WA BEARS

[Vlad59]

Pretty good article

Some points i would make

1. Perth will not be getting Friday nights. The most likely time slot is Sunday 630 pm est with maybe a few Saturday 930 pm est games

2. Funny the afl could see the value in retaining traditional brands and many on here do not

3. Ten years re juniors …. No more like 20 years. Even then will be less than north Sydney will produce

4. This forum said bears fans were old and dieing out. As usual total bs the article shows younger bears fans in a key demagogic

5. @redandblackbear was spot on about an Arlc board seat and even singled out Tony Crawford as the likely recipient

6. Can’t remember who the other poster was who said the arlc will be supervising the ceo and board appointments but he was right too

There’s obviously people on here who have good inside connections and are giving us good tips on the bid

It’s a good article yes indeed but treating its views and opinions (and that’s all they are) as gospel is just self serving nonsense.

 

[Perth Red]

It’s a good article yes indeed but treating its views and opinions (and that’s all they are) as gospel is just self serving nonsense.

nothing like a bit of Wb conformation bias lol

 

[Mother Nature's Son]

These comparisons with AFL are stupid.

None of Rugby league's expansion should be based on anything to do with the AFL.

Rugby league is a global sport attracting a audience all across the pacific with interest now in the US and investment into Europe.

Australian Football League is all it ever will be and following the blueprint of a sport so deeply constrained by a national boarder is no step forward, it's a retreat.

I'm all for a Perth team but not as some dumb imaginary comparisons with the AFL.

There was one good bit in there if you were prepared to wade through all the fumbleball tripe.

"We live in a digital age of entertainment – rugby league, while a sport, sits wholly within the entertainment industry. Live attendance is a dwindling revenue source compared with streaming rights as the likes of Amazon loom with deep pockets.

"The NRL is now surpassing AFL in this revenue component and are poised for a revenue bonanza – the game was able to survive during COVID without any fans and focused on its broadcast value over attendance"

 

[Wb1234]

nothing like a bit of Wb conformation bias lol

It’s not like I wrote it

And you are the one who posted it lol

 

[Perth Red]

There was one good bit in there if you were prepared to wade through all the fumbleball tripe.

"We live in a digital age of entertainment – rugby league, while a sport, sits wholly within the entertainment industry. Live attendance is a dwindling revenue source compared with streaming rights as the likes of Amazon loom with deep pockets.

"The NRL is now surpassing AFL in this revenue component and are poised for a revenue bonanza – the game was able to survive during COVID without any fans and focused on its broadcast value over attendance"

except AFl signed a $640mill media deal and we signed a $400mill one? Streaming rights are not separated from the overall media sales so not sure where he is getting that info from?

also whilst the NRl makes more from media than other revenue, most clubs make more from game day and corporate sales than they do the tv grant allocation they get. To say attendances matter less is nonsense on so many levels.

 

[Wb1234]

except AFl signed a $640mill media deal and we signed a $400mill one? Streaming rights are not separated from the overall media sales so not sure where he is getting that info from?

also whilst the NRl makes more from media than other revenue, most clubs make more from game day and corporate sales than they do the tv grant allocation they get. To say attendances matter less is nonsense on so many levels.

They are saying with the dominance of nrl on pay tv that league will get more money going forward out of pay tv than the fumblers

 

[Mother Nature's Son]

except AFl signed a $640mill media deal and we signed a $400mill one? Streaming rights are not separated from the overall media sales so not sure where he is getting that info from?

I assume he was referring to future broadcast deals with Rugby Leagues superior numbers on all forms of social media.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

I think it's an absolute rubbish article written by someone who is trying to sound like they are knowledgeable but actually don't know their cock from their armpit.

People who were in their 20s who supported the bears in the 90s aren't in their 40s now, they're in their 50s. I'd suggest to this upstart that if you want to look like you're clever then at least get the basics right. And drop the fumbleball rot, it's embarrassing.

 

[Gobsmacked]

except AFl signed a $640mill media deal and we signed a $400mill one? Streaming rights are not separated from the overall media sales so not sure where he is getting that info from?

also whilst the NRl makes more from media than other revenue, most clubs make more from game day and corporate sales than they do the tv grant allocation they get. To say attendances matter less is nonsense on so many levels.

Folks around these parts call him " AFL red"

 

[Vlad59]

I think it's an absolute rubbish article written by someone who is trying to sound like they are knowledgeable but actually don't know their cock from their armpit.

People who were in their 20s who supported the bears in the 90s aren't in their 40s now, they're in their 50s. I'd suggest to this upstart that if you to look like you're clever then at least get the basics right. And drop the fumbleball rot, it's embarrassing.

