So who runs the game, anyway? David Gallop constantly says it’s the fans. That being the case, the fans have spoken.
Overwhelmingly, in any expansion poll of reputable sample size carried out over the past three years, the Central Coast Bears have won, usually with daylight second. Following daylight, Perth or Central Queensland trail.
And right at the bottom of the list, often behind Dubbo and Mars, come Brisbane and Ipswich.
Few want a Queensland side other than David Gyngell. In fact, Queensland poll participants are generally the highest voters in favour of adding the Bears due to the Queensland connection with the Bears in the ’80s and ’90s, when ironically we were one of the most watched teams on TV.
Channel Nine has reduced the quality and commentary of rugby league coverage in Australia to rock bottom and they get to decide on expansion? The game can now call the shots and prove that fans are important, not self-interested clubs or networks. Today’s news that Channel 10 is going to bid hard for all eight games/per week (soon to be nine) is a breath of fresh air.
It will allow the Independent Commission to dictate terms to the networks. Once bids reach a tipping point of $900,000, the gap between the salary cap and grants can be closed, ensuring existing clubs can be looked after and funds set aside for junior/regional development. At this point, like AFL, the game itself can decide where it wants to expand to, not the networks.
The first bid that must be accepted is the Central Coast Bears, as the opportunity cost of excluding them is higher than with other bids. If the Central Coast does not receive a license in 2012, the bid will shut down and the Central Coast’s chances of ever getting a team will be gone forever.
The Coast is not large enough to sustain a team on its own due to a lack of heavy industry/commercial headquarters, hence needs to link either north or south for corporate opportunities. North is Newcastle, south is the north shore, where the game is withering due to the lack of the Bears.
Since exclusion, three junior teams have folded in northern Sydney and only through the hard work of the Bears has a team been reformed this year (Lane Cove Tigers).
The nearest NRL team, Manly, for historical reasons is unable to connect with the north shore and following the Northern Eagles debacle, the Central Coast.
Any start up team or relocated team on the Coast will not connect with the north shore and will be therefore unsustainable, hence it’s now or never for the Coast.
The bid team will present to the IC evidence they can increase free-to-air and pay-TV viewership, which should negate any claims that they do not add media rights value. Other advantages for the bid include:
• Minimal away travel costs for Sydney teams.
• Engagement in two enormous derbies – Newcastle and Manly, which will boost attendance profits for all three clubs and provide a primary marketing tool to leverage merchandise/membership sales from every year. Benefits also accrue to other Sydney teams, though obviously in proportion to distance.
• Instant profit centre – low start up costs as the experience and infrastructure to run an NRL team is already in place as is the fan base, with 7704 financial memberships and research indicating there will be full or near capacity crowds at Bluetongue every match. Any new start up will face precisely the struggles the Titans are facing now.
• Opportunity to engage with the third largest corporate region in Australia that doesn’t have a locally based national sporting team, and close to one million people that don’t have a locally based national sporting team.
• Partly owned by the stadium they will play in.
• Increased interest in the game. Many non-RL people will show interest in a team based at Bluetongue representing their regional community. Fans of existing teams will happily go to the ground and cheer for their team when playing.
The kids are already Bears fans through the Bears’ efforts – they have no past prejudices. North shore residents simply abandoned the game when the Bears were turfed and follow AFL and Union. Only the Bears will bring them back.
The bid team is mindful they need to prove they will not harm existing teams, and their ownership and sponsorship profile indicates this has already been achieved, without a license.
I would like to see four teams be given licenses, staggered over two entry dates. Central Coast and either Pert or South-East Queensland for 2015, (or both if an existing team is relocated to one of these venues), and the loser plus Central QLD granted provisional licenses (subject to them fulfilling criteria such as stadium/membership criteria) for inclusion in 2020. Should relocation occur, Wellington could enter with Central Queensland in 2020.
Some of the bid teams have spent enormous sums of money in garnering corporate and community support. Volunteers from the Bears, for example, have spent time away from family for many weekends over two years now.
Denied passion leads to bitterness.
To be ignored will ensure these bids will disappear along with many fans and sponsors and the game will not be able to grow.
Photo via Central Coast Bears website.
Pool
Roar Rookie
I would love the Bears to be admitted, but the reality is that NSW cannot support the amount of teams it has right now. I hate to say it but introducing an 11th NSW team would make the crowd averages even worse. The Queensland teams top the crowd attendances because they get 3 teams with Queensland’s population of 4.7 million whereas NSW has 10 teams with a population of 7.5 million. The Bears would then wreck the reserves affiliation system, the NSW Cup would then have to admit an additional team to even out the feeder clubs throughout NSW. I’m not being biased but Queensland, Western Australia or South Australia need a team way more than NSW do.
Late to the party
Guest
What about re-admitting the CC Bears and having them play out of Bluetongue and a redeveloped Chatswood Oval it could share with Manly? Both teams split their home games across their two venues.
