Time to crack out Arko's ARL blueprint

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Or option three, and in my opinion the most likely outcome, the American comes in and tries to run his club how your average owner in the NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL, would run their club, as the final authority without much regard for any of the other stakeholders.

Which would inevitably lead to him putting not only the clubs current fans noses out of joint, but the NRL, local governments, and other groups as well as they will have never really experienced a sports club owner like that.

I mean, the first major thing that an American owner would do if they bought e.g. Manly, is threaten to relocate the club unless the government knocks down Brookvale and builds them a new modern stadium to the owners standards and with a rent deal in the clubs favour, and if he didn't get his way he'd have a line of governments/businesses/groups ready to give him everything he wants to move to their city/stadium.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against it, I'd love to see how a rich American owner would do things, and I think it's more likely than not that any disasters that he did create would turn out for the better in the long run.

I would argue that this is just an unfinished story...

1. the owner gets everything they ask for or the move and become super successful and popular in the new location > the owner is the best thing to ever happen to the club (Crown and Souths)

2. The owner hits roadblocks with every move, their changes are collectively despised and they are sick of wasting their time/money and just leave > owners is hated and it was all a terrible mistake (whats-his-name and the GC Gladiators)

I maintain, it will only end one of the two ways. But it would still be worth the risk.

 

[Wily Ole Dog]

Private ownership is not ideal. It’s a disaster waiting to happen

 

[Perth Red]

Private ownership is not ideal. It’s a disaster waiting to happen

well there’s only three alternatives

1. League Club owned
2. Publicly listed
3. Privately owned

 

[Wily Ole Dog]

well there’s only three alternatives

1. League Club owned
2. Publicly listed
3. Privately owned

Mmm, I think you can look a bit wider than that if you wish........if you wish

 

[Perth Red]

Mmm, I think you can look a bit wider than that if you wish........if you wish

errr, like what? Members owned? Never going to work.

 

[flippikat]

.

I mean, the first major thing that an American owner would do if they bought e.g. Manly, is threaten to relocate the club unless the government knocks down Brookvale and builds them a new modern stadium to the owners standards and with a rent deal in the clubs favour, and if he didn't get his way he'd have a line of governments/businesses/groups ready to give him everything he wants to move to their city/stadium.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against it, I'd love to see how a rich American owner would do things, and I think it's more likely than not that any disasters that he did create would turn out for the better in the long run.

Good point on the relocation scenario. It's pretty standard for team owners in America to play hardball with local authorities to get council/Government to build better stadia.

That would be an interesting scenario to present to NRL HQ - and I wonder how they'd handle it? I believe American sports leagues require an "owners vote" on a team relocating.. if it came to that, would other NRL clubs vote to allow it?

 

[T-Boon]

I reckon if an American billionaire was looking to buy a club it would be a Sydney club and he would cleverly relocate it to a better part of Sydney of another city.

I suspect that relocation can be done in a way that you keep the majority of your existing fans.

As everyone says it is basically a TV game now anyway.

 

[Perth Red]

As everyone says it is basically a TV game now anyway.

do,we keep saying this because we are traditionally bad at engaging our fan bases in rugby league?

last year Essendon fan delivered revenue was around $21.6million compared to a tv grant of $12million. Pretty sure Essendon will tell you fans are more important than tv to them!

 

[The Great Dane]

I would argue that this is just an unfinished story...

1. the owner gets everything they ask for or the move and become super successful and popular in the new location > the owner is the best thing to ever happen to the club (Crown and Souths)

2. The owner hits roadblocks with every move, their changes are collectively despised and they are sick of wasting their time/money and just leave > owners is hated and it was all a terrible mistake (whats-his-name and the GC Gladiators)

I maintain, it will only end one of the two ways. But it would still be worth the risk.

You are creating a false dichotomy, for one thing Jeff Muller didn't get frustrated and give up the GC license, he had it revoked by the ARL for bringing the game into disrepute.

You are looking at this through the cultural lens of an Australian and assuming that an American would act in a similar way to how Australian's would act, when in reality Americans don't have the same cultural norms and expectations that we do here in Australia, especially when it comes to sport.

