What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

18th club, whose next?

Messages
14,822
Yet the Central Coast Mariners are two time A League Premiers and also won the other two titles this season plus look at the Central Coast talent running around in the NRL atm.
Who are the Central Coast Tigers ?.

I had Tigers on the brain. I meant Central Coast Bears.

There's a post on Reddit purported to be an email from the Central Coast Mariners chairman. It says the club has finished every season at a financial loss.

Mariners currently operating at a $2M loss

An insightful email to CCM members from the chair Rich Peil

"Dear Mariners Community,

Happy New Year. I hope 2023 is off to a great start for you all.

I’m sure that, like me, you are excited and proud of the team’s current position on the ladder, and the attractive brand of attacking football we are playing with the youngest roster in the league (many home-grown academy players). I can assure you this is driven by the hard work put in by Nick Montgomery, Sergio Raimundo and all their staff, and that none of this is by chance.

A major commitment of mine for 2023 is to be even more open & honest with you, the Mariners community, on everything about the club. As part of this commitment to transparency, I plan to communicate directly with you all from time to time on key issues, including whenever it becomes necessary to ‘set the record straight’, and also when I need your help. This message falls into both categories.

It is very easy for us all to gauge the ‘health’ of the club from a pure football perspective, simply by looking at how well we are playing and the results we are achieving on the field. We are a **very** healthy club through this lens, despite having the lowest budget. The Mariners’ financial health though is much harder for fans to gauge, and candidly, there are some misconceptions circulating that I think are important to clarify. So here are some key **facts**:

To my knowledge, the Mariners have never made a financial year profit. The club has finished every financial year at a loss, since its inception.

For the 2022/23 financial year, based on our latest forecasts, we expect to lose over $2,000,000. This is the absolute, bottom-line figure including income from player transfers, and even achieving this result is dependent upon the club meeting some targets that frankly aren’t certain. This $2,000,000+ will be paid by myself personally, driven from my desire to secure the long term future of the Mariners here on the Central Coast and my passion for Australian Football – this can’t be achieved without everyone’s support.

Asset-wise, the Mariners football club does not own any land, buildings, property or facilities. Although they have our logo and signage, the club’s head office, training grounds and facilities are all **leased**, and we pay rent to third parties to use and occupy them. We are, however, grateful to Mike Charlesworth for providing the club a concessional rent rate on the training ground at Tuggerah.

I’m sharing this information for two main reasons. Firstly, to clear up the misbelief held by some in our community that the Mariners are ‘asset rich’, which is simply not the case. Secondly, and more importantly, to provide you with honest context to underpin the second half of this communication: me asking you for your help.

We are working on some promising initiatives at the club right now to hopefully improve its economics, including new partnerships and passive income ventures. I’m optimistic that most of these will succeed. However, alone, they will not solve the problem; that will only happen with your support, particularly in the following 3 areas:

**Fill the Stadium:** Our major goal at the club is to have at least 8,000 proud, loud & passionate Mariners fans at every home game. This must be achieved within the next 2 seasons for the future stability of the club. To those of you who already come to home games, sincerely, thank you for your support. To everyone in our community though, my ask is this: please encourage everyone you know to come to matches. Friends, family, colleagues, customers, neighbours, randoms in the street, anyone and everyone. The best way to grow our game attendance is through your word of mouth. We recently had 6,914 people at our game against Adelaide, if every attendee convinced just one person to come with them, we would be back to our ‘heyday’ crowds of over 12,000 people. Please bring your friends and family to the games, we really would like all ‘coasties’ to be part of the game day euphoria!

**Grow the Family:** In the coming weeks, we’ll be announcing a revamp to our existing membership structure, to pave the way for more supporters to join the Mariners family, particularly non-attending Mariners fans. Whilst CCM is undoubtedly a Central Coast team, you don’t have to live on the coast to love and support our club. Over the next 3 years we hope to build a membership base of over 10,000 non-attendee supporters, each paying a mere $3 per month. Individually, these financial contributions will be small, but collectively, they have the potential to be huge for our club. More details will follow soon, but my plea for your help in this space is simple: encourage everyone you know to join the Mariners family. If you can’t get them to games, get them to enjoy in the Mariners magic from home.

