Singo fears misguided NRL expansion
Adrian Proszenko
July 24, 2011
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For the Bears, it's his shout
John Singleton.
Photo: Getty Images
JOHN SINGLETON has stumped up his cash, but fears his dream of hosting an NRL team on the Central Coast could again be dashed due to misguided attempts to make rugby league a national sport.
As revealed in
The Sun-Herald last week, Singleton has agreed to a $2 million deal to help the Central Coast Bears become the next franchise to obtain an NRL licence. The multimillionaire advertising guru, still smarting after the NRL rejected the Bears in favour of the Gold Coast when the competition last expanded in 2007, fears the obsession to branch into new markets could again cost the game - and the people of the Central Coast.
''I thought we were 100-1 on last time,'' Singleton told
The Sun-Herald.
''There are 400,000 to 500,000 people here who, [as their] No.1, love rugby league.
''We've got a stadium here and we've got the money. But how could we not get it last time? We got the Gold Coast, who had no money and no stadium at the time.
''But because everyone has this national [focus], you'd bet they'd lose money again in Perth first and then in Adelaide. And then they'd death-wish some team in Sydney to relocate [to Gosford].''
History will prove that the last option won't work. The people of the Central Coast did not identify with the Northern Eagles, the ill-fated merger between Manly and North Sydney that lasted from 2000-2002. There have been suggestions league's next broadcast deal could be worth up to $1.4 billion. However, Singleton believes the game will only reach its financial potential if it expands into league strongholds.
''It's worth more than AFL in NSW and Queensland, but it's worth bugger all everywhere else,'' he said. Singleton vowed to walk away after the Bears were last snubbed but, through his Bluetongue Stadium, will become a shareholder if the franchise is granted an NRL license this time around.
However, while the larrikin entrepreneur quipped, ''Anyone would be able to see that any money that comes from the stadium is my money'', he is now keen to remain in the background.
''I just want to leave it to Greg [Bears boss Greg Florimo], leave it to the young blokes and support them in every way I can. But do it privately,'' he said. ''I'm leaving it entirely to Greg because I've had my go. I'd only get in the way. Too many cooks.''
The fate of the Bears - and fellow expansion hopefuls Brisbane, Central Queensland, Perth, Ipswich, Wellington and Papua New Guinea - is now in the hands of the independent commission. After years of negotiations and politicking, the identity of the inaugural commissioners was officially announced during the week. John Grant, Catherine Harris, Ian Elliott, Peter Gregg, Gary Pemberton, Jeremy Sutcliffe, Wayne Pearce and Chris Sarra have been appointed to the new ruling body, which will rule on issues such as expansion. Singleton said he knew little about the group that would determine if his Bears dream will become a reality.
''All I can tell you is that if there are eight people better than [former ARL boss] John Quayle and [NRL executive director] Katie Page, they must be bloody good,'' Singleton said. ''They must be fantastic. Unbelievable. They are just a cut above, to my knowledge. But most of the people on it, I don't know. It's hard to judge them if I haven't met them. Apart from Gary Pemberton, who's a deadset business genius and a personal friend. They don't come any better than Gary. The good thing is no one carries any baggage. Let's give them ago. The fact I don't know them, that might be good.''
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http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...l-expansion-20110723-1hu51.html#ixzz1SyigbA5p
