Central Coast Bears, 2013.

[herbert henry1908]

Exactly Cronulla are averaging more than Penrith (last in the league), Canberra, Nth Qld and Melbourne.

Panthers crowds have been woeful, no hiding from that.

But there's a lot more to the viability of a club than just its crowds.

Cronulla's crowd average has little to do with anything IMO.

 

[Lockyer4President!]

Wow, the Sharks crowd average isn’t dead last this year? Suddenly everything will be a-okay?

What a joke. They are a shit club, going nowhere and holding the comp back. They will never be a top club while they remain in the Shire.

They need to relocate asap and stop dragging this shit on and on like a f**king child who’s afraid of taking off the band-aid.

 

[Red&BlackBear]

ONCE again they're billing it as the greatest charity mission outside a UNICEF convoy.
NRL footy on the Central Coast. Wow. What an opportunity for us country folk to hitch the wagon, get momma in her best dress and bring the kinfolk to town.

But why should Coasties drop everything, including their hard-earned cash, for a game between Manly and Wests Tigers at Bluetongue Stadium on Friday week?

Still 11 days away, it may not seem an issue for Sydneysiders. But for those of us who live on the Central Coast, who proudly boast of being among the great league strongholds, the commercials have started.Advertisements explaining what a wonderful opportunity Friday week will be to see NRL action live. An opportunity, too, for showing league boss David Gallop why this region should have its very own team.

Yeah, right.

If Central Coast footy fans really want to make a statement, they should stay home. Boycott. I will be.

Put simply, it's time to say enough.

Time to make the chief executives of those nine Sydney clubs realise that if they wanna keep talking down a Central Coast bid team, sweet. But please don't then ask us to get out and support yours.Don't preach about the wonderful opportunity you're giving us when, in reality, it's all about fattening your own bank balance.

For the best part of 20 years, Coasties have been hearing how a league team is on its way.Yet the whispers are now growing louder that, when the NRL does finally decide to expand the competition, they will opt for a second Brisbane team and Perth.

Why? Because putting a team on the Coast doesn't bring new fans to the game as much as it merely shifts them away from those Sydney clubs who continue to bag it.

Manly, Parramatta, Cronulla, Souths; they'll all lose thousands of supporters if a Coast team comes in and locals switch allegiances to the Central Coast Bears, Gosford Gorillas, whatever.

They already know what a rugby league stronghold exists north of the Hawkesbury River bridge. It's why so many bring home games here. But what really are they doing for us?The best we've seen is the Northern Eagles - a league basket case sold to Coasties as "your team" despite being based in Manly, training in Hornsby and limiting its presence to a handful of primary school visits.

Critics of a Coast bid say the region doesn't have enough money to support a rugby league side. A little rich when Cronulla don't have enough cash for a chief executive.

Souths and Newcastle, too, were clubs in serious financial strife before money men Russell Crowe and Nathan Tinkler took over. Men who have now made private ownership the new buzz word in all talks about the future.

Yet when John Singleton wanted in on the Central Coast a few years back, Gallop and co politely said no. Gave his spot to a consortium from the Gold Coast. And we all know how that venture is going, don't we?In recent times, the Titans have made headlines for their inability to attract crowds. Nothing, see, sends a message louder than empty stadiums. Something for all Central Coast folk to think about.


http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/n...snub-danny-green/story-e6frfgbo-1226096383568

 

[bobmar28]

If we merged with Souths I would stop following Rugby League. If they do it what they should do is get Souths to drop the South and the Rabbitohs and keep the Sydney. We drop our Sydney and the Roosters. Then we drop our red and they drop their green.

I would be happy with the Central Coast to get a team, they've worked hard enough for it.

And start following AFL?

 

[bobmar28]

I think there's just too much spite in that, it would go belly up in the vein of 'Northern Eagles'.

Sharks need to keep a presence in Cronulla. If they relocate outside of Sydney, their going to struggle to get people interested in travelling to places like Penrith & Brookvale to see their 'home team'.

They need to keep their Cronulla base and their best bet is to create a city-wide franchise with a merger. I don't believe that they need to be adjoining areas - it's actually better when they're not (because of preexisting neighbouring rivalries) and that it leads to the franchise becoming a 'Sydney' team rather than just a suburban one.

