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The Bears

ash the bash

Juniors
Messages
1,078
Do we consider this a new bid not related to previous Central Coast Bears. Article certainly states so. Think this will get some debate going on this forum haha.
Interesting snippets from article
- Have met Abdo and PVL (We know PVL likes his tribalism)
- Building a centre of excellence somewhere in North Sydney
- Upgrades to NSO
- Not sure about the travelling circus with games around regional NSW. It does remind me a bit of the Brothers NRL bid. Which was going to based in Garage, Brisbane but play home games across country QLD where Brothers clubs existed.

Anyway onto the masses.

 
Messages
11,353
The new entity, which would be known just as the Bears, has just released a new logo and will remain based in North Sydney. However, rather than just being aligned to one geographical location in an already congested Sydney league market, the pitch is to take some home games to regional NSW areas, such as Dubbo, Coffs Harbour, Wagga Wagga, the Central Coast, Tamworth or wherever else the NRL sees fit. Resources would be allocated to growing rugby league in those regions.

 
Messages
11,353
898932c95b8ae4650324c09aee34cbddd7c5bf1a
 

Colk

First Grade
Messages
6,330
What’s the point? You can dress it up as much as you like but it is still another NSW/Sydney side in a congested marketplace.

Put them in another state and play the occasional away game at NSO for their boomer fans
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,407
If you are going to post from a subscription site can you please cut and paste the article so your audience can read it! much obliged.
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,407
The new entity, which would be known just as the Bears, has just released a new logo and will remain based in North Sydney. However, rather than just being aligned to one geographical location in an already congested Sydney league market, the pitch is to take some home games to regional NSW areas, such as Dubbo, Coffs Harbour, Wagga Wagga, the Central Coast, Tamworth or wherever else the NRL sees fit. Resources would be allocated to growing rugby league in those regions.

Most of those places would be lucky to draw a crowd of 7k and have no corporate facilities at the grounds, seems a shakey business model to me!
 

flippikat

Bench
Messages
4,378
Most of those places would be lucky to draw a crowd of 7k and have no corporate facilities at the grounds, seems a shakey business model to me!
They'll start with games everywhere, then conveniently pull back to North Sydney Oval more and more as they realise that regional NSW isn't a financially sustainable model.

I know the a lot of people think this would be righting a wrong.. and yes, the newly-formed NRL probably SHOULD have given the Bears a locked-in stand-alone spot in 1998 as they moved out of Sydney way before they were pushed.... buuuuuut two wrongs don't make a right, and more NSW teams is a big wrong when we have lucrative interstate/NZ markets (that increase the game's reach) lining up for expansion spots.

The Bears best comeback chance was 2005.
 

Santino Patane

Juniors
Messages
243
Here’s my thought- if we bring this bid in, 2 Sydney teams should exit- 1 to bring Perth in, 1 elsewhere (I don’t care, just not in NSW). That way the NRL can continue to decentralise.

Just to be clear, I really don’t believe we should loose any more teams. Despite me thinking that there are too many clubs in NSW, the costs of reducing clubs there outway the benefits. This is a dumb pipe dream and the NRL should be straight with them on this. The Bears must be considered well after a large quantity of potential clubs (including some long shot ideas like PNG) as they add nothing at all, but rather dilute a slow balance away from greater Sydney, which is critical to ensure the “National” part of the comp, and have it much fairer for the non Sydney clubs.
 
Messages
13,793
I think its pie in the sky. This summed up how desperate they are (from the article in Foreign Legion's post) - "It's understood the club will still be based out of North Sydney, but part of the bid will see the team venture out to regional NSW areas such as Dubbo, Coffs Harbour, Wagga Wagga, the Central Coast and Tamworth."

So based in one place but regularly play games in 6 areas all up? To me that's a sign of complete desperation. Also why should the NRL then have to p[ay the transport costs for a team that plans to play in 6 different areas scattered around a state?
 

Colk

First Grade
Messages
6,330
The thing that strikes fear in me about this is the fact that they have been talking to the NRL for six months.

Parts of this bid seem to have NRL fingerprints all over it
 

T-Boon

Coach
Messages
15,143
if they did get a good stadium at NSO it would be a good spot for the northern sydney team.
 

Colk

First Grade
Messages
6,330
But you already have 9 Sydney clubs. Move one of them to North Sydney. It’s the lead story on FSN just now, the amount of press it has got in just one day supercedes that of a Perth or NZ franchise or any other option which is very concerning
 
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