There is an elephant sitting in the NRL boardroom and it is adorned with a large flashing Las Vegas style neon light which reads ‘Central Coast rugby league’. The next big thing on the domestic to-do list is to get the Central Coast up and running and into the NRL.
The current pattern of teams relegating games against Newcastle to Bluetongue Stadium is the sort of halfway house solution that doesn’t satisfy rugby league fans in the region nor the fans of the travelling teams, and only slightly cheers up the club’s bean counters.
In fact, the only people it would make happy would be a few hard heads looking to test themselves against Belinda Neal after a dozen schooners at Club Troppo.
You could even argue it actually alienates local fans as it deprives them of the respect of seeing their own team in action. If they are good enough for NRL matches, they are good enough to have their own side.
For god’s sake, the people of Cronulla do.
I’ve also always maintained that a relocated side is also doomed to fail. Why should the people of the Central Coast pick up a side that has failed elsewhere?
The only exception would be a revival of the North Sydney Bears.
This is due to the fact that the Bears have always had an eye on the Central Coast (the attempts to get up there actually killed them off) and it is probably closer to their rugby league territory of Asquith, Pennant Hills, and the rest of the Hills district than North Sydney Oval.
I’d argue the NRL needs to hand a licence to the Central Coast in the same way it did the Gold Coast: that is, with a few seasons for the club to build its side and infrastructure.
The Titans are the blueprint for a successful launch, so plagiarism is encouraged if not demanded.
They’ve looked to restart the momentum by appointing David Fairleigh, and acting CEO Greg Florimo is clearly a contender for Australia’s most patient man.
A new club could also help retain players heading to Super League. In fact, I’ll even create the first rumour that Matt King could be a great marquee signing.
Unhappy in Warrington and a former North Sydney lower grader, it could be the sort of signing to get things happening, at least in the tabloid press.
Bluetongue Stadium is also a great ground and it is a crying shame it is only used in the summer months by the Mariners.
I’ll also fire a pre-emptive strike against anyone who believes that the area is strictly Mariners territory now.
You are dreaming.
The Central Coast clearly has a big enough population to support a number of sporting franchises, and given the Mariners crowds this year, they are clearly as far away from a mortgage there as many of the battlers in the area are.
If no other code could survive on the Central Coast, what hope the A-League franchises in North Queensland or the Gold Coast?
Remember, reality exists outside cyberspace.
But I digress, be it as the Central Coast Bears in red and black or the Central Coast Bucks in a Hawaiian motif, I’d love to make the trip come 2011/2012.
Dave1
Guest
sydney teams arent really stuggling for crowd numbers. http://stats.rleague.com/rl/crowds/2009.html
Dave1
Guest
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26272608-23209,00.html ".......Wests Tigers will play more NRL games at their traditional home grounds at Leichhardt and Campbelltown in 2010, the club revealed on Wednesday. The Tigers will play four games each at both Leichhardt Oval and Campbelltown Sports Stadium, increasing both grounds' number of home games from three this year......"
Dave1
Guest
Both FFA & RU have bidders coming to an open process? I think Rugby league can do a lot better than both organizations.
Col the Bear
Guest
securing the 3 million has had a snowball effect others now see this is going to be big..and want to be apart of this amazing franchise...how good will this be....Come on NRL we' re waiting on the nod.. and then all systems are go...think what a great way to end the season after all the negatives from the past, not only this season, but prior as well..it will be the good news story since Souths were readmitted in 2001, for the 2002 season.magpie some will obviously be negative for the bears, and our job over the time will be to turn that around, and then get all CC/NS following their local team the CC Bears....HERE COME THE BEARS HERE COME THE BEARS
Magpies
Guest
Lots of talk on Central Coast radio station Star FM this morning, spoke to Greg Florimo and had listeners ring through; some positive, some negative, Bears also meeting NRL heads this week. Official website, Erina office and merchandise all launching Friday November 6 2009, its really building up now, go the mighty Bears.
Col the Bear
Guest
Come on the Central Coast Cubs....more investors about to come on board mapie...stay tuned.
Magpies
Guest
News through the grapevine is that Bears officials are meeting with local Central Coast League officials on Thursday.
Midfielder
Guest
Mag My views can best be illustrated by looking at the following the following article I wrote on the Roar ... essentially the next media deals will be driven on expected TV ratings.... even if you and Col are right that a CC team will massively increase TV rating ... the media buyers do not .... Have a look it's less than a week old ... http://www.theroar.com.au/2009/09/24/the-next-round-of-media-deals/
Col the Bear
Guest
shattered Magpies absolutley shattered.... it was the toughest and very exciting game.. 10 minutes to go 8 points down and the Bears hit back with 2 tries..I think in the first golden point.. 3 shots at field goal one hitting the bar.. in the second period a try to the Bears disallowed..wheres the video ref when you need him.... A huge crowd at Lechhardt and majority left when the Bears and tigers finished..not too many stuck around for the main game..just shows the pulling power of these old traditional clubs still to this day..
magpies
Guest
I do see what your saying Midfielder and I'd say Col does as well, but the Central Coast Mariners have a huge following on the Coast and the Bears will too once they get back in. Should've seen the thousands of children trying out today for the junior Central Coast Rep squads at St Edwards College, East Gosford football grounds, these children are crying out for an NRL league side to call their own, sure they follow existing NRL clubs now but once the Bears get behind the local rep squads alot of these kids will definately call the Bears their own. Norths were unlucky today in the NSW Cup going down to the Tigers in extra time 21-20.
