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It has been a busy week for the Parramatta Eels as they inked a number of massive sponsorship deals. The Tip Sheet looks at the partnerships with the Parramatta City Council, TAB and Western Sydney Thunder.
The boys reflect on their chat with Mark O’Neill and the general vibe around the club as they head into the Christmas break. Sixties delivers the latest from preseason training while junior representative trials are scheduled for the weekend…but will they go ahead with a heatwave washing over Sydney?
It is the end of an era in the NRL with the Wests Tigers cleaning house at the executive level. Their entire board and CEO has stood down, paving the way for much needed change at the dysfunctional joint venture. Will it be enough though? The boys discuss what lies ahead for the Tigers.
The latest signing news and some important court decisions round out the rest of the episode. The Dragons look set to sign Addin Fonua-Blake while the Bulldogs have slipped into the box seat for Jarome Luai. It was contrasting fortunes for Junior Amone and Paul Kent with the former found guilty in his case while the latter walked out of court with a not-guilty verdict to his name.
Big fan of the darts theme. Can’t believe 2/3 of the fellas haven’t enjoyed watching the darts. Although I must admit sometimes it is more fun watching the crowd get progressively more drunk than it is watching “the action”.
What I’m not a fan of is the partnership with a betting agency. We’ve seen over in England, EPL teams come together to ban betting agencies from front of jersey sponsorship by the 26/27 season. One day I hope we see a ban of gambling advertisements like we’ve seen of tobacco or regulate it highly like they do with alcohol advertising. Because what we are currently bombarded with in regards to gambling is frankly disgusting. If you are too drunk in a pub you are refused service, if you lose too much money gambling they keep asking for more. The only time a betting agency will get you to stop is when they determine you’ve won too much money off them.
Ham, I don’t disagree about the ads that we get before, during and after games but professional sport over the world has major partnerships with agencies. Betting agencies make big money out of sport, whether they are partners or not. Even before legalised betting occurred the footy betting cards were distributed across every pub and club. Making it legal made those illegal cards disappear.
Should an individual club like Parra make a moral choice by refusing a partnership that other clubs gladly accept? The issue is surely more code-wide, but given the venture to Vegas, the dive into the gambling dollar for the NRL is looking deeper
The other side of the argument that you touched on Sixties is getting rid of legal gambling will create a vacuum for illegal gambling.
At least while it is sanctioned there can be some control. Furthermore it becomes a source of revenue. Driving gambling underground helps nobody but the mobs.
With the internet so sophisticated now the revenue and control would be out of the control of the NRL and the government.
I’m not saying to make it illegal, that doesn’t fix the problem we have in society towards gambling. I would like to see more regulations towards gambling sponsorships and advertising. Whilst the club should look to make the money whilst it can, I still don’t like it. And I’d suggest it’s higher than a code wide problem to fix, it’s a government issue that betting agencies can’t partner with clubs or codes and can’t advertise before 9pm. Although I reckon if that were to happen we’d be having Thursday and Friday night football kicking off at 9pm
Ham I wasn’t suggesting that you were looking to have gambling banned. I was attempting to point to the thin line between legal gambling and illegal gambling.
Me personally I don’t bet at all. I have not had a bet on the Melbourne Cup for twenty years. Have never had a bet on the NRL.
I find it hard to understand how people get hooked on it.
I have read that the gene that causes the addiction to gambling is the same one that causes addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Not everybody who drinks alcohol is an alcoholic. Likewise not everyone who gambles is addicted to gambling.
So now we should go for the Parramatta Chamber Of Commerce as a partner. All those Church Street businesses will be members (or should be) and the quid pro quo can be players moving around different shops for appearances. This where a TPA for Semi can come from. A group of businesses rather than than just relying on one business. Do we have the vision and drive to start the ball rolling on this? The Board have been proactive in getting new partnerships this past week, this one has the most potential for giving TPA’s. Getting Semi back by any means possible should be the biggest priority right NOW
I like your vision Tragic. Just remember that the club and the board can have no connection at all to TPAs so any drive would have to come from parties without any role at Parra.
Hospitality Businesses in the precinct around the stadium benefit from match days. Do they want to leverage it even further or in fact do they feel there is a need to leverage it further?
They won’t get players on match days.
Could someone on the chamber of commerce have your vision of organising something on behalf of a group of businesses? I never like being negative but I reckon the different interests in such a diverse group might outweigh any common goals.
BTW, the club has TPAs
You went down this path once yourself Sixties?