Bulldogs consider Central Coast move

[RL1908]

I could be ok with that if they where to play a few big games at ANZ every year.

A mate of mine who is a Bulldogs fan said the same thing - he suggested that they move to the Central Coast, while at the same time strike a long term deal with 4 or 5 other Sydney clubs (who no doubt will be keen to encourage the Bulldogs to move) to move their home games against the Bulldogs to ANZ Stadium - both clubs then promote the game and share (at some agreed %) the day's gate-takings & corporate boxes etc.

So, for example - the home games for Souths, Dragons, Parra, Wests Tigers and/or Roosters against the CC Bulldogs all be played at ANZ - the Bulldogs could sell a Sydney fans 5 game season pass etc.

Of course, the above model could work with any Sydney club contemplating the offer of the Central Coast move OR to anywhere else for that matter - except perhaps Saints (for obvious reasons) as well as Penrith, Cronulla & Manly given there is little hope of thier fans going to ANZ for 4 or 5 games.

I don't think any Sydney club will move to the CC unless they are facing financial ruin & have exhausted all other revenue/ownership options - but the above model might be one way for a re-location from Sydney to be more palatable.

 

[j5o6hn]

Just interested in why Belmore was never redeveloped into a decent ground,can anyone supply a reason Council,Clubs not willing to put money in, what was the reason

 

[Dogs Of War]

Just interested in why Belmore was never redeveloped into a decent ground,can anyone supply a reason Council,Clubs not willing to put money in, what was the reason

it would take a lot of money, and people like to drive, and parking is hell in the area

 

[Shorty]

do you know the inside workings of the sharks?

or are you just speculating.

its easy to offer up the sharks on the central coat plate. i mean "they havnt won an" blah blah.

regardless of winning nothing...we still have history in the league and the sutherland shire.. i cant see how the central coast will be any great savior. sure, its an 8 million cash injection now..but is it really a viable option.

they had a team before...a merged and moved one and it failed miserably.

why would moving a current team there work now?

The thing with the Sharks is though,the team is doing very well this year and has a place in the top 4.
But the people aren't voting with their feet and I think that's why a lot of people believe the Sharks should go,because they're not being valued where they are currently.

I am against this.

IF CC is to have a team it should be a new one.

Yeah I agree.
Well honestly I think the Bears should be there,the Bears should return to the NRL.

 

[Russell Crowe's Band]

The thing with the Sharks is though,the team is doing very well this year and has a place in the top 4.
But the people aren't voting with their feet and I think that's why a lot of people believe the Sharks should go,because they're not being valued where they are currently.

so move them?

heres the thing about the sharks. they win boring. not just ugly. this turns off the fair weather shire type who when the toss up is Northies...or the game against the Knights..they pick Northies.

and weve had some good crowds this year. 18k twice and 17 k twice.

theres still 3 home games to go. we should do ok crowd wise. we've had 2 bad crowds..one was shocking weather against a non sydney team and the other one...

well. ill agree. the knights one was bad.

but lets also consider. we have not got a top 4 roster in my opinion, and yet are there. we play ugly...and leave it to the last minute to get it done.

if you werent a rabid fan..would you go every week? pay your money..drive down with petrol at a million dollars a litre?

 

[bartman]

Would the central coast want the bulldogs? Their reputation isn't great, I'd have my doubts as to whether they'd get accepted by another city.

I am against this.

IF CC is to have a team it should be a new one.

I suspect if it is not the Bears, then the Central Coast would only accept a team with it's own new branding? They might be owned by an existing club behind the scenes (eg Bulldogs) but play with a different name, and the older team name would be kept alive in a lower division (eg VB Cup).

That is the only way I think it would work, given we butchered Central Coast support with the Northern Eagles debacle, and perhaps that is why there is talk in the article of the league upping the grant to move there from $8m to $30m?

It then becomes a financial winner for a club to move up there, for the cost of just abandoning its name. And we all know the people involved in teh game nowadays seem like they'd sell tradition at the rustle of some coins, it's only us fans that really hang onto the importance of traditional areas and team names. It has little to do with on-field considerations, running a club these days is almost purley financial enterprise for CEOs and Boards.

 

[simon says]

IMO the CC should have its own side......not a Sydney one,it just doesnt fit.

 

[dallymessenger]

the dogs are the most popular team in sydney atm and their CEO is talking this nonsense.

sure he wants to get a new deal at the showgrounds but this creates bad publicity for sponsors and the clubs loyal fans.

the dogs have had a terrible season and their fans have stuck by them.

they will crack 20,000 fans fairly soon and then i hope they push up towards 30,000 with good marketing

 

[Timmah]

the dogs are the most popular team in sydney atm and their CEO is talking this nonsense.

sure he wants to get a new deal at the showgrounds but this creates bad publicity for sponsors and the clubs loyal fans.

the dogs have had a terrible season and their fans have stuck by them.

they will crack 20,000 fans fairly soon and then i hope they push up towards 30,000 with good marketing

The CEO is talking the nonsense? The media would've bought it up, not him.

 

[Ryan]

Guys, I'm a Manly fan when saying this - I reckon the Bulldogs have done as much as they possibly can to fix their perceived behavioural problems a few have hinted they have earlier in this thread.

Look at the club now. Absolute legends like Hasem El Masri (role model for kids), Andrew Ryan, Luke Patten and co.

