Gold Coast Bears rebrand good for everyone

With you DD, Stand Aside!

Great idea but when will the N.R.L. give the Central Coast a team? Large area, great football stadium & great fans! I know the bit about Q.L.D. & Perth team but what a waste? Could they get rid of Melbourne ( a product of super league) Merge Gold Coast & Central Coast (but they are not a N.R.L. team) Just have to wait & see what happens? Peter

As a bears fan and one that knows a lot of Bears fans, I can tell you, this would bring myself and them back.

If the only reason to have teams in the NRL is to generate better crowds in sydney then just go back to an all sydney comp like it was from 1908 - 1982. Then watch sponsors, broadcasters, government, everyone involved with money pull out and invest somewhere else.

I know a handful of bears fans. They either gave up altogether, started following another side after a few years, or follow them in the nswrl. Funnily enough though, I think the idea of a re branded side in another state is exactly the kind of thing which would keep them all away from the nrl...

This article is spot on. The comments here being negative towards the article are missing the point being made. If the match is the Bears v Roosters, Bears v Tigers etc, then it will bring people back to the game lost after the Bears were removed from the competition. They would be in Sydney every fortnight and therefore bring those former Bears supporters back. Well written article Lachlan.

That could be true. The Titans were originally supposed to be called the Dolphins (a much better option IMO) but were forced to change at the last minute when the Redcliffe Dolphins kicked up a fuss. The difference is that Redcliffe thought this would harm their chances of being promoted to Brisbane's second team, whereas you can't really imagine the Burleigh Bears becoming a second GC side.

"With the Bears name, people in Sydney would be more inclined to come out and watch them play” – Why? " Exactly, why? They will be the Gold Coast bears, a city which has no correlation with the current Bears fans. In football, a team from Wimbeldon was moved to Milton Keynes. The Wimbeldon fans did not start supporting this relocated team, they instead started supporting a newly established team in Wimbeldon.

There is a certain logic to it without a doubt, but do the bears really have the money?

Mate you have said that so well, bravo. The only thing I'd add is that if North Sydney are so keen to get back amongst it why not merge with Burleigh and strengthen their feeder system. Best of both worlds then.

The Titans are certainly the pick of the topics on the League thread presently. This, however, is another poorly written and presented piece with a number of hypothetical's not based in reality. :With the Bears name, people in Sydney would be more inclined to come out and watch them play" - Why? People in Sydney are not going to all of a sudden make their way to grounds across the city because a brand from 20 years ago with a history of failure has been reincarnated after back-dooring a QLD team to achieve entry in the NRL. "The thing that they have obviously not realised is that it is still the same club, just with a different mascot, logo and colours" - Where to start with this sentence? If you change all those things then it is not the same Club! Lachlan maybe apply this article to your own Club and see if your arguments stack up. "The other minor issue that they face is the Burleigh Bears Queensland Cup team" - This is not a minor issue and if you knew anything about the GC you would know that the Burleigh Bears are well known in this city and they are against the use of the name and the proposal from North Sydney. "One other point to be made is the fact that Gold Coast rugby league teams have undergone a plethora of name changes: Gold Coast-Tweed Giants, Gold Coast Seagulls, Gold Coast Gladiators (1996 World Sevens), Gold Coast Chargers, Gold Coast Dolphins (successful bid logo 2005) and now Gold Coast Titans. So based on that then they really are due for a name change." - I suspect that this is tongue in cheek but in anycase - how do you propose a team connects with the community if you continuously change their name? This present Board at the Titans are rebuilding the Club after the last 5 years of nonsense and it will take time. North Sydney coming in to try and take over will ruin it for everyone. "The Gold Coast Bears will be a godsend for the NRL. It can bring popularity of the game back up to levels not seen in many years." - Total crap and not based on any real metrics.

I thought I read somewhere that the Burleigh Bears were not supportive of this idea?

the burleigh bears logo is almost an exact replica of norths