Southern Orcas for the NRL in 2013

[beez]

Here's their pitch:

WHAT IF WELLINGTON RUGBY LEAGUE FANS WERE REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT SECURING AN NRL FRANCHISE?

Wellington has a strong Rugby League heritage based around long standing clubs in Petone, Upper Hutt, Randwick, Wanuiomata and Porirua. The first game of Rugby League played in New Zealand was in Wellington on June 13th 1908. Why then should Auckland based franchise the NZ Warriors' claim NRL representation for the entire country? That's great for Eric Watson's wallet, by what about us, the fans?

The NRL will probably expand to 18 teams when the existing television contract expires in three years and they will favour teams possibly from the Central Coast, NSW, Southern Queensland or Western Australia, but why should they rule out a second New Zealand franchise? In 2004, working with the Wellington Rugby League, a consortium called the Southern Orcas was involved in bidding for a National Rugby League franchise to be based in the city. The franchise ultimately went to the Gold Coast who joined the NRL for the 2007 season.

Without even offering a bid, Wellington would have to wait another five years for another chance - 2018! By September an early draft proposal would be required to focus the NRL on clubs displaying future potential and commitment.


SO HERE'S THE PITCH TO NRL BOSS DAVID GALLOP:

- Incorporating a company to commence building the financial base for the future NRL franchise, providing longterm viability for the Southern Orcas.

- $9 million start up package for the intial franchise operating costs and set up of an administrative structure.

- The approval of marketing, merchandising and promotional strategies.

- Securing major longterm sponsorship deals with suitable companies seeking high profile exposure in New Zealand and Australia....eg; Chrisco, Pirtek.

- A ready-made, world class stadium - Westpac Stadium - capacity 36,000, commonly referred to as 'The Caketin', right in the heart of Wellington City and complimented by a range entertainment options within walking distance.

- At least two games to be played outside Wellington to ensure large crowds and a wider fan base - Dunedin and Christchurch within newly developed stadiums would be the preference.

- A high class, competitve, professional rugby league team made up of young and exciting local talent combined with experienced Australian players contracted within the defined salary cap.

- A powerful consortium of business leaders and greats of the game, polititicans, rugby league personalities and potential commercial backers all working together.

- A guaranteed annual $15 million turnover.

- Support from the people of Wellington, Taranaki, Manawatu, Tasman District, Christchurch, Dunedin and surrounding communtities to ensure the success of a Wellington based NRL franchise.


JOIN THIS GROUP IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE A PROFESSIONAL NRL RUGBY LEAGUE TEAM PLAYING AT WESTPAC STADIUM IN FOUR YEARS TIME.

INVITE FACEBOOK FRIENDS, FAMILY, LEAGUE FANS......THIS IS ONLY AN ATTEMPT TO GAIN A GROUNDSWELL OF SUPPORT FOR A SECOND NZ BASED NRL FRANCHISE

If run by the right people, an NRL franchise in Wellington would be a success. Join the group & help spread the word:

www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#/group.php?gid=105678128000

[Druzik]

Goodness me, at the moment lloks like we will be going to a 20 team NRL... at the moment everyone is saying that Perth, CC, PNG, a second Brisbane team and now Orcas are a shoe in....

where do the players come from? Is this an opportunity to start looking at nations like Russia and Serbia for talent?

[sportsmad]

from the sharks

ive always favoured the orcas as my hope for nrl expansion. if i had my way perth and wellington would get automatic inclusions

[supersteve]

I think Perth is a given personally. I cannot see how they will miss out. North sydney have a fantastic bid they have put forward. At the moment there are already bids in from Wellington, Perth, CC NSW, CC QLD, Sunsine Coast QLD, PNG and a strong push by many for a West Brisbane team.


Its great to see so many bidders still quite a while out from 2013. Do you guys think Wellington would get enough support from the locals if they got a team?

