What Is Your Vision For Our Club?

[ABshark]

A few things have got me thinking lately- Tinkler and Bennett’s plans to turn Newcastle in to a ‘superclub’, our cash flow issues, the way we are being portrayed in the media and posts like this one from Ironshark a while ago. In particular, I’ve been wondering where our Club will be in the future. How will we be viewed by the public? What will our advantage be in the market that is the NRL? How can we ensure our survival and success?

What we know is that where our Club is in one, ten or twenty years will be determined by the decisions we make. And we also know that attitude shapes action. The way you feel determines the choices you make, whether those decisions are conscious or unconscious. And so the culture of our Club will determine what choices we made and hence what results we get.

So what is our culture? Its a loaded question, huh?

Without trying to anticipate what everyone’s thoughts might be, I would like to offer my impression. I believe the greatest characteristic of our Club is summed up by our (informal) motto and (coincidently?) the name of this website- “Sharks Forever.” No matter what has come and gone- be it proposed mergers, scandal, alternative competitions, financial woes, departed players or lost Grand Finals- we are still here. Not every Club can say that. We are the resilient ones. Our team plays tough, and the fans stick through. After all, we are all still following the same despite never quite tasting the sweetness of success. As a Club, we are resilient, and we are tough. And that sentiment is echoed by 'Our Core', as decided by Flano.

The other attribute that stands out most clearly to me is that when we have been at our best, we are the Shire’s Club. The team has been mostly made up of local juniors who wear the jumper with pride, and the team has played a style of football that the locals want to watch- tough and uncompromising, but open and entertaining.

In my opinion, that resilience and community focus are the great hallmarks of Rugby League itself, and in that way, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Rugby League. And we should market ourselves as such- Souths aren’t "the people’s Club" and the Bulldogs aren’t "the family Club," but we are the Club that is Rugby League. In fact we represent even more than that- we epitomise the underdog spirit that so many Australians love.

Now, I imagine a few of you are thinking that when it comes down to it, we have a disproportionate number of ‘fairweather’ fans. And I reckon you would be right. I think what we have is a large group of people who associate with the Sharks but who were never ‘locked in’ by a Premiership. But what this Forum demonstrates is that we also have a disproportionate number of passionate, talented and generous Supporters who go above and beyond. As a group here, we have already shown an capacity to do more than the fans of most Clubs would ever dream of. Could the ‘OneEyedEel’ message board have banded together to raise money for their HPU? Would Bulldogs fans have had the compassion and organizational skill to make the kind of gesture we did to Scott Porter and Anthony Tupou? What’s more, that kind of selfless passion and commitment to our Club has been shown by many who have gone before us- think the work of Peter Gow, or of Gavin Miller standing on a street corner collecting donations. There are many more examples. What we need to do is spread our influence, take action and encourage others to act as we do.

Of course, the great criticism of our Club is that we don’t have a ‘winning culture’. I have worried about that myself at times. It seems a paradoxical challenge- you have to win develop a winning culture, but to win you need to be accustomed to winning... hmm. But something our very own fitz posted a while ago started to change my thinking- this here:

Yeah totally agree... Jez was absolutely pro in the off field aspects of being a professional footballer...that's what winning culture is in my books and I hope he brings that with him. He is so much like Gal in that he might be incredibly competitive and combative on the field but a gentleman and a devoted dad off it.

Miss fitz had a nice time playing with Miss Smith. Miss fitz also said that Dougie was a nice man ... "bigger and younger than daddy but a very nice man"

Where do 4 year olds get this stuff?

Also, consider this one from Johnny Lang:

There is a lot to like with the culture of the Sharks. … Two of the toughest blokes I ever saw were Les Davidson and Gavin Miller. Are they losers?
- John Lang

I reckon he's spot on. And who would call Paul Gallen or Luke Douglas a loser?

