After unveiling the new state-of-the-art training facility
at the redeveloped Redfern Oval – which will host a pre-season fixture against
Wests Tigers next February – and announcing the retention of the club’s major
sponsors, officials yesterday declared Souths’ future was secure and put paid
to any possibility they would relocate.
“While we’re disappointed to finish 14th this season,
off the field we’d be the No.1 club in Sydney
– if not the entire competition,” chief executive Shane Richardson said. “In terms of the value
represented on our jersey, we’re probably only second to Brisbane, we’d be No.1
for overall sponsorship among the Sydney clubs, we’re No.2 for crowds in
Sydney, we’ve got the largest ticketed membership of all the Sydney clubs,
we’ve got more members in general than any other Sydney club and we’ve now got
the best training facility of any club in any code in Sydney.”
With Virgin Blue and De’Longhi joining NAB in committing for
another season, the Souths jersey is worth more than $2 million and the club
still has a vacancy for a sleeve sponsor. Overall the Rabbitohs have more than
$6 million committed from sponsors for next season and coupled with guaranteed
income from 6800 season ticket-holders, who the club hopes will increase to
8000 by the start of next season, they are on track to generate a $15 million
turnover in 2009.
“Most other clubs in Sydney
would have a turnover of about $10 million without poker machines but ours is
genuine turnover,” Richardson said. “We
do not rely on poker machines and we won’t be in the future. From a club point
of view we have never budgeted on it, we’ve had to get by without that support
and a lot of other NRL clubs are now going to have to do that.”
It’s a far cry from the situation Souths were in nine years
ago when the NRL ranked them last of all clubs in the criteria that was used to
determine which teams were included in the 14 team competition that operated in
2000 and 2001 before the Rabbitohs were reinstated.
“I’ve got no doubt that we would be leading the pack of
Sydney clubs
but I don’t like to talk about criteria,” said Souths chairman Nicholas
Pappas, who was the club’s lawyer when the Rabbitohs successfully appealed
their omission from the NRL in court. “We’ve come a long way since 1999
and 2001, those difficult years, but we knew we would get here and planting the
flag here in Redfern is deeply symbolic because it is a place that is deeply
entrenched in the Rabbitohs psyche and entrenches this club in Sydney once and for all.”
Due for completion in two months, the $23 million facility
will be home to Souths players when they begin off-season training on November
3 and boasts a field with an 8000 capacity as well as gymnasium that will have
$500,000 of weight machines and a theatrette for team meetings and video
sessions.
Photo: Craig Golding