Their best brand is their mascot - SHARKS - so they should seek to merge with a team that has a strong 'location' but that fits that mascot (like WESTS tigers). That why I've said EASTERN SHARKS or SYDNEY CITY SHARKS is a good fit.

So no - we shouldn't cull or relocate the sharks to bring the Bears in - because we'd be repeating the same mistake.

That said I was talking to a mate today about Knight's greatest rivals and we were actually salivating a Knights-Bears clash.

Roosters merge with Sharks = EASTERN SHARKS and claim all beaches south of the harbour as their territory. Jersey red white and blue.

 

[docbrown]

Roosters merge with Sharks = EASTERN SHARKS and claim all beaches south of the harbour as their territory. Jersey red white and blue.

That would also benefit a rivalry with Manly too.

 

[Frailty]

ONCE again they're billing it as the greatest charity mission outside a UNICEF convoy.
NRL footy on the Central Coast. Wow. What an opportunity for us country folk to hitch the wagon, get momma in her best dress and bring the kinfolk to town.

But why should Coasties drop everything, including their hard-earned cash, for a game between Manly and Wests Tigers at Bluetongue Stadium on Friday week?

Still 11 days away, it may not seem an issue for Sydneysiders. But for those of us who live on the Central Coast, who proudly boast of being among the great league strongholds, the commercials have started.Advertisements explaining what a wonderful opportunity Friday week will be to see NRL action live. An opportunity, too, for showing league boss David Gallop why this region should have its very own team.

Yeah, right.

If Central Coast footy fans really want to make a statement, they should stay home. Boycott. I will be.

Put simply, it's time to say enough.

Time to make the chief executives of those nine Sydney clubs realise that if they wanna keep talking down a Central Coast bid team, sweet. But please don't then ask us to get out and support yours.Don't preach about the wonderful opportunity you're giving us when, in reality, it's all about fattening your own bank balance.

For the best part of 20 years, Coasties have been hearing how a league team is on its way.Yet the whispers are now growing louder that, when the NRL does finally decide to expand the competition, they will opt for a second Brisbane team and Perth.

Why? Because putting a team on the Coast doesn't bring new fans to the game as much as it merely shifts them away from those Sydney clubs who continue to bag it.

Manly, Parramatta, Cronulla, Souths; they'll all lose thousands of supporters if a Coast team comes in and locals switch allegiances to the Central Coast Bears, Gosford Gorillas, whatever.

They already know what a rugby league stronghold exists north of the Hawkesbury River bridge. It's why so many bring home games here. But what really are they doing for us?The best we've seen is the Northern Eagles - a league basket case sold to Coasties as "your team" despite being based in Manly, training in Hornsby and limiting its presence to a handful of primary school visits.

Critics of a Coast bid say the region doesn't have enough money to support a rugby league side. A little rich when Cronulla don't have enough cash for a chief executive.

Souths and Newcastle, too, were clubs in serious financial strife before money men Russell Crowe and Nathan Tinkler took over. Men who have now made private ownership the new buzz word in all talks about the future.

Yet when John Singleton wanted in on the Central Coast a few years back, Gallop and co politely said no. Gave his spot to a consortium from the Gold Coast. And we all know how that venture is going, don't we?In recent times, the Titans have made headlines for their inability to attract crowds. Nothing, see, sends a message louder than empty stadiums. Something for all Central Coast folk to think about.


http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/n...snub-danny-green/story-e6frfgbo-1226096383568

ROFL, what a load of crap this article is...

Boycott the NRL games please... Will make it even easier when the NRL chooses to expand elsewhere.

 

[Windy70]

Wow, the Sharks crowd average isn’t dead last this year? Suddenly everything will be a-okay?

What a joke. They are a shit club, going nowhere and holding the comp back. They will never be a top club while they remain in the Shire.

They need to relocate asap and stop dragging this shit on and on like a f**king child who’s afraid of taking off the band-aid.

Fact is we are still here. No merger and no relocating.

 

[Goddo]

Yet the whispers are now growing louder that, when the NRL does finally decide to expand the competition, they will opt for a second Brisbane team and Perth.

