Have you always had that special sized hole in your heart that family, friends and religion just couldn’t fill? Got a few million spare? Then brother, do I have a Christmas gift for you!
With the merits of private sporting ownership in Australia currently under the spotlight, a lot of people have been throwing their hands up in the air and demanding from the shock jocks, “Why the hell would anyone want to own a footy team?”
Which I suppose under the particular circumstances is fair enough…
But deep down, you would wouldn’t you?
Despite all the flashing warning signs, bottomless money holes and unworkable business models, if most fans woke up rich tomorrow they’d be marching into their club’s HQ, throwing a dirty big cheque over the counter and declaring, “I’m in charge now boys!” to a visibly shaken CEO.
Think of all the amazing things you could do for your club. You could make tickets affordable for the masses, get rid of that stupid avant-garde jersey design and buy up all the playing and coaching big guns.
Sort of like Nathan Tinkler did. Or tried to.
There is no doubting that private ownership in Australian sport has mostly been a rogue’s gallery of cartoon level villains to date. Palmer, Muller, Skase… geez, Palmer even has a dinosaur for crying out loud!
I’m not quite convinced Nathan Tinkler deserves to be mentioned with the above company though. Not yet.
While the employment of the Knights entire 1997 grand final team in the club’s offices is a decision as dumb as the Greg Smith debacle, for a team to post crowd numbers like it did with the football team performing like it did in 2012, was impressive.
On top of this, to date Tinkler has passed the ultimate rugby league test, ‘WDWT?’ (What Does Wayne Think?), with the monosyllabic mentor giving the big man a big tick.
No, Tinkler strikes me instead as a man who just got greedy (insert fat joke here).
Why have a racehorse when you can have a whole stable? Why have a car when you can own a V8 Racing team?
And why help your local club out with some cash when you can have the whole damn buffet bar to yourself?
The move of rich folk from playing white knight at footy clubs to appointing themselves grand overlords of all they see appears to be a by-product of the adolescent-like angst the game currently finds itself in.
For while rugby league has been professional since the Georges Hotel, if you take April 1st, 1995 as the day things got real, rugby league is smack bang in its awkward teenage years.
It’s a game caught between two worlds. Torn between full time superstar athletes playing at world class venues for shiny new franchises and appearing in Who Weekly, and blokes who just want to have a beer at the leagues club after a Sunday match at their local ground and talk crap with the journo from the paper.
Problem is that blokes with the big bikkies fly in, think they’re going to turn North Queensland into the Dallas Cowboys in a couple of years and crack the sads when all they’ve done is sign cheques.
Don’t get me wrong, for a long time now every footy club has needed a millionaire. Even in the late 80s, the cellar dwelling Illawarra Steelers were politely asking the Cleary bros to fly their helicopter over the soggy showground surface to make it playable.
The difference being that back then the money men knew that the ‘business’ they were giving to could at best be optimistically described as a community asset, and would probably be as interested in running the show as they would be running out in the front row.
One day all NRL clubs will be privately owned by super rich behemoths, and one day they’ll figure out how they can consistently turn over a profit.
Personally I don’t think that day is today, but if Tinkler and co. think they can make it happen now without crushing a whole bunch of us fans hopes at the same time, then good luck to them.
As for me, I’d be putting my money somewhere a bit more orthodox.
Like say, a new Stegosaurus perhaps?
Follow Chris on Twitter @Vic_Arious
mushi
Roar Guru
who were these running backs he took the only two first round RB's I can remember were Mcfadden and Kaufman
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Nahh, it was worse than that. They were asking for "broken time" - compensation for the loss of earnings they got when injured.
Iketchell
Roar Rookie
Anyone that think that buying into an NRL team as an investment needs their heads checked. Owners "own" they don't run the teams; they bankroll the team... sure as an owner you can have your say, seeing as your money pay's the bills but the primary function of the owner is to "own" the team not run it. If they think the coach isn't doing a good job, sack him.. need a new CEO... bye, Help with the signing or resigning of key players start kissing ass.. and use their resources and contacts to impove the operations and running of a club.. owning a pofessional team isn't about making a quick buck, you'd be lucky to break even on the money you invest.. look at Al Davis (Oakland Raiders) he likes fast, ahletic and talented running backs and insisted in the last few drafts the team take notable running backs instead of picking team specific needs, thats how not to own a team... thats why their are CEO's and operations officers and team officials, they get paid to run the teams...
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
As the Knights have increased their membership to the 2nd highest( 19,500 )in the league,I would suggest the opposite is the case. In fact my understanding is better deals, were made for membership,under his regime. BTW How has private ownership affected membership numbers for the Broncos,Souths or even Manly,they all have experienced increases.Fans become members to support their team.If a zillionaire wants to come on board ,and splurge on the team or stuff up that is his burden to bear. Fans just want a competitive team,club continuity and what happens on the way,happens.The Knights had a " happening" ,which they want to forget. The Knights have a Bank guarantee in place,and the members are now asking he move on. The trouble is these guys who generally buy in, are actual fans of the club and the game.PHAC an exception of course. Some do a reasonable job,others do not. Of course every man would prefer the community club ,with money to burn,but as John Quayle put it,in this country private input will always have involvement in clubs.
Fitzy
Guest
Isn't private ownership stand at odds to fans buying memberships? I wouldn't buy a club membership if that club was owned by some billionaire! Am so sick of hearing about clubs letting some wanker with money let there club be treated like some play thing. Shouldn't be allowed!
Col Quinn
Guest
OK, $10 Mill.