[sportsmad]

i remember one game that was played in wellington (warriors v bulldogs) pulled over 27,000 people. support for exibition games is definately there. the 16,000 crowd for the kiwis v aus test a few years ago was a let down though.
i think this bid has huge potential. to be honoust i dont think the nrl will go for it though. the orcas need to put forward a bid the nrl cant refuse. perhaps go to the television networks and get an agreement that says "we will pay this much to cover the orcas and warriors games every week. i think the nrl is absolutely stupid to turn down a bid that would give millions of people that currently have no access to high class rugby league a team (wellingotn , dunedin and CC).

a warriors road trip (which i still belive is very feasable) would be a huge indication and plus for the orcas bid.
in saying this perth will also have a new state of the art stadium with local players already competing in the jim beam cup. i will fall off my chair if the central coast bears dont get the nod straight away. gallop has said time after time his concerns over the north shore and it definately sounds like his vote is sewn up.

[jim]

Aug 18, 2009 19:47:30 GMT 10 supersteve said:

I think Perth is a given personally. I cannot see how they will miss out. North sydney have a fantastic bid they have put forward. At the moment there are already bids in from Wellington, Perth, CC NSW, CC QLD, Sunsine Coast QLD, PNG and a strong push by many for a West Brisbane team.


Its great to see so many bidders still quite a while out from 2013. Do you guys think Wellington would get enough support from the locals if they got a team?

I'm not so confident, I think they are a must but I'm Gallop hasn't shown much enthusiasm for the bid.

Come 2011 or 2012 when the decisions are made I wouldn't be suprised at all to see PNG, Wellington and Perth all miss out for West Brisbane and Central Coast.

If I were in charge it would be Perth and Wellington in 2013.

[jim]

Aug 18, 2009 18:36:04 GMT 10 Druzik said:

Goodness me, at the moment lloks like we will be going to a 20 team NRL... at the moment everyone is saying that Perth, CC, PNG, a second Brisbane team and now Orcas are a shoe in....

where do the players come from? Is this an opportunity to start looking at nations like Russia and Serbia for talent?

Atleast we aren't craming it down their throats like the AFL

Melbourne looks like it will start producing NRL players within a few years so there is another source, Perth should be doing the same.

If PNG get a look in then they have a whole nation of un-tapped talent at their disposal.

Then ofcourse there are the Islands and South Africa which should where the NRL look for some juniors IMO. Hopefully the Roosters have started a trend with South Africa.

[Druzik]

Aug 18, 2009 21:23:57 GMT 10 jim said:

Aug 18, 2009 18:36:04 GMT 10 Druzik said:

Goodness me, at the moment lloks like we will be going to a 20 team NRL... at the moment everyone is saying that Perth, CC, PNG, a second Brisbane team and now Orcas are a shoe in....

where do the players come from? Is this an opportunity to start looking at nations like Russia and Serbia for talent?

Atleast we aren't craming it down their throats like the AFL

Melbourne looks like it will start producing NRL players within a few years so there is another source, Perth should be doing the same.

If PNG get a look in then they have a whole nation of un-tapped talent at their disposal.

Then ofcourse there are the Islands and South Africa which should where the NRL look for some juniors IMO. Hopefully the Roosters have started a trend with South Africa.

Yeah OK, I can go with that... what about the money where does that come from?

All I worry about is that the players will get poached by australia... this is now the time we lock players into nations.

[beez]

Aug 18, 2009 19:47:30 GMT 10 supersteve said:

Its great to see so many bidders still quite a while out from 2013. Do you guys think Wellington would get enough support from the locals if they got a team?

There would be support if they managed to get a team. The problem is creating interest in the team now to get sponsors on board as, no doubt, money would be their biggest concern.

Aug 18, 2009 18:36:04 GMT 10 Druzik said:

Goodness me, at the moment lloks like we will be going to a 20 team NRL... at the moment everyone is saying that Perth, CC, PNG, a second Brisbane team and now Orcas are a shoe in....

where do the players come from? Is this an opportunity to start looking at nations like Russia and Serbia for talent?

Aug 18, 2009 21:23:57 GMT 10 jim said:

Melbourne looks like it will start producing NRL players within a few years so there is another source, Perth should be doing the same.

Wellington & Canterbury are already producing the talent, & have done so for many years. The problem is they all fly off to play NRL, NYC, or NSW & Qld Cup. Seven players from NZ's 2008 World Cup squad come from the area.

