The Ipswich Knights

[PaulyTom]

Drop the knights name . Ipswich jets should be the name

 

[no name]

Fox Sports now reporting that Wests Newcastle are in talks.

Sloth's article sprung Wests Newcastle into action.
What a rugby league hero he is.

 

[_Johnsy]

How about the one from Ribot about the millions of fans in China watching Super League?

My favourite was when Rugby League had done nothing for Mal Meninga, ahhh good times.

Oh, wait a minute.......

 

[betcats]

This is so ridiculous it's probably true.

 

[BestHookerFarrah]

How about the one from Ribot about the millions of fans in China watching Super League?

Well, I'm not saying millions. But Chinese sports channels do have sporadic ESL coverage, on delay, and not all the games, but still better than ESL coverage you get in Aus.

No NRL. Unless people do what I do, and find a bar with a Western manager, and have them link up rugbypass or livestream etc. Usually by bringing your own laptop to the bar itself.

 

[Diesel]

I just read the story in the paper (I was at the library). It is the ultimate click bait story as it opens with the words "the long delayed sale of the Knights has lead to outrageous speculation" of the Knights relocating to Ipswich. That's it "speculation". As such it is not worth the ink used in printing it and I wish I could get back the couple of minutes I used in reading it.

A click bait story about the NRL will swamp anything AFL related that's why they put these stories out there, because NRL sells

 

[adamkungl]

Well, I'm not saying millions. But Chinese sports channels do have sporadic ESL coverage, on delay, and not all the games, but still better than ESL coverage you get in Aus.

No NRL. Unless people do what I do, and find a bar with a Western manager, and have them link up rugbypass or livestream etc. Usually by bringing your own laptop to the bar itself.

Australian Fox Sports gets the exact same SL coverage as the poms do you nincompoop.

 

[perverse]

Lack of corporate support. If you look at most clubs operating revenue the big earners are:

Memberships and gate takings (or stadium agreements) (around $2-4mill)
NRL Grant (around $8mill)
Sponsorships (around $6-8mill)

Then you have the remaining operating deficit that is being made up by either pokie clubs, private ownership, NRL bail out or loans. This varies from club to club from zero to up to $5million plus

I agree Knights strength is in their fanbase (like Souths) and they should be doing everything possible to build that into their main source of revenue (like Souths have done growing memberships). The fact neither the NRL or Knights board has managed this remains a concern.

You're not correct at all (and, to be fair, it surprised me too). Apparently we're in the top half or even quarter of clubs as far as corporate support goes. The caveat that comes with that is that there hasn't been a lot of money around for *cough* sponsoring *cough* players because of their association with the club.

I believe we're getting a bit more serious about TPA's these days, so maybe those goalposts have changed, or perhaps our strategy for corporate support has shifted. Who could say, the club doesn't tell fans anything much of substance anymore. Everything is played pretty close to the chest.

One thing we have had historically is an absolute dud stadium agreement. I don't know what it looks like these days, but we were getting ripped hard by the government for many years, where many teams actually get paid to play at somewhere like ANZ, or can do so more cheaply.

Outside of that, just plain old bad management, constant changes and large shakeups of management, scandals a plenty, just general chaos and disarray really.

 

[Pedge1971]

Australian Fox Sports gets the exact same SL coverage as the poms do you nincompoop.

It is Rugbypass not Foxsports. Only available in Asia and bloody great value. All games live every week and no freaking ads.

 

[macavity]

You're not correct at all (and, to be fair, it surprised me too). Apparently we're in the top half or even quarter of clubs as far as corporate support goes. The caveat that comes with that is that there hasn't been a lot of money around for *cough* sponsoring *cough* players because of their association with the club.

I believe we're getting a bit more serious about TPA's these days, so maybe those goalposts have changed, or perhaps our strategy for corporate support has shifted. Who could say, the club doesn't tell fans anything much of substance anymore. Everything is played pretty close to the chest.

One thing we have had historically is an absolute dud stadium agreement. I don't know what it looks like these days, but we were getting ripped hard by the government for many years, where many teams actually get paid to play at somewhere like ANZ, or can do so more cheaply.

Outside of that, just plain old bad management, constant changes and large shakeups of management, scandals a plenty, just general chaos and disarray really.

Don't let the alternative facts get in the way mate

The biggest joke is the NRL looking for a payday from selling a club they didn't buy. The NRL hasn't "invested", we cleared debts with Tinklers bank guarantee. They have then loaned the club about $2mil, which they expect back in addition to the "sale price". Absolute farging joke. The club should be handed to a board of trustees - wests and community together - debt free.... and left the hell alone.

 

[perverse]

Don't let the alternative facts get in the way mate

The biggest joke is the NRL looking for a payday from selling a club they didn't buy. The NRL hasn't "invested", we cleared debts with Tinklers bank guarantee. They have then loaned the club about $2mil, which they expect back in addition to the "sale price". Absolute farging joke. The club should be handed to a board of trustees - wests and community together - debt free.... and left the hell alone.

Yep, they are taking us for a ride. It is a total pisstake. Asking price shouldn't be at the top of priorities for choosing our new owner. It shouldn't be close, especially given that we won't see a cent of the sale price. The NRL are trying to take advantage of the situation and spin a profit from it, and it's a pretty disgusting. It seems like small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, too. At the end of the day it's not that far over a single years club grant to a single club. It's ridiculous to hold up our sale so long on the premise of asking a price that no-one wants to pay.

It seems that Wests have been willing to sit back and just call the NRLs bluff to this point, knowing that they're one of - if not THE most viable long term owner of the club. The only thing that concerns me about a Wests ownership (other than the fact they're merkins) is that they run a tight - and profitable ship... and the NRL isn't very much a game of profit. Obviously many others share that concern, yourself I'm sure included. I can't see them splurging on us, that's for sure. Though I would back them to keep the books in order.