**Drive Business Partnerships:** There are approximately 25,000 businesses operating on the Central Coast, across a wide range of industries. Some of you will own these businesses, or be employed by them, or be customers of them. My third plea is to ask that you help us garner further support from the business community. If you own a business and you’re capable of supporting our great club, please [click here](https://l.e.ccmariners.com.au/ls/click?upn=N9WffP-2BN68QYIz9k64j5jtZ-2BI16BAgUpaG45pGKmGjfuIE9cqNLCR-2Fm7N0-2BEmBgcm-2BqC6a0Td6uRNuxhwSa8ag-3D-3DpSPp_iN-2BqGVShnWxHD1GQM-2BzPDrSDwSRjA-2Fej8SQD2euxUR-2FUCR3pH090ry8qo9-2FqeKq7pyUg90YmmMngz87AQ0-2Ft7Sn5m3ygcWGsH3nth99L3NPkqpxuNacwNj39QFat-2FSZaGHCsq-2BAcn0-2BuH3nrYDsI69NQE2YeI-2FN0BrGZgu3nlnASpnNZiFZChF2JqnahPVHKz8nW93lt5hQjx2HymSEAJudD7nbe37jhSJ33W9XB0K08hhXDWwrWajVk7jmYumfGbOABVfvPM29lMx8VVqZdFkWEZ4GECKxaY-2BjP7wujjh6HyjlrImeryTbGDmYiSsJfohu10O9KlLUDphBgoLV0t5jCfoLdEM2g4qfqQu9Xv159O7-2BKTtAC77BaUq3koSDKvCIN1jXDQd2iuIvmONwrYzkGU226-2Fdg3OClZsFmBZn6iW8VZsvAD5dOyURpsYgyA3jTapjEc7im5qTfuNaynlN7pCPk-2FsP5EuwnJsCtrVn1Lmt-2Fjo1KrrzkV6wFmSLFr2rLD9ngDb8jNQ-2FJz5e7wgx9ri4JA-2FQ-2FZSStp8Oo99WbLISrd8jyvceqXb1p98WlVLs5XUC2a87tmgFRlEqs6SQooK-2B5zJ95D-2F242mWRUKKxZ-2F6LyJjj1leond1yb-2Bf9M7QAJmKL2eXpWFCSdfbZIW8bUSKxdRm22eYin4kcGPbc-3D). If you work for a local business, or are a frequent customer of one, please encourage the business to get on board and feel free to share this email with them. A business doesn’t have to be huge or spend massive dollars to be involved. We have sponsorship options for as little as $2500 which give the business great value in return (whether in advertising or hospitality, or both). Candidly, every cent helps.

I know what it’s like to get asked for help and I know it can be fatiguing. However, I’m hopeful that this open & honest request will show you why it’s needed, and also show how you can support us non-financially too, by spreading the word and encouraging others to join & support the Mariners community.

The Mariners are the only national sporting team on the Central Coast, and I hope you agree it is essential that it lives on in a sustainable manner. Our recent on-field success and incredible player development stories are proof that the club is poised for an exciting future. If we work together, I’m confident we can achieve the extraordinary, stabilize the financial position of the club, and continue to compete to bring home the Champions Trophy.

Thank you for reading this and for your continued support. I look forward to seeing you at our next home game.

Yours faithfully,

Rich Peil

Chair - Central Coast Mariners FC"

 
Messages
14,822
Forgot to mention Newcastle wests owns seven … yes that’s right seven other licensed premises

and funded the clubs centre of excellence from Their own funds rather than bumming off the taxpayer
That's nice. Doesn't change the fact the Cowboys draw better ratings on Foxtel.

Don't take my word for it. Wookie has the data on his site.

