New Reds to be favourites

[BDGS]

New Reds to be favourites

Simon White (WA Today)

April 14, 2011 - 12:41PM

The bid team for WA's proposed new rugby league team - likely to be named the Reds - say they will carry the mantle of favourites when they pitch their case for an NRL spot in Sydney next month.

Project manager Ralph McManis told WAtoday.com.au that the bid for a Perth-based NRL side, at a cost of $300,000, was ready to be presented as soon as an invitation came from the league's new independent commission.

The formation of the NRL's independent commission has been a stop-start affair, but McManis said he had been told it could be completed within a week and that a decision on the league's prospective expansion would be one of its first tasks.

Perth is competing with Brisbane, Rockhampton, New South Wales' Central Coast and Wellington for what are projected to be two new spots in the NRL from 2013.
"I think we're the favourites. From what I've heard people are going around in the Eastern States saying Perth is already in and that the rest are competing for one spot,'' McManis said.

"But that's not to say we are counting our chickens before they have hatched. I'd expect we'll be presenting (to the commission) by either the second or third week of May.''

McManis said market research had indicated the Reds name, carried by WA's previous NRL and Super League team from 1995 to 1997, still had a strong resonance in the Perth market.

The bid team is currently market testing colours and logos and expects to finalise those details by the end of the month, although they may not be publicly revealed until the bid is presented.

McManis said the bid team hoped to know by the end of June whether its proposal had been successful, even if there is a decision to delay expansion until 2015.

McManis also revealed:
The proposed new "Reds" would cost $18 million per year to run
A target of 20,000 members has already been set
The club could be part public-owned, like the Brisbane Broncos
Several high profile coaches and players have already informally flagged an interest in joining the team, should it be accepted into the competition
The club would hope to sign an inaugural chief executive and coach during the second half of this year
"Headhunters" have already been appointed to identify potential coaching and administrative targets
A "Reds" team could feature in the existing NRL youth competition as soon as 2012 and might be based in the Eastern States.

http://www.watoday.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/new-reds-to-be-favourites-20110414-1df95.html

 

[bennySW]

With the revealing of McManus I can see this being another year by year contract negotiations with the ARL Body(like it was with the old Western Reds / Perth Reds), espically with an $18m per year fee involved, thats some $750,000 per week not taking into consideration the lease of the ground, having more than 1 team (i.e. are we the reds fielding a reserve grade team, an under 18s team etc) ??

And now the ARL Body is saying the expansion might not happen for another 2 years pushing it back to 2015. If this is the case and the Western Force / Dockers / Eagles win a premiership in that time the people who are RL supporters in town cant wait around for another 2 more years they will jump ship and get membership with another code. We can wait till 2013 (remember it was initially 2012) but 2015 will have alot dissappearing.

Whats the point if we have a Perth team in the Toyota Cup if they are the "eastern" reds, no need having a club if this is what we are proposing, ready for a NRL license. If this was the case we could play down at a school with 1 deck chair, as thats the type / size of the crowd we'll get. We dont get any coverage at the moment in the media (on free to air) about the REDS youth team what this going to do for WA Rugby League nothing and F""**K all.

If it was me I'd be chasing the likes of the Goodwins / Paterson / Green to start with and the list continues, home grown lads or at least lads who have come thru our WARL grade.

20,000 is a bit steep as a membership base. I reckon 10,000 should be a figure to start with and then hope for another 5,000 - 10,000 per game day, We know what WA sporting community is like, if "their" team wins its a sell out the following week if they lose you cant give away the tickets. Have a look at the Force this year, The Eagles last year / Dockers almost every year and way back when the Reds were in the competition, 1st year its something new everyone goes, the 2nd year every one has the thoughts its boring we know we are losing, lets watch it on TV instead.

So lets pull your figure out of your a33 for a second Gallop stand up and give us the license for the 2013 season.

 

[Perth Red]

Mate I think you are misreading it. What he is saying is that to be a competitive club we need an INCOME of $18mill a year. That is how much it will cost to run the club (inc pay for the ground, run a number of squads etc)

ARL are not involved, it will be the Independent Commision based on Gallops recomendations and what TV deal is that will decide. All signals suggest they will expand, question will be which year. I am ok with it being 2014, gives us more time to put the infrastructure of a new club together. I think you underestimate RL fans, I've been waiting 12 years for a team, another few won't make me sign up for the Force I can tell you!