 

[Perth Red]

You're not correct at all (and, to be fair, it surprised me too). Apparently we're in the top half or even quarter of clubs as far as corporate support goes. The caveat that comes with that is that there hasn't been a lot of money around for *cough* sponsoring *cough* players because of their association with the club.

I believe we're getting a bit more serious about TPA's these days, so maybe those goalposts have changed, or perhaps our strategy for corporate support has shifted. Who could say, the club doesn't tell fans anything much of substance anymore. Everything is played pretty close to the chest.

One thing we have had historically is an absolute dud stadium agreement. I don't know what it looks like these days, but we were getting ripped hard by the government for many years, where many teams actually get paid to play at somewhere like ANZ, or can do so more cheaply.

Outside of that, just plain old bad management, constant changes and large shakeups of management, scandals a plenty, just general chaos and disarray really.

"Apparently" lol

All the scandals etc, which revenue lines are they hitting? Like I said there are only three or four main revenue lines, unless your expenditure is totally off the planet but I'd have thought the nrl would have reigned that in? NRL grant is constant, tickets and memberships are decent unless you are giving them away so that either leaves lack of sponsorship or out of kilter expenditure.

 

[taipan]

The NRL figures for 2016 are in today's Sydney Morning Herald on line. written by Roy(the Boy) Masters
The NRL incurred a $2.6m loss. Interesting they lost $4.5m in ticket sales due to dead SOO rubber.

Total revenue to the NRL in 2016 plus clubs was $582m ,with the NRL contributing $375m and the 16 NRL clubs $207m.

The NRL currently has $134m in the bank.This will drop by $80m next accounting period as a result of a prepayment by CH 9 $55m and a recategorisation of assets.This future fund compares favourably with the AFL's $55m.

For every $3 spent by the NRL on players and clubs, it spends $1 on grassroots development of the code,while clubs such as the Raiders and bulldogs add to this via their licensed clubs.

IMO until the Knights and Titans are sold, the expansion aspect will be kept on hold.

Reason the Knights and Titans losses owned by the NRL increased the NRL deficit to $8.6m

 

[Perth Red]

The article, positively written from Roy.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...oved-nonbroadcast-income-20170213-gubrqo.html

 

[TheFrog]

Taking the NRL side out of Newcastle, who average 14,000 crowds even when getting thrashed every week, just because they've had a couple of lean seasons, is the most lame brained thing I've ever heard. Parramatta had back to back spoons recently, and cheated the cap as well, they'd seem more of a candidate to be moved if poor on-field performance and poor administrative performance are the criteria.

The NRL has helped the Titans put a decent side on the field with Hurrell, Peats and Hayne all added mid-season. It should do something to improve the Knights side as well.

All for a second Brisbane club though. I'd favour expanding to 17 teams around 2020.

 

[nick87]

Make it happen. The Knights and Ipswich deserve each other.

 

[Perth Red]

Looking at the Wests LC group they have a revenue of around $136mill a year and a reasonable profit margin so money shouldn't be a big issue in them taking over. Looks like Knights are still losing in the region of $2-3mill a year. the increased NRL grant from next year will help with that presuming they reign in the spending.

I guess main concern is that historically clubs run by LC's haven't performed very well financially. Maybe this is because they have the mentality the LC profit will cover losses so who cares, but for a club with a long term history of struggling to make ends meet it would be an issue for Knights ownership for NRL maybe?

I notice there is a supporters push for a community owned Knights.

 

[BuffaloRules]

[

Don't let the alternative facts get in the way mate

The biggest joke is the NRL looking for a payday from selling a club they didn't buy. The NRL hasn't "invested", we cleared debts with Tinklers bank guarantee. They have then loaned the club about $2mil, which they expect back in addition to the "sale price". Absolute farging joke. The club should be handed to a board of trustees - wests and community together - debt free.... and left the hell alone.

According to this article, the NRL gave the Knights and Titans $3Mil in 2016 to keep them "operational"...

Will they require the same in 2017?

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...l/news-story/f3a73518be6260f31f611fb52720d8a1

The $184m paid to the clubs did not include the money ploughed into the NRL-owned Gold Coast Titans and Newcastle Knights to keep them operational. It is understood that each club was given a $3m subsidy during 2016.

 

[Perth Red]

[


According to this article, the NRL gave the Knights and Titans $3Mil in 2016 to keep them "operational"...

Will they require the same in 2017?

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...l/news-story/f3a73518be6260f31f611fb52720d8a1

Noticed that article focussed on Titans and Knights and didn't mention dragons financial support? Did they not need the NRLs bail out in 2016?

Should we see the Knights running at a $3mill deficit (if that is what it was) as a failure of the NRL to be able to right a leaking ship?

 

[Noname36]

Looking at the Wests LC group they have a revenue of around $136mill a year and a reasonable profit margin so money shouldn't be a big issue in them taking over. Looks like Knights are still losing in the region of $2-3mill a year. the increased NRL grant from next year will help with that presuming they reign in the spending.

I guess main concern is that historically clubs run by LC's haven't performed very well financially. Maybe this is because they have the mentality the LC profit will cover losses so who cares, but for a club with a long term history of struggling to make ends meet it would be an issue for Knights ownership for NRL maybe?

I notice there is a supporters push for a community owned Knights.

Reign in the spending?

I don't know if you know a great deal about how the Knights are currently being operated but they're being run on far, far less currently than the other 15 clubs (Titans included).

If they reign in their spending any more the next thing to go will be the first grade coach (who is already getting squat to do the hardest job in the comp).