Brisbane were also dominant on Foxtels set top box programming, averaging 288,000 per game

Sth Sydney 270,000
Melbourne 267,000
Nth Queensland 259,000
Penrith 257,000​

 

Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
33,568
That's nice. Doesn't change the fact the Cowboys draw better ratings on Foxtel.

Don't take my word for it. Wookie has the data on his site.

Brisbane were also dominant on Foxtels set top box programming, averaging 288,000 per game​
Sth Sydney 270,000​
Melbourne 267,000​
Nth Queensland 259,000​
Penrith 257,000​

Wow two Sydney clubs getting similar ratings to a club representing the whole of Brisbane

good stuff
 

Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
33,568
I had Tigers on the brain. I meant Central Coast Bears.

There's a post on Reddit purported to be an email from the Central Coast Mariners chairman. It says the club has finished every season at a financial loss.

Mariners currently operating at a $2M loss​
An insightful email to CCM members from the chair Rich Peil​
"Dear Mariners Community,​
Happy New Year. I hope 2023 is off to a great start for you all.​
I’m sure that, like me, you are excited and proud of the team’s current position on the ladder, and the attractive brand of attacking football we are playing with the youngest roster in the league (many home-grown academy players). I can assure you this is driven by the hard work put in by Nick Montgomery, Sergio Raimundo and all their staff, and that none of this is by chance.​
A major commitment of mine for 2023 is to be even more open & honest with you, the Mariners community, on everything about the club. As part of this commitment to transparency, I plan to communicate directly with you all from time to time on key issues, including whenever it becomes necessary to ‘set the record straight’, and also when I need your help. This message falls into both categories.​
It is very easy for us all to gauge the ‘health’ of the club from a pure football perspective, simply by looking at how well we are playing and the results we are achieving on the field. We are a **very** healthy club through this lens, despite having the lowest budget. The Mariners’ financial health though is much harder for fans to gauge, and candidly, there are some misconceptions circulating that I think are important to clarify. So here are some key **facts**:​
To my knowledge, the Mariners have never made a financial year profit. The club has finished every financial year at a loss, since its inception.​
For the 2022/23 financial year, based on our latest forecasts, we expect to lose over $2,000,000. This is the absolute, bottom-line figure including income from player transfers, and even achieving this result is dependent upon the club meeting some targets that frankly aren’t certain. This $2,000,000+ will be paid by myself personally, driven from my desire to secure the long term future of the Mariners here on the Central Coast and my passion for Australian Football – this can’t be achieved without everyone’s support.​
Asset-wise, the Mariners football club does not own any land, buildings, property or facilities. Although they have our logo and signage, the club’s head office, training grounds and facilities are all **leased**, and we pay rent to third parties to use and occupy them. We are, however, grateful to Mike Charlesworth for providing the club a concessional rent rate on the training ground at Tuggerah.​
I’m sharing this information for two main reasons. Firstly, to clear up the misbelief held by some in our community that the Mariners are ‘asset rich’, which is simply not the case. Secondly, and more importantly, to provide you with honest context to underpin the second half of this communication: me asking you for your help.​
We are working on some promising initiatives at the club right now to hopefully improve its economics, including new partnerships and passive income ventures. I’m optimistic that most of these will succeed. However, alone, they will not solve the problem; that will only happen with your support, particularly in the following 3 areas:​
