NRL Expansion

[DIEHARD]

I think the time for putting the brakes on expansion is over.

Teams should be added but I support a staggered entry. Even with two years between teams.

The difference between us and AFL is we have a greater pool of players to draw from. Different countries, even union. And I believe there is plenty of Aueensland talent not getting attention.

I'd be disappointed if we wait a decade for expansion. We simply can't go on being a joke of a national sport competition. If our expansion teams are successful on the field like the Titans were, it'd be a great advertisement for our sport.

[DIEHARD]

Ipswich NRL bid canned for 5 years

LEAGUE boss John Grant has crash-tackled Ipswich's bid to have a team in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition.

The Australian Rugby League Commission chairman said no new team would be admitted to the competition for at least the next five years, the life of the recently signed broadcast deal.

Mr Grant said the expansion of the competition, whcih some had hoped could come as soon as 2015, might be as far away as 10 years.

Other bids for a new team came from Central Queensland, Brisbane, the NSW Central Coast and Perth.

David Gallop was an advocate for the Western Corridor bid including Ipswich when he was the chief executive of the NRL.

But Mr Gallop resigned as chief executive of the new Australian Rugby League Commission in June, four months into his contract.

Speaking exclusively to the QT, Mr Grant said when the commission took over from the NRL it found very work little had been done about expansion.

He said there had been no analysis of the effect on the game and no timeline for bringing a new team into the competition.

Negotiations for the new broadcast deal between the ARL, Channel Nine and Foxtel revealed no financial benefit from a new team, he said.

"One of the considerations we had when it came to the new broadcast licence was whether there was any additional value of an additional game," Mr Grant said. "We've got eight games a weekend now, with an extra team there would be nine games.

"The bottom line is they didn't see any value in an additional game. So where we are now is that as a result of the broadcast rights negotiations, there's no justification for expansion.

"If you don't have any value in an additional game you have to find funds from somewhere else."

He said it could take up to 10 years for a consortium to generate sustainable backing to run and support a team in the NRL.

Mayor Paul Pisasale was buoyant about Mr Grant's announcement, saying it gave Ipswich's bid a starting point.

"It's good because we know where we stand and we know what we have to do to reach our goal," the Mayor said.

"We were told by David Gallop that there was a bid and we took it very seriously not only for the city but for young people coming through wanting to play rugby league and for the whole corridor from Toowoomba right through."

He said the first step in getting a bid ready to be admitted into the competition was developing a partnership with an NRL club.

"What we're doing is getting processes in place where young people in Ipswich can go through and play in the NRL," he said.

"So we're negotiating with the Broncos to see whether they are prepared to sign a MOU (memorandum of understanding) with the city, with the junior rugby league, the IRL and the Jets."

Western Corridor bid chief Steven Johnson was disappointed the commission hadn't told him but took the decision in his stride.

"Obviously when David Gallop was head of the NRL he had a different view of expansion to the commission," Mr Johnson said.

"But we can't change their mind and we wouldn't want to. We'll have to be patient and wait our time. We're confident when the expansion comes through we'll be in a position to be first chosen."

He supported Ipswich forming a partnership with an NRL club such as the Broncos, saying the Mayor's idea was "not inconsistent with our vision and our model".

"We'd be happy to partner with any club that shares our vision," he said. "Speaking as chairman of Ipswich Jets, we need a pathway to the NRL through the Ipswich Junior Rugby League, the IRL and the Ipswich Jets."

The big league

The Australian Rugby League Commission was formed in February as the new governing body of rugby league.

John Grant was named chairman [/I]and former NRL chief executive David Gallop was to continue in a similar role with Mr Grant and seven other commission members.

http://www.qt.com.au/story/2012/10/0...or-five-years/

[DIEHARD]

Well damn, Im disappointed. Even though I know the QUEENSLAND bids werent yet up to scratch, especially the Brisbane Bombers.

But deadset... all of these consortiums find out that expansion is delayed third hand through a regional media outlet?!?! That is so unprofessional and insulting. Seriously, what happened to all this much trumped up business ethics and experience?

This could cause quite a backlash. They at least needed to hold some sort of process or forum, comb through what they had to offer. Then give them a verdict on expansion, personally pick up the phone and tell them the result. Then we have a further time frame to move forward.

Sure the question of expansion wasnt handled well by Gallop NRL but it wasnt helped under Grant.

Sadly, Im sure the situation with our own club was part of the decision, also the poor attempts at parachuting AFL owned teams into the Gold Coast and Western Sydney....

I hope we will see a Perth team and a 2nd Brisbane/South Queensland team in 5 years.

