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Time to crack out Arko's ARL blueprint

The Great Dane

First Grade
Messages
7,768
Parts of it are but they could build around those parts I would imagine. I doubt the hill is heritage listed.

Anything that effects the visage would be a no no.

In the case of a stadium that more than likely means that you effectively couldn't make any significant changes to the stadium at all. In NSO's case that definitely means that you couldn't make it rectangular, you couldn't build a new modern stand over the hill (nor is there really space without effecting the other buildings or trees), you couldn't even replace the score boards, or probably even add new permanent toilet blocks or food stands. Basically you'd be restricted only to maintaining whats already there.

Unless you could get NSO delisted, or you're prepared to participate in some dodginess, realistically NSO isn't going to be touched in any significant way and isn't really suitable as the full time home for a modern football club.
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,842
Anything that effects the visage would be a no no.

In the case of a stadium that more than likely means that you effectively couldn't make any significant changes to the stadium at all. In NSO's case that definitely means that you couldn't make it rectangular, you couldn't build a new modern stand over the hill (nor is there really space without effecting the other buildings or trees), you couldn't even replace the score boards, or probably even add new permanent toilet blocks or food stands. Basically you'd be restricted only to maintaining whats already there.

Unless you could get NSO delisted, or you're prepared to participate in some dodginess, realistically NSO isn't going to be touched in any significant way and isn't really suitable as the full time home for a modern football club.

heritage listing is like the law, can be changed with the stroke of a pen. North perth oval was heritage listed but they still turned it into hbf park. I’ve seen all sorts of heritage listed buildings get bulldozed in perth.
 
Messages
14,498
they pulled down wembleys twin towers ffs! Never say never.

I was there when Wembley towers came down actually. Sad. But it was time and a major venue like SFS or Lang Park.

However NSO won't get touched. The neighbours won't allow it for one. The tree won't get cut. The Duncan Thompson Stand is almost 100 years old. The Bob Stand came from the SCG. The aesthetics won't be messed with. Plus extra temporary catering areas go up on the hill when events are on. There's no parking except OTS or in back streets.

More chance of a Perth team before NSO goes under the knife.
 

The Great Dane

First Grade
Messages
7,768
heritage listing is like the law, can be changed with the stroke of a pen. North perth oval was heritage listed but they still turned it into hbf park. I’ve seen all sorts of heritage listed buildings get bulldozed in perth.

I can't speak for Perth, and I'm not denying that is how it is in Perth, but in Canberra, unless there's a huge sweetener for the government, there's no chance in hell that a heritage listed building is getting touched.

In the case of NSO I can't see it getting delisted.

Maybe you could build another stadium on some of the land around NSO though, who knows.
 

T-Boon

Coach
Messages
15,294
I was there when Wembley towers came down actually. Sad. But it was time and a major venue like SFS or Lang Park.

However NSO won't get touched. The neighbours won't allow it for one. The tree won't get cut. The Duncan Thompson Stand is almost 100 years old. The Bob Stand came from the SCG. The aesthetics won't be messed with.

The thing that makes NSO susceptible is the fact that whilst yes it is oldish...virtually nobody gives a f**k about its history. Nothing important ever happened there that I know about.
So a couple neighbours would get upset as they ALWAYS do. So what.
If it was for the greater good then it would get bulldozed.
 

T-Boon

Coach
Messages
15,294
Stadiums like the Duncan Thompson stadium kill people. Get rid of it.

Edit: I looked it up after typing the above nonsense and it does not appear to be the wooden structure I thought it was. I thought it was one of those Bradford fire type structures.
 
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MugaB

Coach
Messages
11,988
The thing that makes NSO susceptible is the fact that whilst yes it is oldish...virtually nobody gives a f**k about its history. Nothing important ever happened there that I know about.
So a couple neighbours would get upset as they ALWAYS do. So what.
If it was for the greater good then it would get bulldozed.
Not sure why central coast stadium isn't the first choice for this discussion regarding Manly/northern team or even sending the roosters there for 4-5 games and the rest at SFS (if ever rebuilt) i know that there is old woulds from the past merger, but surely if there won't be new stadium built anywhere in Chatswood or another suburb in the north, it can serve for a handful of games between manly and roosters, to atleast use the stadium that is atleast far better than brookvale or NSO, put together
Wests Tigers share Campbelltown,Leichardt and WSS between one club, so why can't other teams use CC as a secondary stadium for 2 clubs
 
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TheRam

Coach
Messages
13,480
Did anyone Twit the Live - Fox League Live Show about revisiting the Central Station stadium idea. Like I said maybe if enough people bring it up and it becomes a talking point, we may get some traction on it.

