Second Brisbane NRL Bid

[Flutterby]

[quote="Je$ter":1ah5rj9g]

Yeah getting players to move there is gunna be hard... Beach side apartments in Yepoon isn't really a contract sealer :)

This is true. Quite a few nrl players have land or investments in Yeppoon, it's really starting to grow.

Yeah but woudn't the team in Central Queensland be based in Rocky??[/quote:1ah5rj9g]

Yeah? You could live in Yeppoon and still get to Rocky quicker than a lot of the players who live in Sydney take to get from their home in suburb A to training or games in suburb B

 

[Nashy]

[quote="Je$ter":1wtc8dt9]

Yeah getting players to move there is gunna be hard... Beach side apartments in Yepoon isn't really a contract sealer :)

This is true. Quite a few nrl players have land or investments in Yeppoon, it's really starting to grow.

Yeah but woudn't the team in Central Queensland be based in Rocky??

Yeah? You could live in Yeppoon and still get to Rocky quicker than a lot of the players who live in Sydney take to get from their home in suburb A to training or games in suburb B[/quote:1wtc8dt9]

Or quicker than Sydney fans take to get from anywhere to a stadium hosting a league match.

 

[Coxy]

[quote="Je$ter":f6bskqmm]

Yeah getting players to move there is gunna be hard... Beach side apartments in Yepoon isn't really a contract sealer :)

This is true. Quite a few nrl players have land or investments in Yeppoon, it's really starting to grow.

Yeah but woudn't the team in Central Queensland be based in Rocky??

Yeah? You could live in Yeppoon and still get to Rocky quicker than a lot of the players who live in Sydney take to get from their home in suburb A to training or games in suburb B

Or quicker than Sydney fans take to get from anywhere to a stadium hosting a league match.[/quote:f6bskqmm]

Only when the tunnels are closed.

 

[Kimlo]

I've already made an extensive post on this before so I can't be bothered making another one.
In short it's a stupid idea, the aim should not be to dilute the Brisbane market and weaken by far the strongest club in the game, arguably the country but rather the aim should be to aim at having another club eventually near or even exceed the success the Broncos enjoy, particularly off the field.

 

[Scorchie]

My fear is a simple one. The floater Broncos supporters will jump ship to the "next new thing"; the new team will fail miserably (probably because they'll recruit Anasta as 5/8), then those supporters will be lost to the game (god forbid they return to the Broncos as supporters).

We strengthen NRL in Brisbane at the detriment of the Broncos, unfortunately.


CQ and WA for mine; NSW's had enough chances to have teams to support.

 

[Coxy]

My fear is a simple one. The floater Broncos supporters will jump ship to the "next new thing"; the new team will fail miserably (probably because they'll recruit Anasta as 5/8), then those supporters will be lost to the game (god forbid they return to the Broncos as supporters).

We strengthen NRL in Brisbane at the detriment of the Broncos, unfortunately.


CQ and WA for mine; NSW's had enough chances to have teams to support.

Agree. Until Sydney fixes the tunnels so they aren't closed and prevent diehard fans getting to the games they should have no more teams.

 

[DIEHARD]

A city the size of Brisbane with over 100 years of Rugby League history, with only a small fraction involving the Broncos, deserves... demands more than ONE club. Two is a must. It is just a matter of time frame.

 

[Coxy]

A city the size of Brisbane with over 100 years of Rugby League history, with only a small fraction involving the Broncos, deserves... demands more than ONE club. Two is a must. It is just a matter of time frame.

Agree. When Sydney has just 4. So 2100 would be the timeframe.

Brisbane can not support 2 SUCCESSFUL teams. Financially. Not with inferior products like roar, lions, suns, titans, reds diluting the corporate dollar in this region.

 

[Flutterby]

Brisbane can not support 2 SUCCESSFUL teams. Financially.

QFT

 

[Nashy]

I don't think we will. I think we're more likely to see something in the Sunshine Coast before Brisbane itself.

 

[smiley]

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...risbane-nrl-club/story-e6frep5x-1225995096367

Brisbane poised for second NRL team as Broncos' stranglehold on rugby league market faces challenge

THE Broncos' 23-year stranglehold on the Brisbane rugby league market is under threat. A rival consortium is secretly formulating plans to become Queensland's fourth NRL team.