But as a consolation prize can we throw some money into giving WA some support. PNG a Queensland Cup team. Maybe bring Toowoomba back to the QCup. I dunno, something.

[TITAN PETE]

Well damn, Im disappointed. Even though I know the QUEENSLAND bids werent yet up to scratch, especially the Brisbane Bombers.

But deadset... all of these consortiums find out that expansion is delayed third hand through a regional media outlet?!?! That is so unprofessional and insulting. Seriously, what happened to all this much trumped up business ethics and experience?

This could cause quite a backlash. They at least needed to hold some sort of process or forum, comb through what they had to offer. Then give them a verdict on expansion, personally pick up the phone and tell them the result. Then we have a further time frame to move forward.

Sure the question of expansion wasnt handled well by Gallop NRL but it wasnt helped under Grant.

Sadly, Im sure the situation with our own club was part of the decision, also the poor attempts at parachuting AFL owned teams into the Gold Coast and Western Sydney....

I hope we will see a Perth team and a 2nd Brisbane/South Queensland team in 5 years.

But as a consolation prize can we throw some money into giving WA some support. PNG a Queensland Cup team. Maybe bring Toowoomba back to the QCup. I dunno, something.

I think u are on the money there Brad.... i also agree that Perth should be the next team entered into the competition

[DIEHARD]

Oh Oh! I forgot soccer's effort, adding two Queensland clubs in North Queensland Fury and Gold Coast United and then killing them off.

[DIEHARD]

The head of Brisbane Bombers? bid to join the National Rugby League competition has called on the ARLC to give clear direction on where the next team will be based, even if they intend delaying expansion talks until 2015.

Craig Davison said he expected a clarification statement from the ARLC soon, which reports suggest will put off expansion until the 2017 or 2018 season with talks to begin in three years.

Seven bids are operating at different levels of intensity and Davison said the ARLC should narrow the focus to save unnecessary costs for bids he believes don?t stand a chance.

?I hope they come out immediately and at least give some direction to areas,? Davison told SBI on Friday. ?It?s fanciful to think that any small town can get an expansion team. It needs to go to a metropolis, and Brisbane is the obvious choice.

?So do they make a statement now and say what areas expansion is going to be in or do they just let Central Coast and Central Queensland just keep spending money?

?I think it?s insane to have all these different bidding areas spending money when only one area seems to make sense from a commercial perspective.

?They should come out now and say if we expand when we expand it will be in this area and all the other guys pack your bags away.?

Davison said Brisbane was the obvious choice if the ARLC goes to one extra team, with Perth next in line after that. He said he accepted that further bids might come into Brisbane to challenge the Bombers but believed the bid had strong footholds.

?I?d expect various other teams to put their hands out,? he said. ?But the clarification needs to be simply if they do it, where. They already must know what areas, they?re smart people, they?ve had some advice, and it?s obvious, when you talk to the Channel Nines, where a team is going to be. It?s going to be Brisbane.?

John Sackson, chief of the West Coast Pirates, told SBI: ?We remain extremely optimistic that Perth will be the home of a sustainable and successful NRL franchise.?

Sackson said the bid had been prepared for the projected timetable.

?The writing was on the wall when the TV deal was announced and the broadcasters seemingly placed no additional value on an extra weekly game,? Sackson said. ?But on a a positive note,we can now plan accordingly for the future. It has been very frustrating working with all the uncertainty and misleading speculation.

?I am assured that WA has been identified as a top priority development market and that extra focus, resources and supportive initiatives will be injected into the state to help the WARL continue to grow the game in what is an extremely fertile location for future expansion.?

He said the ARLC showed its commitment to the region by scheduling three NRL fixtures for Perth in 2013.

Sackson said the West Coast Pirates brand has been passionately embraced by stakeholders of the game, ?based on impressive membership numbers, merchandise sales and positive social media activity, all of which have far outstripped the performance of our previous WA Reds brand.?

He thanked league stakeholders for their patience and support.

?We will continue to strengthen the foundations of the game here,? Sackson said. ?We will continue to develop and implement our strategic plans with a view to constructing an irresistible bid when the ARLC officially calls for submissions. Nothing will accelerate the growth of the game here more than an NRL franchise and we still believe it is not ?if? but ?when?.

Source: http://sportsbusinessinsider.com.au

[DIEHARD]

Cameron Smith calls for NRL to expand and take on AFL head-on

KANGAROOS captain Cameron Smith has called on rugby league's new boss Dave Smith to tackle AFL head-on by putting expansion back on the NRL agenda.

