NRL 2010

[keithroosters]

the best article ive read in a long time

Fans get their game back
THE game of rugby league is on the verge of being handed back to the people with the long-awaited independent commission just weeks away from becoming a reality.

In the most stunning administration shake-up since Super League, News Ltd and the Australian Rugby League are putting the finishing touches to an agreement that will see independence day arrive before the March kick-off of the 2010 season.

"It could be sorted by Christmas - if not before the start of next season," said a prominent official who has been involved in months of negotiations to deliver a watershed moment in the code's history.

The Sunday Telegraph has learned a series of high-powered meetings has resolved the major sticking points and lawyers for both parties are now nutting out the finer details.

As part of establishing the commission, those details are:

Melbourne Storm is likely to be sold to a consortium for just $1 in a paperwork transaction that allows News Ltd to leave the game;

David Gallop will remain as CEO for three to five years;

ARL supremo Colin Love will be the inaugural chairman for two years;

The 16 NRL clubs will have an equal share in all profits after grants are paid to the respective leagues to look after the grass roots, and;

Two new clubs will be added by 2013 to increase bargaining power when the commission negotiates the next television deal.

The key to any agreement has been the future of the Melbourne Storm and the reluctance of the Queensland Rugby League and the NSW Rugby League to come on board.

The Melbourne Storm sale

CEO Brian Waldron has been told by News Ltd to pull together a consortium to buy the club. He has approached several investors in recent weeks and it is believed he already has Gerry Ryan, the founder and managing director of Jayco Caravans, on board.

Former Super League boss and former Melbourne CEO John Ribot is also believed to be part of the consortium. However, the Storm have been told to keep his name away from the media because he is still regarded as damaged goods from the Super League war.

Waldron's problem is finding investors prepared to put around $25 million into a business that has been losing around $6 million a year. To make the sale viable, News Ltd will use an exit payment of up to $20 million which it will then drip-feed back into the club and the new owners.

Melbourne Storm's future must be secured because senior officials know the value the club provides in television negotiations in a national competition.

The NSWRL and QRL dilemma

The key negotiators are still waiting for final sign-off from the state bodies but are confident of getting their support, even if it means using fear tactics.The NSWRL and QRL will be told that the clubs are so determined to have the independent commission that they are prepared to go it alone if no agreement is reached.

"The clubs would quit the NSWRL," an insider told us. "It's as simple as that. They would form their own body and work under the new commission."

Who will own the game?

The 16 clubs will hold an equal share. Currently, all profits from the NRL are divided between the Australian Rugby League and News Ltd. News Ltd spends its share on bank-rolling the Storm - the Australian Rugby League uses its money to run the game and develop it at the grass-roots level.

The new independent commission will be set up as a non-profit trust with each of the 16 clubs getting an equal share after grants to the NSWRL, QRL and CRL.

Who will be on the commission and what role will they play in running the game?

Earlier plans to appoint former Prime Minister John Howard as inaugural chairman have been abandoned. Instead, Australian Rugby League supremo Colin Love will get the job for the first two years.Love's appointment does not have overwhelming support from News Ltd or from the clubs.

However, significant concessions are being made on both sides to get the deal over the line before the start of next year's premiership.

The Sunday Telegraph understands three of Australia's top business leaders - Katie Page, Gary Pemberton and Geoff Dixon - have agreed to sit on the commission.Others, including the likes of banking heavyweight Mark Bouris, will be approached to form an eight-man board.

What does this mean for David Gallop?

Senior officials have told Gallop he will remain as chief executive and will be offered a contract for between three and five years.Instead of reporting to two NRL boards, as he does under the current administration, he will report to the commissioners and be responsible for the day-to-day running of the game.

What are the key areas for the new commission?

A new television deal and the expansion of the game will be top priorities. The current deal with Channel Nine and Fox Sports expires at the end of 2012 and many believe the last contract was undersold. The AFL has already started negotiations with all free-to-air networks and rugby league will be left behind unless talks get underway soon for the next deal.

Channel Seven boss David Leckie has confirmed his network will be challenging Channel Nine for the rights but is waiting for News Ltd's exit before he enters into serious discussions. Two new clubs - possibly from the Central Coast and a second team in Brisbane - will be added to the premiership by 2013. This will provide an extra game and extra television programming.

The rights could be divided among two free-to-air networks and Fox Sports to maximise revenue, like Ten and Seven sharing AFL broadcasts. State of Origin and representative football will be sold separately. The new deal could be worth as much as $1 billion.

