Community High Performance Centre (CHPC)

[Saints94]

It's an interesting perspective. One more thing I think you are overlooking is that Illawarra is cheaper and most players want to live there rather than in Sydney.

True, the Illawarra would probably be cheaper. It's still hard for me to see it as a wise investment moving the entirety of the football operation to the area due to the amount of sponsorship dollars coming from Sydney.
I don't know if most players want to live there, it is a beautiful area but most players in general live in Sydney and Sydney has more opportunities, especially post football.

 

[Saints94]

It's a good opinion but I just think the Illawarra region's population is going to grow much more. In fact, I'm pretty sure of it. The head office has done many strange things. In fact, ever since the merger apart from the 3 years of Bennett, it has been a picture of incompetence. But I think they have done due diligence, or hired some competent organisation to, in moving club operations to Illawarra.

As Chris M said above, if the Shonkies are gone and Dragons have that entire area, from ................... well now Souffs are based in Homebush, how far do you want to go? Lets be conservative and say the entire area from the Cooks River along the Illawarra Line train to Gerringong. If Dragons have that entire area, maybe it would be better to be based in Sydney. But it won't be for a few generations that people in those traditional Souffs and Shonkies areas support St George.

So we may as well accept that the club training and admin is going to be based in Illawarra until long after we are all gone. But what they can do right now is drop the "Illawarra" part of the name.

Yeah I can see how this makes sense but I think there are Dragons fans right through the Souths, Dogs and Shonkies regions, including sponsors and you're better able to take on more fans from the region being based in Sydney.
Also like you said, the people running the joint definitley seem to have been making poor decisions for a while, the club has struggled for a good 12 years and it's another reason why I'm sceptical about the CHPC being based in the Illawarra, I just can't help to be worried that it's another decisions which will further cripple an already pretty damaged club. It's hard to trust the board after seeing this legendary club struggle the way it has for so long.

 

[Saints94]

This is maybe for another thread but it relates to this - the fact we as fans have no say on who's on the board and important decisons made like this one and plenty of others concerns me, especially during the period we're going through at the moment.

In the past 12 years coaches and players have come and gone multiple times but the board has been basically the same, especially the past 5 years since WIN bought out the Steelers. This includes the ENTIRE board, St George too, not just WIN.

Since this has been the worst run the Dragons have had since it started in the 1920s, I feel like we as fans need to somehow get the board to be very clear on how they're going to fix the Dragons and how they'll be held to account if they continue to fail.
It feels like they've gotten away with continued failure for far too long.

Regardless on where they're based, this team is an iconic brand in Australian sport but hasn't been above 7th spot for the past 12 years. It makes me sick and I think we must try to get together as fans and to show the board that they'll be held accountable for what's going on.

I don't know exactly how to achieve this but the Dragons have thousands of fans around the country who love it passionately, surely together we can have an impact and help turn the club around?

 

[Chris M]

This is maybe for another thread but it relates to this - the fact we as fans have no say on who's on the board and important decisons made like this one and plenty of others concerns me, especially during the period we're going through at the moment.

In the past 12 years coaches and players have come and gone multiple times but the board has been basically the same, especially the past 5 years since WIN bought out the Steelers. This includes the ENTIRE board, St George too, not just WIN.

Since this has been the worst run the Dragons have had since it started in the 1920s, I feel like we as fans need to somehow get the board to be very clear on how they're going to fix the Dragons and how they'll be held to account if they continue to fail.
It feels like they've gotten away with continued failure for far too long.

Regardless on where they're based, this team is an iconic brand in Australian sport but hasn't been above 7th spot for the past 12 years. It makes me sick and I think we must try to get together as fans and to show the board that they'll be held accountable for what's going on.

I don't know exactly how to achieve this but the Dragons have thousands of fans around the country who love it passionately, surely together we can have an impact and help turn the club around?

The Illawarra faction seem to be ruthless insiders. It's no secret St. George povides most of the money but the Illawarra faction still seems to dominate the board.

 

[Saints94]

As fans I really want to try and find a way to help solve the problem and do something about this.

 

[Saints94]

It seems like we're the only hope for this club at the moment.

 

[GCRV]

True, the Illawarra would probably be cheaper. It's still hard for me to see it as a wise investment moving the entirety of the football operation to the area due to the amount of sponsorship dollars coming from Sydney.
I don't know if most players want to live there, it is a beautiful area but most players in general live in Sydney and Sydney has more opportunities, especially post football.

I live in GC and have for most of my life so I don't really have a dog in this fight but I know the Kogarah based St George Dragons were facing extinction when they merged. And they almost merged with the Rorters and were going to be playing under Rorters colours when the Steelers came knocking. Let's not lose sight of that. The club is different now but it feels like 3/4 St George and 1/4 Illawarra. The alternative was not existing at all or being 3/4 Rorters and 1/4 St George.

 

[Eric]

Yeah I can see how this makes sense but I think there are Dragons fans right through the Souths, Dogs and Shonkies regions, including sponsors and you're better able to take on more fans from the region being based in Sydney.
Also like you said, the people running the joint definitley seem to have been making poor decisions for a while, the club has struggled for a good 12 years and it's another reason why I'm sceptical about the CHPC being based in the Illawarra, I just can't help to be worried that it's another decisions which will further cripple an already pretty damaged club. It's hard to trust the board after seeing this legendary club struggle the way it has for so long.

Where do you think they could build it in Sydney? I don't think the club owns any real estate on which to build it.

 

[Morgan]

Where do you think they could build it in Sydney? I don't think the club owns any real estate on which to build it.

It would cost 10x more for a much smaller facility.