A winning culture isn’t about past success. Souths have won more Premierships than anyone, but it would be laughable to suggest that they have a winning culture. And technically the Storm haven’t won a Premiership in a decade- but who would argue that they don’t have a winning culture? A winning culture is an environment that facilitates success, that nurtures it and makes it possible. A winning culture means that when you get that opportunity to win a Premiership, you are ready and able to do it. I fully believe that this Club can build a culture that means when we get to that next Grand Final, we take away the big prize.

My vision for our Club is that we have the most passionate and committed fan base in the NRL. That the Sharks community contribute more to the success of their Club than anyone else does. In fact, I envisage our Supporters being our competitive advantage over other Clubs- while they have their Penn families, News Limiteds and Nathan Tinklers, we have our Supporters. I want to see going to the football and shouting yourself hoarse become a Shire institution again. I want our players to play for us, their families and each other and with heart and courage. I want the Sharks brand to be synonymous with the Australian notion of the underdog and any mention of a Shark-less NRL to be met by immediate threats of march from fans of all Clubs. I want us to be respected by all, the second team of many and the vicious rival of some. I want our Club to be a place that brings out the best in people- football and otherwise.

But enough of what I think- what do YOU think are the hallmarks of our culture?
How do they compare to the culture of the Shire?
Who, what and when epitomize our Club?
Is it fair to suggest that our ongoing survival is our greatest victory?
If so, is such a thought something we should be proud of, or not?
If so, do you think it has led to complacency and acceptance of mediocrity?
What parts of our history and culture should we move on from?
How do you want the general public to see our Club?
What values would you like see regarded as synonymous with the Sharks?
What is your vision for our future?

My suggestion is that whatever vision we want, we can create- indeed, whatever vision we choose we will not be able to help but create. But whatever we decide is our goal, we will have to do more than other fans do. We have to be more driven, more creative and better organised. That is our burden and our gift.

 

[SF]

My suggestion is that whatever vision we want, we can create- indeed, whatever vision we choose we will not be able to help but create. But whatever we decide is our goal, we will have to do more than other fans do. We have to be more driven, more creative and better organised. That is our burden and our gift.

Good post, and that last bit is so true.

My long-term vision of the club involves us having the most marketable brand and colours of any club in the competition. We are one of the few teams that have a ferocious emblem (Sharks) that is actually connected to Australia, and that emblem is highly, highly marketable throughout the whole Pacific, US and UK. While I think in the short-term we have to re-group, and that we should always have a base of those underdog qualities, in the longer-term I think the focus has to be on excitement and innovation. I honestly feel that if we could win one premiership, we would be the best-placed of any club to attract new supporters nationally and internationally. We would have the best story in the game, and the best branding to capitalise on it.

I see us as always having our spiritual heart and base in the Shire and Illawarra/South Coast but with more partnerships like the Taupo one to increase our range. Central Queensland would be the best bet I feel, as they won't get their own NRL team, but would support one who genuinely partnered with them.

I also believe that your recent post about the Green Bay Packers community ownership model is in the right direction. We have a lot of rich, smart people living in the Sutherland Shire, or connected to the Shire, who are not being involved in the club. Unfortunately most of these people are the type who need to be asked, or need to have a purpose for being involved... but if they were, the connections they could bring would be similar to Manly's. I think a model involving buying shares in the club would work... but only if those shares had the potential to increase in value/pay dividends. We could have restrictions on maximum ownership, but perhaps the major shareholders could be guaranteed a minority of the board (4 spots/9) so that they have a direct say on the running of the club. We also obviously need the short-term investment injection. I would like to see a model where the most successful people in the community have an easy mechanism, and an incentive, to be involved in the running of the club, or at least specific initiatives, while avoiding the politics. Similar to the Patron's trust model in Newcastle, or the exclusive supporters clubs they have for US college football. Or close to an internet start-up where you get advice + investment.

But enough of what I think- what do YOU think are the hallmarks of our culture?