Why? Because putting a team on the Coast doesn't bring new fans to the game as much as it merely shifts them away from those Sydney clubs who continue to bag it.

He sort of gets it. Sydney is a complex mess for the NRL at the moment, and although the Bears bid is a good one, they don't want to further muddle with the market.

 

[otori]

Gosford Gorillas>CC Bears. Haha boss name

 

[BuffaloRules]

He sort of gets it. Sydney is a complex mess for the NRL at the moment, and although the Bears bid is a good one, they don't want to further muddle with the market.

Gotta agree...

Existing teams are already very popular with Central Coast residents.. the Tigers in particular are well supported...They got 20,000 to a game against Melbourne a couple of years ago at Gosford...

It remains to be seen if these people will switch allegaince to the Bears, but if they are already following a team now, then what's the point anyway?

 

[BDGS]

Who says they are all already following a team?

 

[BuffaloRules]

Who says they are all already following a team?

Read the article

 

[Beowulf]

Who says they are all already following a team?

Exactly - anyway, same argument can be used against any heartland bid, ie SEQ or CQLD.

There will be a mix of hard core followers of exisiting teams, half-hearted followers who will switch for a local team, and those already committed to the new team. The good thing for the Coast is this is exactly the issue D Gallop has raised years ago which inspired the team to go on the membership drive to prove support, which the Bears have done (4,500 of the 7000 are from the Coast).

Can Brisbane2 or Ipswich prove support? No.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Yet the whispers are now growing louder that, when the NRL does finally decide to expand the competition, they will opt for a second Brisbane team and Perth.

Where are these whispers coming from?

 

[herbert henry1908]

Can Brisbane2 or Ipswich prove support? No.

Either team will have more supporters , higher crowd averages and more impact on the TV ratings within 5 years of kicking their first ball than the bears will ever have.

Thats what it will come down to.

 

[BDGS]

Where are these whispers coming from?

Not sure where they are coming from but i am hearing them pretty loud.

 

[M2D2]

Wow, the Sharks crowd average isn’t dead last this year? Suddenly everything will be a-okay?

What a joke. They are a shit club, going nowhere and holding the comp back. They will never be a top club while they remain in the Shire.

They need to relocate asap and stop dragging this shit on and on like a f**king child who’s afraid of taking off the band-aid.

 

[Beowulf]

Either team will have more supporters , higher crowd averages and more impact on the TV ratings within 5 years of kicking their first ball than the bears will ever have.

Thats what it will come down to.

Strongly disagree re pt 1!!

Re crowd averages, you also have to factor in away attendances - how many will Bris2 or Ipswich bring to all NSW away games??? 100?

Bears will bring 5,000+. Closer to 8,000 for big games. Prob 10,000 v Manly or Newcastle away. Plus with Bluetongue a stakeholder our fee structure will be much lower than Suncorp and breakeven crowd figures miniscule....good luck averaging 30K for another SEQ side, which they will need to do.

TV ratings you may be right, but there wouldn't be much in it, given the Bears profile over 100+ years.

 

[Red&BlackBear]

Well for starters the Bears already have a core support group which can only grow once a team representing such enters the comp. Add to it the local league fans who don't get a chance to go to many NRL games who will welcome fortnightly endevours at Bluetongue. There is also a strategic plan to appeal to juniors, schools and kids in general so as they grow up, they can have the privilege of having a home team to support and be able to attend games. This will be passed on as they themselves grow up and have children of their own.

Important initiatives were implemented at the launch of the bid to make sure work was put into local junior teams, local schools, charities and community events to lay a strong foundation for the Central Coast Bears. A few years on and it's evident that the brand continues to grow rapidly through the community, to the point where on the NS 2 junior clubs are starting back up as Beowulf touched on previously.

John Singleton, Bluetongue Stadium, Fortunity and about 70 local and national businesses have already signed on as sponsors and there are many others who will do once a franchise license is granted. We have the resources, population and product to add value not only for the NRL pie but the rugby league pie in general.

The bid team will continue to build on what has been achieved so far. Membership drives will continue this weekend. We'll continue to gather support and grow into the strongest product we can possibly offer.

Dedication built this, dedication will help the Central Coast community and the Bears fans get our Central Coast Bears! So go the Bears!