The Courier-Mail can reveal a three-man consortium, including Thoroughbreds chairman Craig Davison, has begun due diligence into the formation of a second Brisbane team that would compete with the Broncos for the city's sponsorship and supporter base.

"We're dubbing it the Battle for Brisbane," Davison said last night.

The consortium's push for NRL inclusion is the most significant challenge to the Broncos' flagship status since the birth of the South Queensland Crushers in 1995.

The Crushers suffered a quick death in 1997 amid the Super League bloodletting but NRL boss David Gallop said yesterday Brisbane's population could easily sustain a second team.

The Brisbane NRL bid team has been investigating options since Christmas.

It is separate to the NRL bids from Ipswich and Central Queensland, which has been the most vocal in the race to become Queensland's fourth team.

The Brisbane NRL consortium, which hopes to clinch a licence to play in the 2013 season, will formally announce its bid as early as tomorrow.

Davison confirmed his involvement in the new entity amid speculation the Thoroughbreds, the high-powered businessmen who provide mentoring to Broncos players, are reviewing their ties to the club.

"If and when the Independent Commission takes tenders for NRL expansion, we'll be in there fighting for that spot in Brisbane," he said.

"We're talking to a number of sponsors and they are excited about coming on board.

"We've spoken to David Gallop. He is very much aware of our plans.

"I was invited by the other guys around Christmas.

"There's been a couple of months of planning in private and I've had to decide if I want to be on board.

"I've told the Broncos I'll be doing it. I believe we've got a strong bid."

Brisbane's second team would play at Suncorp Stadium on alternate weekends to the Broncos, giving the city a weekly NRL event.

The consortium has designed an NRL bid logo and is negotiating to establish headquarters in Brisbane's south.

Gallop yesterday confirmed he had spoken to a Brisbane bid delegate.

He said he saw merit in the proposal.

"I've spoken to (the bid team) and agreed to meet with them in the next couple of weeks," Gallop said.

"There are a group of businessmen interested in an alternate bid to the Ipswich bid.

"We have said all along we would look seriously at expansion in 2011.

"With the strength of the game in Queensland it is pretty easy to see the merit of another team in Brisbane at some stage."

 

[smiley]

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...-second-brisbane-nrl-team-20110126-1a5f8.html

Former Broncos' backer seeks to get second Brisbane NRL team

A PROMINENT member of the Thoroughbreds group of Queensland businessmen is the central figure behind a bid to establish a second NRL team in Brisbane, which would be expected to target Wayne Bennett as the coach.

Craig Davison - chairman of the Thoroughbreds last year, a powerful syndicate that has sponsored and financially supported Broncos players over a long period of time - told the Herald that secret plans to apply for a licence to establish a team south of Brisbane were well advanced.

Davison, who recently resigned as chairman, and two other Thoroughbreds, John Geaney and Tony Scanlon, collectively own 25 per cent of the Broncos, and will speak to a Sydney consortium that is seeking to buy the shares.
Advertisement: Story continues below

''Battle for Brisbane'' is the theme of the new logo, as the new bid team gathers support to establish a second club in the Queensland heartland in 2013 and challenge the Broncos, the most successful rugby league club of the past 20 years.

The Thoroughbreds have been stripped of much of their power by former Broncos chief executive, Bruno Cullen, in response to complaints by official sponsors of the club that the group was taking too much focus away from them.

Davison, who is a great admirer of St George Illawarra grand final-winning coach Bennett told the former Broncos premiership coach of his plans before Christmas, and would hope the legendary figure would eventually join the new club.

Nicholas Livermore, a marketing consultant and son of QRL chief executive Ross Livermore, is another member of the bid team, along with Brisbane businessman Bill Rae.

Livermore's company, Corporate Sports Management Australia, has the FOGs, the group of Former Origin Greats who wore the Maroon jumper, as clients.

The team would play at Suncorp stadium and has already gained sponsorship commitments.

A recent meeting of NRL chief executives voted against a second Brisbane licence but the growing power of the Broncos concerns many clubs.

''If a second Brisbane club threatens to cut the Broncos back to size, the NRL chief executives will change their minds,'' one prominent coach said.

Channel Nine, frustrated by having only three Queensland-based clubs to broadcast (Broncos, Titans and Cowboys), would support a fourth team, increasing its options of games to select for its second Friday night televised match.

Davison, who owns a major Brisbane outdoor furniture business, said he approached the Broncos last week and told them of his plans, which were formalised last September.

