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With the NRL increasingly confident of expansion in 2013, I thought it timely for a quick update of the progress of the leading contender – the Central Coast Bears.
The NRL has increasingly stressed that they are not looking to just place pins on a map but rather are looking at the quality of each individual bid and its strategic impact.
So to be successful, a bid must be highly advanced and add value to the game.
So how do the Bears stack up?
The Bears are without question the most advanced bid of the contenders – 3,300 financial members with no team to support is an incredibly powerful statement.
In a recent meeting, the NRL expressed their delight at the bid’s progress. The bid team has targeted 5,000 financial memberships by 31 March 2011 – an incredibly high target, but one that looks possible with the ever-increasing momentum the bid is generating.
The WA Reds have just commenced a financial membership drive with a target of 3,000 by end of 2010. CQ are not attempting to attract financial memberships while the Western Jets bid is still being crafted, hence there model is unknown, but financial memberships are currently on zero.
In terms of Facebook fan sites, the Bears are about level with the Newcastle Knights at over 20,700 fans. These numbers compare favourably with Cronulla Sharks (14,500), Penrith Panthers (13,130) and Canberra (8,220). Central Queensland’s bid has 8,240 fans, WA Red’s 700 and the Ipswich Jets have 47.
Innovative ‘Bears @ Work’ corporate drives have reaped an outstanding array of diverse sponsors – finance for this bid is not in question.
An innovative private capital raising model will allow fans to buy shares in the Bears – the first community owned team of its kind in Australia. Combined with merchandise and membership sales, the Bears are budgeting for an excess floating capital reserve of approximately $5 million – the envy of all NRL teams with the exception perhaps only of the Broncos.
The success of the bid can be put down to a grassroots campaign in effect on the Central Coast over the past 5 years which has been ramped up over the past 12 months. Participation at untold community events, shopping centres, fundraisers, charity and school support have proved to the Coast that the Bears are committed to the community and here to stay forever. The majority of members are now Coasties, and by March will comprise around 2/3 Central Coast, 1/3 northern Sydney.
This mix is crucial – it goes to the heart of the Bears’ strategic appeal for the NRL/ARL. David Gallop has expressed his desire for this bid to prove by financial memberships that both Central Coast and northern Sydney will support the Bears, which would allow the NRL/ARL to reconnect with northern Sydney at the same time giving a heartland area a team it desperately needs.
The 2010 success of St-George-Illawarra, the closest geographic model to the Bears’ bid is very timely.
The NRL/ARL, like any army at war, attempts to build fortresses in heartlands to prevent incursions by the enemy. With the heartlands secure, the army can go on the offence, and secure new territories. These new territories are obviously Perth in the short term and perhaps another NZ team in due course.
The only heartland area in Australia requiring a fortress is northern Sydney, with the new Western Sydney AFL franchise on the doorstep in the Hills district of North Sydney’s junior league district.
Add to that the threats from strong private school support for Rugby and traditional soccer support.
So not only do the Bears have a bid that’s the most advanced and muti-faceted ever to be submitted, there’s an urgency to reestablish support among the 750,000 people on the northside of Sydney disenfranchised when North Sydney were lost to the competition.
Admitting the Bears will indeed expand the game into a wealthy demographic, which is why sponsors are so eager to jump on board this model.
Key selling points for the Bears, of course, are the propaganda triumph for the game in re-establishing a Foundation Club, thus healing the wounds of the Super League War (particularly in combined with a return of another victim, the WA Reds).
Add to this the huge tribal rivalries that can be promoted between the Central Coast Bears and Newcastle and Manly (plus other Foundation rivalries with Roosters, Rabbitohs and Wests Tigers) – clashes that will benefit all clubs enormously in stimulating interest/pride in the local community and hence merchandise/member/attendance revenues.
The final point of course is the Club’s access to perhaps the two most attractive grounds to watch rectangular sport at in Australia – Bluetongue Stadium and North Sydney Oval.
Perhaps the final and most significant advantage for the Bears is that they were the second most watched team on free-to-air TV in the 1990’s – of massive importance that can be used to leverage for an increased TV deal, particularly if the NRL/ARL (as appears likely) choose to add WA Reds as a higher risk play to offset a sure winner in the Bears.
Two teams equals one more free-to-air game, possibly on Saturday night.
Hopefully within ten years all four regions will have teams. All hopes now rest on the NRL/ARL’s ability to secure an enhanced TV rights deal.
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