I didn’t mind it as an opinion piece to be honest. But he’s an old bears fan and that comes through pretty clearly. Given the normal tripe we see on the Roar this was better than usual

 

[Perth Red]

They are saying with the dominance of nrl on pay tv that league will get more money going forward out of pay tv than the fumblers

NRL has always dominated on pay tv, it hasnt once created that outcome. Maybe this time will be different, or maybe it will go the same way as all the times before. No one can yet say.

 

[Perth Red]

I assume he was referring to future broadcast deals with Rugby Leagues superior numbers on all forms of social media.

well he did use the adverb 'now', which would suggest he wasnt talking about in the future.

 

[Perth Red]

Folks around these parts call him " AFL red"

folks call you dckhead, we all have our cross to bear!

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Not at all bud, I’m not threatened by another sport and feel the need to attack them or the fellow people in the city I live in that might like it more than RL. How insecure can you be? You barely know your own surroundings which if you did you would easily be able to identify popularity of sports a, b or c by understanding clubs, fields and participation of said sports and clubs in your surroundings. Not hard to grasp. Instead continue being threatened and insecure.

Anyways as I asked does your lot still train at Langlands Annex Fields in Stones Corner? I have 2 Brasilians and 3 Colombians employees who would be interested in at least reaching out. They like league but wouldn’t know where to start as far playing, if they wanted to. The notion of joining a BRL club isn’t appealing them. I wouldn’t mind coming down and seeing your lot train either.

Pointing out that you are incorrect neither makes me threatened or insecure about AFL. I am a Queenslander and outside the AFL propaganda machine, everyone knows RL will always be number 1 here.

What you can't accept is that AFL is a niche game here champ. It seems to upset you

 

[Wb1234]

NRL has always dominated on pay tv, it hasnt once created that outcome. Maybe this time will be different, or maybe it will go the same way as all the times before. No one can yet say.

You know news ltd owned half the game until around 2015 ?

Then your mate Dave smith got sucked in by channel nine and totally ticket off news ltd

Stan have said they want the pay tv rights so now the nrl will be monetising its huge advantage over afl

If fox lose the rights watch them go broke without rugby league

 

[MugaB]

yawn, back the Western Bears

The timing could not have been more serendipitous for aspiring NRL franchise, the Western Bears. A grand final clash of two AFL heritage brands from non-heartland cities – one relocated (Swans), one merged in a new city (Lions).

It smashed TV ratings for Channel Seven and was the highest streaming game ever of AFL. The equivalent ratings bonanza for the NRL would be Storm versus the Bears and it is a near certainty according to media signalling that sometime late next week, the Western Bears, designed by Peter V’landys as a streaming revenue bonanza, will be admitted to the competition in 2027.

The new franchise simply must follow the pathway forged by the Swans and Lions. It has to – the coveted timeslot allows a variety of games to be broadcast live to eastern states and New Zealand on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
The country will be saturated with live Western Bears games in prime time, so there is a necessity for them to be competitive and liked ASAP. This critical element was a major driver for the ARLC’s ‘encouragement’ of the partnership between the Bears and WA bid consortium.

It will take a decade at least before an academy program replicating east coast AFL models produce local talent in numbers through the pipeline. Unlike AFL, the team can’t be gifted additional first-round draft picks in the early years. There will be a heavy lean on North Sydney pathway programs, including their strong NSW Cup team, through the early years.

WA ownership, and the hosting of all but one home game, were two critical components in securing bid support and acceptance of a non-WA origin brand. A splash of state yellow will be added to the traditional Bears red, black and white jersey colours for home games, to recognise the WA Government’s involvement, while providing a familiar echo to WA teams of the past.

The next hurdle is to reconnect with the Bears faithful. V’landys has championed this franchise formation and must ensure there are sufficient checks and balances to ensure his vision is fulfilled. It is critical that the board and CEO are astutely selected.

The ARLC will insist on input on board positions and CEO selection to ensure this happens – people familiar with how the Swans and Lions manage both their home and historic markets.
Two names instantly come to mind for the Western Bears – West Australian Miles Baron-Hay was CEO of the Swans under Richard Colless, who crafted a connection and narrative linking the new city to the heritage of the Swans that has seen them become the most-watched sporting brand on TV of the major codes. They achieved this via maintaining a familiar logo, jersey and rhetoric which engaged and connected with South Melbourne fans.

Through such signalling, Sydney fans became aware of and embraced the history, proud to be associated with a now-150-year-old club; all the cheers, tears and blood. If not in day-to-day roles, as consultants they would be invaluable.