**Fill the Stadium:** Our major goal at the club is to have at least 8,000 proud, loud & passionate Mariners fans at every home game. This must be achieved within the next 2 seasons for the future stability of the club. To those of you who already come to home games, sincerely, thank you for your support. To everyone in our community though, my ask is this: please encourage everyone you know to come to matches. Friends, family, colleagues, customers, neighbours, randoms in the street, anyone and everyone. The best way to grow our game attendance is through your word of mouth. We recently had 6,914 people at our game against Adelaide, if every attendee convinced just one person to come with them, we would be back to our ‘heyday’ crowds of over 12,000 people. Please bring your friends and family to the games, we really would like all ‘coasties’ to be part of the game day euphoria!​
**Grow the Family:** In the coming weeks, we’ll be announcing a revamp to our existing membership structure, to pave the way for more supporters to join the Mariners family, particularly non-attending Mariners fans. Whilst CCM is undoubtedly a Central Coast team, you don’t have to live on the coast to love and support our club. Over the next 3 years we hope to build a membership base of over 10,000 non-attendee supporters, each paying a mere $3 per month. Individually, these financial contributions will be small, but collectively, they have the potential to be huge for our club. More details will follow soon, but my plea for your help in this space is simple: encourage everyone you know to join the Mariners family. If you can’t get them to games, get them to enjoy in the Mariners magic from home.​
**Drive Business Partnerships:** There are approximately 25,000 businesses operating on the Central Coast, across a wide range of industries. Some of you will own these businesses, or be employed by them, or be customers of them. My third plea is to ask that you help us garner further support from the business community. If you own a business and you’re capable of supporting our great club, please [click here](https://l.e.ccmariners.com.au/ls/click?upn=N9WffP-2BN68QYIz9k64j5jtZ-2BI16BAgUpaG45pGKmGjfuIE9cqNLCR-2Fm7N0-2BEmBgcm-2BqC6a0Td6uRNuxhwSa8ag-3D-3DpSPp_iN-2BqGVShnWxHD1GQM-2BzPDrSDwSRjA-2Fej8SQD2euxUR-2FUCR3pH090ry8qo9-2FqeKq7pyUg90YmmMngz87AQ0-2Ft7Sn5m3ygcWGsH3nth99L3NPkqpxuNacwNj39QFat-2FSZaGHCsq-2BAcn0-2BuH3nrYDsI69NQE2YeI-2FN0BrGZgu3nlnASpnNZiFZChF2JqnahPVHKz8nW93lt5hQjx2HymSEAJudD7nbe37jhSJ33W9XB0K08hhXDWwrWajVk7jmYumfGbOABVfvPM29lMx8VVqZdFkWEZ4GECKxaY-2BjP7wujjh6HyjlrImeryTbGDmYiSsJfohu10O9KlLUDphBgoLV0t5jCfoLdEM2g4qfqQu9Xv159O7-2BKTtAC77BaUq3koSDKvCIN1jXDQd2iuIvmONwrYzkGU226-2Fdg3OClZsFmBZn6iW8VZsvAD5dOyURpsYgyA3jTapjEc7im5qTfuNaynlN7pCPk-2FsP5EuwnJsCtrVn1Lmt-2Fjo1KrrzkV6wFmSLFr2rLD9ngDb8jNQ-2FJz5e7wgx9ri4JA-2FQ-2FZSStp8Oo99WbLISrd8jyvceqXb1p98WlVLs5XUC2a87tmgFRlEqs6SQooK-2B5zJ95D-2F242mWRUKKxZ-2F6LyJjj1leond1yb-2Bf9M7QAJmKL2eXpWFCSdfbZIW8bUSKxdRm22eYin4kcGPbc-3D). If you work for a local business, or are a frequent customer of one, please encourage the business to get on board and feel free to share this email with them. A business doesn’t have to be huge or spend massive dollars to be involved. We have sponsorship options for as little as $2500 which give the business great value in return (whether in advertising or hospitality, or both). Candidly, every cent helps.​
I know what it’s like to get asked for help and I know it can be fatiguing. However, I’m hopeful that this open & honest request will show you why it’s needed, and also show how you can support us non-financially too, by spreading the word and encouraging others to join & support the Mariners community.​
The Mariners are the only national sporting team on the Central Coast, and I hope you agree it is essential that it lives on in a sustainable manner. Our recent on-field success and incredible player development stories are proof that the club is poised for an exciting future. If we work together, I’m confident we can achieve the extraordinary, stabilize the financial position of the club, and continue to compete to bring home the Champions Trophy.​
Thank you for reading this and for your continued support. I look forward to seeing you at our next home game.​
Yours faithfully,​
Rich Peil​
Chair - Central Coast Mariners FC"​
That loss is now closer to 4 million pa with the cut in a league grant distribution lol
 
Messages
14,822
Everybody in PNG is getting membership for free courtesy of Aussie taxpayers provided they don't talk to China.
Most Papuans won't be able to watch their team play on TV.

