Central Coast - New home of soccer?

[bender]

agreed, but the CC mariners are in the only place in australia that is not competing against another national football code.

constant top flight soccer on the CC and only the occasional 'NQ or storm v sydney team wanting to suck up to the nrl' match will mean that soccer may conquer a rugby league market long term IF they [the mariners] suceed on field and the A league generally is done well and things like australia getting to germany in 06 for the World Cup

you quessed it: bring on the central coast bears and fight the round ball rubbish!

I would have thought that the success of the soccer team would have a pretty decent bearing on the rugby league team and that Bears supporters would be hoping desperately that it doesnt flop like the Northern Eagles did. One of the big problems with CC is that they dont have the population size and corporate size of a Perth, Adelaide, Wellington or Christchurch. If the area is able to show that they will get behind any team that it is representing the Central Coast area, it can only help a rugby league bid. Especially when the soccer team plays in an entirely different season. Also, most soccer fans (at least the non ethnic ones anyway) generally like soccer and rugby league, so the success of one or both would only help the area, imo.

 

[Knightmare]

Interesting you say that RJ, because I sure haven't seen many Gold Coast jerseys up here- even if they do have the wrong logo on them...

 

[Raider Ultra]

Why on Earth would anyone buy a replica shirt of a team that doesn't even have a name yet? You'd get better off lighting a cigar with the money you would have wasted.

 

[Costaki]

my friends brother plays for the a league soccer team newcastle jets and the only reason they get those people in the stadium is cause there all free tickets. 2 weeks ago at the sydney fc game vs can't remember at aussie there were 10,000 people there and i know for a fact that they gave out 5,000 free tickets to that game alone.

 

[ozzy_ozman]

i remember i was given a free ticket that sponsors sydney fc...

 

[gunnamatta bay]

and besides everyone up here already has their side of choice.

You mean like Newcastle before the Knights arrived?

Hey I remember the euphoria when the Northern Spirit kicked off and North Sydney oval was packed. A new dawn for Australian soccer was heralded. What happened?

 

[mightybears]

I would have thought that the success of the soccer team would have a pretty decent bearing on the rugby league team and that Bears supporters would be hoping desperately that it doesnt flop like the Northern Eagles did. One of the big problems with CC is that they dont have the population size and corporate size of a Perth, Adelaide, Wellington or Christchurch. If the area is able to show that they will get behind any team that it is representing the Central Coast area, it can only help a rugby league bid. Especially when the soccer team plays in an entirely different season. Also, most soccer fans (at least the non ethnic ones anyway) generally like soccer and rugby league, so the success of one or both would only help the area, imo.

Agree with most of that, a sucessful and popular CC Mariners will help an eventual CC Bears NRL team.
The CC region would have a bigger population than christchurch [and the whole canterbury region] i would have thought, and arguably adelaide is not big enough/growing/not enough kiwis and non locally born 'australian born' to support an NRL team without a lot of news/nrl money like melbourne and still it would lack corporate backing.

 

[mightybears]

You mean like Newcastle before the Knights arrived?

Hey I remember the euphoria when the Northern Spirit kicked off and North Sydney oval was packed. A new dawn for Australian soccer was heralded. What happened?

the northern spirit model was never going to work, even before those that run it financially buggered it up [remo did such a great job running the state liberal party ] and then sold it on to a sporting giant like rangers [also in a relative financial hole] and too cheap/smart to tip much in.

add the general stupidity of those that ran the nsl, no suprises at all

 

[eelandia]

The CC is regional and people go and watch everything from NRL, soccer, union and even ice hockey. Although from memory, the Gordon union club failed in their venture up there after claims they were going to take over the CC (with a crap club union side...??).

A mate of mine who lives up there is a big League fan but his young son plays soccer, so I'm sure he was one of the spectators there. He would never 'follow' the mariners with any passion though. Its a cultural thing with many of us Leaguies - we cringe at some of the sissy things soccer players do from time to time, despite the undoubtedly skillful aspect of a high-standard game of soccer (do we get these in this country..??). I personally enjoy watching a team like Real Madrid, but am not motivated to watch Sydney FC, for example.

 

[gunnamatta bay]

A mate of mine who lives up there is a big League fan but his young son plays soccer

Par for the course. Soccer is huge up to a certain age then they quit and become league fans or players.

 

[woodgers]

Hey I remember the euphoria when the Northern Spirit kicked off and North Sydney oval was packed. A new dawn for Australian soccer was heralded. What happened?

As mentioned above, they sold a major part of the club to Glasgow Rangers. They were getting 15 - 20 000 each week before they did this then their large Scottish supporter base didn't want much to do with it was my understanding (A Catholic isn't going to support a Proddy run club, especially their rivals are they?) What Spirit and Glory proved that if you have a club that is un-affillitated with any ethnic, religous or other group then people will go and support the team. This is what the A League aims to achieve I believe and I hope it takes off.

The games are never going to be the standard of Real Madrid vs Barcelona, you need to look at what players cost in the world game and realise that we can't afford to keep or purchase the huge names or even big names. As someone mentioned just previously youngsters in this country play Soccer until a certain age and then go to other sports, this is commonly blamed in the soccer community on the fact that it is so hard to get contracts overseas, it appears out of reach but also that there is nothing domesticly to keep these guys in the game even when the NSL was up and running. This is one facet that could affect League, players sticking with Soccer rather than changing codes.

 

[Green Machine]

Par for the course. Soccer is huge up to a certain age then they quit and become league fans or players.

Gunnamatta,
What percentage of kids playing junior soccer would already be League fans and have an NRL team as their favourite sporting team now? Do you think that will change once the “A” League starts up?