Wests Tigers Fanatics
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The Wests Tigers Fanatics (also known in short as the WTF) are the fanatical supporters of the Wests Tigers rugby league team that plays in the Australian National Rugby League.
The Wests Tigers Fanatics are based mainly in western Sydney (where the Wests Tigers club is based).
The Wests Tigers Fanatics have a group of between 30-40 regular supporters to each game, however a large group of around 200 non-regular supporters sit with the Wests Tigers Fanatics throughout the NRL season.
The Wests Tigers Fanatics sit in the same area at each of their home grounds. At Leichhardt Oval the group sits on the famous "Hill" amongst the regular fans. At Campbelltown Stadium the group sits on the Southern Hill (Leagues Club end) and at Telstra Stadium the group sits in Bay 105 (on the 20 m line).
[edit] Colour and Sound
The Wests Tigers Fanatics have a number of large flags. There are more than a dozen flags between 1 m and 4 m tall. There are nearly a dozen flags over 4 m. The largest flag owned by the group is over 6 m tall.
The WTF also has a large 12 m wide banner with the words "Wests Tigers Fanatics" painted onto it. The group’s members create their own smaller banners and bring them to the games. The group also owns a set of drums which help create a vibrant atmosphere.
[edit] History
The fanatical supporters of the Wests Tigers existed as a small group for the first years of the club. Its origins can be traced back to January 2004 at the World Sevens Competition. A group of the fanatical fans decided to walk around the entire stadium to help draw the all the Wests Tigers fans together as an army to support the team. The club made the final of the 2-day competition and by that stage, at Bay 21 of Aussie Stadium in Sydney, the army had formed into an army of 200 fans. The group officially came into fruition in the weeks before the 2005 Grand Final.
In October 2004 the group decided to become more organised and attractive[citation needed]. Two members of the group held meetings with the Wests Tigers to organise special WTF season tickets and better seating at Telstra Stadium games. The meetings were successful and the Wests Tigers Fanatics was officially recognised as the Official Fanatical Supporters Group of the Wests Tigers. This began an exciting phase of the groups growth and a close working relationship with the club.
The success of the Wests Tigers[citation needed] on the field in 2005 saw the WTF grow into a large army. The club's first finals appearance in the season-proper saw fans come out of the woodwork to come and join the Wests Tigers Fanatics in their maiden finals appearance. As the Tigers success grew in the latter stages of 2005 their numbers increased.
The group’s biggest moment came in the 3rd week of the finals in 2005. When the Wests Tigers were assured of their eligibility to play in the game, only 10,000 tickets were available as the remaining 30,000 had been sold in the week before to St George Illawarra Dragons supporters. Because of this, close to 30,000 Wests Tigers fans were denied access to see their team play in the Grand Final Qualifier.