By recent estimates only 13% of PNG’s population is connected to reliable electricity, predominantly in urban areas. This places PNG’s rate of energy poverty among the highest globally, comparable with countries in Sub-Saharan Africa [3], [4].

 

Iamback

Referee
Messages
20,279
I don't know. You'd hope so. But I think people are being dazzled by this 600mill figure and think in 10 years time png will be self sufficient.
There's no evidence of that over the last 49 years of independence.

I trust the greed of the clubs to do their homework on this. They want their revenue to grow so will do their checks to ensure the case is solid

As for the self sufficient, I agree it won't be but the flow on will have it better. Atleast 80% of the squad and staff will be local.

So you looking at injecting cash to locals which isn't there now. Which will have the team closer to being able to do that
 
Last edited:

Iamback

Referee
Messages
20,279
Are you serious, or just defending it because you think it should be against the rules to criticise stupid claims?

The only way they ever get to 1m members is if they give memberships away with birth certificates.

I think memberships are a flawed metric anyway, Do I think they will have 1m paying members? no chance BUT NRL clubs now hand out memberships.

So I can how the club can get those figures, particularly with the govt involvement and wanting to improve Education.

Maybe they use membership as an incentive for attending school or something similar

I expect Perth will have some handouts too ftr, It is how these things usually work
 

Pippen94

First Grade
Messages
7,105

titoelcolombiano

First Grade
Messages
6,620
In what universe is peace dependent upon having an NRL club in a corrupt, poverty stricken country like PNG?
It's my understanding that PNG have agreed to sign a security treaty aligning with Australia instead of China if they are given an NRL team. That's what they asked for.

It seems they want to tie education (school attendance) and other social programs to being eligible to play. They think it will be a driver of social change.
 

titoelcolombiano

First Grade
Messages
6,620
In the aftermath of Queensland’s State of Origin defeat, questions were immediately asked.
Was game three one of the all-time great games? Has there been a more committed defensive effort from two sides? Should Cameron Murray have been sent off for joining a fight from the bench?
But a query that should be considered relates to one of the biggest topics in the NRL world, and the game’s favourite buzzword: expansion.
The Queensland Maroons were largely battered throughout the 2024 State of Origin series by New South Wales.

The Queensland Maroons were largely battered throughout the 2024 State of Origin series by New South Wales.CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
Rugby league wants to solidify itself as Australia’s leading sporting code. To achieve that, it needs a bigger footprint – and bold plans to take the game to Las Vegas and other new markets have inspired a plan for a 20-team competition.

A fifth Queensland team should be a stronger consideration, despite the narrative seemingly leaning towards bids in Perth, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.
Loading
The Maroons’ series loss has also highlighted the issue of player depth, which another NRL club could help support, regardless of whether they ended up in an interstate outfit.
While Queensland coach Billy Slater professed he had the team to get the job done and they were simply outplayed, his outfit desperately missed three key men who could have made a difference.
Those were star forwards Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Tom Gilbert and Thomas Flegler, all sidelined for the year through injury.

Queensland were also game one debutant J’maine Hopgood (back injury) and Jai Arrow (shoulder surgery), but neither are defined as enforcers in the same manner as the aforementioned trio.
Firebrand Raider Corey Horsburgh has also missed much of the season through injury and suspension, and the omissions Jaydn Su’a from the decider and David Fifita from the series drew confusion from rugby league pundits.
Could Tino Fa’asuamaleaui have helped turn around Queensland’s fortunes?

