Founded in 1908 in West End, the Souths Logan Magpies are not only aiming for the Queensland Cup Grand Final, they are also hoping to start redeveloping Davies Park to make it more accessible to the community.
Westender met with Southern Suburbs Rugby League Club CEO, Jim McClelland to discuss what the season holds for the club in this year’s Intrust Super Cup, and what needs to be done to keep the club financially sustainable.
Mr McClelland says that the last few years have been difficult.
“It has been tough like any business. The last few years the profile of the Magpies has suffered a little, since the inception of the Broncos in the late eighties.”
“That took away the gloss from a club like ours, with the media virtually abandoning our level of footy. The landscape is once again changing with the status of the Intrust Super Cup once again rated as the second best Rugby League competition in the world.”
Another issue that has confronted the Club for many years is that Davies Park is in dire need of refurbishment. It is not derelict, he says, but there is a need for support to keep the club part of the community.
“We have always been a big part of the community.”
“We have conceptual plans we’ve tabled with local, state and federal [government], and we believe there are some good opportunities [there].”
The club has the support of the people of West End, including West End Community Association ex-Chairperson Darren Godwell, local MP Jackie Trad and Cr Helen Abrahams.
“Hopefully we are knocking on the right doors and sitting across the right tables now with some heads of government listening to us.”
The redevelopment of Davies Park is not just a sporting redevelopment. It is a redevelopment that will benefit both the club and the community of West End.
“It’s got to become a destination for mums and dads to bring their kids down, to be able to kick a ball freely and BBQ under the trees, have a coffee sitting on the deck overlooking the water.”
“In 2014 the game has introduced a National Championship, played in two conferences, QLD and NSW. So[We have] the opportunity to play on the national stage in a curtain-raiser to the NRL Grand Final if we happen to win the Queensland Cup Final. Could it be the year of the Magpie?”
http://southsloganmagpies.com.au/ssrl/
