Raiders Army disbands...

[DIEHARD]

Raiders Army retreats

On the eve of the Canberra Raiders? 30th anniversary, the celebrations have been soured by news the clubs group of most loyal supporters has decided to disband at the end of the NRL season.

The Raiders Army will cease existence when the team plays its last game of the year against the Canterbury Bulldogs in Sydney in two weeks.

It?s another disappointing blow for the Raiders after their dismal season on the field.

The Raiders are in a battle to avoid the wooden spoon and have failed to fire for their fans this season.

Supporters have voiced some displeasure at the way the club has struggled and an email sent to Raiders Army members this morning said declining numbers this year was the major reason for ending its longstanding relationship.

The Raiders Army has been following the Green Machines since 2002 and occupied Bay 72 at Canberra Stadium for all home games.

The group has also followed the club around the country.

The Raiders have organised a barbecue on Thursday for Army members.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/

[DIEHARD]

It's sad to see a club without a supporters group. I hope something can happen and it can be rebooted.

The Legion will never die!

[DIEHARD]

In my opinion it would be a very good idea for the ARLC to allocate each club funds to help sustain, equipment and promote their supporters groups.

[DIEHARD]

Bring back the Sydney Green Brigade!

[DIEHARD]

Dear Raiders Army member,

It is with great sadness and disappointment that we write to advise you that at the conclusion of the 2011 season, the Raiders Army as it has stood for the past decade will come to an end.

Over the course of the past season, the number of Raiders Army fans congregating in Bay 72, at away grounds and at organised social functions has for the most part declined significantly. The factors for why this has occurred are numerous, the foremost one being many senior members over the past decade have moved onto other priorities in their life and are extremely limited, or can no longer participate in, committing to the group activities.

Don Furner and the staff at Raiders HQ have been informed of this decision and have relayed their disappointment that the Raiders Army won?t be continuing on as a supporters group of the Raiders. They also asked us to pass on their appreciation to everyone who was a part of the group from 2002 to present, and that you?ll continue to support our proud club in the future. At this stage the Raiders are unsure of their plans to start a new official supporters group in 2012. As part of the ticketing agreement with NRL, the club has to allocate specific bays for home and away fans. In the past, Bay 72 was the area the club specified. It is unlikely that 72 will be the official Raiders Supporters Bay in 2012.

I?m sure that many members of the RA, whether active or not, will be disappointed to receive this news. The RA has been a big part of many people's lives for a long time and I know personally that I had ambitions of seeing new, enthusiastic members joining the RA and taking the group forward. Unfortunately this didn?t eventuate as planned.

Over the coming weeks we intend on saying farewell to the RA and would like as many members, old and new, to join us. The first of these is the last home game of the season this Saturday August 27th v Penrith in what will be the last appearance in Bay 72 for the group. It has now been confirmed this is Alan Tongue?s last home game also which will add to the celebration.

Next on the Agenda is an RA only BBQ at Raiders HQ with the players and staff of the club. You would hopefully have received an invite via email for this event. If not, I have attached it. It is vital that you RSVP if you plan on attending the BBQ.

The following week is the final game of season 2011 v the Bulldogs at Homebush on Sunday 4th of September, and a great chance to see our team and Tonguey for one last time this year. This will also be the last RA gathering at the football and it will surely be one not to miss. A lot of the Canberra based RA are keen to catch up with some familiar faces that we look forward to seeing at the away grounds and will be making the trip for this game. The final event on the RA calendar will surely be one of the best, with the grand finale being one of our famous Super Saturday's on the 10th of September. At this stage the details aren't finalised but will be advertised and emailed shortly.

Finally, the wheels are in motion to put together some sort of history of the group during the past 10 years which will hopefully include the reviews, photos and various news articles. If you have anything you think may be suitable as content for this task (particularly news stories), can you please forward them to kw@raidersarmy.com.

Until the final whistle, WE ARE THE....

[DIEHARD]

It all makes you appreciate the health and success of The Legion. Thanks to all the passionate Titans fans who make it happen and who are yet to come.

Hopefully they plan and implement a new supporters group and bay for 2012. And use a healthy structure.

[Smakked]

Never good to see something like this happen to any club in any code, it will be dis heartening for the player aswell.

[DIEHARD]

Might also be a political move with many fans of the club deeply unhappy with the club's management.

[Toads]

Very unfortunate for the Canberra Raiders. Losing their hardcore support base (in the form of the Army), would be like the Raiders having a good part of their soul removed.

Hopefully for them it'll be a short term issue.

[DIEHARD]

Yea it would Toads. And always a shame to lose the continuity of history and tradition.

[Social Loafer]

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news...r/2268317.aspx

This sheds a bit more light on it.

A lot us saw this coming about 4 months ago, at least we were able to end it on our terms though..

The challenge is now out there for another group of fans to create, maybe a different style of support.

The original article did misrepresent the situation.. The main core of us will be members next year, in fact we plan to upgrade our membership and get a season ticket in the grandstand.

BTW I'm surprised at how much press this received, especially when you consider it was probably less than 10 of us that ran our group.. Like a lot of things it seemed we were something that people only missed when it was gone...


Ohh and hi btw Thought I'd log back in after an 18 month absence.. You can thank DieHard for tracking me down.

[Coaster]

Welcome back mate.
Shame to hear the support was not there. And a good lesson for us to not under value what is needed.

Hope it all sorts itself out

[Social Loafer]

Cheers,

We also decided to pull the pin to protect out brand name as well.

Has to be stated that we weren't an official supporter group.. We have been in bay 72 since 2005.. At times then there would be 10 of us standing at the back of that.

It probably would have been easy enough to get number in bay 72 next year, but the direction the group had turned into wasn't what we were all about.. This tends to happens when you get a spike in demand..

That's the short version of it.

[Chaos]

the direction the group had turned into wasn't what we were all about..

So are you guys pulling away from certain supporters?

[DIEHARD]

Ohh and hi btw Thought I'd log back in after an 18 month absence.. You can thank DieHard for tracking me down.

I'm happy to have you back mate. I missed you. Thanks for giving us an insight. I'm a bleeding heart so hate to see things end. But I have lots of memories of the great things done by the Raiders Army and Sydney Green Brigade.

A round of applause to everyone involved especially the main orgainisers, it can be a thankless joke and nearly impossible to find new recruits into the hard yakka.

It is a reminder for us to always reach out and try and groom new leaders for the Titans fanbase. I think we do a good job in that regard but we can always do better. I want to see a place where people can bring their families and friends, a place for all ages and with a team of fans who will share the burdens.

At times it can feel like you are being ground into the dirt. So I understand how the Raiders Army feel. Although I don't think I'll ever move on because I've been basically the same since I was 12.

A big thank you for the fun and atmosphere and hostile hospitality the Raiders Army offered the Southern Legion on the occasions I visited Canberra Stadium. Yes I remember you guys chanting that Zillman is a traitor!