 

[Morgan]

This is maybe for another thread but it relates to this - the fact we as fans have no say on who's on the board and important decisons made like this one and plenty of others concerns me, especially during the period we're going through at the moment.

In the past 12 years coaches and players have come and gone multiple times but the board has been basically the same, especially the past 5 years since WIN bought out the Steelers. This includes the ENTIRE board, St George too, not just WIN.

Since this has been the worst run the Dragons have had since it started in the 1920s, I feel like we as fans need to somehow get the board to be very clear on how they're going to fix the Dragons and how they'll be held to account if they continue to fail.
It feels like they've gotten away with continued failure for far too long.

Regardless on where they're based, this team is an iconic brand in Australian sport but hasn't been above 7th spot for the past 12 years. It makes me sick and I think we must try to get together as fans and to show the board that they'll be held accountable for what's going on.

I don't know exactly how to achieve this but the Dragons have thousands of fans around the country who love it passionately, surely together we can have an impact and help turn the club around?

The board used to be elected when it was just St. George, wasn't it? Now the Illawarra or WIN faction dictates who is on the board but what about the St George faction?

 

[Saints94]

How do you make it an important part of the club when the club is based in Sydney?

Continue to play 6 games a year at Wollongong

 

[Saints94]

It would cost 10x more for a much smaller facility.

But every other Sydney team has a HPC in Sydney, if the other clubs had the capacity to do it, the Dragons could too. It's also an investment, moving your entire Football operations to Wollongong alienates most supporters (including sponsors) who are everything to a club and its not an attractive location for most players, it's probably a reason they can't attract as much talent

 

[Morgan]

But every other Sydney team has a HPC in Sydney, if the other clubs had the capacity to do it, the Dragons could too. It's also an investment, moving your entire Football operations to Wollongong alienates most supporters (including sponsors) who are everything to a club and its not an attractive location for most players, it's probably a reason they can't attract as much talent

Do they all have? I thought most don't. I know Penrith, Wests Tigers and Canterbury have. I'm pretty sure our old friends, Cronulla, Sydney Rorters and Souths don't.

 

[Saints94]

Roosters have one at Allianze stadium and South's are currently having one built in Maroubra.
Don't know if Cronulla are but Im saying of the Sydney clubs building HPCs, all have them built in Sydney. It makes sense.

 

[Morgan]

Roosters have one at Allianze stadium and South's are currently having one built in Maroubra.
Don't know if Cronulla are but Im saying of the Sydney clubs building HPCs, all have them built in Sydney. It makes sense.

Allianze Stadium is state-owned so if the Roosters have one there, they rent it. Specially Campbelltown and Penrith are only "kind of" Sydney. Dogs have one of the biggest clubs in the country and a lot of property.

 

[Saints94]

The Tigers HPC is in Concord.

As for the Roosters it's called the "Nick Politis Centre of Excellence" so sounds like it's for the Roosters.

The Bulldogs centre of excellence is at Belmore Sports Ground, which isn't any bigger than whatever property the Dragons can get in the St George region and I'd say St George is just as big of a club as the Bulldogs.

 

[Morgan]

The Tigers HPC is in Concord.

As for the Roosters it's called the "Nick Politis Centre of Excellence" so sounds like it's for the Roosters.

The Bulldogs centre of excellence is at Belmore Sports Ground, which isn't any bigger than whatever property the Dragons can get in the St George region and I'd say St George is just as big of a club as the Bulldogs.

You are right but so am I regarding the Roosters. They have a 25 year lease on the property, they don't own it. They could build it in Sydney but it'd be much more expensive and less spacious. Where its being built, they can walk out of the gym and start training on the oval while the NRLW and lower grades also train on their ovals. It will be a very impressive facility.

 

[Saints94]

I don't doubt it'll be a great facility, my problem is that moving your entire operation to Wollongong will end the relationship with St George supporters in St George and the rest of Sydney, which is where most of the supporters are.
If the supporters are alienated then the club as we know it could end up dying. There's no club without its fans.
The Illawarra Steelers died, that's strong evidence to show having the Illawarra as your HQ is not sustainable, St George thrived for 80 years being based in Sydney and the club has had its worst period in living memory over the past 12 years with the gradual total move to Wollongong and increasing neglect of Sydney.

 

[Morgan]

I don't doubt it'll be a great facility, my problem is that moving your entire operation to Wollongong will end the relationship with St George supporters in St George and the rest of Sydney, which is where most of the supporters are.
If the supporters are alienated then the club as we know it could end up dying. There's no club without its fans.
The Illawarra Steelers died, that's strong evidence to show having the Illawarra as your HQ is not sustainable, St George thrived for 80 years being based in Sydney and the club has had its worst period in living memory over the past 12 years with the gradual total move to Wollongong and increasing neglect of Sydney.

That's a risk. No doubt at all but I'd class it as a very low risk. Even when the centre is finished, it's not as if the club is going to fully vacate Sydney. The leagues club of course will remain and 6 games a year at Kogarah.

St George thrived in a Sydney competition. There were doubts about it's long-term viability in the national competition we now have. I don't know if those doubts were justified but let's see how the Roosters, Sharks and Manly are traveling in 10~20 years. I'd bet at least 1 of those is gone. Probably also relocated to Gosford and/or Perth. It's certain St George Illawarra, hopefully by then just 'St. George', will be around and almost certainly still playing games Kogarah. Unless they are so successful Sydney games have to be moved to bigger stadiums.

 

[Saints94]

If the 6 games a year at Kogarah remain then that's a massive plus.
I can see how what you're saying could happen, I really hope it does, I really mean that because I love the club.
I'm fearful it may not because the club has been bad for so long, its hard to trust the decisions being made by managememt.
If they start winning then that just might be how the problems are solved.