Col the Bear
Guest
The Central Coast Bears 3 MILLION DOLLAR SPONSORSHIP deal with MORTGAGE HOUSE... here come the Bears Here come the Bears!!! in the Sun Herald today....
Midfielder
Guest
Col I am truly sorry for RL if that is how DG thinks.... Pure BS to embrace an idea that people living in Mossman / Crows Nest ? Milson's Point will return in the kinda numbers you indicate because a team playing out of the CC has some past link with the North Sydney R L.... As I said in my earlier post .... parts of the North Shore have undergone enormous demographic population changes .... The Asian population from Eastwood / Epping across to Chatswood and towns around is huge ... As I said the CC already one of the highest rating areas for RL nationally and 300, 000 people ... fanciful in the extreme to think their is massive national TV growth coming from the CC... that because of one or two games a year will enlist the kinda of TV increase in viewership you talk of is simply untrue .... RL to compete with a rapidly expanding AFL & Football need to place their new teams where they will increase TV views the most .... I cannot believe that a CC team is any where close to this team... The CC should be for the relocation team from Sydney ... looking very much like Souths for my money ... having Easts, Souths, Saints & Cronulla together makes no sense ... Col as I have often said ... I think you will have a team... and I will buy you a beer at their first home game... in fact I will more than likely go to most of their games ... I think when Souths got back in they took your spot ... however while I will welcome a team to the CC ... my brain says this would be a incredibility foolish move for the long term growth of RL...
Col the Bear
Guest
As David Gallop said.. to bring the Bears back,is the only team that can bring the North shore rugby league fans and the CC together.. just want to mention a paragraph from the Bears book"the Mighty Bears" released in 1995..should get it MF, it's a very good read... "There was a sense,too, in which North Sydneys juniors policy increasingly embraced the central coast and became periodically enmeshed with the clubs broader identification with the rugby league heartland of that region.Rugby league had been played on the central coast since 1913.With strong clubs in that region such as wyong,Ourimbah,Umina,gosford and 200 junior teams,they were compelling reasons why north Sydney should consider formalising a relationship with clubs north of the hawkesbury river....Through the 1940s with players like Walter Worrard,Don mcKinnon the elder,as well as Lester hough and arthur browne, who had trained with norths in 1922, there were historical links with the Central Coast" in 1990 it was first put forward that Norths and the CC should almagamate.. In 1994 there were 24 central coast players in senior and junior North Sydney teams and 30 more on scholarship... The link between the Bears and the Central Coast has been there for many years now..The admission to the NRL of the central Coast Bears is just something that should of happened 10 years ago... Here come the Bears....
Col the Bear
Guest
I'll see you at Bears Stadium gosford for the first round clash between The Central Coast Bears and the miserable Sea eagles...:-)
Midfielder
Guest
Col Please a team playing out of Gosford will get the support of the good folk of Milsons Point .... Easts / Souths / Manly all closer ... Crows Nest ... spare me days .. by the holy mother .. yeeeeeee be telling porkies there ... Chatswood and towns around have you been there lately ... demographics of the populations have changed... Effectively this northern Sydney claim is fanciful .... in affect you have 300, 000 good folk of the CC plus those that already watch RL along the North Shore railway line... most esat of the line follow Manly many west of the line follow Parrmatta .. The CC is already one of the heartland with one of the highest percentage of RL viewers already ... at best a marginal increase in TV ratings...
Col the Bear
Guest
The Central Coast Bears have an area that stretches from Milsons point to Lake Munmorah.. pop. 1 million people.. how many other RL clubs can boast a draw of that...I'm sure some of those people will get Pay tV don't you..I know I will be quite happy to get Pay tV once the Bears are back in the comp. and not before.. and i think you may be surprised there are other people similar to me....17th licence to the Central Coast Bears.. the 18th can fight it out amongst themselves..WA, PNG, Sunshine Coast(yeah good one Penn) or Central Qld...
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
Agreed. A QLD team, and another from Perth or NZ would be the ideal situation.
Col the Bear
Guest
I'll get you the first red and black jersey with a Big CCBears on it...I also recall Wayne fully supporting the CCBs bid... :-)
Midfielder
Guest
Col I guess you read what Wayne the Dragon had to say a couple of weeks back... for the good of RL the next two teams need to add greatly to RL's ability to gain larger TV audiences .. alas I see only marginal improvements in TV ratings from the CC ... when compared to existing national figures...
Col the Bear
Guest
and also a classic AFL grandfinal with 2 traditional "melbourne" teams St Kilda V Geelong...I have to go for Saints sentimental reasons only.... even though a large number of my relos live in geelong...