To me it is a combination of Peachey/ET/Gardner and Luke Douglas/Danny Lee. The best of both worlds.
How do they compare to the culture of the Shire?
The Shire used to be a lot more working class. I don't think we can rely just on the underdog qualities here now though. I think we should be the aspirational, efficient and innovative club.
Is it fair to suggest that our ongoing survival is our greatest victory?
If so, is such a thought something we should be proud of, or not?
If so, do you think it has led to complacency and acceptance of mediocrity?
I don't think that should be our aim, no. While we will always be proud of our great past players and teams, to be honest I think we should be critical about our past management, and be looking ahead. There is no reason why we shouldn't be more successful than we are,
What parts of our history and culture should we move on from?
I am sure I'm as guilty as anyone, but I would like to move on from the whole NRL/referees/media is out to get us idea. We should be building good relationships with the media and the NRL, not attacking them. Even one insult to a journalist can influence their stories for a long time to come. We should be asking for help from David Gallop in terms of speaking out for us, and presenting our case as having a viable future. If the NRL has a particular vision for us, we should discuss that openly with them, and see how we could make it work for both.


OK the sun has come out, so end diatribe!

 

[Mark^Bastard]

Great post. I don't want to get into too much detail but I think when players like Gardner and Kelly come along we need to make them lifetime Sharks as a priority. In the past we screwed up with Preston Campbell in particular and I think it cost our club dearly.

Players like this are interesting to watch and I think earn a club the respect of other clubs. If we want to be everyone's second team then we need to keep these exciting players.

What do I mean by this specifically? If someone like Idris comes on the market we need to stop thinking about them as a marketing opportunity and start thinking about the marketing opportunities we already have.

 

[Louis]

I often doubt the culture of the club. One question often crosses my mind when thinking about CSFC culture is this one: is our culture defined by the thoughts, actions and attitudes that a few people within our supporters base? Or is the culture reflected by the amount of fair-weather supporters that we have. If it's a mixture of both, what would you then label our culture, i'd say its a pretty poor one. On the other hand, can you blame people for not wanting to be associated with a team that has never won a grand final and doesn't win very often. I agree that the very fact that our club is still here is a big achievement and a credit to the club and the supporters.

The days of the underdog are over, I am used to being, and supporting the underdog, I was brought up to go for the Sharks, but I would love nothing more than to lose that tag, the underdog doesn't sell anymore, and i'm not sure if it ever did. In my opinion, the underdog only appeals after unexpected success. Success is what we need.

Take the LA Lakers in the NBA for example, they are the most successful NBA teams in history and they are an establishment, a worldwide bran the likes and status of which we can never hope to achieve, i'm sure you would have noticed the amount of Lakers singlets, hats and merchandise worn around Sydney. This has come from their success. Somebody who is not a die-hard of the NBA would not wear/ support a team which is not performing. I think these fans are similar to alot of Sharks supporters, and to be fair, NRL Supporters. People, especially the 15 - 25 market want to be associated with cool brands, i'm even guilty of it. I'm wearing a New York Yankees jumper as i'm writing this, yet I would not call myself a supporter. However, we can, and should never aim to be brands like the Lakers or the Yankees, as it is an American style of marketing which has proved in-compatible with Rugby League, Super League is a good example.

One thing that has worried me for a while now, is the regions in which NRL teams represent. Eastern Suburbs are now the SYDNEY roosters, Auckland Warriors are now the NEW ZEALAND Warriors. We also see teams representing large regions such as South Sydney, which arguably has a larger supporters base then the Sydney roosters, the BRISBANE Broncos, NORTH QUEENSLAND, MELBOURNE, CANBERRA and NEWCASTLE. All that is left are teams with large supporter bases, a huge financial backing, or that have merged. We don't fit this criteria. We don't represent a city, we represent the Sutherland Shire. I am proud to support a team which represents the area that I have grown up in, however the shire is not by any means a one team area, it is extremely split and divided in terms of NRL supporters.
When you really think about it, it is a wonder how we can still even be here as a club today. Most teams which fit the description of our club have folded or merged years ago.

