‘We’re not a charity’: Former SCG boss defends dumping of guest passes

Former Sydney Cricket Ground boss Tony Shepherd has defended a controversial decision to dump guest passes as an entitlement for new members, saying the move was made for economic reasons and the storied institution was not a charity.

But the comments will affirm the suspicions of many incoming members who are angry they were not told about the removal of the long-running perk, and say it puts profit over people.

The SCG is taking on its first new members since 2020, but a change to entitlements made in 2021 is ruining the occasion for some.Credit: Getty Images

Fifth generation Sydney publican William Ryan, an SCG member for 50 years, said the guest passes, known as club cards, were a beloved tradition. “There’s no way in the world the MCG pulls any routine like this, or the MCC at Lord’s,” he said.

The Herald revealed on Thursday that new SCG members, who have typically waited up to 15 years for election to the prestigious club, will no longer receive club cards for family and friends. Existing members can still use their club cards.

These passes enable free entry into most regular fixtures, but not top-tier events such as the first days of the Sydney Test or AFL finals. Those who bought double memberships previously received two club cards, giving them up to four tickets for most events.

The decision to scrap the perk was made by Venues NSW in May 2021 while Shepherd was chairman, shortly after the agency merged with the SCG Trust, of which Shepherd had been chairman. But the measure took effect only this year with the first election of members since 2020.

“We’re not a charitable organisation, and we’ve got to survive”: Ex-Venues NSW chairman Tony Shepherd, who stepped down last year.Credit: Gregg Porteous/SCG

Shepherd, a veteran businessman and board member, said the economics of the SCG were looking “pretty shaky” in 2021, and Venues NSW had to find millions of dollars to relocate facilities while Sydney Football Stadium was rebuilt.

“It was a very trying time. The government was meeting the capital costs of the new stadium, but it wasn’t meeting any of the dislocations. That was left for us to do,” he said. “The guest cards were a form of lost income, shall we say.”

Shepherd stood by the decision to dump them, and noted SCG membership continued to grow. “We’re not a charitable organisation, and we’ve got to survive,” he said.

However, new and existing members have complained the new arrangement is unfair because they were not made aware of it while they were on the waiting list for years, paying the annual $50 fee.

The entrance to the SCG members’ section.Credit: Mark Evans/ Getty Images

William Ryan put both his sons on the waiting list when they were born. One is already a member and has the club cards, but his younger son, Rafe, was elected this year and won’t get them.

Ryan conceded it “might be a First World problem”, but said he had paid his sons’ waiting list fees for 25 years, and “now I’m not getting what I was meant to get”.

“There was no correspondence, no consultation,” Ryan said. “And, of course, the fees are going to stay the same, allegedly. It’s obviously just purely financial. Blind Freddy can see that it’s a con.”

Jonah Wigley, 49, a digital product manager from Turramurra, was excited to receive the call-up this year after 14 years on the waiting list. He used to attend the cricket with his grandfather, who was an SCG member.

“They definitely weren’t proactive about letting people know. That was a real letdown,” he said, urging new members to start a petition. “These new members are paying the same fees as people who have the two club cards. I just find that grossly unfair.”

Current Venues NSW chairman David Gallop, who was appointed by Labor in August, declined to comment. But Venues NSW said the decision to phase out the club cards allowed more people to become SCG members more quickly, and membership products had changed many times over the years.

In emails seen by the Herald, SCG managers advised members the waiting list was now 15 years, “and this has blown out at an increasing rate in the last six years”. The current membership was “very stable”, with fewer than 2 per cent not renewing each year.

The decision to discontinue club cards in May 2021 coincided with a decision to discontinue gold and platinum SCG memberships. New SCG members who want to upgrade their membership are now directed to the Sporting Club of Sydney, a premium fitness, aquatic and wellness centre that was part of the Allianz rebuild. Joining fees range from $5000 to $22,000, and there is a waiting list.

Ryan unsuccessfully sought election to the SCG Members Advisory Committee last year. He said members were the “backbone of the SCG”, but felt the quality of correspondence and service for members had declined since Venues NSW took over.

“You have to scrounge to find out anything,” he said. “[They] have turned it quite commercial.”

The office of NSW Sport Minister Steve Kamper was also contacted for comment.

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