Tyne tees tigers
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AUSSIE RULES FOOTBALL CLUB
Tyne Tees Tigers ARFC is an
Australian Rules Football Club that has
been making fine progress in recent
times. We recently caught up with Club
President Phil Martin to find out more
about the club.
Involvement
He told us, “Personally, I have been
involved with the club since 2013. I have
been an Aussie Rules fan for 30 odd
years since the days of ‘Trans – World
Sport’ on Channel 4 and then to find
there was a club on my doorstep was just
too tempting to not look into it. I found
the UK game too late to be involved in
the old North East league which had
several clubs (Newcastle Centurions,
Gateshead Miners, Durham Saints,
Hartlepool Dockers, Middlesbrough
Hawks, Redcar Bombers).”
The Role
“The biggest challenge of the role I
hold has been finding people to share the
load of running the club and ensuring
that there is no over reliance on any one
person. I feel very lucky in that I have a
very enthusiastic and capable group of
people on the club committee who have
shared a lot of the running of the club.
40 Issue 01
I must mention Chris Rodger (Head
Coach) who organises match day logistics
and travel in addition to coaching the
team, Matthew Bishop (Secretary) who
liaises with the League and deals with
all the admin requirements, Ian Baxter
(Treasurer and joint club founder) who
makes sure we have enough money to
keep going.
The most rewarding aspect is to see
the club continue to grow and prosper.
From when I joined in 2013, we have
grown in numbers greatly and now
have a permanent training and playing
base at Gosforth Sports Association
where previously we had to train in a
public park and rent a pitch on a per
game basis. For any club in amateur
sports stability is key and I think we are
one of the better run clubs in our sport.”