How the commission deal was done

Roosters supremo Nick Politis and Gold Coast managing director Michael Searle have been the key players - Searle in a very public way, Politis on the quiet, regularly meeting with News Ltd executives over the past 12 months.

Significant progress was made at a meeting last week between Politis, Searle and New Ltd's chief operating officer Peter Macourt about the major hurdle - the future of the Melbourne Storm. News Ltd wanted a guarantee that the Storm would continue to get funding from the game for three more years until they are established in their new stadium in Melbourne.

"The clubs wouldn't wear that," one insider told us. "Why should the commission be handing out $6 million a year to Melbourne when clubs like Cronulla are struggling to stay afloat? It gives them an unfair advantage over everyone else."

News Ltd wanted Melbourne's future assured because of the value they bring in television negotiations - for which the company will hold first and last rights - by ensuring it is a national competition. Instead of the Storm getting $6 million a year from the commission, News is likely to get a severance payment of around $18 million when it exits the game.

That money will be drip-fed into the Storm over the next three years to make the sale more attractive to prospective investors.

Is the future of all clubs assured or will there be mergers?

Financially struggling clubs like the Cronulla Sharks and the Newcastle Knights will have far greater hope of survival under the commission. At the moment, the NRL has no money in the bank to prop up a club that goes broke. Even if a club decides to relocate to the Central Coast, the original $10 million relocation offer is not available anymore because the cash just isn't there.

The commission will be looking to bank money each year to set up a war chest to fight the AFL in Sydney's west and on the Gold Coast.

"All clubs will be equal shareholders and it will be in all their interests to ensure no one folds," one senior official said. "One less team would mean one less game, which would seriously affect their income from TV rights. The struggling clubs will be far more secure under the new administration."

Will the commission be genuinely independent?

News Ltd will have no representatives on the board. The Australian Rugby league will have only one - Colin Love.

Nick Politis is one of the most powerful and influential figures in the history of the game and has been the key player, along with Searle, in all talks and private dealings to set up the commission.

But he has told those closest to him that once the commission is set up, he feels that, at 67, he is ready for a backseat role and will concentrate solely on his job at the Roosters.

What happens to the ARL, NSWRL, QRL and CRL?

The new independent body will be called the Australian Rugby League Commission, but the competition will still be called the Telstra NRL premiership. The NSWRL and Queensland Rugby League will come under the umbrella of the commission but will still oversee their state competitions and run the State of Origin series.

All revenue will go to the commission, which in turn will provide grants to the respective leagues. The CRL will continue to run bush football, while the independent commission will oversee all international football.

[yob]

So what happens to the Storm in 3 years?

[keithroosters]

i think if a private consortium isnt found by then the independent commision will have to start funding it the same while its funded now, whilst still on the lookout for a buyer. either way, its highly unlikely the storm will be allowed to collapse. i think a private consortium could be found anyway. steve mortimer wanted the victorian goverment to purchase the club. i dont think that would happen due to voter backlash. i wouldnt vote for my govt if they bought the swans and funded them.

one of the points in the article is the addition of two new team. i really hope both of them arent from nsw/qld. perth is primed for one. ive said all along wellington would be my pick. once again heres the fb group http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=lo ... 5678128000

the article also says the NRL could go close to the $1billion tv deal mark. this would obviosuly be because channel 7 will be pushing up the bid. the best result would be a three way deal between 7, 9 and fox. the fact that the game has even a hope of reacing the goldne $1billion mark is quite remarkable considering theres only one team (in aus) outside nsw and qld in the comp. the old arguements of most of the population being on the eastern seaboard and rugby league being a game prime for tv come into the fold. splitting state of origin/test football appart from the NRL is a long overdue move. throw in the $10m or so from nz and i can see why phil rothfield thinks a $1b deal is possible

[broncos]

one of the points in the article is the addition of two new team. i really hope both of them arent from nsw/qld. perth is primed for one. ive said all along wellington would be my pick. once again heres the fb group http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=lo ... 5678128000

The Courier Mail version of the article suggests that a 4th Qld team is guaranteed, most likely being based in Ipswich/Logan. This is despite the fact that no formal bid has been made.

I actually wouldn't mind seeing Perth being the other new team but I'm not really sure on Wellington, it is a pretty small market after all.

