Central Coast Bears’ hard work succeeding
Roar Rookie By Mr.R.B.Bear, 2 Sep 2010 Mr.R.B.Bear is a Roar Rookie
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- Central Coast, Central Coast Bears, NRL, NRL expansion, Rugby League
140 Have your say
Another weekend, another successful membership drive. Over the past five days, the Central Coast Bears bid has had a shot to the arm. Almost Steve Rogers to Captain America like, the weakened Norths have been boosted by a super serum.
Now known as the Central Coast BEARS, the fledgling NRL franchise keep heading straight into their goals, full of momentum and there’s not a single thing anyone can do about it to stop it.
On Thursday 26th of August, the Central Coast Bears membership drive took post up in Lake Haven. Considered the most northern area of our territory and in borderline Knights country, the drive was a raging success.
$2,000 worth of merchandise sold and 96 members signed in one day. Truly, the supporters of this great club and promising bid must of been on cloud nine. Yet this was on a tiny scale compared to what happened in the next four days after.
Driving back down the Pacific Motorway for Saturdays Junior rugby league finals carnival held at the iconic North Sydney Oval, once again the Central Coast Bears posted up their membership stands and once again the results were fantastic. This time, on the back of a new $10 Junior Membership, the Central Coast Bears signed on another 50 or so new members.
The kids enjoyed every moment of the day and undoubtedly made better by the presence of their local NRL team. With memberships now at 2,500 and half way to our goal of 5,000 by March, things truly are looking good for the Central Coast Bears bid. But still the best was to come.
Sunday was a relatively quiet day but there was a storm of excitement building on the horizon and by Monday afternoon it rained, hailed and bucketed down some of the most promising news since the bid was conceived.
The NSW Labor Government had joined the Coalition (Mr. Joe Hockey in particular) and realised what an amazing opportunity the Central Coast Bears provide for the community of the Central Coast. $100,000 later and the ink is still wet on the dotted lines of the cheque.
The Central Coast Bears is now in a prime position to fully take advantage of an unbelievable wave of momentum.
NSW Premier Kristina Keneally, dressed in appropriate red and black colours, met with Greg Florimo and some of the smiling kids, who truly are the future of the Central Coast and the mighty Bears.
Finally the truth of it all starts to sink in.
Whilst other bids are happy with handshake and verbal agreements, the Central Coast Bears bid outright refuses to sit on their laurels. The only agreements that can be of any effect are contractual one. Agreements where money is physically pumped into an organisation and where initiatives are properly undertaken.
A fortnight ago, the Central Coast Bears announced a 10 per cent spike in memberships and new foundation sponsors. Many of those foundation sponsors are local Central Coast businesses. An important key to success is to incorporate community based companies into the team and the Central Coast Bears have just achieved this.
Now with local Foye Financial Services, CorpWrite, UBrandIt, Belle Properties BGC, CPS General, O’Gorman & Partners, Molly’s Cradle Wines, LA Group Building, Sorensen & Brown Solicitors joining the likes of Mortage House, Fortunity, Fone Zone, Sinalli, JJ. Lawson, Norths Leagues Club, Ooh! Media, NBN, ExCel Me, 2UE, StarFM, SeaFM, 2Go, Erina Fair, Rebel Sports and Good Gear. The sponsors are now part of the extended Central Coast Bears family.
With 2,500 members, the beautiful BlueTongue Stadium, $100,000 from the NSW Government and an undisclosed amount of equity. The further development of the coaching clinics, school and junior club programs and of course the successful Bears at work functions.
The next membership drive will again prove to be a storm of excitement.
The Central Coast Bears, 2013. If you thought it was hard to knock us back last week, it must be dead set impossible this week.
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September 2nd 2010 @ 12:18pm
Col the Bear said | September 2nd 2010 @ 12:18pm | Report comment
“imposed”?? we have been out in the community, we are looking at setting up acadamies for the CC RL juniors.. we will be the CC community team.. imposed… ?? our offices are on the Central Coast at erina.. for every 1 negative there is 1000 positves for the CC Bears I have been at the stalls on the CC and I see how the general public are excepting this and they can’t wait to have the CC Bears there…the amount of merchandise sold has been outstanding, the CC Baesr jersey is a real hit with the public also.. you have the name Central Coast for team.. it’s not North Sydney name …. it’s CENTRAL COAST…I still can’t believe there is the few opposing this unless there is some personal motive there….
September 2nd 2010 @ 12:25pm
AdamD said | September 2nd 2010 @ 12:25pm | Report comment
It seems like the only people that want the Bears back are the people from North Sydney? What a Joke?