Mushi
Guest
Need to add some zeros the club grant is more than that
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Until such time as it can be seen NRL clubs are a continual profit making venture,it will be business types and wealthy individuals only with a keen interest and or passion for the game,who will outlay their "petty cash"to buy same .Sometimes it's a happy partnershp,other times ends in tears. Warriors handling it Ok,Manly surviving,but internal bickering a downer.Souths risen from the dead,what happens after the Gladiators departure?What will PHAC do? The Broncos even with a one city backing,make small profits.Hardly ASX darlings. The Titans are the could have beens,and perhaps would have been,if a CEO had not decided to overcommit for ATT good in theory COE ,but timing wise a white elephant and costly one. New owners ,a new beginning? The area has a large junior league,they need to support them at every turn. Newcastle where does one start.A well meaning wealthy fan of the game,but caught by the you know whats with the GFC and its associated repercussions and a couple of his decisions.Asset rich,though diminishing at a decent pace,and cash it would appear of a limited nature.I don't believe he was a snake oil salesman.Perhaps the money for nothing and the chicks are free approach. Funnily enough it would be one of the clubs, due to the support in a big regional city,worth buying into,once the dust has cleared. The Storm privately owned by Rupertsville,will no doubt be up for sale in the future.The club needs to average min 20,000 IMO to whet the appetites of potential buyers. Now the Sharks who went very close to privatisation on at least a couple of occasions ,stand alone ,as the one club,owning their ground a $300m develoment to boot,the benefits long term(rental on retail)combined with an updated leagues club becoming accustomed to annual profits.Short term a share of unit sales profits on about half the residential sales.Beware the circling buyers. LOL. When the clubs are shown to be profitable,then more money men will no doubt sit up ,take notice,and perhaps invest.The first thing that needs to be done ,is actually ensure the code is a NATIONAL one,with a far bigger footprint than it currently has.
GWS
Guest
So never...
Dingo
Guest
The Adelaide Rams would be pretty cheap, hmmmmm...........(scratches chin) might cash in some of those aluminium cans. ;)
Col Quinn
Guest
If I were as rich as some of the mining magnets I have worked for I would buy the North Sydney/Central Coast Bears and pay the ARLC $2,000,000 a to put them back in the competition and import the best 13 from Super League. The $2,000,000 would be under the consideration that this money is used to expand the game in QLD and WA. I might just email a couple of my old employers and see if they are interested.
Dane Eldridge
Expert
"It’s a game caught between two worlds. Torn between full time superstar athletes playing at world class venues for shiny new franchises and appearing in Who Weekly, and blokes who just want to have a beer at the leagues club after a Sunday match at their local ground and talk crap with the journo from the paper." Nailed it!
B.A Sports
agree Who wants another EPL?!
oikee
Guest
Getting close, my muppet list has almost been srcubbed. 21st century, we have finally been shot out of a cannon into line with top line sports.
Campaign to restore Melbourne's premierships
Guest
In theory at least, big sports clubs like in the NRL ought to be profitable. If you have a business or businesses with some sort of synergy to RL then that should enhance the deal. The cost side of the equation is reasonably well controlled and more or less fixed. Doubling the size of the business does not double your costs. Customers once obtained tend to be there for a lifetime and purchasing rationale particularly of merchandise is rarely cost constrained. Sponsorship an be very big business as well as advertising and partnerships. The potential for coporate entertaining is massive. One of the biggest problems is that a lot of these "club" businesses are run by muppets and muppets that manage their businesses with their hearts instead of their heads. Where are the new revenue raising ideas that we have come up with in the last 5 years ? NSW clubs are still heavily tied to their league clubs and look where that has left them. Club CEOs and owners are far too focused on the footy and footy players to make their businesses profitable. That is why I am very pleased to see the new CEO of the NRL is anything but another emotion driven muppet.
Campaign to restore Melbourne's premierships
Guest
Rugby League was born of professionalism but not quite in the terms that that conjures up today. The payments that were wanted were purely to replace lost wages down the mines on the Saturdays when they were required to play Rugby. More of a compensation for playing so that they didn't lose out.
mushi
Roar Guru
Ownership is worse if the cap is dumped. the cap is essentially a collusion mechanism that controls costs it is so in the favour of ownership it is why the NBA, the NFL and the NHL all just had work stoppages
oikee
Guest
Steggy yeah baby. :) You have to laugh Chris, no really laugh. I will give you a classic example of these buillionaire fools and their money follies , in Queensland anyhow. You would not have heard about this, Big Clive(Palmer) went head to head with a Church mob on the goldie, every offer the church mob put in for land in a area, big Clive outbid them. Now the church mob want to build the biggest spire tower cathedral in the world. The goldie mayor likes the idea, so all he wants is 80 parcels of unuseable land for 8 parcels of prime land right between big Clives 2 recent purchases. You gotta laugh,. I think big Clive is so obsessed with being loved he has lost the plot. In the meantime the church has united support, the coasties love these worshippers, not sure how they feel about clive and his t-rex. This is why i love Queensland, better than american soap opera's. That is hard to beat.
Valleys Diehard from Brunswick st.
Roar Rookie
Agreed Ads, although only so the Black n Golds could relocate. The MacArthur Magpies vs the Ipswich Tigers..... heck, play 3 Sydney games out of Leichardt.
B.A Sports
I'm just impressed you got through the below sentance without a typo at the end. "with the monosyllabic mentor giving the big man a big tick" I think I agree with your article. You need people/companies to be leaders, to try things. Sometimes it will change the way we think and do things, sometimes it will fail and sometimes it will just be a little ahead of its time. Privatisation will come and it will come when the NRL has a more national competition with fewer teams in Sydney, played out of better stadia where the owner can sell lots of corporate suits and when people actually start attending games and when there is enough of them so that they can demand a piece of the broadcast deals etc - ie. when owners can make money out of having a team, not just when it is an expensive past time.