There were some bogan fans that let of flares etc, but they are dismissed and banned as well, and they aren't directly affiliated with the club. If you look at the players next year they will have:-

Patten
Utai
Morris
Millard
El Masri
Roberts
Kimmorley
Hannant
Ennis
Kouperitsas
Ryan
DANNY Williams
Matua

Sullivan
Tsoulos
Hickey
Te Maari

And that's a VERY tidy team. Consider then guys like this in Premier League:-

Armit
Barba
Bott
Cleal
Crisp
Emelio
Groom
Holdsworth
Morrin
Nanai
JOE Williams

Damn....that's almost a 1st grade Premier League team !!

Just imagine this on the Central Coast - fresh start.

 

[Timmah]

If a move were to occur, it certainly wouldn't be as soon as 2009.

Let's not forget our long term deal with ANZ either.

I'd love to see a move up here, it'd make life much much easier for me (and much cheaper) but to be perfectly fair I don't think it will happen. As he said, every CEO should be looking at it.

 

[bfoord]

Personally, i think that any Sydney club that relocates ENTIRELY to the central coast, will become financially strong. they will have good crowds every week, a good stadium to play in and brand new sponsors to add to the club coffers.

By relocated entiely i mean that the playing roter MUST live in the community, the training fields MUST be on the Central Coast, the club office MUST be located on the central coast and the club need to be call the Central Coast ____ so using the Bulldogs as an example if they relocated the need to be called the Central Coast Bulldogs

 

[Dogs Of War]

I would have no problem with that. Bulldogs don't have a "name" of sorts anymore. Though even if they moved to the Central Coast, they will always be Canterbury to me.

 

[madunit]

If the dogs shifted to the central coast it would all but ensure the Wests Tigers and Penrith would remain as stand alone entities. Parramatta and the Tigers, and to a lesser extent, the Sharks would all dip into the old Bulldogs area, while the Doggies make the most of the Central Coast region.

It's looking like a real possibility, one that only a few Sydney clubs would be considering anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if other clubs express their interest in reloacting over the coming weeks.

 

[Ryan]

I would have no problem with that. Bulldogs don't have a "name" of sorts anymore. Though even if they moved to the Central Coast, they will always be Canterbury to me.

That's right mate. I mean, it's Canterbury, but do you guys play there?
I just reckon a new identity, and a fresh start would make you guys a powerhouse again.

Never know...the relaxed attitude of the coasties & the area...and Sonny may have been able to deal with things.

Additionally, property is very cheap up there, so the players could get in and buy close to the ground, yet still be on the base salary of $50k odd.

That's Manly's problem to a degree. I remember Preston Campbell saying he signed with Penrith over us because he just couldn't afford to buy a place for himself here (Beaches).

 

[Ryan]

If the dogs shifted to the central coast it would all but ensure the Wests Tigers and Penrith would remain as stand alone entities. Parramatta and the Tigers, and to a lesser extent, the Sharks would all dip into the old Bulldogs area, while the Doggies make the most of the Central Coast region.

It's looking like a real possibility, one that only a few Sydney clubs would be considering anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if other clubs express their interest in reloacting over the coming weeks.

I'd actually like to see Souths go to the Sunshine Coast, and take advantage of the young player market up there - also embracing and utilising the aboriginal talent like they already do.

Bulldogs go off to the Central Coast.

Parammatta / Penrith merge and make a super western team.
Competition:-

Melbourne Storm - local ground
New Zealand Warriors - local ground
Nth QLD Cowboys - local ground
Brisbane Broncos - local ground
Gold Coast Titans - local ground
Sunshine Coast Rabbitohs - local ground
Parammatta Panthers - Local Ground - Mainly out of Penrith
Cronulla Sharks - Local ground
St George Illawarra - Local Ground
Central Coast Bulldogs - Local Ground
Manly Sea Eagles - Local Ground
Sydney Roosters - ANZ
Canberra Raiders - Local Ground
Newcastle Knights - Local Ground
Wests Tigers - Local Ground - either make Leichardt the ground (and upgrade it), or same goes for Orana Park.

And yeah - I know that will be a tough pill to swallow.
15 teams - 5 teams in finals series. Minor Premiers don't have to play 1st round of finals.

 

[madunit]

Bring in a Perth team again to that list, make the comp 16 teams.

bye's are sh*thouse.

 

[Ryan]

True mate - true

 

[adamkungl]

I'd actually like to see Souths go to the Sunshine Coast, and take advantage of the young player market up there - also embracing and utilising the aboriginal talent like they already do.

Bulldogs go off to the Central Coast.

Parammatta / Penrith merge and make a super western team.
Competition:-

Melbourne Storm - local ground
New Zealand Warriors - local ground
Nth QLD Cowboys - local ground
Brisbane Broncos - local ground
Gold Coast Titans - local ground
Sunshine Coast Rabbitohs - local ground
Parammatta Panthers - Local Ground - Mainly out of Penrith
Cronulla Sharks - Local ground
St George Illawarra - Local Ground
Central Coast Bulldogs - Local Ground
Manly Sea Eagles - Local Ground
Sydney Roosters - ANZ
Canberra Raiders - Local Ground
Newcastle Knights - Local Ground
Wests Tigers - Local Ground - either make Leichardt the ground (and upgrade it), or same goes for Orana Park.

And yeah - I know that will be a tough pill to swallow.
15 teams - 5 teams in finals series. Minor Premiers don't have to play 1st round of finals.

???????????:crazy: Move from the best RL stadium in NSW, and 2nd best in Australia, smack in the middle of our territory, to that gaping sh*thole at Homebush? WHYYY

 

[Ryan]

Sorry mate - or Aussie....actually - that's what I meant....
my point was ANZ sucks, and we shouldn't have heaps of teams playing out of there.