Sydney Subbies 2017

[Pfitzy]

Call from Tim today - we're staying in Div 4 but with two teams unless we get to the point where we can happily field 3.

The Board isn't keen on a 7-club comp, particularly with that wet weather weekend backing onto the competition bye. I can agree with that.

At the same time, something will be implemented to help the Lane Coves, Maccabis, and Convicts' of this world to sustain 2 teams until 5th Division can reform.

 

[Mangoman]

Speaking as a Duke, I know the club would love nothing more than to have 2 grades. The club atmosphere is greater and it creates a more competitive vibe within the club as players compete for positions as they know that just rocking up on a weekend won't get them an automatic game in the starting team. We've been right on the edge of 2 teams on and off for a while but struggle to capitalise on it as we can't say that week in and week out that both grades will be at the same ground.

 

[Pfitzy]

Speaking as a Duke, I know the club would love nothing more than to have 2 grades. The club atmosphere is greater and it creates a more competitive vibe within the club as players compete for positions as they know that just rocking up on a weekend won't get them an automatic game in the starting team. We've been right on the edge of 2 teams on and off for a while but struggle to capitalise on it as we can't say that week in and week out that both grades will be at the same ground.

That Halligan thing can be a double-edged sword. And often if you are playing your 2s against a higher Division club, they're got to start at some ridiculous hour on a Saturday morning, cool down, then drive across Sydney to get there and back up Firsts.

I'm now pulling out the stops and getting First Grade Manager and Coach to call a list of players we had from last year. Dropping ads in the area all over Facebook (which is pretty cheap all things considered) and asking people to hassle the shit out of mates to get there.

If I can build Three Grades, I'll do it. Mainly because the guys showing up are either older, inexperienced, or social. Sometimes all three.

Put them into Second Grade to reward them for their loyalty, and they'll get belted. Not just on the scoreboard, which is not my real concern: its player safety that is the issue.

I need a Third Grade. If you know anyone living out this way, rego is only $220 with the following stipulations:

1) $100 deposit - shorts and socks
2) Balance paid by Round 6 = training shirt and club polo
3) Get a discount card for the Ettamogah and ALH venues everywhere
4) Contribute to ventures like this:

 

[Pfitzy]

http://rugby.net.au/page/Division-Five-x-706-132-597.html

Clubs - Division 5


Click on the links below for full details of each club in Division Five.
Division Five is a competition for clubs fielding one team, with the option of fielding two.
Clubs compete for the Jeffrey and Noice Cups.

Alexandria Dukes
Chatswood
Collaroy
Lane Cove
Maccabi
Menai
Sydney Convicts
Wakehurst

 

[fkj]

http://rugby.net.au/page/Division-Five-x-706-132-597.html

Clubs - Division 5


Click on the links below for full details of each club in Division Five.
Division Five is a competition for clubs fielding one team, with the option of fielding two.
Clubs compete for the Jeffrey and Noice Cups.

Alexandria Dukes
Chatswood
Collaroy
Lane Cove
Maccabi
Menai
Sydney Convicts
Wakehurst

Good to see, necessary if subbies is ever going to grow again

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

 

[Pfitzy]

Yep. Hopefully I don't need it next year, but that will depend what training looks like tomorrow night.

 

[Pfitzy]

Aaaaaand training looked like shit - 16 players.

No fucking idea what will happen Saturday. We're now basically dropping registration payments to $20 per week to get guys back because we've already been forced into knocking Third Grade on the head.

This is completely against my will and my aim to culturally reform the club.

All my goals this year are basically getting shit on by people who apparently don't have the money. Yet can afford overseas holidays, nice big cars to roll around in, and tattoos, brand new sports shoes, bling, and other fucking peacocking.

And if its not those ones, its the others sitting at home drinking $90 cases of premix spirits.

I'm sick of running around, trying to make this club look good, when the same old bullshit is just going to happen all over again when this new plan falls on its arse.

I'm tired of treading on eggshells with some of these blokes who can't act like fucking grownups and organise their lives.

"We love the club!" they say, and then do nothing to show that love.

 

[Pfitzy]

On a related note, some nice young lady from Subbies rang me up today about NSW Sporting Grants. She was compiling a list for Tim Richards of clubs who might benefit from upgrading their facilities.

From that point, the conversation went a bit like this (NYL = Nice Young Lady):

Pfitzy: Probably can't help us, as we don't actually have any facilities.

NYL: . . . . . . you what?

Pfitzy: Yeah, we're on a Council Ground. Maybe this year and maybe next year we'll be there. I share it with soccer, have a shipping container for storage, and a demountable that is my office, canteen, and food store.