I'm not sure of our current culture, I think it will be defined in the next few years. If someone was to ask me now, i'd say brave, resilient. If our culture was reminiscent of that of the shire i'm not sure if i'd like it. With the Sharks aside, I LIKE living in the Sutherland Shire, but I wouldn't go as far to say that i'm PROUD to live here, some of the attitudes and actions displayed by certain members of this community I find moronic, idiotic and disgusting. The incident at Cronulla in 2005 is the prime example of the underlying attitude in this area.
Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying everybody in this area has discriminatory attitudes of views, it is simply these people are loudest and set the stereotype for everybody.

I want to see our club pull fans, win games, win a premiership, connect with the community and produce passionate supporters. I want to see black white and blue. No more bunnies stickers on the backs of cars. I want our club to be seen as PASSIONATE, EXCITING, FAIR, VICTORIOUS. I believe, we are one of the only surviving "People's club's". We don't pretend to be on the supporters level, the club is on our level. The club needs us, and largely, the supporters respond.

No time for a conclusion, UNI lecture starts soon.
Theres my rant.
Sharks FOREVER.

 

[Lumpy]

another great post AB. I don't think the club is as connected with the community as it needs to be. I know they are working hard to connect but we have a long way to go. I would like to have a meeting between the club and the supporters. We have a lot of skills and expertise to offer the club. If we were given the opportunity there is a number of things we could do to help the club.

 

[Sharky Pete]

another great post AB. I don't think the club is as connected with the community as it needs to be. I know they are working hard to connect but we have a long way to go. I would like to have a meeting between the club and the supporters. We have a lot of skills and expertise to offer the club. If we were given the opportunity there is a number of things we could do to help the club.

A Fan Forum with the club management is a smashing idea.

I think that worked a treat with some A-League soccer clubs(especially Melbourne Victory although I despise them) and something the club needs to look into.

The NRL clubs I think we really need to look at for inspiration in that sense is Souths and as much as it hurts me to say this, the Dragons.

I know those clubs have had a truckload of success over the years but seriously the passion of those supporters is something we need to replicate.

I was at the recent St George v Canterbury game at the SCG after getting free tickets and the sheer vocality and passion of the Dragons supporters was unbelievable and had me thinking why can't we be that passionate.

I've been going to our games since I was 7 years old and down the years I get the feeling our crowds are very apathetic and lack passion.

I get rather strange looks from people when I fire up and try to encourage the team.

 

[Art Vandelay]

But enough of what I think- what do YOU think are the hallmarks of our culture?

trying hard but losing gallantly. shooting ourselves in the foot. the loveable loser really.

How do they compare to the culture of the Shire?

i dont know. i dont live there. seems the shire is looked down upon in sydney. especially after the riots.
its quite a nice plays i find tho.

Who, what and when epitomize our Club?

ET
Peach
Gallen

guys that work hard and play with passion.

the 90s era summed it up. we should have won one.certainly in 1999.
but thats gone.

Is it fair to suggest that our ongoing survival is our greatest victory?

Perhaps.

its the number one concern at the moment. and it has been in the past.

If so, is such a thought something we should be proud of, or not?

Yes and no.

we have to fight for everything. we struggle a bit but we are still here.

that said...no one wants to be the low man. you wanna be at the top and have success.

If so, do you think it has led to complacency and acceptance of mediocrity?

Yes
We should be striving to make the finals every season. currently i think the club is happy at 2/6. which is not good at all. after this week some heads should roll and serious thoughts about the future direction of the coaching staff and roster should be considered.

previously yes i believe we were complaicent and accepted not being in the top half or challenging. or falling short at the final hurdle, but saying "had a good season" and not looking to improve.

What parts of our history and culture should we move on from?

Big brother little brother vs st george.
Over spending for players that dont perform.
Sacking players on the will of sponsors.
Losing big games obviously.
lamenting 73,78
believing the league is out to get us and the media hates us and what not. achieves nothing.

