Perth NRL franchise is making more sense
Roar Guru
By M1tch, 21 Feb 2010 M1tch is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- NRL, Perth, Rugby League
Just under 9,500 people attended the NRL pre-season trial involving the Roosters and Dragons at Members Equity Stadium last week, the second year in a row that paid customers attended a Rugby League trial game out west in big numbers.
Throw in a near 16,000 crowd for the match between Souths and Melbourne, and it’s hard to ignore local support for Rugby League in Western Australia.
But it’s not only the crowds that should have people involved with the Western Reds or the NRL excited. It’s also the fact their SG Ball side (under 18′s team) is mainly made up of local born and bred players. The plan was if they were admitted into the NRL in 2013, they would have ready made players who are locals to engage with the community.
On the television side of it, it also makes perfect sense. The time-zone helps the NRL beautifully with Perth home games on a Saturday shown at 9.30pm live on the east; a great way to finish the current Super Saturday on Fox Sports. And a Sunday afternoon home game starting at 2pm local time fits in perfectly into the current 4pm timeslot.
Big blockbuster games against teams like the Broncos, Dragons or Bulldogs would be a great start to the weekend of footy for the 2nd Friday night game, and it’s always a bonus to have the game live.
The current Reds bid is the silent bid at the moment, but with everything the area has going for it, it’s the most important bid the NRL has to consider.
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Corey said | February 21st 2010 @ 2:22am | Report comment
Amen M1tch, this is probably the greatest expansion opportunity for the NRL since the Super League. And imagine the TV deal increase. This is where we need to focus all the NRL money (along with Western Sydney) for the next couple of years. Imagine Central Coast and Perth being accepted in than in 5 years after that PNG and Central QLD. Perth love sport, and showing them faith by giving them a team will give the NRL the right to use the ‘N’ in their initials. Give Perth want they deserve and Western Australians get on this thread and comment.
And hopefully no rugby union naysayers get on this thread and tell us about how union is doing great and league isn’t.
M1tch said | February 21st 2010 @ 2:53pm | Report comment
Cheers Corey, as I say the tv opportunity alone should have them in the NRL
, but with the way they are bringing juniors through its exciting stuff
Billo said | February 21st 2010 @ 5:34am | Report comment
M1tch, I hope a few CEOs of NRL clubs read your short piece, which shows that you don’t need lots of words to make a very sensible and compelling point.
The way Perth would fit into the TV coverage of the game is very persuasive, and should in itself enhance the value of the next contract.
Central Coast and Perth should be automatic entries for 2013, and after that there are still plenty of places for the NRL to target, including Adelaide, New Zealand, several places in Queensland and PNG.
M1tch said | February 21st 2010 @ 2:52pm | Report comment
Thanks for comments Billo, I think its a no-brainer, hopefully the IC sees the potential in Perth.
Col the Bear said | February 21st 2010 @ 7:16am | Report comment
As I see it there are only 3 areas in the bids which have what it takes to be admitted ..1st and priority is the CCBears.. own stadium, 1 mill pop,facebook members about to reach 14000 in just over 8 months,CCBears website up and running,Ceo in Greg Florimo, Coach in David Fairleigh,office opened at erina, jersey selected,and merchandise and membership selling..23 junior clubs..
2nd Perth, have the population,have a stadium, have their juniors coming through, have their name and colours, infrastructure are falling into place.the only downside is the amount of other codes in Perth, and can they sustain it..??
3rd South East Qld, has a stadium at QE2 can use until new stadium at logan built., has Juniors, has support from Logan to ipswich,and has the population..the only problem I see is that they havn’t been pushing as hard as the other bids..No website, no merchandise..
they appear to be holding back for some reason..
Central Qld are putting up a good fight, but still no stadium, but a very appealing website..and also facebook membership growing at a good pace.I think if admitted they would be similar to NQld.
