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There’ve been a lot of stories lately about A-League expansion, regarding creating a second division and where new teams should be based.
One of the common themes that keeps coming up is basing teams in stadiums alongside NRL teams or where possible new NRL franchises might be located.
Since there’s also talk about NRL expansion, I’ll have a go at picking which places I think the NRL should go to if they create their own second division.
Besides Sydney in New South Wales the other big rugby heartland is Brisbane in Queensland, so I’ll start going anticlockwise.
Ipswich – 30km SW of Brisbane CBD
A new 20,000 seat stadium could be built in Ipswich if an A-League and or NRL team is based there.
Logan – 27km SE of Brisbane CBD and 36km from Ipswich
There could be a new 30-50,000 seat stadium in Logan if an A-League and or NRL team is based there.
Redcliffe/Moreton Bay Region – 28km North East of Brisbane CBD
Dolphin Oval is getting an upgrade and will have 10,000 seats which is fine.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/moreton/redcliffe-dolphins-has-revealed-plans-for-a-12-million-stadium-at-dolphin-oval/story-fni9r1i7-1226907637419
Sunshine Coast
There are plans to upgrade Sunshine Coast Stadium to a 15,000+ seat boutique stadium if an A-League and/or NRL team is based there.
Cairns
A team based in Cairns would instantly create a rivalry with Townsville so this one’s obvious. There are also plans for a new stadium for an A-League team.
Darwin
Darwin hosts an annual sevens tournament and they want to build a new 10,000 seat national quality stadium in the centre of Darwin for rectangular codes, so there is interest in the sport up there.
Perth
The new grandstand at NIB stadium looks dramatic on TV like a giant green cliff. I like it.
Adelaide
Hindmarsh Stadium is outside the city centre and there are calls for a new rectangular stadium to be built near Adelaide Oval. Having an NRL team as a second tenant would help the case for a new stadium.
Geelong
I don’t know much about Geelong so I’m not sure how much support there is for rugby league but I’m sure they would get behind a team if they had one. There have been plans to build a new 15,000 seat rectangular stadium at Armstrong Creek for an A-League bid, but if it was built next to Kardinia Park it could make use of existing transport links.
East Melbourne
When the FFA created Melbourne Heart (now City) and put them in the same place as Victory there was no differentiation between the teams and City still struggle to find fans because of this.
Since there have been suggestions of relocating Melbourne City somewhere further east to a new stadium it would make sense to base a new Melbourne NRL team with them as well if the NRL want to create a Melbourne derby.
Tasmania – Hobart and Launceston
A trial match in Hobart between the Storm and Broncos drew a crowd of 11,752 people so Tasmania might be a good location with a bit of community engagement.
The Tasmanian A-League bid would make use of temporary seating at York Park and Bellerive to make them rectangular, but if there was an NRL team as well it might help justify building two new stadiums.
Wollongong
There’s support for the Dragons in Wollongong but it would be better if they had their own separate team to support.
Gosford/Central Coast
They have a good stadium and there is a rugby fanbase in the area who would support a team that was based there.
Mid north coast: Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour
The two main population centres might be small individually but as a whole the population ha a similar in size to the Sunshine Coast or Central Coast. In 10-15 years will be the current size of Canberra.
Wellington
New Zealand’s capital and second largest city.
Christchurch
New Zealand’s third largest city and largest on the South Island.
Not all of these places have rectangular stadiums but they can always build temporary ones with simple bench-type seating around the ground while new stadiums can be built.
The best way for the A-League to grow is to increase the number of teams people can follow. In terms of sponsorship money soccer is the world game and can reach a global audience so NRL expansion would only be a minor problem there.
Normally people talk about the code wars but if the FFA and NRL can work together on a common expansion strategy then I think they can benefit one another more than they would harm each other.
Since I’m not into rugby I could be wrong about the places I’ve chosen but there seems to be a lot of overlap with where the A-League wants to go so I think this should be a good list. I’d like to know what you think about the choices I’ve made and whether you think a second division in the NRL would be a good idea.
When combined the current teams in the NRL, this list would bring teams to all states, territories and main regional centres, plus the three largest cities in New Zealand and on both islands.
I don’t know how much it would cost to run but the NRL should have the money in its coffers to at least get it started, even if it just starts as semi-professional.
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