Bears get logo, now for an NRL jersey
Adrian Proszenko | March 22, 2009
THIS is the first look at the new logo for the Central Coast Bears.
Designed by graphic artist Meegan Parkee, the motif is the latest development as the Bears ramp up their bid for admission into the NRL for the start of the 2012 season.
The logo was ratified at a Bears board meeting in the Harry McKinnon Room of North Sydney Leagues Club only on Friday, to which The Sun-Herald was invited.
The North Sydney Bears are trying to rejoin the league as a Central Coast side in Gosford and the new design incorporates the famous bear with the name of the region.
"We gave Meegan the brief that we wanted to come into a new era," said Bears bid committee chairman Perry Lopez.
"We wanted the Bears to continue with the logo that represented that we were fierce and competitive. And we also wanted young people to be able to engage with it.
"Whether you're an old Bears supporter or a new one, that's a logo you can fall in love with and be happy to wear."
The Bears, one of Australia's foundation rugby league clubs, were forced out of the NRL in 1999. They reappeared briefly as the Northern Eagles in an ill-fated joint-venture with Manly, although the latest developments have raised hopes of a permanent return on the Central Coast.
As with South Sydney and the Sea Eagles, the new venture will be looking to a private ownership model to ensure their financial future. The Bears are putting the finishing touches on their pitch document and will be ready to start approaching prospective backers within a fortnight. A shortlist of more than a dozen individuals and businesses has been drawn up.
Lopez did not want to disclose the identity of the parties he intended to approach but he confirmed that multi-millionaire businessman John Singleton would be one.
"The current economic climate makes it tougher, but we believe we have the right structure and model that will give potential owners a return on their investment," he said. "We want the people to understand that this is for them. We want the communities to know that this exercise is all about bringing rugby league back to the people.
"The people of the Central Coast and the North Shore don't have a team to follow. There's a million people in that corridor and we're losing them to AFL, rugby union and soccer. It's just crazy.
"We want to offer them the best possible scenario - a competitive side and an opportunity to go to the football with their family."
Bears officials claim the new venture would properly represent the people of the Central Coast and North Sydney, unlike the Northern Eagles. The plan is to play 10 of their home games at Bluetongue Stadium in Gosford, while the other two will be played at North Sydney Oval. Parramatta assistant coach David Fairleigh will be the inaugural coach if they are successful in their bid to return to the NRL.
When The Sun-Herald columnist Phil Gould called on league supporters for feedback on the game, many respondents called for the Bears to be brought back.
"We believe this is the best story to come out of rugby league in a long time," Lopez said.
"If the NRL grant a licence to the Central Coast, it would have to be the best thing to happen to league since South Sydney were readmitted into the league.
"There's a lot of negative talk about things that are happening, but this story is one that will bring people back to the game." A delegation of high-profile rugby league identities, headed by Newcastle legend Andrew Johns, have supported the bid. The Bears are also packing political clout in the form of Opposition shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey, the member for North Sydney, and Gosford Mayor Chris Holstein.
Bears chief executive Greg Florimo said he hoped the NRL would grant a licence to the Bears by the end of the season, with a view to joining the NRL in 2012.
"It seems to me that there is a genuine feeling in the community that this needs to happen," he said. "This is a commonsense step for the game to shore up a rugby league stronghold on the Central Coast."
Singleton's involvement in the bid - if any - is yet to be determined but at the very least the Bears would play in of his Bluetongue Stadium.
"Rugby league was the driving force behind the construction of Bluetongue Stadium," said the stadium's managing director, Monique Marks.
"That commitment across three levels of government was based on the well-founded passion that the Central Coast community has for rugby league."