''I informed the Broncos last week, and they were quite good about it,'' he said. ''They will always be No.2 with me but this new team looks good, and planning is well advanced. It will have strong sponsorship backing.''

He insisted Geaney, who owns 10 per cent of the Broncos and Scanlon, who holds 11 per cent, are not part of the new syndicate.

''No current Thoroughbreds other than me are involved,'' Davison said. ''Myself, Scanlon and Geaney have our Broncos shares on the market but that has nothing to do with it. The Sydney-based party which is looking to buy our equity of 24.7 per cent will meet with us next week but it has nothing to do with the new team. Our shares were put on the market some time ago.''

Geaney told the Herald the three had an agreement that if one sold his Broncos shares, the other two needed to agree. ''I will continue to support the Broncos and put my money into helping indigenous kids,'' Geaney said.

The three minority owners approached News Ltd, which holds 67 per cent of Broncos shares, about buying their equity but were told the media giant was not interested. News Ltd, which also owns the Storm, has a 1997 commitment to reduce its ownership of NRL clubs to one.

Scanlon, who is negotiating with the Sydney party keen to buy their Broncos shares, has been told the group has no relationship with News Ltd.

 

[Locky24]

How could possibly stop supporting the Broncos and start supporting "this" new team coming in? I for one will never stop supporting the Broncos.

And if this does happen, I bet you they will target some of the broncos players

 

[pennywisealfie]

I for one will not be going to any games unless they play the broncos. **** this new club.

 

[Nashy]

If this gains any weight, by god we're going to need a coach who can actually fucking coach.

 

[mrslong]

Depends on how the Broncos management react *IF* a new Brisbane club is allowed into the comp.

If the Broncos act all high & mighty and don't give their fans any respect I can see people switching allegiance.

----
But I don't know why the NRL would want to weaken their best product. Why would they want something like the Broncos that get 30,000 to a game and win the TV ratings each week watered down to be like the Sydney games?

They should be looking to strengthen a weakness rather than weakening a strength.

Sunny Coast population is still too small to prop up a League team. Lose a couple of Sydney teams - Cronulla & Souths - and then go West (life is peaceful there).

 

[Nashy]

Because David Gallop is an fool. And the NRL don't give a ****. As long as they get some money, they don't care about the long term.

 

[Coxy]

Depends on how the Broncos management react *IF* a new Brisbane club is allowed into the comp.

If the Broncos act all high & mighty and don't give their fans any respect I can see people switching allegiance.

----
But I don't know why the NRL would want to weaken their best product. Why would they want something like the Broncos that get 30,000 to a game and win the TV ratings each week watered down to be like the Sydney games?

They should be looking to strengthen a weakness rather than weakening a strength.

Sunny Coast population is still too small to prop up a League team. Lose a couple of Sydney teams - Cronulla & Souths - and then go West (life is peaceful there).

Why is it to small? 312,000 isn't too small. The Sunshine Coast has a bigger population than Newcastle and Newcastle are great with crowd numbers. A team in the Sunshine Coast would be good, it's a growing area and you wouldn't JUST get the Sunshine Coast, you'd get people North of the Sunshine Coast coming down for games too. Crowd numbers and support won't be the problem at all.

In fact, crowds and support isn't ever really the problem. It's the corperate dollars that will keep a club alive. It's the running of the club which is important. Newcastle are a great example. Financially, they are struggling (Thank god for Nathan Tinkler though) yet their crowd numbers are great.

Sunshine Coast would be attractive to players too. It's not far from Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Think about geographical area, though. Newcastle has its population in a fairly nice semi-urban area. Sunshine Coast's population is spread up an area around 50km long (Caloundra to Noosa) and 20km wide (Coast to Mapleton). And public transport infrastructure in the area isn't crash hot.

Still, Sunny Coast COULD support a team.
Brisbane COULD support another team.
Ipswich COULD support a team.
Rockhampton COULD support a team.

But do we just want another team, or do we want an excellent, successful team? If so, then any talk of a new team has to be accompanied by a) a discussion about which Sydney team dies/relocates, and b) a discussion about how to modify our salary cap rules to retain our elite players as well as the stock standard first graders who are the ones that seem to most regularly disappear off to England at about 25/26 years of age.

Until we can retain our player base, growing the competition is not an option.