Possible NRL Expansion

[Clarke]

Though none have got up/gone public yet, I am pretty sure that I read somewhere that there were a couple of groups of business men in New Zealand that were preparing bids, one in Wellington and the other in Christchurch.

But I have not heard anything about either group for over a year so maybe they have given up, but on the other hand they could just be quite.

Here's a couple links. http://tvnz.co.nz/rugby-league-news/christchurch-nrl-bid-cards-4731088
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...o-invest-in-second-nz-bid-20120305-1ueab.html

There were other articles as well but I can't be bothered to find them.

Yeah I remember those article about NZ. Would be very surprised if those bids/ideas are still around.

 

[Perth Red]

NZRL seemed keen to lead a bid at one point. That might be a good way forward?

http://www.odt.co.nz/sport/league/198380/rugby-league-nzrl-chief-suggests-nrl-team-south-island

 

[bobmar28]

Perth is an obvious choice for expansion and should be #1 on the list.

Brisbane needs another team however it'd be better served out west in Springfield, located between Ipswich and Logan however the ARLC need to right the wrongs for the Bears first before having a Brisbane2 team, B2 would have to be a short term plan to happen not long after WC Pirates and Bears and a 19 team comp can work. The Bears would be a good news story and bring old and new fans back.

Adelaide is way down the list and any chance they have is a partial relocation starting with 3 games a year moving to 6-12 games within a decade.

NZ2 is a no brainer for many reasons, another Kiwi team means a stronger international game, NRL TV ratings and new fans. It'd have to be either a Wellington based team playing 3-4 games in Christchurch IMO.

PNG for similar reasons as NZ, however the safety factor is a major issue.

Darwin is a great idea and would be supported, and a full relocation would work.

CQ Capras with a good business plan, which I believe they have is another viable option

Sunshine Coast/North Brisbane would be way done the track if it went ahead if there was already was 3 other SEQ teams.

Bring back the Bears? NSW does not need an 11th team.

 

[Diesel]

Bring back the Bears? NSW does not need an 11th team.

Great Dane made a really good point about pressuring the Bears to move to Brisbane and this would solve two issues right there

 

[Clarke]

Nah, get the to move to Adelaide.

They can build with the local community like they have done on the Central Coast and become the Adelaide Bears. Will definitely help our CEO with his goal to become 'national'. This would be a long-term option though. 5-10 years.

On another note, I' getting sick of people making statements based on opinion. "NSW does not need another team".

 

[The Great Dane]

Bring back the Bears? NSW does not need an 11th team.

Correct NSW doesn't need another team, but the Bears brand is to valuable to just throw away.

So what we should do is bring back the Bears somewhere where a team is needed, that way the Bears would have a large contingent of passionate supporters (arguably the most passionate) every time they play in Sydney. Also they could play a couple of their home games on the Central Coast and North Sydney.

If they were based in Brisbane like I suggest and could get a large amount of Brisbane RL fans who aren't Broncos fans on board, on top of their Sydney and Central Coast faithful then they could become one of, if not the most powerful and successful club in the NRL.

Who knows I might even pull on the old Bears jersey (if it still fits :lol every time they come to Canberra, they would definitely become my second team behind the Raiders again.

 

[The Great Dane]

Nah, get the to move to Adelaide.

They can build with the local community like they have done on the Central Coast and become the Adelaide Bears. Will definitely help our CEO with his goal to become 'national'. This would be a long-term option though. 5-10 years.

I'm not so sure about that, In my opinion Adelaide needs it's own identity and moving the Bears there isn't really allowing them to forge their own identity.

Don't get me wrong moving the Bears to Adelaide has merit and is not a bad idea, but I just think that Adelaide deserves the opportunity to try and make their own identity.

The SARL deserve the opportunity to do what the WARL have done and grow the game and the grass roots in their area then bid for their own team, this may take longer then just transplanting a team (5-10 years longer) but the results are better, this way instead of running the risk of creating a soulless husk of a team like the AFL have got in GWS and GCS they are given time to get the public behind their homegrown team and possibly with some of their homegrown talent on that team.

Granted you did say that the Bears could build with the community like they have done on the Central Coast but I just think that the revival of old brands should be left to sympathetic areas and I don't think that Adelaide is or could ever be sympathetic to the Bears.

 

[Perth Red]

I don't see Q'landers being sympathetic to a NSW team!

 

[Red&BlackBear]

I don't see Q'landers being sympathetic to a NSW team!

Are you from Queensland?

 

[The Great Dane]

I don't see Q'landers being sympathetic to a NSW team!

Pretty much everybody I have ever met that is a RL fan is sympathetic to the Bears because of the way that they got the punt, except for Manly fans.

 

[Diesel]

The Bears were screw by News, NRL and Manly and they need to be back in the top flight, just like the Bunnies did.

Basing the Bears in Brisbane goes with the B theme for a lot of their teams, Broncos, Bullets, Bandits, even the Bombers bid team know this.