Remember it is live and they have to fill in 3 hours every day, so they may be willing to talk about it. It could be a good time filler for them. Ask about interviewing the architect who proposed the idea and so forth.

Note: I would, but I don't use social media.
 

TheRam

Coach
Messages
13,480
Like I said, if the Pen family can't continue and Manly look like falling over or any other team for that matter, there are others that can step in and hopefully do even better. The Penn's are small fry compared to what's out there.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/us...s-says-investment-banker-20200404-p54h2f.html

US buyers ready to pounce on Australian teams, says investment banker
The head of a major American investment bank has cashed-up clients ready to buy Australian franchises – and even entire sporting leagues – that may not otherwise survive the coronavirus shutdown.

Andrew Kline is the founder and managing director of Park Lane, a firm that specialises in helping high net-worth individuals become owners of sporting franchises. The former St Louis Rams NFL draftee has facilitated deals for his clients to buy and sell teams across all the major American sporting leagues, including the National Basketball Association, National Football League, Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League.


Kline has an intimate knowledge of the local sporting landscape, having previously lived in Australia. He also has another local link, as a close friend of Bradley Charles Stubbs, in an indication the "coach whisperer" is making an impression not only on the sporting world, but also the big end of town.

With several Australian teams and sporting codes teetering on the brink due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kline revealed he was lining up prospective owners ready to make a play for local licenses.

"We have clients who are very interested in Australia; not just purchasing a team, but an entire league," Kline told the Sun-Herald. "It’s a great market that we believe in. We feel like there will be not just heavy Australian investment back in the country, but heavy American investment back in the country.

"As a firm, we’re very focused on picking different opportunities up. I can’t say too much, but we always keep a close eye on Australia. We were looking at Australian assets before COVID hit and we were interested. Now that there has been some steam taken out of the market, we are even more interested.

"While things are priced fairly well, we will take a closer look."

Due to confidentiality arrangements, Kline did not want to disclose the identity of his clients or the properties they are targeting. However, the Sun-Herald understands the four football codes – NRL, AFL, A-League and rugby union – are on the radar. While some clients are content to purchase a single team, others have the means and desire to buy out an entire sporting code.

"The answer is yes on both," Kline said. "I can’t be that defined, but there are opportunities with all of your different sporting teams and leagues.

"I guarantee there are teams that are run perfectly and there are teams that can be run much better. It’s not like America has all the answers, that’s not how it is. Every league and every industry, you have the people who know what they are doing and run a tight ship and you have people who don’t.

"That’s where you find the opportunity. I would say right now, prices could get pressed and it’s just a no-brainer to buy.

"The thing about sport is we have some clients who lose $10 million, $20 million, $30 million, $40 million, $50 million on owning a sports team. But what they get … in intangible stuff in being that owner is well worth it.

"You can turn it into a real profit centre, too, for a long time.

"There are opportunities globally. This is a tough thing that’s happened, but there will be phoenixes that rise from the ashes. People will do very, very well because of this happening.

"We feel strongly the economy will recover and life will go on."

Kline drew some parallels between the economic conditions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the global financial crisis in 2008, when a number of his clients were able to pick up sporting teams relatively cheaply.

"We have been doing this for so long and we have helped people buy and sell teams in all of our major leagues out here – the NFL, NHL, NBA, Major League Baseball, everything.

"They are big [deals] within industry, but they are small within the world of business. We have a client who is a biotech engineer who is a sports team owner. His biotech company is more valuable than the Dallas Cowboys, which I would say is the most valuable franchise in the US.

"And he’s got an embryo biotech company which is worth more than that.

"In the world of sport we have done some big deals, but in the world of business, sports deals are [relatively minor] – I would call them $3 billion and below type deals.

"They are just very public in nature and people are passionate about it because a lot of people worship those teams."

Kline met Stubbs through a mutual friend, Australian NFL pioneer Colin Scotts, and the pair are in regular contact.

"In my first phone call with Brad, I invited him to the US," Kline said. "He showed up a week later, he and his family stayed at my beach house at Malibu. It’s interesting, within a minute of meeting him, I invited him out and he came out. We’ve been together ever since, he’s a great guy."
 