If an American bought a team they wouldn't get everything that they want the way that Rusty and Holmes à Court did, because A. they wouldn't respect the clubs history and culture the way that fans like Rusty did, and B. it almost certainly wouldn't be a soft takeover where the members voted in support of it either.

And if a fair dinkum loaded American owner bought an NRL club it almost certainly wouldn't be like your second scenario either, because they'd have the resources and gravitas to at least push things into the direction that they wanted them to go, just how the Broncos did with SL.

The reality is that if an American sports club owner bought an NRL club it could go down in innumerable ways, and it'd totally depend on the individual owner, and their personality and attitude. But one thing is for sure, if a serious hands on American owner bought an NRL club it'd shake the NRL to it's core.

 

[The Great Dane]

By the way, does anybody else remember that time about a decade ago when Donald Trump was going to do a tour of Australia and he'd asked Rusty to take him to an NRL game because he'd 'heard of the sport, and was interested', but then for whatever reason he was forced to cancel the tour and nothing came of it.

There's another timeline where that tour went ahead and things are very interesting for the NRL right now lol.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Anything that effects the visage would be a no no.

In the case of a stadium that more than likely means that you effectively couldn't make any significant changes to the stadium at all. In NSO's case that definitely means that you couldn't make it rectangular, you couldn't build a new modern stand over the hill (nor is there really space without effecting the other buildings or trees), you couldn't even replace the score boards, or probably even add new permanent toilet blocks or food stands. Basically you'd be restricted only to maintaining whats already there.

Unless you could get NSO delisted, or you're prepared to participate in some dodginess, realistically NSO isn't going to be touched in any significant way and isn't really suitable as the full time home for a modern football club.

no chance of converting NSO to rectangle with its heritage status. A quick google of its heritage listing confirms that, relevant parts bolded by me:

The most used and familiar facility in St. Leonards Park and one of the oldest cricket grounds still in use in Australia. Fine example of a traditional Cricket Oval, with Edwardian features and buildings creating an ambience associated with the English cricketing tradition. Contains some interesting buildings, the Grandstand, Scoreboard and three Turnstile buildings all dating from 1928 and the Bob Stand (1895) relocated from the Sydney Cricket Ground. (See also under St. Leonards Park Group).

https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=2180914

the Bob stand would present a special challenge as it would have to be relocated again in any switch to a rectangular setup, and that would seriously limit any ability to increase capacity further. But the main issue with NSO is that it’s heritage status is largely tied to its architectural value as a tradional cricket ground.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Well Souths should play out of Souths and then Easts can go North full time and you can get behind me and wait in the queue for blowie off Margot.

The Roosters can embrace the North and not have to move from Moore Park. The Swans and Waratahs manage it perfectly well.

 

[Dark Corner]

The Roosters can embrace the North and not have to move from Moore Park. The Swans and Waratahs manage it perfectly well.

When do the Swans play in the North

 

[titoelcolombiano]

When do the Swans play in the North

They don't I said the Roosters can embrace the north and not have to move from Moore Park.

Just like the Swans and Waratahs have a good following in the North whilst playing out of Moore Park.

 

[Dark Corner]

They don't I said the Roosters can embrace the north and not have to move from Moore Park.

Just like the Swans and Waratahs have a good following in the North whilst playing out of Moore Park.

I just think the North need a full time team alongside Central Coast and Moore Park should be Souths as well but if that's the case then Roosters go North.

 

[Perth Red]

I just think the North need a full time team alongside Central Coast and Moore Park should be Souths as well but if that's the case then Roosters go North.

Problem for the north sydney region is there is no suitable stadium. A long term plan for a 30k stadium shared with Warratahs might be the way to eventually get a club in that area that can draw a fanbase from across the region. Be that a re-branded Manly or a new club with the Manly license going elsewhere.

Problem for Gosford is viability, Newcastle couldnt survive without a LC propping them up and they have a massive fanbase, Wollongong couldnt survive on their own and needed to merge. Gold coast ditto. Canberra and NQ are both propped up by LC's. You need over $10mill a year in corporate sales to survive without LC backing and these regional bases dont seem to be able to attract that. Unless Gosford has a major LC backer, and sheesh we have to find a different sustainability model for the future, its hard to see them being viable