Bernie Pramberg
SURVIVORS: Souths Logan Magpies CEO Jim McClelland and chairman Mohammed Allouche at Davies Park, West End.
A COUPLE of weeks ago Jim McClelland stood in front of Souths Logan footballers and told them the club was in dire financial straits.
It was a Tuesday night training session at Davies Park, the inner-city ground which has been the heartbeat of Queensland's oldest rugby league club since 1909.
McClelland, a passionate administrator who has kept punching for Souths over 30 years despite being down for the count numerous times, was flanked by Magpies president Mohammed "Mo" Allouche.
Allouche is a born and bred West End boy who captained the club as a player and has been going to Davies Park for 32 of his 36 years.
"We have always been up front and open with everyone in the club and we had to address all the players," said McClelland. "It is a fact the pre-season game we promoted at Ballymore (Broncos v Canberra) was not as successful as we'd hoped and playing games at Logan during the past couple of years has hurt us financially.
"It's very tough for inner-city sporting clubs, but you have to drag yourself off the canvas every day and keep going forward.
"I grabbed the club captain (Phil Dennis) afterwards and I was sorry we had to start their week's training with that sort of news. He said not a single player complained and they appreciated us being up front . . . that's the way we've always been.
"I guess the players see blokes like Mo, myself and the directors and their families all very involved with the club. They see us cooking the barbecue and sweeping the dressing rooms.
"And they see Souths greats such as Greg Veivers, Mal Meninga, John Grant and others attending functions and supporting the club."
Despite servicing more than 3000 junior players in the corridor between Brisbane's outer southern and western suburbs and Logan City, the Magpies' move to spread their wings and play Queensland Cup matches in Logan has been grounded.
"I don't think Logan is ready for a Queensland Cup side and we're back and fully committed to Davies Park," said McClelland. "We tried a lot of things and spent a lot of money in Logan. We tried to become part of the community.
"At the end of the day, Davies Park is our home. We don't have to pay to play footy here."
Aside from their burgeoning junior base, another positive has been the dual-registration deal between the Magpies and Canberra Raiders. While relationships between some NRL clubs and Queensland Cup affiliates have soured, the Magpies-Raiders model is a winner.
"The Raiders have been tremendous for us and the Magpies have the ability to provide a career path for players to go to another level in the NRL" said McClelland.
In the Raiders team that beat the Broncos a week ago, 11 of the 17 players had worn the black and white Souths jersey during the past three years.
Souths Logan won the Queensland Cup in 2008 after a lean period and "Mo" Allouche believes the club has plenty to offer players.
"We have battled financially for years, but believe we can offer something more than money," he said. "We offer a family and community environment. They come to us for opportunities . . . our players are hungry and not here under false pretences. They are here to work hard and for opportunity."
As Allouche speaks, his commitment to the club is evident.
"I was born and bred up the road, went to West End school. My father used to bring me to Davies Park and us kids had to jump the fence and sit in front of the signage because their were so many people here.
"Now I bring my own kids to the games and they love it. People underestimate how much fun it is to go to the footy at suburban grounds."
A few days ago, my conversation with Jim and Mo in the deserted Souths Magpies is interrupted by the deafening sound of a helicopter landing on Davies Park. It's another sign of change in the suburb, just as the popular West End markets attract more than 8000 every Saturday to the picturesque ground by the river. During the 1970s, crowds of that size packed Davies Park for footy games.
The future of the Magpies hinges on the Brisbane City Council redevelopment of Davies Park which should be determined later this year and then implemented in stages.
"We have worked closely with the council and are confident of a positive outcome," said McClelland.
"We are well aware the area has changed and you don't have that same allegiance to local football of 20 or 30 years ago. Footy fans follow the top end of the market, the Broncos, and we accept we sit on the shelf underneath that."
A membership drive, aimed at attracting lapsed Magpies supporters and luring some new followers to Davies Park, is underway.
McClelland and Allouche know Band-Aid solutions and survival from season to season is no longer an option. A vision for the future has to be formulated, and then put into practice.
"The Magpies have always stood on their own two feet, but we are reaching out for help," said Allouche. "I don't know how much longer the same relatively small group of people can keep the club operating. We have great respect the history of the club, but it's also important the Magpies exist for future generations."
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