September 2nd 2010 @ 1:11pm
JT said | September 2nd 2010 @ 1:11pm | Report comment
I’m personally from Brisbane and have spent some time on the CC. So you are incorrect on that one buddy. There’s a massive % of fans from the CC.
September 2nd 2010 @ 1:57pm
Col the Bear said | September 2nd 2010 @ 1:57pm | Report comment
as I said below thats BS…these kids signing up on the Coast a lot of them weren’t even born when the Bears were in the NRL and the others under 14/15 wouldn’t even know them, they see the CC Bears as their team..
September 2nd 2010 @ 2:20pm
Beowulf said | September 2nd 2010 @ 2:20pm | Report comment
Incorrect – more memberships have been taken out by Central Coast residents than Nth Sydney, even though the population split is 320,000 CC and 720,000 northern Sydney, so Coast residents are voting with their wallets to get their NRL team at last.
September 2nd 2010 @ 12:27pm
oikee said | September 2nd 2010 @ 12:27pm | Report comment
Something has got to give. Manly and Cronulla are the clubs being squeezed, from all sides. The Roosters are the new silvertails, they are now squeezing Manly out of the sunshine coast i just read. You need some big money behind you to survive.
Giving the circumstanses, if i was Manly, i would accept a dual relocation. Maybe this is the way to go. The idea would be, play half your away games in other states. Instead of CQ bid for a full team, take a half a team. So Manly have 2 areas, CQ club and Manly. They play all their QLD teams in Rocky.? If they could agree to this, it would make them strong with 2 areas supporting them, plus it would take the burden of filling your home ground every game.
Sponsers would double. These are ideas that need to be looked at, rather than going down the well worn path.
September 2nd 2010 @ 4:29pm
Corey said | September 2nd 2010 @ 4:29pm | Report comment
What about the Roosters, they average less than the Sharks (besides the one-off big games) and yet they are real big title contenders this year. If anyone should leave it should be them.
I reckon that the NRL should impose rules (like the ESL do) that should increase crowd numbers. Like an average crowd rule – where a club must increase it’s crowd average by 5% in the following year (different percentages depend on certain clubs etc.). If this target is met they receive $100k, if they don’t they are then queried as to why and then penalised as in taking a home game off them and putting it in a rural area (e.g. Darwin or Rocky).
September 2nd 2010 @ 12:35pm
beardave said | September 2nd 2010 @ 12:35pm | Report comment
Question to Col and others –
Will the CC Bears be the North Sydney Bears?
I.E. will their specs read:
Founded:1908
Premierships: 2
Most Tries: Ken Irvine
I think this is incredibly important to old bears supporters – and if it is not being done then this will do more harm than good.
September 2nd 2010 @ 12:48pm
Willy said | September 2nd 2010 @ 12:48pm | Report comment
Great stuff Mr Bear.
Central Coast Bears is an absolute no brainer as an expansion team. It would be a great success, and allow the NRL to effectively “own” the growing Central Coast.
And having the black and red and Bears back in the comp… beautiful!
Keep up the good work guys!
September 2nd 2010 @ 12:51pm
Willy said | September 2nd 2010 @ 12:51pm | Report comment
“Secondly, the Bears would further stretch the corporate dollar in Sydney. Compare this stress to the benefits of a team in the mining boom city of Perth (1.7m people)…”
These sort of comments are ridiculous.
The Bears would OWN the Central Coast. They would have no problem attracting sponsorship from througout the area.
Compare this to Perth – sure 1.7 million people, but competition from already established and very successful rugby, football and TWO AFL teams.
If anything, an NRL team in Perth would struggle to attract sponsorship dollars. Especially when you consider the last league team in that city attracted about 8,000 people per game, and collapsed in debt.
September 2nd 2010 @ 2:42pm
bilbo said | September 2nd 2010 @ 2:42pm | Report comment
That was much more to do with Super League than anything else – remember that the Crushers (Brisbane team) and the Chargers (Gold Coast) also collapsed as a direct/indirect result of Super League – even though the Titans are now doing well and there are constant calls for a second Brisbane team.
A Perth team – on the back of a renovated 28K ME stadium – would do well. There is already a strong junior league (the strongest outside NSW and Qld), expats galore, mining and sponsorship money galore, growing city and in terms of AFL dominance, Perth is nowhere near as tough a nut to crack as Melbourne. That’s why the NRL went to Perth before Melbourne or Adelaide – remarkably RL went there at the same time as the NZ Warriors – who are now a very successful example of a club.
