Media release
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne
At tonight's meeting, Inner West Council has unanimously resolved to throw its full support behind this Saturday's rally to save Wests Tigers.
Council is standing in solidarity with our local community to save the mighty Wests Tigers.
The rally will take place at 10.30 on Saturday December 13 at Pratten Park, a former home ground of Wests Magpies where fans will demand that the Board of the Holman Barnes Group resign.
Following a week of utter chaos and dysfunction in the governance of Wests Tigers, fans are taking the unprecedented step of holding a protest against the leadership of our own club.
In the past year Holman Barnes Group has now removed 8 directors, 3 chairman and 2 CEOs from their own Boards, including 4 independent directors of Wests Tigers, whom they had appointed only 11 months previously.
On Monday, the successful and respected CEO of Wests Tigers, Shane Richardson also resigned.
Inner West Mayor, Darcy Byrne called on all Wests Tigers fans to fight for the survival of their team this Saturday.
"At this rally, fans and members will call on Peter V'landys and the NRL, as well as Liquor and Gaming NSW, to intervene and fix the shambolic governance of Wests Tigers once and for all.
"By any measure, this level of dysfunction is not in keeping with proper standards of governance for a registered club or a community organisation.
"After 15 years of mismanagement, 3 wooden spoons and constant boardroom chaos, it's time to draw a line in the sand and say enough is enough.
"If this chaos and dysfunction is allowed to continue, and we don't draw a line in the sand, then there is a very real risk that Wests Tigers will simply cease to exist as an NRL franchise.
"The Wests Tigers do not belong to the Holman Barnes Group or any backroom powerbrokers; The Wests Tigers belong to the fans who love the club and support it rain hail or shine.
"If we don't take action now to make sure that the governance of West Tigers is cleaned up once and for all, then in a couple of years' time there is a very real risk that we won't have a Wests Tigers Club at all."
