporting the eels for 50 years but perhaps it is the way forward.
Edwards paid the price for trying to make our club a 21st century super club when we want it to stay a suburban pub team.
The irony is that Ken has basically arrived at the same conclusion that Fitzy did, that we have to change if the club is to survive.
I personally don't subscribe to that theory. I believe we can become a successful club, without giving up our home ground or our name. You just have to run the club much, much better than it has been run before.
although it sounds fun ,I cant agree..it just seems like the easy way to get a competitive team..How can we be called the Western Sydney Eels and then have Penrith sitting even wider out west. I cant see Balmain wanting to be called Parramatta Tigers.
If I was looking to build a super club I would be looking for a merger with Penrith because there is no way I would want to merge and still have those Panthers standing alone..it'd just shit me.
Our mighty EELS will never sell out, like penriff did in super league days. And how did that work out? Stuff em. Let both the pussycats merge. They could be The Western Suburbs Pussies.
In all honestly, I struggle to believe I'd be able to keep my passion for the club and the code if we had to go down any path like that. Mergers haven't worked and we see every time we go to ANZ that it's just not our club.
We have a great club. It's just been very poorly run. We don't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater to turn things around
PARRAMATTA is a natural extension from Sydney by the great Parramatta river. The city and its surroundings were built with blood sweat and tears with a rich industrial and commerce history. Greater Parramatta is a heartland for alot of people in a way. Not only for those that have lived or worked there, but those who see our unique identity. I love the Parramatta eels. Always will. Our club is stuffed on and off the footy team. But times will change. And the spirit and power of the land of the eel will flourish again. Keep going parra.
As always The NRL Guy has the solution to all the problems.
Are you ready I'm going too shout.
JUST WIN SOME F*CKN GAMES
You will be surprised how quickly no one will give a sh*t.
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