The Great Dane

First Grade
Messages
7,768
Like I said, if the Pen family can't continue and Manly look like falling over or any other team for that matter, there are others that can step in and hopefully do even better. The Penn's are small fry compared to what's out there.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/us...s-says-investment-banker-20200404-p54h2f.html

US buyers ready to pounce on Australian teams, says investment banker
The head of a major American investment bank has cashed-up clients ready to buy Australian franchises – and even entire sporting leagues – that may not otherwise survive the coronavirus shutdown.

Andrew Kline is the founder and managing director of Park Lane, a firm that specialises in helping high net-worth individuals become owners of sporting franchises. The former St Louis Rams NFL draftee has facilitated deals for his clients to buy and sell teams across all the major American sporting leagues, including the National Basketball Association, National Football League, Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League.


Kline has an intimate knowledge of the local sporting landscape, having previously lived in Australia. He also has another local link, as a close friend of Bradley Charles Stubbs, in an indication the "coach whisperer" is making an impression not only on the sporting world, but also the big end of town.

With several Australian teams and sporting codes teetering on the brink due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kline revealed he was lining up prospective owners ready to make a play for local licenses.

"We have clients who are very interested in Australia; not just purchasing a team, but an entire league," Kline told the Sun-Herald. "It’s a great market that we believe in. We feel like there will be not just heavy Australian investment back in the country, but heavy American investment back in the country.

"As a firm, we’re very focused on picking different opportunities up. I can’t say too much, but we always keep a close eye on Australia. We were looking at Australian assets before COVID hit and we were interested. Now that there has been some steam taken out of the market, we are even more interested.

"While things are priced fairly well, we will take a closer look."

Due to confidentiality arrangements, Kline did not want to disclose the identity of his clients or the properties they are targeting. However, the Sun-Herald understands the four football codes – NRL, AFL, A-League and rugby union – are on the radar. While some clients are content to purchase a single team, others have the means and desire to buy out an entire sporting code.

"The answer is yes on both," Kline said. "I can’t be that defined, but there are opportunities with all of your different sporting teams and leagues.

"I guarantee there are teams that are run perfectly and there are teams that can be run much better. It’s not like America has all the answers, that’s not how it is. Every league and every industry, you have the people who know what they are doing and run a tight ship and you have people who don’t.

"That’s where you find the opportunity. I would say right now, prices could get pressed and it’s just a no-brainer to buy.

"The thing about sport is we have some clients who lose $10 million, $20 million, $30 million, $40 million, $50 million on owning a sports team. But what they get … in intangible stuff in being that owner is well worth it.

"You can turn it into a real profit centre, too, for a long time.

"There are opportunities globally. This is a tough thing that’s happened, but there will be phoenixes that rise from the ashes. People will do very, very well because of this happening.

"We feel strongly the economy will recover and life will go on."

Kline drew some parallels between the economic conditions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the global financial crisis in 2008, when a number of his clients were able to pick up sporting teams relatively cheaply.

"We have been doing this for so long and we have helped people buy and sell teams in all of our major leagues out here – the NFL, NHL, NBA, Major League Baseball, everything.

"They are big [deals] within industry, but they are small within the world of business. We have a client who is a biotech engineer who is a sports team owner. His biotech company is more valuable than the Dallas Cowboys, which I would say is the most valuable franchise in the US.

"And he’s got an embryo biotech company which is worth more than that.

"In the world of sport we have done some big deals, but in the world of business, sports deals are [relatively minor] – I would call them $3 billion and below type deals.

"They are just very public in nature and people are passionate about it because a lot of people worship those teams."

Kline met Stubbs through a mutual friend, Australian NFL pioneer Colin Scotts, and the pair are in regular contact.

"In my first phone call with Brad, I invited him to the US," Kline said. "He showed up a week later, he and his family stayed at my beach house at Malibu. It’s interesting, within a minute of meeting him, I invited him out and he came out. We’ve been together ever since, he’s a great guy."
It'd be interesting to see an American try to buy an NRL team, as it'd be a massive culture shock for both parties.

For a start the American would want the sort of power that an owner in America has over their 'franchise', which very few clubs and leagues in Australia would be willing to give, which would instantly lead to conflict between the American owner, the NRL, and probably the fan base of the club that the American buys.

It could be the greatest thing that ever happens to rugby league in this country, and it could lead to another disaster like Super League as egos and self interest get in the way of what's best for the sport as a whole.
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,842
They’d take one look at the books and run! Investors want returns, how many nrl clubs are capable of that?

Sage tried to sell some of Perth Glory to some dodgy crypto currency guy in London, shonky as lol
 

The Great Dane

First Grade
Messages
7,768
They’d take one look at the books and run! Investors want returns, how many nrl clubs are capable of that?