Corey said | February 21st 2010 @ 9:04am | Report comment
Col, Ipswich and Logan aren’t throwing their hands up because nothing has been done. In SE QLD we don’t wanna be like the Sydney area for league. We want crowd figures that are getting close to capacity and another team here would hurt that at the moment. We’re pretty cluey when it comes to league, although our school marks show other wise, but we want league to go to Perth and CC first, may be PNG even before Perth, but thats because we love our League and want it spread not held just to the heartlands.
But I agree CC should be first, but you need another team to go with them and that would be Perth.
And all this about security in PNG is ridiculous, they don’t wanna hurt you they wanna meet you. I saw a Transworld sport report on PNG and every single frame had a guy wearing an NRL jersey.
Hansie said | February 21st 2010 @ 7:31am | Report comment
Central Coast and Central Queensland would be my next two team. The Central Coast team has to be at the front of the queue.
oikee said | February 21st 2010 @ 10:13am | Report comment
Sounds like a great idea,? Dont expect rugby league to consider it, the game is being run by Dinosaurs, i will give you 3 examples in just the last month,.
All-stars, Indigernous match. The dinosuars thought it was a bad idea to play this game. It took Micheal Searle, a young Inovator, to get the game up and running.
The Broncos sent me out a season Membership invite, the 1st year i have ever seen anything like this, so the last 10 years they have sat on their backsides, not worried about trying to grow memberships.
Perth is a must for rugby league, if we dont move soon, it will get forever harder to move into this market, and people will just get bored waiting, once again, the dinosaurs running this game wont give this a thought. They will just say we need to make Melbourne work 1st. Bullocks, we need Perth before its 2 late.
Until we have a Independent commission, you guys are going no-where. So any talk about even getting the Bears back, wont do any good, because we have got numpties running the game, who cant see anything, and listen to no-one.
Scream ,shout, winge, wont do you any good. They have not listened to the fans for 20 years,. What makes you think they are going to listen now. IC, or nothing will change.
And i refuse to become a member of the Broncos again until they get rid of the Basketcase in charge. 6 years ago i moved away from Brisbane, but still attended games, this is the 1st time in 6 years they made me a offer. That is just poor, poor leadership, poor business sense, and poor running of a club. He is trying to make up for his incompetence, but i are not falling for it, i will wait for a new CEO, if that takes another 10 years, so be it, i refuse to support idiots, i might even become a member of the Titians, just out of spite to this fool.
Realist said | February 21st 2010 @ 1:35pm | Report comment
oikee,
Become a non-ticketed member of the Cowboys. It only costs $42.
Corey said | February 22nd 2010 @ 1:35pm | Report comment
Don’t!!! Oikee, I dont like Cullen either, but I love the Broncos, I support the Broncos because they are our greatest chance of getting sold out crowds (with a decent and recognised crowd size), and they are the team that we support. i don’t support Cullen, but I support RL and RL in Brisbane.
babyg said | February 23rd 2010 @ 12:59pm | Report comment
Well said mate
Crosscoder said | February 21st 2010 @ 10:51am | Report comment
Central Coast would be my first cab off the rank.
Sponsorship: check
Stadium: check
Fan Base: check-16,000-18,000 average attendance with a local team.
Juniors:check
CEO/Office:check
Community involvement:check
Bears Tradition: check
Coach:check
Transport access:check
Negative: Awaiting the starting pistol
Perth;
Population base: 1m has to be a plus/national exposure factor
Juniors :small but growing and involved with national junior under 18 comp.access to juniors also from the NT.
Fan base: Based on attendances minimum 10,000 to 16,000(conservatively) with a local team.
No idea on tranport access.
Sponsorship:plenty of mining companies,a number of East coasters moved to WA for the mining boom.
Negative: the NRL knocking back the bid currently work in progress.
Then
2nd Brisbane side:week to week games needed in a city that is rl mad,many of whom appear to dislike the Broncos.
2nd NZ side -Wellington.
JF said | February 21st 2010 @ 2:09pm | Report comment
What about the difference in travel expenses?
