Bid team vs ARLC creation

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

The ARLC have indicated that a decision on the location and franchise structure of any new teams will be decided by the end of this year....

This makes me wonder whether the ARLC even need to involve the current bid teams at all or whether it would be better in the long term to simply create the best possible club from scratch and invite prospective investors and directors towards the end.

Ive always had reservations about the idea of a bid team being handed a licence; just because they were rich/brave/stupid enough to run a bid witout even the assurence of a licence being offered doesnt mean they are the best group to run the franchise. Not to mention the likely factional fighting that will likely occur once bid unity is no longer prime and the clubs direction is up for debate.
Meanwhile the ARLC have shown they are confident and proficient in restructuring clubs that have failed to sustain themselves and that they have low regard for factional infighting.

So what does everyone think? Are the bids (CC Bears, Bombers, Brothers Confraternity, etc.) in the best position to create a healthy club or should the ARLC lead the creation and simply invite a few of the bid teams bright sparks??

 

[ash the bash]

I get where you are going and I think it is a smarter option bit like the AFL with Suns and Gws. I mean who would have known the Titans would have ended up the basket case they are 5 years ago when people where calling for Searle to be game CEO. With the start up costs involved, I think that is the safer method to use, install a local board with prominent business men.

 

[alien]

a bid team is fine too if they have a good business plan

 

[Perth Red]

We will likely end up with both scenarios. Pirates are warl ie nrl so likely nrl will initially run them. Brisbane2 is likely to be a bid team. Far less risk in a second brisbane club going tits up.

 

[ash the bash]

We will likely end up with both scenarios. Pirates are warl ie nrl so likely nrl will initially run them. Brisbane2 is likely to be a bid team. Far less risk in a second brisbane club going tits up.

Interesting a client of mine, does a lot of work with the NRL. I always ask him whats the new regime like, he just says consultants. I have a feeling they may rebrand the WA bid, they play everything off from the corporate to do list. So it will be researched and analysed a part of me hopes they go back to WA Reds. I think Pirates is ok, I feel they will have a couple of seats for the WARL and rest NRL appointments. In regards to Brisbane 2, that Craig Davidson reminds me a bit of a Searle take 2. I wonder if Brothers can get the corporate support and with them planning on taking 4 games a year into the country has both its negatives and positives. Places like Cairns, Mackay, Rockhampton etc getting games is great for them but it means 4 less games at Suncorp goes away from having an NRL game there each week of the season.

 

[Perth Red]

Be nice if they ask the WA fans what the brand should be. It would be close but I think Pirates may just win out over Reds. I can see a board with a warl rep, majority nrl reps to start with and one or two businessmen who are waiting to back the club.

 

[Diesel]

Interesting that the NRL would look to rebrand the WA bid. I like the idea of going back to the future and renaming it as the Reds, the Reds weren't a failure, they just got f**ked around a lot.

Did your mate give reasons why they were interested in looking at a possibility of renaming the bid? Is there still support for a Reds team or does the Pirates name not fit?

 

[flippikat]

Be nice if they ask the WA fans what the brand should be. It would be close but I think Pirates may just win out over Reds. I can see a board with a warl rep, majority nrl reps to start with and one or two businessmen who are waiting to back the club.

I think renaming the Reds bid as the Pirates was a tacit admission that 'Reds' now means the Queensland Reds (Super Rugby) in the eyes of the sporting public - and to a lesser extent Adelaide United in the A-League.

Regardless of whether the Reds brand failed in Rugby League before - and I would argue that it was set-up to fail, given they had to shoulder a lot of costs - there's just no point trying to establish a brand that's already muddied by other sports. (Brisbane Bombers, please take note).

Besides, Pirates are cool.

As far as name and team colours, the Pirates are trying to establish something truly unique in the NRL.

Red, gold & black are a killer set of team colours, and if the Titans are indeed going to re-brand, they need to think of something unique too.
Maybe a re-launched rebranded Titans club could wear maroon & sky blue ala the original Australian rep colours (being a blend of NSW & Qld colours), and try to connect with both the Gold Coast and Tweed Heads as catchments - run on the concept of being a 'border' club?

This way, Gold Coast/ Tweed vs Brisbane and Newcastle are both derbies too.

The NRL should be encouraging new & unique club identities. It adds to the competition.

 

[Canard]

Agree, in 2015 both Reds and Bombers are identified with other sports and will cause brand confusion.

 

[ash the bash]

Interesting that the NRL would look to rebrand the WA bid. I like the idea of going back to the future and renaming it as the Reds, the Reds weren't a failure, they just got f**ked around a lot.

Did your mate give reasons why they were interested in looking at a possibility of renaming the bid? Is there still support for a Reds team or does the Pirates name not fit?

I should rephrase that was just my opinion about the rebrand. Come to think of it with an already existing Reds I think Pirates would be the better brand, a fresh start.