An ARLC commissioner or NRL executive on the board would also be a strategic steering asset in place. Though not forced to as part of the agreement, a North Sydney Bears Board member like Tony Crawford, former CFO of the NRL, would add credibility and balance.

The NRL should also assist monetarily, if need be, to secure the best culture-creating coaching staff. The Dolphins have created a template to follow.

The AFL realised earlier than the NRL that historic brands have a gritty cache no shiny new brand can compete with. It takes generations to build rusted on support. Bears fans on average are in their 40s. They were the kids, teens, 20 somethings screaming for the likes of Greg Florimo, Billy Moore, Gary Larson, David Fairleigh and Peter Jackson in the successful ’90s era.

The North Sydney Bears membership database and the crowd demographic at the NSW Cup grand finals in 2023 and 2024 dispel the myth that Bears fans are dying out. These 40-somethings are just the next wave in a multi-generational base, as all foundation and heritage clubs in either code have.

The Bears’ key demographic is in the prime income years – ripe for family memberships, game attendance, merchandise and, of supreme importance, digital streaming services.

We live in a digital age of entertainment – rugby league, while a sport, sits wholly within the entertainment industry. Live attendance is a dwindling revenue source compared with streaming rights as the likes of Amazon loom with deep pockets.

The NRL is now surpassing AFL in this revenue component and are poised for a revenue bonanza – the game was able to survive during COVID without any fans and focused on its broadcast value over attendance. The NRL’s place in the market is so largely digital that you can support any club from anywhere in the world as much as you want without ever setting foot in a stadium, and provide over 70 per cent of the game’s revenue in doing so.

This percentage will only increase. In a few years as the free-to-air and even Foxtel models diminish, Amazon could hold all match broadcast rights and stream around the world to various markets like the US as a cheap add-on package – hence the yearly Las Vegas brand awareness creation experiment.

The Western Bears blueprint provides a local team for a non-heartland market, packaged with a familiar, revenue raising brand for prime-time – but it will only achieve the revenue targets needed to help hook an Amazon if it looks like and sounds like ‘the Bears.’ We’ll soon get a sense if they’ve hit the target.

https://www.theroar.com.au/2024/10/04/heritage-club-brands-are-roaring-so-would-western-bears-be-an-instant-success/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFsGP9leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHc5XTiJ8sxdbQ70rxb6K3EY3Nm-goZOqpfeQKLNXNrk9ync1NU1rBUgYQQ_aem_4nyvMxzGf2wUdHaRDWsW-A

Another Roar article....
Quick take this as gospel folks...
....generally Roar opinion peices are trash, this one is one too....but
this one has some interesting view points, like the kids, teens, 20 somethings being fans of the Bears, I was one of them kids, now I'm 44, and panther fan, but I was one since 1990s, yet still held a soft spot for the bears... Perth are very lucky to have a readily recognised brand going forward, most RL fans know of the brand whether a past fan or not, great color combo, and strong mascot, perfect for an expansion team

 

[Wb1234]

Pointing out that you are incorrect neither makes me threatened or insecure about AFL. I am a Queenslander and outside the AFL propaganda machine, everyone knows RL will always be number 1 here.

What you can't accept is that AFL is a niche game here champ. It seems to upset you

We lost a lot of bears (south’s and tigers) fans to afl

Now we get them back slowly lol

 

[Perth Red]

You know news ltd owned half the game until around 2015 ?

Then your mate Dave smith got sucked in by channel nine and totally ticket off news ltd

Stan have said they want the pay tv rights so now the nrl will be monetising its huge advantage over afl

If fox lose the rights watch them go broke without rugby league

We've had 3 tv deals since News ltd stopped owning half the game. In none of them have Pay tv paid NRL more than AFL, despite NRl always dominating audiences on that platform. Like I said maybe it will be different the 4th time, we shall see.

 

[Wb1234]

We've had 3 tv deals since News ltd stopped owning half the game. In none of them have Pay tv paid NRL more than AFL, despite NRl always dominating audiences on that platform. Like I said maybe it will be different the 4th time, we shall see.

Dave smith totally annoyed Fox by cancelling Monday night football and giving nein another game on Saturday taking away Fox exclusive super Saturday

Guy was a genius

 

[Perth Red]

Dave smith totally annoyed Fox by cancelling Monday night football and giving nein another game on Saturday taking away Fox exclusive super Saturday

Guy was a genius

you can make all the excuses you like, but three goes and falling short each time would suggest there's a pattern more than an occasion. Lets see if its 4th time lucky, but given the bar is pretty high at $640mill I'm not holding my breath.