 

[The Great Dane]

Basing the Bears in Brisbane goes with the B theme for a lot of their teams, Broncos, Bullets, Bandits, even the Bombers bid team know this.

They would also be able to keep the north part of their name if they were based in North Brisbane, making them the North Brisbane Bears, which I think would be another good idea.

As far as I can see it would be a win win situation, the ARLC gets another NRL team in Brisbane, Nine gets a game in Brisbane every week, the Brisbane fans that don't connect with the Broncos get a alternative team, the NRL and Nine gets a Brisbane derby, the Bears faithful get their team back and footy fans get a reprieve from Friday Night Broncos before inevitably getting sick of Friday Night Broncos or Bears.

Would be interested to hear what some other Bears fans think of this idea.

I just hope that if another Brisbane team gets given the nod that it isn't the Bombers.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Aren't the Broncos based in North Brisbane?

 

[Diesel]

They are based at Albion which is 5km from the city on the northeast. Albion is a suburb close to the river that divides the city. The Broncos are based at Red Hill that is also on the northside

 

[The Great Dane]

Aren't the Broncos based in North Brisbane?

They are based at Albion which is 5km from the city on the northeast. Albion is a suburb close to the river that divides the city. The Broncos are based at Red Hill that is also on the northside

Meh, it's really only in the name, nothing else really.

 

[Clarke]

I'm not so sure about that, In my opinion Adelaide needs it's own identity and moving the Bears there isn't really allowing them to forge their own identity.

Don't get me wrong moving the Bears to Adelaide has merit and is not a bad idea, but I just think that Adelaide deserves the opportunity to try and make their own identity.

The SARL deserve the opportunity to do what the WARL have done and grow the game and the grass roots in their area then bid for their own team, this may take longer then just transplanting a team (5-10 years longer) but the results are better, this way instead of running the risk of creating a soulless husk of a team like the AFL have got in GWS and GCS they are given time to get the public behind their homegrown team and possibly with some of their homegrown talent on that team.

Granted you did say that the Bears could build with the community like they have done on the Central Coast but I just think that the revival of old brands should be left to sympathetic areas and I don't think that Adelaide is or could ever be sympathetic to the Bears.

Some good points, however I don't Sydney was sympathetic to the Swans & they have been arguably successful over the years. A more rise comparison to what proposed & AFL teams would be AFL teams that have previously relocated (Swans, Lions etc) not soulless set ups (GWS, GCS)

 

[The Great Dane]

Some good points, however I don't Sydney was sympathetic to the Swans & they have been arguably successful over the years. A more rise comparison to what proposed & AFL teams would be AFL teams that have previously relocated (Swans, Lions etc) not soulless set ups (GWS, GCS)

Fair enough, but you don't take into account that for the first couple of decades of the Swans life in Sydney they were a soulless husk of their former selves and in my opinion that can be directly attributed with the fact that Sydney did not care about the Swans situation.

That's why I suggest a move to an area that is sympathetic (to what extent is arguable, and not really for me to say when it comes to Brisbane in particular) because if we can get the public behind them from the start then we may be able to bypass those years of soullessness.

Either way at the moment what I am saying is just theoretical because there is not really any hard evidence to support or disprove what I am saying, but I think that it is worth a shot because if it doesn't turnout exactly how we want it to we are still better off then we were before with two teams in Brisbane instead of one.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Not true about the Swans. In 1987, 5 years after relocation, and with Warrick Capper in the team, Sydney Swans were quite popular with ave of 25,000 crowds and a finals foray. Sure after that, they went South again and they nearly died 1993/94.

It was the SL war in Sydney and the fact in 1995, Swans bought Roos and Plugger and in 1996 they topped the table that got a lot of PO RL people (or people who'd jumped on the SIMPLY THE BEST era bandwagon for RL entertainment) shifted over to AFL / Swans.

 

[Beowulf]

I'm sure they could tweak/alter their name and colours...but still be that organisation.

It's the same with, say Redcliffe, in Brisbane.

And even the Central Qld bid appears to have got in to bed with the Capras.

And at least the Wyong Roos plays on the CC. Do the Bears even play at Gosford in the NSW Cup at the moment?

Even if they wanted to, cant due to the JV agreement with Souths. NS Oval is more convenient for Souths officials/players/spectators and the Bears are committed to maintaining a league side at North Sydney to keep northern Sydney a nursery for the CC Bears (7 junior teams are better than none). The plan is for the NS Bears to be the NSW Cup feeder, and the NRL/u21 sides to be based at Gosford as the CC Bears. If Wyong continues to perform, both I'm sure will feed into the CC Bears, that way CC and North Sydney get NSW Cup sides and an NRL team...making us even stronger. Wyong Roos would not be viable as an NRL side for 20+ years minimum.

 

[Clarke]

Wyong Roos will not be viable as an NRL team.