Quade Cooper would have earned more in third party sponsorships and endorsements playing for the Force than playing for the Reds – that has to show you that there is money to be made.
September 2nd 2010 @ 1:33pm
Col the Bear said | September 2nd 2010 @ 1:33pm | Report comment
Bear dave the whole history will be carried over tothe CC Bears club.. this is what was suppose to happen in 1999 which people tend to forget what was approved not only by the clubs but also by the NRL.. in fact it was the NRL under Neil whittakers leadership that encouraged the move in the first place to the CC.. we are embracing the CC..and willy… the kids are looking forward to it, and so are the parents…it will be their club.. and thats how they see it…also remember the bears do have 25 years playing rights to the stadium when in was built in 99..so as I see it thats still another 14 years to go.. those opposing would like to sit by for another 14 years in the hope of getting a different team with colours.. by all means go for it.. but in the mean time we’ll be watching the Bears at ther Bears Den.. More big sponsorships about to be announced over the enxt month or 2..which will surprise everyone…in other words Adam thats BS..
September 2nd 2010 @ 1:54pm
Col the Bear said | September 2nd 2010 @ 1:54pm | Report comment
also dave it does have a shadow printing on the left sleeve that says NSDRLFC foundation club 1908… Sydney Swans do it and it’s very successful they still have their south Melbourne fans..as does fitzroy..
September 2nd 2010 @ 1:44pm
Col the Bear said | September 2nd 2010 @ 1:44pm | Report comment
Oikee Manly have had 10 years to get their act together, with the Bears being out of the comp..how much longer do they need.. and to some extent they have ; they have bought their private owners on board.. and they have picked up a premiership.. but now is the time not to deny the Bears to get reinstated…. it was Norths who put the pen to paper to let Manly break away from us.in 47. and we seem to have paid for it ever since.and then saw 3/4 of our team go as well. to maroon and white..
Now is the Bears time , .. time to start afresh with a new Venue and new audience..and keeping the old audience as well.. Out Of hibernation..
September 2nd 2010 @ 4:17pm
Fez's are cool said | September 2nd 2010 @ 4:17pm | Report comment
Fair enough, but there will be consequences for Manly and possibly Cronulla. It is nieve to think there won’t be. And that should be factored in when the NRL makes their decision.
September 2nd 2010 @ 4:39pm
Col the Bear said | September 2nd 2010 @ 4:39pm | Report comment
but a lot of this will also depend on how much the new TV right deal will be worth, and with the possibilty of packages being sent out to different stations, it could be more then anyone thinks..ie one station gets State of origin, one station gets test matches, world cup, one station televises the weekly games which might also be split like AFL do..but the truth is i’m not particularly worried what Manly do, and I’m sure they are not particularly interested in what the Bears do.. we were left with nothing in 2001, absolutley nothing.. and manly went back to how they were playing out of brookvale in their maroon and white and also went back to calling themselves Manly warringah Sea eagles.. and really didn’t give 2 hoots about the Bears and if they would of survived infact they revelled in saying the Bears are nothing but a dead club.. thankyou Peter peters, oh and he’s still saying it…10 years on..even though our membership is slowly creeping up Manlys
September 2nd 2010 @ 5:56pm
Fez's are cool said | September 2nd 2010 @ 5:56pm | Report comment
Maybe you are right. It might be in the games best interest to bring back the Bears and let the Sea Eagles be damned.
September 2nd 2010 @ 1:50pm
Col the Bear said | September 2nd 2010 @ 1:50pm | Report comment
so Go the Bears…
September 2nd 2010 @ 4:59pm
Mr.R.B.Bear said | September 2nd 2010 @ 4:59pm | Report comment
Go the Bears indeed!
September 2nd 2010 @ 1:57pm
AdamD said | September 2nd 2010 @ 1:57pm | Report comment
To Col the Bear.
What happens when the 14 years are up? will the CC still have a team, or will the Bears go back to North Sydney Oval and become the North Sydney Bears again and flood the Sydney market.
September 2nd 2010 @ 4:41pm
Dallas said | September 2nd 2010 @ 4:41pm | Report comment
Why would anyone with common sense head into a flooded market? Surely if the Bears are building themselves as a community team with a population to boot, then one must assume that the Bears are on the Central Coast for the long run. Sure North Sydney Oval is beautiful and iconic, however the ground is only suitable for a one-off NRL game these days. While Bluetongue Stadium, which the Bears helped fund, sits on the Central Coast. In short, it’s a Central Coast team.