Point of a Toyota Cup team is A) to identify potential 1st team squad members ready for 2013/14 and B) Give our SG Ball Jnrs somewhere to aspire to after they are too old for SG Ball. I am guessing the Eastern base thing is a cost thing and would only be until we have a full NRL team and the income that goes with that.

Totally agree re going after WA players. I would love for us to be targetting Paterson as our 1st captain.

I think a relistic goal is an avg of 15k fans a game. Memberships will be important and hopefully bewteen ticketed and non ticketed memberships we can be getting well over 10k which would be on par with majority of NRL clubs.

 

[Goldfields_Titans]

Who will cover transportation costs for the other NRL teams? Will they negotiate an airline sponsor? $300,000 just for the bid?? Goodness!!

 

[Perth Red]

The NRL covers the travel costs for NRL and Toyota cup. Virgin are on board as a sponsor for the WA Reds SG Ball side and I would imagine would be keen to become the clubs "official airline" when we get a team.

I think the $300k has been misqouted as I know this is the amount the WARL have asked for from the WA Govt to help them put together a full bells and whistles bid with research, shmoosing of the IC by flying them over here, PR adverts etc etc. plus cover the costs of everything done to date (which includes a $75k preliminary study)The WA govt have been positive about this funding but won;t make a decision until bids are officially called for.

ps the Oz FA spent $45million on their WC bid!!

 

[albert]

Once we have a first grade squad of 25 players (maximum in my opinion) what will happen to the 8 that do not get picked for first grade? I imagine we probably won't have a "feeder" club I would like to see the 8 that are not picked spread amongst the WARL clubs. That would make the WARL competition a lot stronger.
Thoughts.......

 

[Perth Red]

That was the original plan back in '95 Albert and the model we also used for our Jim Beam cup squad. It is possible we would look at a NSW cup team until the WARL was at a sufficient standard to give NRL grade players the required game time but it is costly (around $1mill ayear), you never know the IC may pay for it along with the SG Ball and Harold mathews squads as part of grass roots development in WA?

 

[BDGS]

The NRL covers the travel costs for NRL and Toyota cup. Virgin are on board as a sponsor for the WA Reds SG Ball side and I would imagine would be keen to become the clubs "official airline" when we get a team.

This, similar to the Titans deal with jetstar.

 

[mono_mal]

It seems unlikely that even if the Reds are admitted for 2013 that they will play in the NYC in 2012, simply due to scheduling with thecurrent arrangement seeing all NYC games act as curtain raisers for the NRL fixtures.
Perhaps the Reds could field a team in the NSW Cup or the less expensive Bundy Red Metro Cup featuring players from this seasons SG Ball team, the best players from the WA State team and development players specifically recruited for the NRL.

 

[Perth Red]

I think we will probably aim for a NSW cup team but there does seem a lot of talk about a Toyota cup side so maybe the NRL have come up with a way to incorporate the two expansion teams into the Toyota cup?

 

[BDGS]

I think we will probably aim for a NSW cup team but there does seem a lot of talk about a Toyota cup side so maybe the NRL have come up with a way to incorporate the two expansion teams into the Toyota cup?

Talk coming from where?

 

[Goldfields_Titans]

Be nice if we get back to the days when the WARL GF gets 10,000!

 

[bennySW]

This will never happen (of WA having a team in the NSWRL Competition) The South Perth Club and North Beach club got all upset and whinged too much when 50% of there players were away on WA Reds duties, thats the reason why we got the u18's team... anyone who says anything different know that there telling a porky pie to themself and the other WARL fans on this forum and abroad.

 

[Perth Red]

Mate I don't know where you get your sources from but the WARL clubs had nothing to do with the decision to switch from Bundy Red cup to SG Ball. It was 100% to do with A) the NRL laying out what we needed in our bid for 2013 (jnr development) and B) The ARL's funding, they would not fund a Bundy Cup team but would fund an SG Ball side.

 

[BDGS]

Mate I don't know where you get your sources from but the WARL clubs had nothing to do with the decision to switch from Bundy Red cup to SG Ball. It was 100% to do with A) the NRL laying out what we needed in our bid for 2013 (jnr development) and B) The ARL's funding, they would not fund a Bundy Cup team but would fund an SG Ball side.

Because that is what is more important to the WA progression into the NRL.