[keithroosters]

the general consensus is that people would like to see at least one of those two teams come from a non traditional area. central coast have all but been assured the first spot. they have a head office , $3m from mortgage house , a coach , a captain , a CEO , a stadium, merchandice..... the second frontrunner would be that 4th qld team u talk about "broncos".

as for the wellington bid, i can hope! if im honoust i dont think it would happen yet. rugby league is booming in NZ though. however thats mostly in Auckland. the warriors started last season as the most watched sports team in Auckland (outrating the blues S14). this is a huge thing. most of the season their crowd average was stuck just under 20k until poor form saw that slip. however, the team will be called the "southern orcas" which means games will be centred around wellington yes , but only 8 games (wespac stadium have said they cant host a full season of NRL due to other tennant commitments) which means games would be played in Chrischurch aswell with maybe one game in Dunedin. I know jeffles for one would have the team strickly "wellington". The picture will become much clearer once next years four nations is complete, with games played throught NZ. the highlight being a double header at Eden park to open the tournament

[jacobhalls]

Great article for the new committee of the NRL and the ousting of News Ltd.
Central Coast Bears have to be the first team given a club in the NRL. Already 11,000 members on this site http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7 ... are&v=info supporting the Central Coast bid.

they have a head office , $3m from mortgage house , a coach , a captain , a CEO , a stadium, merchandice

Exactly, they have great backing & the area deserves a team. The second franchise is going to be very hotly contested. The Rockhampton bid, an untapped market for the NRL, a side in Ipswich/Logan, Perth & Wellington/Southern Orcas are all good cases for a NRL side, although Ipswich has no 'bid' at the moment. However, I much prefer a Perth or Southern Orcas bid over another QLD side. Perth showed their support for NRL when 15,000 turned up to a Souths-Storm match this season & NZ league is thriving at the moment. Even though Im a Queenslander, I say no against another QLD team in 2013 (if they only give to licenses).

[Egan]

Apparently there is no money around for a League team from Wellington atm.

Perth is the logical place for expansion, the biggest population centre not currently being serviced by a league team.

[yob]

Put both of the new sides in Queensland. If they're as short on cash as the article says the last thing they need is to diversify in to more risk.

[Jeffles]

So what happens to the Storm in 3 years?

Same thing that happens to the Demons/Bulldogs/Kangaroos.

News Ltd exiting RL would be great but the new model has some flaws.

When Phil Gould and others in the commentariat say it we need to get rid of the NSWRL, QRL, CRL, ARL etc like the AFL has done, they forget that the AFL has devolved powers to regional bodies. The problem with RL isn't that there are too many boards, rather that the relationship between them is poor.

I don't like the new body being owned by clubs. At AFL level it has reduced represntative football to being an afterthought. That won't happen in RL with SOO but I fear for international football.

The SMH says the ARL's upcoming AGM may be its last if the commission is created. Well it's bit bit cute that the ARL will be replaced by a commission that is 1/16th owned by and Auckland based consortium. At least Mebourne gets a gig. Under the current ARL Constitution not one board member comes from outside NSW and Qld.

I think clubs are too self intereted to own the game. There are a lot of RL stakeholders outside the NRL and their interests need to be protected. The best way would be to give them a run somewhere.

[keithroosters]

Apparently there is no money around for a League team from Wellington atm.

Perth is the logical place for expansion, the biggest population centre not currently being serviced by a league team.

this is true. there was a bit of talk a while back but since then they've gone quiet. the NRL only accepts viable business offers. they do thinkgs entirely different to the AFL in terms of expansion. they wait for bids to come in rather than forcing a team on a market. luckily the NRL has quite a few interested parties. however if a list were to be compiled using the strength of bids/ potential bids it would probably look like this IMO:
1.cenrtral coast (by a country mile)
2.central qld
3.Ipswich/Logan
4. Perth
5. Wellington
6.PNG (not due ot finances as they have the backing of an entires national government and 6 million people)

[keithroosters]

So what happens to the Storm in 3 years?

Same thing that happens to the Demons/Bulldogs/Kangaroos.

News Ltd exiting RL would be great but the new model has some flaws.

When Phil Gould and others in the commentariat say it we need to get rid of the NSWRL, QRL, CRL, ARL etc like the AFL has done, they forget that the AFL has devolved powers to regional bodies. The problem with RL isn't that there are too many boards, rather that the relationship between them is poor.