Could Tino Fa’asuamaleaui have helped turn around Queensland’s fortunes?CREDIT: GETTY
By contrast, the Blues looked the more intimidating pack even in their game-one loss.
Only the third Blues team to win a decider in Brisbane, they were aggressive, their big players stood up, and the work of their outside backs in supporting the forward pack cannot be understated.

Loading
The population and density of teams in NSW means that when the Blues suffer injuries, more options are at their disposal.
Among the three south-east Queensland clubs, only seven of the 94 contracted players played their junior football or grew up in the south Brisbane or western regions.
This is despite the fact the state hosts almost 40 per cent of the game’s total participants, yet NSW has 10 teams to feed.
Along with those teams comes elite coaching, junior academy pathways and the resources to have talent throughout the state jostling to compete with the best.

Bradman Best and Mitchell Moses both came into the Blues side for injured stars and turned in brilliant performances.

Bradman Best and Mitchell Moses both came into the Blues side for injured stars and turned in brilliant performances.CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
When they lost Latrell Mitchell, they had Newcastle centre Bradman Best to call upon – who scored game three’s decisive try. Even still, they had Joseph Suaalii, Jesse Ramien, Kotoni Staggs and Tom Trbojevic waiting in the wings.
If anything had happened to the NSW engine room, the likes of Jacob Saifiti, Terrell May, Stefano Utoikamanu and Reagan Campbell-Gillard were waiting in the wings. All are among the competition’s top 50 for post-contact metres this season.

Because who does Queensland have coming through the ranks at present?

Max Plath has been a revelation for the Dolphins, but is more in the Reuben Cotter mould of a small, hard-working forward than a physically intimidating enforcer.
Corey Jensen has been strong this season, but is a “dig deep” variety of forward, rather than a player of impact and aggression.
The Gold Coast Titans and Brisbane Broncos have high hopes for Josiah Pahulu and Ben Te Kura respectively, but both are in the development stages.
The Maroons’ dominance in the past has often come from having some of the finest players of the modern era championing their cause in key positions.
The Brisbane Tigers are leading a bid to become Queensland’s fifth NRL team.

The Brisbane Tigers are leading a bid to become Queensland’s fifth NRL team.CREDIT: NRL PHOTOS

Johnathan Thurston, Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Darren Lockyer and Slater were all able to operate behind a workman-like pack and execute when a chance to attack struck.
For all the attacking class possessed by the likes of Daly Cherry-Evans, Tom Dearden, Harry Grant, Kalyn Ponga and Reece Walsh, ultimately their chances to strike were too few.
Queensland cannot rely on generational talents to keep popping up as they have in years gone by.
A fifth club in Queensland, with the Brisbane Tigers leading a pitch to accommodate regions south of the Brisbane river and to the state’s west, would provide another crucial pathway to usher elite talent through to the Origin arena.
f**k me dead we've just come off two in a row and 14 of 19. Hyperbole much...

Put Flegler, Tino, Gilbert, Munster and a proper, fit, in form Walsh and Ponga and the series looks much different. Our production line is better than ever.
 

titoelcolombiano

First Grade
Messages
6,620
Speaking of time bombs lol.

Yeah the Dolphins are that drop 6k off your average attendance in your second year kind of "success". Even I didn't predict a drop off that steep.

The Broncos will artificially inflate that average a bit, but you better hope the NRL rig the comp for them soon otherwise their crowds could drop as low as 15k before 2033.

Can't wait for PVL to go for the trifecta of bad ideas and hand Perth to the Bears. That should get all the boomers and bogans jowls giggling with excitement.
Artificially inflate it by having people pay to watch? 🤣🤣🤣 you are the funniest prick on here.

Dolphins will most likely average 22-23k by seasons end and be third behind the Broncos and an unprecedented surge in support for the Wahs. About 4-5k more than the Broncos averaged in their second season back in the good old days with no competition.

Keep death riding, it makes their success all the more sweeter
 

Latest posts

Top