In the countdown to next Saturday's All Stars clash in Brisbane, the highly respected Australian and Storm skipper yesterday spoke exclusively to The Daily Telegraph about where the game is positioned and, more importantly, where it should be heading.

In a wide ranging interview Smith said if the NRL was serious about being the biggest and best code in the country it must become a truly national game.

"I think overall everyone would agree we are a bit behind (the AFL) at the moment given they are a truly national game," Smith said.

"They have got teams in Sydney and Queensland and over in WA and South Australia whereas we are down the eastern seaboard and New Zealand.

"If we want to grow the game and we want to be the best code in the country we need to expand.

"There are a lot of people who are for it, we just need to try and make sure the guys in charge are fully aware of that and how much support there is for the game around the country."

Expansion talk was put on hold last year when the NRL released its strategic plan, making it clear no new team would be admitted before 2017.

Smith added: "I saw a comment the other day where he wants to make our code the best sport in the country and I can't see why that can't be.

"We have a great product on field, it is extremely popular on television and we are getting good crowds through the gates as well.

"But I think we need to expand our game.

"I have played in Adelaide and I have played in Perth and there is some pretty good support there. We played at the Adelaide Oval and I think we had close to 20,000 there and over in Perth was sold out on the two occasions we played there."

Smith revealed a recent call from the new boss patched up that embarrassing gaff at Dave Smith's initial press conference, where the former banker conceded he didn't even know who Cameron Smith was.

"Obviously we spoke about that briefly," Smith laughed.

"I didn't take any offence. I just spoke to him from a player's point of view on where I see the game going. Obviously he wants to move forward and make it a strong business.

"I think we are (heading in the right direction). Obviously we have a pretty significant television deal so we are cashed up. We just have to make some good decisions business-wise."

Smith also backed his coach Craig Bellamy over concerns early scheduling ignored player welfare.

Bellamy declared the reigning premiers were "shafted" when the 2013 draw was announced.

"As Craig said we want to ban the shoulder charge because of player welfare but they don't mind having one of their teams who are representing the NRL travel to England, come back, then send them up to North Queensland and then five days later have to back up again,' Smith said.

"But at the end of the day we will just do our best. We are not going to worry about that any more, we have been told that is what we have to do so we will do it as best we can."

Despite the gruelling early-season schedule, Smith wants the All Stars to remain as the unofficial season kick-off regardless of fears it is too big a risk for the game's elite players.

Both Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk along with the Gold Coast's Dave Taylor have withdrawn because of injury but Smith said the concept still had the support of players.

"Like any game it needs the backing of the players or it doesn't work," Smith said.

"Obviously the game is the highlight of the week but during the week we have seminars and sessions with indigenous groups and we do a lot of work with kids from rural areas and that is a bit of a kick for us guys too, seeing kids from the bush who rarely get to see NRL footy players.

"I remember when I was a young kid and Darren Lockyer walked past me and I remember thinking; 'Gee, that has made my day. I want to be like him when I'm older'.

"There is always a risk (of injury) but I think a fair few clubs are playing trials on the same weekend."

Smith turns 30 in June but he still believes his best football is to come - and trying to go back-to-back in 2013 is the obvious motivation for the Storm.

"There hasn't been a team that has done it since the NRL banner came in (1998),' he said.

"Teams have gone back-to-back to grand finals but never been able to take that trophy.

"But we are not about worrying about last year and thinking we have to defend this title.

"It is definitely achievable, you shouldn't be in the competition if you don't want to win it but we don't put any expectation on ourselves, we just want to be a good side every time we take the park and make sure we are not beating ourselves."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl

[DIEHARD]

Good on ya Cam. Hopefully this will rub off on David Smith when they have chats.

[Chaos]

Cam Smith is one of the best leaders i've seen play and now entering the as one of the leaders for the entire sport.
There wouldn't be a rugby league fan that didn't listen when Cam speaks and I'm pretty sure Dave Smith will grow a relationship with him.

[TITAN PETE]

Cam Smith is one of the best leaders i've seen play and now entering the as one of the leaders for the entire sport.
There wouldn't be a rugby league fan that didn't listen when Cam speaks and I'm pretty sure Dave Smith will grow a relationship with him.

He's certainly a natural leader & I hope he has a great relationship with Mr Smith because there wasn't with our previous boss.

Who knows maybe Cameron will one day go from leading on the park to leading from the office.

On the expansion topic I would like to see 2 more teams added

[Titanic]

I think they are secretly related.

[kioli]

It's going to be a confusing few years of headlines; with Smith as the CEO, Australian captain, Queensland captain and Melbourne captain.