How do you want the general public to see our Club?

Not a laughing stock it has been the past 3 seasons. a professional well run unit that lives within its means and plays hard tough footy. a team that never backs down. a team that gives a fugg every week for its fans and plays its guts out.
a front office that spend wisely, make the right front office decisions etc.
but yeah a more professional organisation would be a positive.

stay outta the papers. only good news

What values would you like see regarded as synonymous with the Sharks?

Proud of who we are.
proffesional attitude on the field and off it.
community based, but with a brand that reachesfurther across the rugby league community

What is your vision for our future?

Make every dollar we can until the development is up and running. if that means moving games to taupo, qld etc so be it.
i would play 8 games a year at toyota. keep the taupo game. move NQ and GC games to brisbane for a double header. Storm,newcastle games to the central coast. we need the money.

perhaps even take a couple of games to the SFS.

long term we should try and get a better stadium via the development, Federal government and partnership with the FFA. certainly more under cover seating is needed. if we did a deal with say sydney FC to play games there, and give NSW soccer and or Australian soccer joint use of a facility then we could get enough improvements to create a much better game day experience. id like to see a complete granstand that includes the Et stand all the way around to the peter burns stand.
We also need to re invest in the leagues club and bring it up to todays standards. and amalgamate with another leagues club. sharkies on its own cant save us IMO. a deal with mounties or whatever would be fine in this regard. the tradies merger fail was dissapointing.

Player wise we need to hold onto young talent. do more with less. develop what we have by building throught the juniors. also toghen up the junior comps people have told me that compared to other comps in sydney the players arent as tough. dunno if thats true who knows.
we wont have snoden next year so we needto keep vave, Mannah and douglas. play Clayton and Vave, townsend, peacjey etc at some point in firsts this year and bring them through.

a bit like teh raiders. dont go mad on free agents though. always be on the lookout for young talent.

we should also go with a no overpaying policy. we need to save all money we can. also a no ********s policy

we should aslo be aiming for 10,000 members next season.

If we can show a credible busness model at the footy club we should be able to survive through to the next TV deal and by then the development wil be able to eliviate cash problems.

longer term...build a base win a comp and annex the dragons territory and become a superpower

 

[SharkLabelSociety]

OK, here's my two cents.

On The Field.
- No more big name, big money signings. Spend money on retaining our own players, then on juniors.
- Focus more on Shire junior players.
- Look to pick up young, talented guys who can't get through the door at other clubs, or guys who may be winding down their careers but who still have fire and gas in the tank. Wade Graham is an example of the first, Jeremy Smith an example of the second.
- The latter point doesn't mean big name free agents who are washed up and just want a final payday (Trent Barrett, I mean you).
- Play an exciting style of footy, although Flanno has the boys doing this already. It's a sad fact, but outside us diehards we have one of the most fair-weather fanbases in the NRL. The best way to get people through the gae is by winning and by winning and playing a style that's pleasing to the kids and casual fans.

Off The Field
- It was mentioned earlier that we've gotta market our own players better. I agree with this 120%. Our club's current marketing department, as much as I hate to say it, are pretty average right now. (If anyone's listening, I'm happy to work long hours for very little pay and free food at Sharkies. Honestly. I'm not joking here). In the three most important/high profile positions on a footy field (1, 6 and 7) we have three young, talented and likeable guys. Add to that our iron men like Gal, and we should really be running marketing blitzes but it doesn't seem to be the case.
I took my aunt and uncle last week to Cronulla for lunch. They didn't believe me when I said that my Sharkies played in this area - there were no banners, no posters, no nothing to suggest that there's a local team. That's pretty pitiful.
- I'm not sure where the development currently stands, but if it goes ahead we should encourage all the businesses involved who won't be directly affiliated with the club (I'm not sure how this would work) to adopt a Shark, as it were - use their player to promote their business and pay them under a third party deal.