Agree totally about the Bombers, the fact that Davidson lied about it being a name picked from the public while the domain was already registered disturbs me a lot. My way or nothing sort of attitude which history shows did not go down too well at the Titans. I have a soft spot for the Brothers due to their history and them being a polar opposite to the Broncos. I just struggle to see how they will go for crowds compared to a new entity that does not have punters disliking it for being the Brothers.

We know the NRL will take emotion out of it and go with the option with the greatest return. The more I think about it a super club based out in south western Brisbane. Maybe at the end of train line at Springfield as a HQ, basically the Western corridor bid. I don't think the guys currently running the bid have the clout tbh, so id like to see the NRL adopting the bid. They had a great idea to use the Jagera jets too, which does not have a name which will put off Brisbane folk like Ipswch. It would also be a first Australian professional football club to use an indeginious name. A green strip based out of Suncorp for the first 10 years, then further down the line a stadium being built in that area. Somewhere near Springfield heaps of space next to train lines and a huge car park too. Would service a lot of people driving in from the country etc...

 

[Perth Red]

 

[Juanjo]

The Reds is a much better rugby league brand than the Pirates. While obvious work can be done on the jersey as it is only early stages, the 'West Coast Pirates' brand, I think, is horrid. It is has unoriginality written all it when you consider the West Coast Eagles (established AFL team) and West Coast Fever (established Netball Team) as well as the fact the Titans were almost called the 'Gold Coast Pirates', it essentially looks like they have no ideas and they have jumped on board of a dead name and changed one word to look similar to other WA professional sporting teams. Surely the alliteration of Perth Pirates is the go to name if the mascot must be a pirate due to the WA Reds brand being tarnished for whatever reason.

As much as I want a Western Australian team, I really hope the WCP aren't it and that either a team moves west or a 3rd rebranding takes place to make an significantly more appealing brand to fans because this won't sell the greatest game to Western Australia

 

[insert.pause]

Pirates are a great name, a marketer's dream.

 

[Perth Red]

Juanito we have a strong rl presence in the pilbara and Kimberley and growing in the SW. They chose west coast to not alienate rl fans and players outside of perth.

 

[reanimate]

Pirates merchandise sales will be huge, it sells itself to kids. Bring them in already!

 

[alien]

The Reds is a much better rugby league brand than the Pirates. While obvious work can be done on the jersey as it is only early stages, the 'West Coast Pirates' brand, I think, is horrid. It is has unoriginality written all it when you consider the West Coast Eagles (established AFL team) and West Coast Fever (established Netball Team) as well as the fact the Titans were almost called the 'Gold Coast Pirates', it essentially looks like they have no ideas and they have jumped on board of a dead name and changed one word to look similar to other WA professional sporting teams. Surely the alliteration of Perth Pirates is the go to name if the mascot must be a pirate due to the WA Reds brand being tarnished for whatever reason.

As much as I want a Western Australian team, I really hope the WCP aren't it and that either a team moves west or a 3rd rebranding takes place to make an significantly more appealing brand to fans because this won't sell the greatest game to Western Australia

yeah i don't understand the love for the pirate brand either. i thought a kangaroo would be much more popular, but maybe the kangaroo brand should be kept for the national team, even if the perth one is/was a red roo

 

[Perth Red]

Take a Google of the game day experience, marketing and merchandise of the Tampa bay Buccaneers. If you can't do pirates well you shouldn't be in sports marketing!

Reds was good but we lost the name to union. Time to move on and pirates is unique, easy to market, kids will love it and there is a bit of link to WA through capt black jack and William Dampier.

 

[dangerousdave]

William Dampier.

Not a pirate when he made landfall in W.A.

 

[The Great Dane]

yeah i don't understand the love for the pirate brand either. i thought a kangaroo would be much more popular, but maybe the kangaroo brand should be kept for the national team, even if the perth one is/was a red roo

Having worked in both merchandising (only briefly) and marketing (for a fair chunk of my life) I can assure you that there's a lot more you can do with a theme (in this case a Pirate theme) then you can do with an individual mascot (which is what the Reds kangaroo would be).

And as far as themes go you'd be hard pressed to find one that is more popular, versatile or simple to employ then a Pirate theme.

The sheer amount of merchandising opportunities and different marketing ploys and arks for a pirate themed brand is enormous, though in saying that other clubs that have similar opportunities have consistently failed to take those opportunities in not only the NRL but Australian sport in general.
The Raiders, Cowboys, Knights, Dragons, St Kilda and Demons all come to mind as teams that could be making a lot of easy money if they exploited the strengths of their brands a bit better in both marketing and merchandising, but they seem to be to afraid to take the gambles necessary to take those opportunities, which is a shame.

Hopefully the Pirates won't follow suit though.

 

[Perth Red]

Not a pirate when he made landfall in W.A.

No one was born a pirate lol.