Sage tried to sell some of Perth Glory to some dodgy crypto currency guy in London, shonky as lol

With the right people in charge, and enough investment, I reckon most of the NRL clubs could become profitable businesses. You'd have to radically change most of them to achieve that, but that is beside the point.

But you are right though, why buy an NRL club when you could spend a similar amount on a club from another sport that is in a way better position and doesn't need huge investment to get it up to where it should be.

If it was me and I was coming at it from a purely business stand point I'd be trying to buy any of the smaller AFL clubs over an NRL club.
 

Hello, I'm The Doctor

First Grade
Messages
9,124
It'd be interesting to see an American try to buy an NRL team, as it'd be a massive culture shock for both parties.

For a start the American would want the sort of power that an owner in America has over their 'franchise', which very few clubs and leagues in Australia would be willing to give, which would instantly lead to conflict between the American owner, the NRL, and probably the fan base of the club that the American buys.

It could be the greatest thing that ever happens to rugby league in this country, and it could lead to another disaster like Super League as egos and self interest get in the way of what's best for the sport as a whole.

I wouldnt compare it to SL as it would only be for one club....

The comparison would actually be:

Souths Model (best case): an owner comes in, cuts out the dead wood while maintaining and promoting the best parts of the clubs history. Moves them to a better location, and engages a larger fan-base.

GC Gladiators (worst case): Lunatic rich guy steps in, changes everything without really thinking about the consequences to the branding, fan base. Gets into fights with everyone involved then gets bored and f*cks off, leaving a smoldering ruin behind them.

Even with the risk, I would roll the dice on it and just have plans incase it goes bad.
 

Hello, I'm The Doctor

First Grade
Messages
9,124
They’d take one look at the books and run! Investors want returns, how many nrl clubs are capable of that?

Sage tried to sell some of Perth Glory to some dodgy crypto currency guy in London, shonky as lol

It is definitely possible though. Broncos are hugely successful and im pretty sure Storm are now as well.

They would need to get out of the suburbs and claim an underrepresented city (Perth, Brisbane, NZ, PNG/Indonesia at a stretch). But it is definitely possible.
 

The Great Dane

First Grade
Messages
7,768
I wouldnt compare it to SL as it would only be for one club....
Not necessarily.

I think most would agree that the genesis of what lead to Super League was the competing philosophies of the corporate money focused Broncos and the pseudo-holistic NSWRL what's best for us approach, leading to conflict.

Every fire starts with a single spark.
The comparison would actually be:

Souths Model (best case): an owner comes in, cuts out the dead wood while maintaining and promoting the best parts of the clubs history. Moves them to a better location, and engages a larger fan-base.

GC Gladiators (worst case): Lunatic rich guy steps in, changes everything without really thinking about the consequences to the branding, fan base. Gets into fights with everyone involved then gets bored and f*cks off, leaving a smoldering ruin behind them.

Even with the risk, I would roll the dice on it and just have plans incase it goes bad.

Or option three, and in my opinion the most likely outcome, the American comes in and tries to run his club how your average owner in the NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL, would run their club, as the final authority without much regard for any of the other stakeholders.

Which would inevitably lead to him putting not only the clubs current fans noses out of joint, but the NRL, local governments, and other groups as well as they will have never really experienced a sports club owner like that.

I mean, the first major thing that an American owner would do if they bought e.g. Manly, is threaten to relocate the club unless the government knocks down Brookvale and builds them a new modern stadium to the owners standards and with a rent deal in the clubs favour, and if he didn't get his way he'd have a line of governments/businesses/groups ready to give him everything he wants to move to their city/stadium.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against it, I'd love to see how a rich American owner would do things, and I think it's more likely than not that any disasters that he did create would turn out for the better in the long run.
 
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Hello, I'm The Doctor

First Grade
Messages
9,124
Not necessarily.

I think most would agree that the genesis of what lead to Super League was the competing philosophies of the corporate money focused Broncos and the pseudo-holistic NSWRL what's best for us approach, leading to conflict.

Every fire starts with a single spark.

My point was just that any problems could not become competitive wide just based on current licensing deals...

In 95, Arko and Quayle were dumb enough to sign all clubs to one year licencing deals. When people say “the game was asking for a take-over” that is what they are talking about.

Any mad owners could only enter club-by-club or maybe with a proposal for a separate ARLC-sanctioned comp (eg. Nrl 9s)
 
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