Considering the AFL is expanding to the Gold Coast in 2011 and Western Sydney in 2012, the NRL seems to have decided to reconsider expanding the competition for 2012, although nothing has been official yet. In this post, I will give the positives and negatives of each potential new team.
The first bid is one of the failed bids from 2005, the Central Coast Bears:
The Central Coast Bears can trace their roots back to the old NRL club, the North Sydney Bears. North Sydney had decided to leave their current home of North Sydney Oval to the Central Coast for the beginning of the 1999 season to avoid rationalization. However, due to one of the wettest winters in 1998, the stadium was delayed, and the move was never made. John Singleton, the stadium owner, had attempted to offer money to any potential team to relocate to the Central Coast; however, they would have to rename themselves the Bears.
In 2004 John Singleton withdrew from being part of having an NRL team on the Central Coast when they were defeated by the Gold Coast Titans to be the 16th NRL team; also, the agreement that NRL teams must be called the Bears if relocating to the Central Coast expired. In 2009 the Central Coast Bears expressed interest in joining the competition in 2012, with the new television deal taking effect that year.
Early this year, the North Sydney Rugby League Football Club (NSRLFC) launched a bid to play in either a 17 or 18-team competition from 2011. The team will be based on the Central Coast, with most home games being played at Bluetongue Stadium and a c couple being played at North Sydney Oval. Current Parramatta assistant and National Youth Competition (NYC) coach David Fairleigh will be the club’s inaugural coach.
Pros: The Central Coast is already a strong rugby League area, so it will have the support of locals if the club is based on the coast, like the Central Coast Mariners and not the Northern Eagles. Several NRL players are Central Coast juniors and may want to return to the team, and Chris Heighington has stated he wants to captain the team. Some North Sydney Bears supporters stopped following Rugby League once the Bears were kicked out of the competition; a new Bears team would see them return to support the team.
Cons: Sydney is already an overcrowded market with 9 NRL teams, 2 AFL teams, 1 (possibly 2) A-League and a Super 14 team who all compete for fans, sponsorship and general income. The number of people who would become new fans of the game would be minimal, with most fans would come from rival NRL clubs, so the game would not grow a more extensive supporter base.
The Second franchise I’ll be having a look at is the other failed bid from 2005, Southern Orcas:
Even though no formal bid has been made, they did make a bid in 2005 and for the English Super League in 2008. A second New Zealand would likely be based in Wellington and play at Westpac Stadium, which has hosted NRL games involving the Bulldogs, Canberra Raiders and the Wests Tigers.
Pros: A second New Zealand team would help produce more New Zealand-based players who would help the New Zealand Kiwis. It would attract more interest from New Zealanders to Rugby League as a second alternate to the Warriors. It would give New Zealand a true rival with the battle between the two cities (Auckland and Wellington)
Cons: A Second New Zealand team would take away from the Warriors’ junior player base. The question remains if support would exist for a second New Zealand team, with the Centenary Test between the Kiwis and Australian Kangaroos drawing a poor crowd in the October 2007 test. A second New Zealand team would not add to Australia’s crowd and television ratings.
The third bid is coming from the WA Reds, who previously existed between 1995 and 1997:
The WA Reds are building their bid from the ground up, hoping for a return to Rugby League in the West. They launched their intent in 2006. They met with the NRL and the ARL about the best way to enter a team into the NRL. It was decided that the team spend two years in the Jim Beam Cup for two seasons (2008 & 2009) and then spend a year in either the NSWRL Cup or the Queensland Cup (2010) before entering the NRL in either 2011 or 2012
Pros: It would be one step closer for the NRL to be genuinely a National Game, and it would add a lot of new fans to the game.
A lot more fans watching the games on pay TV and free to air would increase ratings, which would raise the revenue brought in from TV and give money to the game/clubs.
Cons: Considering Perth is not a Rugby League region, the question of how many fans would attend games/become members remains in doubt. The high cost for the WA Reds to travel across the country every second week. Members Equity Stadium has a capacity of 18,000. However, considering the Western Force is leaving Subiaco Oval to Members Equity, it is hoped the ground can receive an upgrade bringing it into line with the NRL’s standards for ground facilities, including a video screen.
The fourth and final bid is from Central Queensland:.
This is the newest bid for an NRL team, with the launch coming last Friday (17/4). Not much is known about this bid, and all that is known is that the team is backed by successful businessman Geoff Murphy and will be based in Rockhampton, presumably playing out of Browne Park.
Pros: A team out of Central Queensland would put a team between Brisbane and North Queensland, which would mean less travel for fans. Central Queensland covers an already large Queensland supporter base, meaning large crowds/membership. Already have the infrastructure with the Central Comets, who play in the QLD Cup.
Cons: Browne Park only has a capacity of eight thousand, which would have to be upgraded and its facilities to meet NRL standards. Given that the team covers a large base, whether supporters would be willing to feel like they are represented by the team. Rockhampton is technically not part of Central Queensland and is on the coast, so whether the team is supported remains in doubt.
I believe the NRL should expand to WA Reds, Wellington, and Central Queensland. The NRL should have a team on the Central Coast if it is a relocated team.
Quote of the Week: “They kicked our backsides. Now we’ve got to lick our wounds.” Wigan manager Steve Bruce provides an interesting visual
Till next week,
Cheese