Yesterday, the Sydney Morning Herald published an article by journalist Chris Barrett which investigated the links between former Parramatta Leagues Club and Football Club Chairman Roy Spagnolo and the Make Parra Matter Again (MPMA) group.
Barrett revealed that Spagnolo has been involved in garnering support for the group in their bid to oust four members of the current Parramatta Leagues Club Board.
The MPMA group recently presented a petition to the club which triggered an EGM to be held on November 19.
Barrett’s article reminded readers that back in 2015, the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority found Roy Spagnolo to be not a fit and proper person to govern a registered club.
The Herald journo also revealed that the list of 80 people that Spagnolo had emailed in relation to the petition included:
* Joe Tripodi, the former NSW Government politician found guilty of corruption by ICAC
* Leba Zibara, whom the NRL found was connected to undisclosed player payments
* Eddie Obeid jnr, the son of the jailed former Labor powerbroker from whom Eels players allegedly received off-the-books payments before the club was stripped of 12 competition points and fined $750,000 in 2016 for salary cap cheating.
Amongst the reported reforms wanted by the Make Parra Matter Again group is a change to the constitution which would see four Parra Leagues Directors appointed to the Eels Football Board.
This is not currently possible under the current constitution and if it were, it would effectively remove the independence of that seven person board. Currently, only two PLC Directors sit on the Parramatta Eels (Football) Board.
What did it mean for the Eels and Parra Leagues when the PLC Board and the Parramatta Eels Board were one and the same?
Instability.
Between 2009 and 2016 there were five different CEOs, five different head coaches, and 25 different board directors. Besides the dramas around the salary cap scandal of 2016, club elections constantly dragged the Eels into the media headlines with factionalism at the root of the problems.
Establishing an independent football board was one of the early priorities for Max Donnelly when he was appointed by the NSW Government as a temporary administrator of Parra Leagues in 2016.
Back then, ILGA had found that the PLC directors, who also sat as Parramatta Eels (Football) Board Directors, had ceased to be effective as a governing body.
So does Roy Spagnolo’s support and link to the Make Parra Matter Again group mean that he intends seeking a place on the PLC Board?
According to Chris Barrett, Spagnolo says that he is undecided as to whether he would nominate for one of the vacant seats should the four directors be removed at the EGM.
However, Mr Spagnolo did unsuccessfully run for a seat on the Parra Leagues Club Board back in February this year.
He fought the club in the courts to be able to stand, and after voting was counted, placed third of the nine candidates. You can be the judge as to whether you think he will take any opportunity that comes as a result of the upcoming EGM.
When the notice of the EGM was formally announced, one of my concerns was the cost to the club, and therefore its members.
After requesting that information from the club, I can share that the cost will be in the vicinity of $300K. This accounts for expenses such as printing, postage, and holding the ballot including the Returning Officer costs. What that figure doesn’t include is the club’s legal fees or the time spent by club employees reviewing the EGM request and preparing for the EGM.
In my opinion, the money that has been forced to spend on the EGM would be much better spent on junior rugby league, community groups or member facilities. Keep in mind that the AGM is usually held in February – which will now be just three months after the EGM.
Chris Barrett’s article was an informative read.
The past speaks for itself.
When it comes time for the November 19 EGM, please ensure that you exercise your right to vote.
Craig Hawkins
(On behalf of The Cumberland Throw)
Good read here Craig.
This is a terrible waste of time and money.
They must think fans have poor memories here…
Exactly!
Many do, check out the MPGA Facebook site.
Anyone that has a memory will look at the previous time this faction was in control of the club, instability and constant changes were the norm, ending up with action being taken against the club.
Certainly the past few years have been tough, it appears those currently in charge have recognised the need to move in a different direction and changes have been made.
If you are able to vote , and it’s available on line, make sure you vote for the incumbents and let the change they are instituting continue. The club does not need these self appointed interlopers into the club and risk possible disintegration of policies that are currently happening.
The fight for constitutional and governance change was a long one. This agitation should be left relegated to the past.
I hope we can vote on-line.
I cannot make the night of the EGM
I don’t want roy back in our club he is nothing but trouble
This bloke (Spagnolo) has managed to con a few members.
Nobody wants Roy back and while people like Price and Kenny are club legends, they don’t have the mental acuity to be involved in oversight of the club.
However. There is a clear failing in the structure with th nomination committee for the footy club board consisting of 3 members of the footy club board. In other words, the people holding the footy club directors accountable… are themselves. Which means the CEO and exec staff are not being held accountable.
The directors will see out their terms and the CEO – who is woefully unqualified to manage people or a football club and has no standing in the game, will keep his job and the club will struggle to go forward .
Some Change is needed – just not from this lot.
That’s incorrect. The nominations committee consists of one director from each club board and an independent chairman who cannot be a director from either board.
Correct Brett Allen. Look, there is some fine tuning that could be done in terms of the Constitution, but the answer is not to wipe it away and head back to the past.
Well said Brett. Sixties and the rest of the TCT crew have put together a very good site here that attracts people like yourself and Milo and too many others to mention.
It is a place we can come to for good football narrative. Keep it up TCT we all need this site.
We worked hard to get this constitution in place. Don’t spoil it with this absurd motion for the EGM. During the last campaign I made a lot of trips from the Central Coast to Parramatta to support the new constitution. I am too old to go through that again.
Kenny and Ray Price are amongst my favourite all time players. However I don’t see them as people who can lead the club to the promised land.
It is sad that these people cannot accept defeat. They cannot genuinely love our club because if they did they would respect it by being open and honest about who is behind and supporting this, everyone not just the ex footy players and they would tell the truth about what this vote is all about.
I have been critical of decisions made by the football club ( not leagues club) at times this year. What I never thought was that these people running our football club lacked integrity by bending and breaking rules. The past actions and government, legal findings say otherwise for some of those behind this move to overthrow a perfectly good operating leagues club board who have been voted in by the members repeatedly.
Besides all that, I have been a little shocked by how uniformed people/ fans are when they say good to the EGM because that will make our team win the grand final. This AGM is for the leagues club, a club that has been successfully run making very good profits in the last few years not the football club board. They are two separate entities with two separate constitutions.
I hope we can vote electronically because everyone adult in my family are members of the leagues club and will vote against it.
I have a feeling that the desire of the people behind this certainly doesn’t come from a love for the club. Such people are not Parra fans and have no place at this great club.
The fact that this type of takeover can still get a start is quite concerning really. There are systems in place to ensure integrity and compliance, but maybe what the club lacks is accountability, as others have stated. I hope the club uses this experience to strengthen the club even further so that any change within the club is measured and reflective of both the needs of the club and the wishes of members and fans.
Longfin, I made a minor edit to your comment. I have to be overly cautious about what is written, even in replies.
Whether some who have signed off on the petition have ever visited the club in recent years is a question I’d like answered. I doubt that they do. To be honest, I’m dumbfounded that there are Eels supporting members who would want to revisit the past.
Most fans have no idea if the structure of the two clubs. They are completely clueless. Most don’t care to ge honest.
Yes, electronic voting will be available.
Thought so, but with a huge sigh of relief, thanks for that, Sixties.
You’re welcome Graz.
“Make Parra Matter Again” 😂 Donald Trump, eat your heart out.
Indeed Joseph.