Join the Red & Black Army

[brendothejet]

how many people in perht, adelaide and darwin are crying out to see NRL? How many juniors do they bring to the party? Corporates? Pay TV viewers?

Im not saying i dont want teams there, but these are all questions that will be asked of any franchise, regardless of its state...

 

[Rockin Ronny]

how many people in perht, adelaide and darwin are crying out to see NRL? How many juniors do they bring to the party? Corporates? Pay TV viewers?

Im not saying i dont want teams there, but these are all questions that will be asked of any franchise, regardless of its state...

On every conceievable measure, the Central Coast Bears have been for 10 years the most obvious inclusion in the NRL.

Even ignoring the promises made in the 90's which were just fraud, the NRL and News have to drop their politics and crap from other club CEO's and get the CC Bears in.

 

[Perth Red]

I laugh at people form Perth and Melboring bagging Sydney for RL attendences :lol: How did you guys go last year for attendance percentages from your populations?

Well in our last year we had a better crowd average than Souths, penrith, illlawara, SQ, Wests, St George and the same as Canterbury and Gold Coast if that helps! and in our last game in perth, featuring two out of town teams, we got a better crowd than Melbourne, Canberra and NZ could muster.

 

[Loudstrat]

Because NSW has enough teams. New teams should be going interstate only.

Because people from areas such as GC and Brisbane (who dont support the Broncos) can relate to people in Perth, Adelaide, Toowomba, Sunshine Coast, Mackay, Wellington, Darwin etc when it comes to not being able to see your team play, or being starved for choice.

People from Sydney and nearby regions do not know, understand or care for that matter. CC people have the capability to see NRL games on the weekend if they really want to. Sadly people from above areas I already mentioned dont have the luxury of that choice.

OK, so it's about seeing live NRL, and not about supporting a team.

Why don't CC people make the 1-3 hour journey each weekend to follow another side? Well, some do (ie Timmah), but he's passionate about one side - the Doggies. For him, it's not a choice between a day at the beach, a movie, or mowing the lawn.

It's those that are passionate that bring in the $, flood the crowds and buy the merchandise. Of which there are tens of thousands in Sydney who would be lost to the game if you get your wish, and their club folded.

Now, if any region is passionate enough to pump for a team, maybe that shortfall can be made up. So, where is the groundswell of support underlying a consortium's move to bid for an NRL side in Mackay, Darwin or even Perth.

There is on in the CC, and it doesn't need another club to die either.

It's about GROWING the game, not just moving the teams around and pissing off as many people as you gain eleswhere!

Well in our last year we had a better crowd average than Souths, penrith, illlawara, SQ, Wests, St George and the same as Canterbury and Gold Coast if that helps! and in our last game in perth, featuring two out of town teams, we got a better crowd than Melbourne, Canberra and NZ could muster.

Intresting point. Your last crowd averahe was better than only 4 from 11 Sydney sides in a disastrous season (1997), and the last NRL game in Perth bettered 3 non Sydney sides, but fell short of ALL Sydney sides.

Great evidence for killing Sydney clubs there mate. :lol:

 

[Perth Red]

So, where is the groundswell of support underlying a consortium's move to bid for an NRL side in Mackay, Darwin or even Perth.

There is on in the CC, and it doesn't need another club to die either.

so where is it from the CC? I hear lots of noise from North Sydney but where's the 30,000 CC fans signature, where's the mayor blowing his trumpet, where's the major companies with open arms,where's Singleton (not normally a media shy person!) on his soapbox? Last year they could only average 11,500 fans to 4 games. Sorry but the only groundswell I see is coming from a forgotten team who are desperate to get back in the NRL at any cost.

 

[Blind Freddy]

so where is it from the CC? I hear lots of noise from North Sydney but where's the 30,000 CC fans signature, where's the mayor blowing his trumpet, where's the major companies with open arms,where's Singleton (not normally a media shy person!) on his soapbox? Last year they could only average 11,500 fans to 4 games. Sorry but the only groundswell I see is coming from a forgotten team who are desperate to get back in the NRL at any cost.

