Roosters 100th Season Celebration

The Sydney Roosters today unveiled its plans to celebrate the club’s 100th season in 2007.

Being the only club to have played every year since 1908 and on the verge of being the only club to achieve 1000 first grade wins, the club is keen to honour those that have built the foundations.

Roosters Chairman, Mr Nick Politis said the club was duty-bound to remember and honour the past.

“Those of us that drink the water, have the responsibility to remember and honour those that dug the well.

“The Roosters are committed to ensure this is a special year of celebration for the 1066 first grade players that have built our club’s on-field history”.

Key points of the Roosters 100th Season Celebrations include the following:

• Appointing the club’s most capped player, Luke Ricketson as a 100th Season Ambassador and Sydney Roosters Director and David Jones CEO, Mark McInnes, as Corporate 100th Season Ambassador.
• Launch of the 100 Year Logo
• Launch of a new 100 Year Jersey and playing strip developed from the club’s original jersey in 1908.
• Unveiling plans to launch a museum, supporters and memorabilia shop in Bondi Junction.
• A Team 100 competition to select the best team over 100 years from players that have played 100 first grade games or more for the club.
• A major corporate event to launch the season and announce the Team 100, with an estimated 800 guests at the Hordern Pavilion.
• A 100 Year History of the Roosters book written by Ian Heads, David Middleton and Geoff Armstrong.
• A gala fans day at Wentworth Park to celebrate the first game against Newtown on 20th April 1908 at the same venue.
• Opening the club’s pre-season with a new major event “The Foundation Cup” against fellow Foundation Club Wests Tigers (Western Suburbs and Balmain) at Aussie Stadium on February 17th, 2007.
• Opening the Roosters NRL season against South Sydney, a fellow Foundation Club, in what will become an annual event.
• Acknowledging the club’s 1066 first grade players with a double pass to the opening game of the season and a unique commemorative gift.
• Re-launch of the original club song “Here comes the Roosters”.

The club has acknowledged its responsibility to the game, its fans and corporate partners in a year of celebrations never before attempted at NRL club level.

Many of the concepts and plans came from continual discussion and dialogue over 3 years with past players, officials, fans and the game’s historians.