Itโs been less than 24 hours since the Eels beat the Storm to set up a thrilling first-week finals encounter with Penrith, but ARLC Chairman Peter Vโlandys has already had to rule out a venue change to accommodate increased capacity for the clash.
As it stands, Penrithโs BlueBet Stadium has a maximum capacity of 22,500 โ which will likely mean tens of thousands of potential attendees will be unable to attend as the game sells out.
With belief the game could draw a crowd of up to 70,000, there have been suggestions in the media that the game could be moved to Homebushโs Accor Stadium โ but Vโlandys has quickly tempered that notion before it gathers steam.
โThe teams have earned the right to host finals,โ Vโlandys told the Daily Telegraph.
โMy focus is on their loyal fans. This is a reward they get for turning up every week.
โSometimes itโs not about dollars, youโve got to reward loyalty.
โI understand we could make more money at another venue, but this is how you get long-term memberships and tribal followings.โ
Despite the potential for lost revenue, the NRL have already stood firm on the issue after agreeing to let Cronulla host a home final if they secure second spot, which seems highly likely, despite the fact their stadium can only hold 11,000 currently due to surrounding construction.
โCronulla fans are the same as Penrithโs,โ Vโlandys said.
โTheyโve been turning up all year to support the team and they deserve to be playing out of home.โ
“The chairman leads the board, sets its agenda and ensures it is an effective working group at the head of the company. He … is responsible for effective communication with shareholders ”
By contrast, the chief executive has responsibility for the day to day management of the company and putting into effect the decisions and policies of the board.
โThere should be a clear division of responsibilities at the head of the company between the running of the board and the executive responsibility for the running of the companyโs business. No one individual should have unfettered powers of decisionโ
The quotes are from the UK Corporate Governance Code. There is probably an Australian equivalent that says exactly the same thing, but I don’t have a copy.
Does anyone have any idea why (Chairman) Peter V’Landis is making pronouncements like this, seemingly every week?
Does anyone have any idea what (CEO) Andrew Abdo actually does?
Does either of them understand the concept of governance?