‘Give power to the fans’: Hundreds rally against Wests Tigers owners

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Bruce King called out to his wife Lydia inside their home in Perth last week to gauge how she’d feel about a trip to Sydney. Not for a holiday, but to join the rally for Wests Tigers fans in Ashfield’s Pratten Park on Saturday.

“I was sitting at home reading about this whole kerfuffle with the board, being sacked and everything,” the 74-year-old said. “I said Lydia, ‘how do you feel about going to Sydney?’ And she goes, ‘what for?’ I said we gotta go to this bloody rally. I said they’re having a rally in Pratten Park and we gotta be there. Scream for the team.”

Fans gathered in Ashfield to rally after four independent directors were sacked from the club’s board.

The Kings were just two of hundreds of fans gathered on the lawn of the Pratten Park Bowling Club calling for better governance of their club, which this week saw three board members reinstated after four were initially sacked.

The rally was spearheaded by Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne who used his speech to announce the formation of a fan association, which he said would hold the club’s majority owners, the Holman Barnes Group, to account.

“Today I announce that we will form Wests Tigers Unite, a new grassroots organisation to give fans a real say at Wests Tigers,” Byrne said. “We will draw from the successful examples around the world of fans associations at different sports that have been set up when this sort of situation occurs.”

Lydia and Bruce King getting some shade inside the Pratten Park Bowling Club after the fan rally.

The new association has at least one member in commentator and former Balmain Tigers forward Steve Roach, who was also in attendance on Saturday.

“I’m a fan. I’m a Tigers supporter, so I’m just like everyone else,” Roach said. “I want the power to go back to the fans and get them to have a say. They’re the people that pay their hard-earned week in and week out to go and watch the team play so they should have a voice.”

Former Balmain Tigers player Steve Roach, took photos with fans after the speakers had ended.

Hannah Nicols, 28, was one fan lining up to meet Roach after the speakers and rally cries had finished. She wore Wests Tigers earrings and held two signs that read “Wests Tigers. Not Magpies. Not Balmain.” And, “It’s our club. Not yours.”

Hannah Nichols and her Wests Tigers earrings.

“I’m here because I love this club. This club means everything to me, it gives me a purpose,” Nicols said.

The original plan to march to the Wests Ashfield Leagues Club was abandoned because of safety concerns. Byrne said this was partly attributable to the difficulty of crossing Liverpool Road and because the Holman Barnes Group had expressed concern over the safety of staff at the club.

Although there was a police presence at Ashfield Station on the streets approaching the park, and drivebys from the public order and riot squad, the rally went off without an incident and featured more children and dogs than hooligans.

One young fan in attendance was Benjamin, named after Tigers star-turned-coach Benji Marshall.

“I’ve been a supporter from before I was born,” the seven-year-old said. “I’m here because I am a true Tigers supporter and I want to help the Tigers stay up and get their jerseys back.”

Bejamin, named after Wests Tigers ex-player and current coach Benji Marshall.

Although the rally was winding up by midday, 38-year-old Liam Burgess had plans to stay until the end. He had been the first to arrive, rolling up two hours early at 8.30am.

“I woke up at sparrow fart in the morning just bursting with excitement,” he said. “We need to save our club, mate.”