Found this on another forum
http://forums.nospam18.com/topic/4822885/1/#new
Interview with Steven Johnson, CEO of the Western Corridor NRL bid team for www.nospam18.com
Mr. Johnson, thank you so much for your time, I understand youre going to be a very busy man over the coming months and the fans all appreciate you finding the time to talk!
One of the most exciting things about the Western Corridor bid is Queenslands population boom. According to the Queensland Government population forecast (Link will be included below, everyone) Queensland is expected to reach a population of 9.1 million by 2056, and by 2021 Ipswich alone could even be growing at a staggering 110, 000 people per year which would be second in the state to the Gold Coast in terms of population to growth figures. How important is it for the team to be brought in before then as to ingrain themselves as an intrinsic part of the community before this population boom really takes off?
(Queensland and Ipswich population forecast)
A big thank you to the users of nospam18.com for submitting their questions, they were all great and I wish I could have asked them all. Hopefully we can get some more bids speaking with us very soon before a decision is made on NRL expansion over the coming months.
http://forums.nospam18.com/topic/4822885/1/#new
Interview with Steven Johnson, CEO of the Western Corridor NRL bid team for www.nospam18.com
Mr. Johnson, thank you so much for your time, I understand youre going to be a very busy man over the coming months and the fans all appreciate you finding the time to talk!
One of the most exciting things about the Western Corridor bid is Queenslands population boom. According to the Queensland Government population forecast (Link will be included below, everyone) Queensland is expected to reach a population of 9.1 million by 2056, and by 2021 Ipswich alone could even be growing at a staggering 110, 000 people per year which would be second in the state to the Gold Coast in terms of population to growth figures. How important is it for the team to be brought in before then as to ingrain themselves as an intrinsic part of the community before this population boom really takes off?
Quote: Trent Our numbers are both real and compelling at every level.
The growth projected, not by us I should add but by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the State of Queenslands Planning Department, clearly show that population wise the Western Corridor is the obvious choice if the game is to expand. Even without the growth we presently have 645,000 people, the 2nd biggest population in Queensland and once again on proven third party statistics the biggest rugby league viewing audience per capita in Australia...and as the Federal and State Governments will tell you it is getting bigger....rapidly!
We believe our time is now , we have the population and importantly the rugby league supporting population to sustain a successful team now. If we get that chance than we get the opportunity to ingrain that love of the game and the club into the fabric of the community ahead of other competing sports who will be attracted by our numbers.
The bid is focusing on how to bring the community a team rather than creating a team yourselves. Does it make it harder to show the community what youre trying to achieve when it restricts the bid from being as vocal and flashy as other bids?The growth projected, not by us I should add but by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the State of Queenslands Planning Department, clearly show that population wise the Western Corridor is the obvious choice if the game is to expand. Even without the growth we presently have 645,000 people, the 2nd biggest population in Queensland and once again on proven third party statistics the biggest rugby league viewing audience per capita in Australia...and as the Federal and State Governments will tell you it is getting bigger....rapidly!
We believe our time is now , we have the population and importantly the rugby league supporting population to sustain a successful team now. If we get that chance than we get the opportunity to ingrain that love of the game and the club into the fabric of the community ahead of other competing sports who will be attracted by our numbers.
Quote: Good question Trent. As a community bid we have to focus on a whole of game approach and not just dropping an elite team onto a community. In our view that is arrogant and in essence you are telling a community what it wants , here is your club , you will support it and you will love it.
We have deliberately gone about our task quietly and spent our time engaging with our grass roots listening learning and slowly building a community integrated model. There is nothing to be gained by trying to be popular, its not a question of who has the most facebook likes but rather which bid truly benefits the game.
Bringing the community a team is a well thought out observation, we might use that. We have approached matters in a unique way building our model from the ground up. I told David Gallop once that I dont understand physics very well but I do know that they start building skyscrapers from digging the foundations first and not at penthouse level for a scientific and practical reason and to build a club that will be strong and endure through time the same logic must apply.
At the end of the day a club can only succeed if it truly engages with its community; its fans, without them what do you really have, a soul-less shell of a building that will collapse in the first storm!
Do you feel expansion is essential in the coming years, or is time not an issue?We have deliberately gone about our task quietly and spent our time engaging with our grass roots listening learning and slowly building a community integrated model. There is nothing to be gained by trying to be popular, its not a question of who has the most facebook likes but rather which bid truly benefits the game.