Believe me there has been and will be more. Sitting Gosford City Council members and the Mayor were behind the last opportunity, The former Councillor (Now Mayor) Chris Holstein was on the board of the 2004 bid team. The council generously helped the Bears with some funding and planning of the stadium construction and local infrustructre. I'm sure the Council would like to see a return on their investments and pocket the income a CC bears team would bring to the government coffers.

I'm quite sure Singo will be more vocal as time moves closer to a new tv and media deal for the NRL, he has a vested intrest in the use of the stadium he now owns and sponsors with his Bluetounge brewing company. Singo's constortium STW Communications Group brought brilliant business expertise for the would be CC bears board of 2004 and would bring lots of sponshorship $$$ to the NRL with some of their clientel who they advertise and market for (some of which are massive companies the NRL would love to get on board).

If the new Bears bid is equal to or better than the bid of 04, the NRL would be utterly foolish to knock it back again. The 04 Model was far superior to the vast majority of clubs currently involved in the NRL. It would've easily been a profit maker.

 

[Loudstrat]

so where is it from the CC? I hear lots of noise from North Sydney but where's the 30,000 CC fans signature, where's the mayor blowing his trumpet, where's the major companies with open arms,where's Singleton (not normally a media shy person!) on his soapbox? Last year they could only average 11,500 fans to 4 games. Sorry but the only groundswell I see is coming from a forgotten team who are desperate to get back in the NRL at any cost.

11,500 for basically exhibition matches from Souffs, is far better than you'd get in bloody Mackay or Darwin!

And Perth's last season only averaged 8 873.

Norths couldn't build the stadium without Council backing. The mayor doesn't need to blow his trumpet like the tosser Ron Clarke on the Gold Coast.

 

[Perth Red]

So basically at this point there is no groundswell from the CC?

 

[MsStorm]

So basically at this point there is no groundswell from the CC?

This is a very heart wrenching topic. Its sad when you lose your team.
I can remember when Sth Melb. went to Sydney a lot of their supporters were heartbroken, but most of them now follow the Swans in Melb. Same as when the Lions went to Brisbane. The Lions also now have a big following in Melb. too.

Perhaps thats the way to go - relocate a Sydney team. Its really hard to swallow at first, but its better than not having a team at all. The Swans play x amount of games in Sydney, and far less in Melb. and yet their supporters have stuck firm in Melb. and follow them strongly.

 

[Loudstrat]

So basically at this point there is no groundswell from the CC?

There's a hell of a lot more than from Perth! There always has been.

Why are you so anti CC? Why are you so anti anything positive for the NSW part of the code?

 

[Loudstrat]

This is a very heart wrenching topic. Its sad when you lose your team.
I can remember when Sth Melb. went to Sydney a lot of their supporters were heartbroken, but most of them now follow the Swans in Melb. Same as when the Lions went to Brisbane. The Lions also now have a big following in Melb. too.

Perhaps thats the way to go - relocate a Sydney team. Its really hard to swallow at first, but its better than not having a team at all. The Swans play x amount of games in Sydney, and far less in Melb. and yet their supporters have stuck firm in Melb. and follow them strongly.

The Bears ARE a relocated Sydney team!!!

You one team towners don't get it.

Think about this. When did you decide to support the Storm/Reds. At kickoff on their first match? Or were you excited from the day they got the idea going, launched the bid, picked the club colours, launched the jersey, built the squad?

I bet you didn't ignore the whole build up and suddenly become a supporter at kick off. I bet you got hooked early, when you realised there was going to be a side for you in the comp. Well before kickoff on their first match, you would have already been hooked - turned up in your colours, probably has the kids into it as well.