NYL: Oh. But could you use the grant money to upgrade any of that?

Pfitzy: Unlikely. We share our ground with soccer as it is, and Council will repurpose the whole thing for soccer as of 2019, if not before. I guess we'll be moved to another multipurpose facility.

NYL: Oh. Did you want me to mention that to Tim?

Pfitzy: You might as well. But mostly, you should just pass on that that this is rugby now. My club is ten years old, I've got 40 seniors right now, and 30 juniors. The soccer club sharing my field is less than three years old and they've got 800 members. How can I compete with that?

NYL: Well, I'll definitely pass that on.

Then, sensing the despair in my voice, she wished me a good day and hung up.

I could sense the pity in her voice as she did so.

I'm really not in a good place with this.

 

[barbarian]

Keep punching mate. It's people like you who make our game great.

 

[Teh Other Dave]

Keep fighting the good fight. ARU notwithstanding, kids who start in rugby tend to stay in rugby - the sport actually has a culture. Most of those kids playing soccer are forced to by their mums, and end up giving the game away when they're old enough to realise how basic and inconsequential their suburban lifestyle is. I mean, let's face it, the only time wearing a soccer jersey was cool was in Trainspotting, and most of us in this forum are a long way from Leith. Sorry. I'll end the rant.

 

[Pfitzy]

ARU notwithstanding, kids who start in rugby tend to stay in rugby - the sport actually has a culture.

ARU notwithstanding.
Lack of volunteers notwithstanding.
Massive cultural schism in Western Sydney notwithstanding.
Complete inability to access (or even justify) facilities for tiny rugby clubs notwithstanding.

The big issue with new clubs is we don't have a longstanding base on which to draw volunteers; Old Boys etc. who like to come down on their retired free time and make things happen. Happily.

So when Subbies ring me about upgrading our facilities, I die a little inside because I think about clubs like Canterbury - who have had their struggles - but still own a few acres in Earlwood thanks to someone back in the 1950s.

I'm one of the lucky ones in that I'm white collar, and have weekends free. I'm also nearly ten years at my place of work and am able to do my job in less time, with the odd day from home to help set things up down at the club.

Most of my club are blue collar, as I've said before. So for them, Saturdays = income. Training nights = shift work = income. Giving up any of those things means their life is (apparently) harder. I can sympathise with their need to just show up 10 minutes before kickoff and have a bit of fun. To a degree.

But I have no way of making them see that the club needs their money to help cover costs. They just think our sponsors tip tens of thousands into running the place and we're having just as much fun as they are.

We had a trial organised for the central coast and a few of them on our FB group wanted to organise a bus. When I posted up that buses cost a lot to hire, one guy pipes up with "Surely the Ettamogah will put a bus on for us?"

Laughable.

 

[Pfitzy]

Here's a fun game - a list of clubs that our club has played against who no longer exist in a Subbies Division, and my analysis of why they died:

Oakhill Old Boys - longstanding association with the school that slowly turned sour. Eventually a lack of facillities and volunteers killed them, along with their terrible disciplinary record.

Norwest - again, no facilities (Francesco Oval is owned by soccer now after they were allowed to take over and fit out the canteen), and no sponsors had the club wind up nearly a decade ago. We even picked up a few of their players at that point. Their junior club still exists.

Rockdale - they had a 2-oval facility down at Brighton-Le-Sands, with canteen and storage. Even hosted some finals because it had a secure enough fence to gate for tickets. Very strongly Maori and seem to have just run out of willingness (and volunteers) to run a club any more.

Killara West Pymble - another longstanding club, with an oval and clubhouse. Squeezed out by the demographic change on the North Shore, as well as many other clubs in the area.

Bankstown - just disappeared out of fifth division after a couple of successful years. I suspect, as with our club, player payments were involved. Again, lots of Islanders, very few volunteers. Had a sports club right next to their field, though.

Notre Dame Uni - bunch of young blokes tried to start a club. Great lads, no permanent home, and bloody hard to persist. Gone.

Fairvale/Lansvale - mostly Islanders. Very few volunteers and mostly from the old days. Poor disciplinary record. Volunteers had enough. Gone.

Wollondilly - tried Subbies. Went back to Southern Highlands.

St George - busy winning premierships one year, suddenly disappeared. Yet another rugby facility for a longstanding club gone. Money probably involved, as well as volunteer apathy.

Liverpool - contested 2nd Division in the last decade. Changing demographics. Heaps of Islanders. Not many volunteers. Their ground now gone.