Bringing the community a team is a well thought out observation, we might use that. We have approached matters in a unique way building our model from the ground up. I told David Gallop once that I dont understand physics very well but I do know that they start building skyscrapers from digging the foundations first and not at penthouse level for a scientific and practical reason and to build a club that will be strong and endure through time the same logic must apply.
At the end of the day a club can only succeed if it truly engages with its community; its fans, without them what do you really have, a soul-less shell of a building that will collapse in the first storm!
Quote: The game must always grow or it will stagnate and risk losing relevance. Expansion is part of growth and is topical but the game must never lose sight of the need to improve itself and constantly get better. It seems accepted as fact that if TV demands more elite product in return for additional funds then the game will need to expand as it cant be expected of the existing clubs and players to provide more games. Rugby League is one of the most physical demanding sports and we have to protect our players so it follows that we will need more teams.
If the game wants the additional TV revenue expansion must happen.
Would you ever look at taking some of the smaller games to Ipswich/Toowoomba?If the game wants the additional TV revenue expansion must happen.
Quote: There are minimum ground standards to meet with the NRL competition.
Our initial home base will be Suncorp Stadium, the worlds best with the fans having a free direct short train trip from Ipswich. It seems to be forgotten by many that it is quicker and easier to get to Suncorp Stadium from Ipswich than from many suburbs in Brisbane.
When the Queensland Government has recovered financially from the recent natural disasters and looks to building stadiums and if we are then in the NRL I am confident that a Stadium in the Western Corridor will be a priority and we will then relocate. What a day that will be for our fans, our team playing in our own backyard!
Until that day, other than trial games, we wont be able to play any competition games in Ipswich or Toowoomba without special permission unless the existing grounds are upgraded. We would like to think that with our support base we wont have any smaller games!
Our fans need not be worried about seeing their team, our community integration model will ensure that they have constant access to their team.
Being born and raised in Ipswich, I know the Western Corridor is in for two sell out games yearly against the Brisbane Broncos with such a fierce rivalry between the two demographics when it comes to their beloved game. Does having two elite fixtures, that the NRL will undoubtedly flaunt proudly, make it easier to show why the region deserves representation through the team?Our initial home base will be Suncorp Stadium, the worlds best with the fans having a free direct short train trip from Ipswich. It seems to be forgotten by many that it is quicker and easier to get to Suncorp Stadium from Ipswich than from many suburbs in Brisbane.
When the Queensland Government has recovered financially from the recent natural disasters and looks to building stadiums and if we are then in the NRL I am confident that a Stadium in the Western Corridor will be a priority and we will then relocate. What a day that will be for our fans, our team playing in our own backyard!
Until that day, other than trial games, we wont be able to play any competition games in Ipswich or Toowoomba without special permission unless the existing grounds are upgraded. We would like to think that with our support base we wont have any smaller games!
Our fans need not be worried about seeing their team, our community integration model will ensure that they have constant access to their team.
Quote: Yes Trent , TV wise news wise crowd wise these will be block-busters at a level rarely seen in the modern game. Forget St George v South Sydney this will be a promoters dream, two fierce proud tribes going to war bringing back the bitter rivalry of the old Bulimba Cup with this time Brisbane fighting the combined might of Ipswich and Toowoomba. It will shake Suncorp Stadium to its very rafters.
How is the Western Corridor Bid going to prove community support and fans will be willing to take part in the community ownership model?
Quote: Its more a question of belief than proof.
For complicated legal reasons we cant ask the supporters to buy shares in the club until we have a license given the rules around a not for profit entity which we will be, Queenslands first community owned not for profit NRL club. We will be asking the ARLC to trust our hard work and vision and trust in the best rugby league supporters in the world to truly support their own team.
If there is a bid better than our model with more supporters and more juniors (we have the most in Australia by the way) and we miss out the game will be in a healthy place.
The Western Corridor bid has been attacked by other NRL rival bids, and even you have been targeted personally, and a lot of this came after it was reported the Western Corridor was considered a front runner for inclusion. Do you think the NRL needs to be doing more to prevent this negativity and even consider it bringing the game in to disrepute?For complicated legal reasons we cant ask the supporters to buy shares in the club until we have a license given the rules around a not for profit entity which we will be, Queenslands first community owned not for profit NRL club. We will be asking the ARLC to trust our hard work and vision and trust in the best rugby league supporters in the world to truly support their own team.
If there is a bid better than our model with more supporters and more juniors (we have the most in Australia by the way) and we miss out the game will be in a healthy place.
Quote: We would prefer that other bids concentrate on pushing themselves up rather than pushing other bids down.
We want to give the heartland of rugby league what it deserves; a club that is truly theirs and that they are proud of, that is our focus not the other bids.