Frank
Guest
Beowulf stop peddling the CC Bears garbage. Why not bring back the Newtown Jets as well. Grow up and get over it. South West Qld and Perth should be the expansion areas.
Frank
Guest
Beowulf stop peddling the CC Bears garbage. Why not bring back the Newtown Jets as well. Grow up and get over it. South West Qld and Perth should be the expansion areas.
Marc
Guest
League has to expand beyond the crowded greater-Sydney market. The writer of the article even conceded a lack of corporate support for a team based in Gosford. This is about diminished returns; League needs to keep pushing into areas with a much bigger upside, like Perth, Brisbane II or Wellington/South Island. Look at the influx of players since the Warriors came in. Melbourne are about to blood the first locally developed Victorian player this year and the Storm have strong support in Melbourne, an unthinkable prospect 20 years ago. Come 2015, Perth and a second Brisbane team should be included and , if I had my way, Cronulla would relocate to Perth and we'd add Brisbane 2 and either Wellington or a South Island team from NZ. Grow the game.
Peter
Guest
You need to get out more
Queensland's game is rugby league
Guest
North Sydney Bears didn't have many supporters. The Northern Eagles franchise only drew 7,000 people at Gosford during its final season. Isn't that the amount of members that the CC Bears have?
Queensland's game is rugby league
Guest
I'm yet to meet a single Queenslander who is behind the Central Coast Bears bid.
peter
Guest
As a CC and NSDRLFC member, and Brisbane resident-i don't.
Queensland's game is rugby league
Guest
NSW could do with 4 less teams!
Queensland's game is rugby league
Guest
"Much of the Bears fan base is coming from QLD." I find that hard to believe.
Gary Magpie
Roar Guru
IT IS TOO LATE. The game is now controlled by the IC and the IC is controlled by the current 16 NRL clubs. The 16 NRL clubs are, this week, formalising their pact and so long as they vote together they can remove any commissioner they choose. So... how do you think the IC can tell an existing club that they will fold to make way for the Bears? Please tell me which current NRL club no longer wants to be in the competition? The first commissioner to suggest a club be removed will be the first commissioner sacked. Squawk! Magpies since 1908! No, you goose. Souths Logan Magpies! Squawk!
Queensland's game is rugby league
Guest
The Gold Coast Chargers made a profit during their last year in the NRL. The North Sydney Bears didn't. The only reason the Chargers were culled was to preserve a spot for one of the struggling Sydney teams. The Crushers had heaps of money behind them. The reason their popularity dropped is because they aligned themselves with the ARL. Queenslanders didn't like the ARL. The Reds never failed. They were culled because the agreement between ARL and News Ltd was to keep as many Sydney teams as possible. Central Coast have had a team. The Northern Eagles. They drew only 7,000 fans to their home games during their last season. If Central Coast is a rugby league heartland, as we all keep on hearing from the Bears' fans, then there's no way only 7,000 people from Gosford and Wyong would attend rugby league matches to a team that represented them.
GoddyofAus
Roar Rookie
The argument could be made that NSW could do with one LESS team, not one extra. Let's face it, the Bears had their chance and they failed. They have demonstrated no reason at all why they would be sustainable at all in the future. If anything, this year should be judgement day for Cronulla. If I were the NRL, if the Sharks finished anywhere below 10th position this year, I would be winding them up and handing over a third license to an area that deserves it more. First location, Ipswich. A second Brisbane team is just a no brainer now. There is not one argument against it that holds up. Even the Bombers don't have the sort of market that Ipswich could appeal to. Second team is a big toss up between Perth and PNG. Yes, Perth have had their chance in the past as well, but WA is virtually a new frontier, and I think they deserve a chance to have a go. Hobart could pick up the license Cronulla leave behind. I couldn't think of a better outcome for the NRL then that.
Luke
Guest
Sure let's get the Diehards back into the QRL!
Paul
Guest
Forget your polls they are only preaching to the converted. If its new Fans and Sponsors you want then go WEST and west only. Capatilse on the mining boom.
Pete75
Guest
Davo, You've obviously not been following these forums too closely. I've given many reasons beyond those which you cite (time slot) for the inclusion of a Perth team. You don't have to look too far to find them.
Pete75
Guest
You've touched on an excellent point B.A, The smaller the region, the more it is at the mercy of demographics. That's why I'm for putting a team in Perth and another in SE Queensland over an area like the Central Coast. I just can't see any growth potential beyond what is there today. That's a problem.
Queensland's game is rugby league
Guest
Quayle is a joke. The bloke couldn't run a chook raffle, let alone a sporting organisation.
turbodewd
Guest
I guarantee TV ratings will not rise if the Central Coast Bears is admitted. I also think Quayle has spoken like a true selfish Sydneysider who cant see past his blinkered, old, wrinkly, jaded horizon. He is a yesterday man who ran the ARL into the ground along with Ken Arthurson, they almost killed the NSWRL and left it ripe for News Ltd to swoop in. Quayle has zero cred.