Although crowds have been decent for a couple of games a season – this does not always equate to solid regular crowds. The Challenge Cup final in London draws a big crowd every year – yet Harlequins RL struggle to get 4000 to regular season home games at the Stoop. Data relating to who is attending the games is needed before reliable prediction on crowd figures can be gauged. The ARU kept spouting test match crowd figures as a justification for Melbourne Super Rugby – IMO test match figures do not represent real interest.
Sponsorship, yes QLD miners are a big factor in considering RL in Perth. But mining companies are not retail companies trying to get their name greater exposure. Definite corporate hospitality opportunities though.
Rod said | February 21st 2010 @ 11:27am | Report comment
I’m all for perth and I wouldn’t mind Adelaide stepping up in the next few seasons with an u18 side like the Reds just to remind everyone they are still attached to Australia.
Springs said | February 21st 2010 @ 11:33am | Report comment
Perth juniors have already shown they are good enough by beating Balmain 28-8 in the SG Ball. Perth definitely deserve to be included by 2013. If they could make Melbourne work for 12 years in Olympic Park and next to no FTA coverage then Perth in ME Bank Stadium with (hopefully) better TV coverage should work easily. WA has always had more juniors than Victoria, and more likely a larger League fan base.
Central Coast should be admitted about… now. Perth next. In the next few years a second NZ side and eiter a second Brisbane side or PNG.
JF said | February 21st 2010 @ 12:10pm | Report comment
It is hard to ignore the potential benefits of a NRL in Perth, however the heartlands must be given first consideration CQ, CC and PNG. If these areas are ignored – it can be seen that the NRL aren’t interested in genuine expansion but are just engaging in a pissing contest with the AFL – and we all know who can piss the furthest. Legitimising the N in NRL is not an adequate reason for setting a team up in Perth!
Mitch, have you given any consideration into the potential of a national div 2 competition? I have always thought this could be a way of including those RL areas on the fringe of NRL expansion. The Q Cup and NSW equivalent could merge and include PNG and Perth, then promotion and relegation – has this ever been considered?
M1tch said | February 21st 2010 @ 2:55pm | Report comment
I dont see a national 2nd div working, I doubt much money would come in and also Queensland love their comp.
Also playing numbers would decrease and some big clubs wouldnt make the cut, its good to have the current set up, I think the Under 20′s should be the true national comp.
Imagine teams from Darwin,PNG,Perth,Adel,CC, CQ, NZ – would be huge and like Perth are doing at the moment, its a easier transition to get a NRL side
Col the Bear said | February 21st 2010 @ 1:25pm | Report comment
For the concept you are suggesting JF, the coffers would have to be lifted substanially, flying teams and support crews to all these venues on a virtually weekly basis, costs quite a bit..
plus they are now sending junior clubs to interstate which wasn’t happening on a regular basis before .. SG Ball now to Melbourne and Perth..
NSW cup now to Melbourne and Auckland..If you add in travelling to Qld and vice versa, plus also a trip to PNG..each club would need a signicant raise in funds from the NSWRL and QRL for this to work..unfortunatley the “Reserve “Grade comp doesn’t have the support of the NRL clubs and the U/20s, the sooner this changes the better..
oikee said | February 21st 2010 @ 1:43pm | Report comment
The QLD league have a cash fund Col, they should already be doing something like this, but they seem more interested in showing people how much they can bank. I dont care how much we have in the bank, you need to spend money to make money. The game has been neglected for 15 years already, lets spend more on the product , so we can make more, more teams in the right place, bigger money coming in, why do you think channel 7 wants the rights, they will get them cheap, and make hundreds of millions out of the game just by showing it into 3 neglected states, hello lads, open the door to another sucker deal.
We all will be going yipppee, we got 800 million for the game. The game is worth at least 1.5 billion, if you run the game into these other states. We will accept 800 million. Suckers.
Channel 7 will insist on playing internationals in Perth and Aderlaide and NZ, this is what rugby union already does> Like i said, we need mussle running the game, get Richard Branson plus Katie Page, a Macquarie CEO, some real heavy hitters, before we give the game away again.