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Gallop flags fourth Queensland club
By Paul Malone
July 13, 2007
THE NRL revealed last night, on the eve of another bumper Queensland derby, that it is eyeing a fourth Queensland team to capitalise further on the code's boom in the state.
As North Queensland and Brisbane prepare to do battle in front of a sold-out stadium in Townsville tonight, NRL chief executive David Gallop said that plans to introduce a third team in South-East Queensland could be in place within a decade.
Top of Gallop's list for expansion are the suburbs in south-west Brisbane, including Forest Lake, Redbank, Springfield and Ripley, extending to Ipswich, which are among Australia's fastest population growth areas.
"There's huge growth in the west of Brisbane out towards Ipswich," Gallop said.
"A couple of years ago I was shown the area -- it's been in the back of our (NRL) minds."
Brisbane is the biggest-drawing club in the NRL this year, with an average home crowd of 35,508. Gold Coast is second (23,035) with the Cowboys third (19,602).
Newcastle (17,026), in fourth, is the biggest-drawing club outside Queensland.
"If Queensland fans keep voting with their feet, you can't do anything other than take notice of that," Gallop said.
"One day, another team in that growth corridor west of Brisbane would have to be a possibility.
"Not within five years - closer to 10 - before you would need to start planning for it. But it's a possibility at some point."
Gallop's placement on the agenda of a fourth NRL team in Queensland will create competition from other areas, particularly Redcliffe, which would be backed in terms of population by other growth communities.
Gosford, beaten for the 16th NRL licence by the Titans, would also want to figure in NRL expansion plans, and it has attracted Sydney clubs to stage home games.
But the NRL showed by taking league back to the Gold Coast that it wants to place premiership clubs where population growth and the demand for the game are greatest.
Kevin Walters, one of Ipswich's favourite league sons and coach of the Jets, said he could see the area among the NRL's plans.
"Every district in Queensland would dream of having a club, but maybe in 10 years' time that area will continue to have expanded with all the hundreds of young families coming into the area," Walters said.
The crowds of the Broncos and Titans have been a pleasant surprise for league officials, who had wondered if the support and earnings potential for the Broncos would be reduced by a second team in South-East Queensland.
source <A class=image href="http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/?from=ni_story"">
By Paul Malone
July 13, 2007
THE NRL revealed last night, on the eve of another bumper Queensland derby, that it is eyeing a fourth Queensland team to capitalise further on the code's boom in the state.
As North Queensland and Brisbane prepare to do battle in front of a sold-out stadium in Townsville tonight, NRL chief executive David Gallop said that plans to introduce a third team in South-East Queensland could be in place within a decade.
Top of Gallop's list for expansion are the suburbs in south-west Brisbane, including Forest Lake, Redbank, Springfield and Ripley, extending to Ipswich, which are among Australia's fastest population growth areas.
"There's huge growth in the west of Brisbane out towards Ipswich," Gallop said.
"A couple of years ago I was shown the area -- it's been in the back of our (NRL) minds."
Brisbane is the biggest-drawing club in the NRL this year, with an average home crowd of 35,508. Gold Coast is second (23,035) with the Cowboys third (19,602).
Newcastle (17,026), in fourth, is the biggest-drawing club outside Queensland.
"If Queensland fans keep voting with their feet, you can't do anything other than take notice of that," Gallop said.
"One day, another team in that growth corridor west of Brisbane would have to be a possibility.
"Not within five years - closer to 10 - before you would need to start planning for it. But it's a possibility at some point."
Gallop's placement on the agenda of a fourth NRL team in Queensland will create competition from other areas, particularly Redcliffe, which would be backed in terms of population by other growth communities.
Gosford, beaten for the 16th NRL licence by the Titans, would also want to figure in NRL expansion plans, and it has attracted Sydney clubs to stage home games.
But the NRL showed by taking league back to the Gold Coast that it wants to place premiership clubs where population growth and the demand for the game are greatest.
Kevin Walters, one of Ipswich's favourite league sons and coach of the Jets, said he could see the area among the NRL's plans.
"Every district in Queensland would dream of having a club, but maybe in 10 years' time that area will continue to have expanded with all the hundreds of young families coming into the area," Walters said.
The crowds of the Broncos and Titans have been a pleasant surprise for league officials, who had wondered if the support and earnings potential for the Broncos would be reduced by a second team in South-East Queensland.
source <A class=image href="http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/?from=ni_story"">