We want to talk about Souths Logan winning the national under 16 title , young Matt Parcell, a 4th generation Ipswich player who debuted last week with his dad ,grand dad (the great Gary Parcell) and great grand dad all Queensland representatives , proven player pathways supported by educational and vocational opportunities that we run now and will run on a grander scale if successful not uninformed nonsense that has been pointed our way.
There isnt much the ARLC can do about the negativity and the rush to ridicule our outstanding numbers but I am sure that fact will be beat fantasy when the time comes. I know that your readers will take the time to do their own research and sort out the truth from the puff.
I am not concerned about the personal attack. The bid isnt about me, its about the 9,450 kids who deserve the chance to develop as players from home without needing to relocate, the 645,000 potential fans tracking to over 1,000,000 in the immediate future, the 1000s of mums and dads who give up their time as game volunteers, its about our community. I dont mind wearing a few on the chin for that and I wont apologise for fighting hard for them.
Channel Nine boss, David Gyngell, has shown a lot of support for a team in the region to capitalize on high television ratings. How much of a help is this towards entering the NRL?We want to give the heartland of rugby league what it deserves; a club that is truly theirs and that they are proud of, that is our focus not the other bids.
We want to talk about Souths Logan winning the national under 16 title , young Matt Parcell, a 4th generation Ipswich player who debuted last week with his dad ,grand dad (the great Gary Parcell) and great grand dad all Queensland representatives , proven player pathways supported by educational and vocational opportunities that we run now and will run on a grander scale if successful not uninformed nonsense that has been pointed our way.
There isnt much the ARLC can do about the negativity and the rush to ridicule our outstanding numbers but I am sure that fact will be beat fantasy when the time comes. I know that your readers will take the time to do their own research and sort out the truth from the puff.
I am not concerned about the personal attack. The bid isnt about me, its about the 9,450 kids who deserve the chance to develop as players from home without needing to relocate, the 645,000 potential fans tracking to over 1,000,000 in the immediate future, the 1000s of mums and dads who give up their time as game volunteers, its about our community. I dont mind wearing a few on the chin for that and I wont apologise for fighting hard for them.
Quote: TV revenue is a major force in the game considering expansion. David is a passionate and knowledgeable rugby league man as well as an astute business man. On both levels he has publicly supported another team in South East Queensland but 9s bid will have a tremendous influence on expansion and in turn our bid.
What are the main challenges for the bid in the future?
Quote: The main challenge is turning our vision into a practical reality. This will be a stepped process, getting the nod if the game expands, engaging our community, putting a squad together and building a club based on decency and transparency. Each step will be a different challenge but we have a carefully developed process for each step and with the community with us we are confident of our future.
The Titans clearly had/have aspirations to be almost like an NFL club with their ambitious center of excellence, junior development etc. Does the Western Corridor bid have any unique ambitions of their own?
Quote: Ours are very different. Our focus is internal on our community integrated model where the person is as important as the player. We want to build a club not monuments. The Titans were victims of the GFC but we arent going down that path anyway for now.
As I said we will be digging the foundations first. We will be investing our time and resources into our best asset , our people and building game first football educational and vocational pathways. This has been our focus and we have formed some amazing partnerships and programs that I hope you as a fan will embrace Trent with our other fans when they are unveiled.
We already do much of this work now as part of the bid through the ISC Clubs and charitable groups but just havent sort the publicity, the work is important not the credit.
Does the bid have a timeline for when you hope to have the website up and running?As I said we will be digging the foundations first. We will be investing our time and resources into our best asset , our people and building game first football educational and vocational pathways. This has been our focus and we have formed some amazing partnerships and programs that I hope you as a fan will embrace Trent with our other fans when they are unveiled.
We already do much of this work now as part of the bid through the ISC Clubs and charitable groups but just havent sort the publicity, the work is important not the credit.
Quote: Yes we always wanted to be current when it counts and not become tired in the public eye. Our team is working on the Website right now and I hope that we can approve it going live in the coming weeks.
Thank you for your time, Mr. Johnson and all the best to yourself, everyone involved with bringing this dream to life and the team itself in the future.
Quote: Thanks for giving us this opportunity Trent. You have asked some important questions and we appreciate this chance to tell our story to your readers.
http://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/documents/business/oesr_population_forecast_2011.pdf
(Queensland and Ipswich population forecast)
A big thank you to the users of nospam18.com for submitting their questions, they were all great and I wish I could have asked them all. Hopefully we can get some more bids speaking with us very soon before a decision is made on NRL expansion over the coming months.