And that's not counting the clubs we never played against who are gone from 6th Division.


So, when I look at the soccer club sharing my field, and the 800 members they've recruited in less than 2 years (est Oct 2015), you'll pardon me if I think this mystical rugby culture isn't actually worth fuck all.

 

[Footyhead#2]

So, when I look at the soccer club sharing my field, and the 800 members they've recruited in less than 2 years (est Oct 2015), you'll pardon me if I think this mystical rugby culture isn't actually worth fuck all.

What's the name of that Soccer club?

Tough going for rugby if they are pulling in numbers like that.

 

[Rugby Central]

Just been talking to some guys at one Club. Subbies seem to have done away with paper team sheets and gone onto an app.

The Club is getting stressed about regos because without them they can't go into new app and if players aren't on the app they can't take the field. Pretty big challenge by round 1.

Thoughts?

 

[Footyhead#2]

Just been talking to some guys at one Club. Subbies seem to have done away with paper team sheets and gone onto an app.

The Club is getting stressed about regos because without them they can't go into new app and if players aren't on the app they can't take the field. Pretty big challenge by round 1.

Thoughts?

They need to stress less. Players can be added in up until Tuesday 5pm. There is usually a 2 week grace period for the start of the season, maybe longer with the new system.

 

[Heavyd]

They need to stress less. Players can be added in up until Tuesday 5pm. There is usually a 2 week grace period for the start of the season, maybe longer with the new system.

That's not what Tim Richards is telling clubs. If they are not registered they cannot take the field. Will be a nightmare first few rounds with clubs struggling to get someone to update the app throughout the game and then have it completely finalised 30 mins after game time. It wont happen.

Any idea whats wrong with Subbies website. I just tried to see who was playing who in round 1 and it only has 1st DIV draws.

 

[Rugby Central]

Any idea whats wrong with Subbies website. I just tried to see who was playing who in round 1 and it only has 1st DIV draws.

For some reason it's defaulting to that page. just click on "back" until you get to the full list of divisions.

Hope that helps

 

[Nath]

Here's a fun game - a list of clubs that our club has played against who no longer exist in a Subbies Division, and my analysis of why they died:

Oakhill Old Boys - longstanding association with the school that slowly turned sour. Eventually a lack of facillities and volunteers killed them, along with their terrible disciplinary record.

Norwest - again, no facilities (Francesco Oval is owned by soccer now after they were allowed to take over and fit out the canteen), and no sponsors had the club wind up nearly a decade ago. We even picked up a few of their players at that point. Their junior club still exists.

Rockdale - they had a 2-oval facility down at Brighton-Le-Sands, with canteen and storage. Even hosted some finals because it had a secure enough fence to gate for tickets. Very strongly Maori and seem to have just run out of willingness (and volunteers) to run a club any more.

Killara West Pymble - another longstanding club, with an oval and clubhouse. Squeezed out by the demographic change on the North Shore, as well as many other clubs in the area.

Bankstown - just disappeared out of fifth division after a couple of successful years. I suspect, as with our club, player payments were involved. Again, lots of Islanders, very few volunteers. Had a sports club right next to their field, though.

Notre Dame Uni - bunch of young blokes tried to start a club. Great lads, no permanent home, and bloody hard to persist. Gone.

Fairvale/Lansvale - mostly Islanders. Very few volunteers and mostly from the old days. Poor disciplinary record. Volunteers had enough. Gone.

Wollondilly - tried Subbies. Went back to Southern Highlands.

St George - busy winning premierships one year, suddenly disappeared. Yet another rugby facility for a longstanding club gone. Money probably involved, as well as volunteer apathy.

Liverpool - contested 2nd Division in the last decade. Changing demographics. Heaps of Islanders. Not many volunteers. Their ground now gone.

And that's not counting the clubs we never played against who are gone from 6th Division.


So, when I look at the soccer club sharing my field, and the 800 members they've recruited in less than 2 years (est Oct 2015), you'll pardon me if I think this mystical rugby culture isn't actually worth fuck all.

Fairvasle/Lansvale were expelled.

 

[Nath]

Wollondilly are a good little club.

They're stuck between Campbeltown, Camden and Bowral though.

If a young guy has a bit of talent, he either gets picked off by one of those sides, or the player wants to go and play first grade and leaves.

 

[Nath]

But I have no way of making them see that the club needs their money to help cover costs. They just think our sponsors tip tens of thousands into running the place and we're having just as much fun as they are.

Could tell you a good story regarding this, won't say on here, PM me if you're keen.