That's what the people of the CC went through. Largely (there is always those who, for some reason, don't) the population adopted the Red and Black as their team, in anticipation of that first game - which they were promised, and saw come to fruition. They saw the biggest sporting infrastructure in the areas history being built by the Bears. Suddenly they had the same facilities as the cities have. Suddenly, they were on the sporting map. Suddenly they were recognised as an equal with the top level of Australian culture, through sport.

The level of support up there for the Bears was huge.

Then, the NRL canned it.

So you reckon these people wouldn't have been pissed off to see their team culled? Yes, they had a watered down version, but unlike the Wests Tigers, both sides of the merger hated each other, and the pro Bears fans got to see the arch enemy, instead of their own.

The solution from so many one team town fans, to just shove a team there and cop it sweet, then whinge about Sydney/NSW fans when it doesn't average 25k per match, ignores the culture and passion of those fans. To me, it sounds like one team town fans have not the parochialism for their team to think like that. Obviously they do, so why notunderstand that the CC residents would as well?

 

[CC_Eagle]

You'd be surprised at the number of Coasties who make the journey down the F3 every weekend or fortnight tbh (myself included). Using hours travelled as judgement, I'd go as far as saying those Coast fans are among the most dedicated sports fans in the country.

Even fairweather friend's of mine go to at least half a dozen games for their chosen teams.

A 1-2 hour drive within any context in Australia, for an Australian is nothing. Most of us would do it daily during our commute. But I imagine it's further than a lot of Sydney or Brisbane based fans.

 

[Perth Red]

There's a hell of a lot more than from Perth! There always has been.

Why are you so anti CC? Why are you so anti anything positive for the NSW part of the code?

A few reasons, overall I am not anti CC, I think it has the potential to put a sustainable club in there. Will it add monetary value to the NRL? I don't think so, will it lead to more kids playing the game? Maybe a few but it is already a RL area, will it add more TV viewers? Probably few as it is already a RL area, does NSW need another team when some massive population/money areas don't have one, no! This is my main issue with it.

RL needs to get serious about where it wants to be positioned over the next 20 years. Another NSW team does little to move it to a position of national dominance.

No anti Bears, not anti CC, not anti NSW, I just think RL needs to have a broader vision for the code than the East coast.

Whilst I totally agree that Perth doesn't have the RL fan or player base of CC at this moment in time the potential for development of both in a city the size and make up of Perth is massive compared to the CC moving beyond where it is at, if done right!!

 

[Loudstrat]

Are there qany massibe population/money areas apart from the CC that would embrace a RL team? You said yourself on another trhead that people in Perth have forgotten what RL is. Yet you bag the CC when it has people who KNOW what RL is a WANT a team?

 

[Perth Red]

and if the franchise was for next year I would whole heartedly agree that CC is probably the only viable option. But we are talking probably 3 or 4 years away. If the work is done then Perth will be ready for a franchise and will, I believe, offer more long term than another NSW team. AS I've said on numerous occasions if the NRL has the money and the players I believe succesful expansion should include one heartland club and one new area each time. I just think with Gallop and the blind freddies running the NRL we will be lucky to get one team in and I don't think it should be another heartland club when we already have so many in one state and other areas with no RL at all and it is clear that National codes are the way of the future.

 

[Loudstrat]

And if the work isn't done?

 

[Perth Red]

Then Perth should not get a team, full stop! It wouldn't work, would be financially struggling from day one and would not be justified. You cannot take a code and just plonk it into enemy territory unless you have tens of millions to sustain it. BUT if you work hard on establishing the code first and let it grow with lots of effort, support and strategic planning then bang, there is no reason why it can't be succesful (if anything the ARU/Western Force has given us a Blue print for how to do it in Perth).

Fortunately it seems the WARL with the support of the ARL realise this hence where we are at now. What we now need is the NRL to come to the party and start helping out as well. Or they could just take the easy option and give the franchise to another heartland team.

 

[Loudstrat]

PR, good answer.

In the meantime, admit the Central Coast Bears!!!!!!!!!

 

[Brycey]

Sunshine Coast before the CC.

 

[Loudstrat]

Why?