NRL is part of the local fabric

Tag : Fabric Is

 
NRL chief executive David Gallop yesterday described western Sydneyas a ''battleground'' as he answered criticism stemming from theAFL's push into the area.

AFL chief Andrew Demetriou made a high-profile visit to Blacktownon Wednesday to discuss how the new western Sydney team, whichmakes its debut in 2012, will use Blacktown as its training base.

Blacktown mayor Leo Kelly made headlines by accusing the NRL of''sitting on their hands''.

But Gallop fired back yesterday that Kelly ''confuses things''.

Gallop said rugby league had been popular and prominent in westernSydney for generations and the NRL was spreading its investmentevenly across the area.

''The mayor confuses things to some extent,'' Gallop said yesterday

''We're in a very different position in western Sydney than theAFL. We have got 20,000 kids playing rugby league across all ofwestern Sydney.

''We have decided to put an academy in western Sydney but we aregoing to have it at Penrith, not at Blacktown.

''Contrast that to the AFL. They are coming into new territory.They have got to do some things to kickstart what they want to doin western Sydney.

''We are trying to spend our money across the whole area in an evenway.

''Our game has been in western Sydney for generations. I think themayor perhaps needs to recognise that we are part of the fabric ofthe community out there.

''But we aren't in a position to inject millions of dollars intoone place in western Sydney.

''It's a battleground if you like and the battle is for the heartsand minds of seven-year-old kids and their parents.

''That's ultimately what we're all about.

''If we can get our share of seven-year-olds playing our game, werely very much on grassroots volunteers, and there are thousands ofthem out in western Sydney.

''That's the sort of loyalty that money doesn't buy youovernight.''