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Call me Captain Obvious, but the area that rugby league can see to right now is expansion, clearly a great need.
The two areas at the top of the list are the second Brisbane side, and Perth. Why?
These two areas will provide the game with the greatest amount of growth with the most certainty. Perth’s grassroots strength and growth potential can make the competition national; and Brisbane is under-utilised, being a large league city with just one team.
Both would be able to generate large amounts of TV revenue, as well as localised player talent and sponsorship dollars/members for the code. Which raises the question of how.
It’s my opinion these teams need to happen ASAP, in the life of the next contract – we cannot wait. Not when AFL is supposedly scooting ahead nation-wide. We have a chance here to move forward in a great bound.
I am thinking 2015 should be the year we announce the inclusion of a new team. We should not wait until the next contract. It’s my understanding that new Perth and/or Brisbane teams are being spoken of during the current TV negotiations. Could it be that the ARLC are thinking much the same as mentioned?
The benefits of moving on this now far outweigh the negatives. Yes, the competition balance may take a hit, with a few more lopsided results initially, due mainly to talent-spread. I think this is only a small concern in reality. Sport survives poorer contests all the time.
The other and more concerning aspect is any new team requiring funding, as well as falling over should trouble arise. I don’t know the finances inside and out, but I think the negatives associated with forming these new teams is outweighed by the gains in exposure and fan support additional teams will bring – entirely new dollars and fans from Perth and dollars from a reinvigorated market in Brisbane, for sponsors and fans who miss out on the Broncos either by choice or simple supply and demand.
The last question for inclusion is timing. I have nominated 2015 as a time when I think we can and should bring in new teams. That gives the game one year to make a judgement on the successful bids, and up to three years to get the new club in shape with a full roster of players and support. Surely this is enough time.
But the time to make a move would seem to be now. And as a contingency thought: if both teams cannot enter in 2015 for whatever reason, then the two could be staggered for inclusion across a couple of years.
If that’s the case, then which team should be allowed in first – Brisbane or Perth? How would you do it? And what benefits do you think it would bring? Maybe you do not think we can afford to support two extra teams just now – why so?
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