[arh21980]

Good News for NZ RL

The 2009 NZRL National Premiership starts this Saturday! With six teams in each of the Under 16s, Under 18s and Premiership grades there will be plenty of rugby league action over the coming weeks.

Keep up to date with the fixtures and latest results by going to www.leaguenet.co.nz and thanks once again to Bartercard for their sponsorship and New Zealand Community Trust for their assistance.

[Druzik]

You sound like a door to door salesman Anthony ;D

You being paid to say that last bit. lol

Yerah it is good that the NPP is on again. NZs SoO effectively.

[arh21980]

Aug 19, 2009 16:03:26 GMT 10 Druzik said:

You sound like a door to door salesman Anthony ;D

You being paid to say that last bit. lol

Yerah it is good that the NPP is on again. NZs SoO effectively.

I hate to sound like a broken record . But I think that if done properly that if the NZRL is a success it'll force the NRL's hand and provide a huge argument for the Orca's. You can't have all the players that New Zealand develop being funneled into one team. Optimistic yes.

[beez]

It seems like a huge challenge but Jason Hemson firmly believes Wellington will get an NRL team.

The Wellington Rugby League boss is working on a private bid but is aiming for the backing of both the Wellington and New Zealand bodies.

The first official bid was made in the early 1990s by Ken Laban and John Morrison, who backed the Dolphins.

That bid failed, but earlier this decade the then city council chief executive, Rik Hart, worked on a Wellington-based bid that would have seen a team based at Hutt Park.

That ultimately was unsuccessful, but Mr Hemson says that for league in New Zealand to succeed long term, a second Kiwi team is needed.

The Hutt Valley has a huge pool of untapped talent, he says, and a Wellington-based team will enable them to stay here.

Many of them are Maori and Polynesian and experience has found that when 17 and 18- year-olds go to Australia, and away from their parents, they often struggle.

His vision, however, is much wider than just a Wellington team. The Hurricanes provide a model that should work for league, he says.

Both Manawatu and Taranaki have significant league communities and his approach is regional.

So far he has had tentative discussions with Wellington City and the Westpac Stadium.

The stadium has told him that with its existing commitments, it cannot host a full season of NRL.

That fits in perfectly with his plan, as he hopes the team would also play a couple of games in the South Island, as well as places like Palmerston North, Napier and New Plymouth.

His aim to is to launch the bid early next year and to get the team into the NRL for the 2013 season. He concedes that is a big challenge and says there are numerous hurdles to overcome.

The NRL has not given a commitment to expansion and there are also potentially numerous Australian bids.

The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) would also have to endorse any locally based team.

The NZRL are currently drawing up a strategic plan for the code and he is pushing to get it included in the plan.

There is also the problem of money. An NRL team requires an annual budget of $14 million. Whilst some of that comes from an annual grant from the NRL and television rights, a team still needs something in the vicinity of $10m.

The regional approach should make it easier to find sponsorship, he says.

Another factor encouraging him is the success of the Titans. The Gold Coast-based team is amongst the front-runners this season in the NRL, after joining the competition in 2007.

When the Titans first put in a bid, it was rejected by the NRL with no reason given. The backers of the bid refused to accept no and demanded to be given a reason. After extensive negotiations, the club was eventually granted a licence and has subsequently flourished.
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Mr Hemson says the lesson to be learned is to not give up and that it may take years to get everything right and gain a spot.

Ultimately he believes the NRL will want a second New Zealand team and to be prepared to work towards achieving that, he says.

At this point, he has not spoken to the Hutt City Council, but plans to do so.

The proposal for a sports hub at Fraser Park will create opportunities for league. It could be a perfect training ground for an NRL team and potentially is the right site for a 12,000 seat stadium, which would provide an alternative to Westpac Stadium.

As the Wellington rugby league boss, he is also aware that for the bid to succeed, the sport has to grow locally.

When the Dolphins put in their bid, there were 170 teams in Wellington. The number is now significantly lower and one of his priorities is to grow the game. This week he will be attending the national secondary school's competition in Wainuiomata and if he gets his way, some of the boys may one day play for a Wellington NRL team.

www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/sport/local-sport/2821319/League-boss-wants-Wellington-NRL-side