I don't like the new body being owned by clubs. At AFL level it has reduced represntative football to being an afterthought. That won't happen in RL with SOO but I fear for international football.

The SMH says the ARL's upcoming AGM may be its last if the commission is created. Well it's bit bit cute that the ARL will be replaced by a commission that is 1/16th owned by and Auckland based consortium. At least Mebourne gets a gig. Under the current ARL Constitution not one board member comes from outside NSW and Qld.

I think clubs are too self intereted to own the game. There are a lot of RL stakeholders outside the NRL and their interests need to be protected. The best way would be to give them a run somewhere.

there are definately some things that need ironing out i agree. slef interest is definition on the NRL! However I have a lot of respect for Michael Searle, more than any other person in the game TBH. Im sure he will make sure this works and the code can finally not just survive but prosper

[Jeffles]

More interesting things of late.

The Roosters are considering the name "Bondi Roosters" as an alternative to Sydney to get some place based identity. Funny that they, Balmain and Canterbury went all "Sydney" on us to broaden their appeal but changed back (or want to) to try and get some tribalism about the place. I could have told them that. Everton is a tiny pimple in Liverpool but half the city follows them because of tribalism.

What about Eastern Suburbs instead of Bondi?

And another thing, Graham Lowe, 61 is to become CEO of Manly. The career coach who is beset with health problems is so sad at seeing the place go down the toilet that he's up sticks from lovely Auckland to go to Manly and run the show. Poor move for Graham and Manly IMO. Her'd be a good chairman but a CEO has a day to day job to do and I think he may be out of his depth.

That said, Lowe is famous for one of the greatest quotes of all time. I mentioned it here before as it was on the southern fence of the Eden Puke construction site.

"I'm 49, I've had a brain haemorrhage and a triple bypass and I could still go out and play a reasonable game of rugby union. But I wouldn't last 30 seconds in rugby league." - Graham Lowe (1995)

[keithroosters]

ha! that is a good quote.
the in the tele today;
what name should be given to the roosters:
-sydney roosters
-eastern suburbs roosters
-bondi roosters

I wouldnt mind sondi or eastern suburbs. anything's better than "sydney". it doesnt wok for the "melbourne deamons" either.

[keithroosters]

Kumuls' make a play for NRL

FORGET Central Coast, Brisbane and outback Queensland - the next franchise to enter the NRL competition should be based in Papua New Guinea.

That is the passionate plea from the PNG Government, which has written a detailed letter to NRL chief executive David Gallop explaining why Port Moresby would be the perfect setting for a new rugby league team.

PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare has also pledged $10 million to help build a new stadium in Port Moresby and a further $250,000 to assist the PNG bid team, headed by Gold Coast chairman and veteran league official Paul Broughton.

Already the bid team has secured long-term sponsorship as it battles against Central Coast, Central Queensland and a second Brisbane side to be the NRL's newest clubs, possibly in 2013.

"I appreciate there will be many challenging and difficult tasks ahead, however, I want to assure you and members of the bid team that I and my Government are firmly behind this private sector initiative" Sir Michael wrote in a letter to Broughton

"My Government has already committed K500,000 [PNG currency kina, about $250,000] to assist the bid team including a further K20 million [$10 million] in 2009 for funding development of an appropriate stadium and other rugby league programs and activities.

"No sport except the South Pacific Games in the past has been the recipient of such magnitude of support from PNG Governments. I know the whole nation will be behind the PNG Bid Team's endeavours and I am confident the bid team will succeed."

The PM then added: "I feel I am setting PNG on a major historical path, paving the way for rugby league having a significant input into the social and economic lives of our people and nation in the future."

Broughton, a former ARL official and ex-Balmain coach, has been named the bid team's strategic adviser and has spent countless hours improving and assisting the bid over the past nine months.

PNG Minister for Sport Philemon Embel wrote to Gallop saying: "The passion of six million PNG people for rugby league is undisputed. Unlike the Australian-based possible expansion teams, a PNG team will increase revenue to the clubs.

"The New Zealand Warriors increase revenue to the NRL by at least $10 million a year. PNG would do the same."

The NRL continues to seeking expansion but PNG may be forced to wait several more years before being considered for inclusion. "I admire their enthusiasm," Gallop said. "The interest in the game is almost unprecedented in PNG.

"We have no short-term plan to expand the competition and clearly they have a fair bit of work to do before they would be considered. But with the level of Government support they have, we will continue to monitor their position closely."

The PNG bid claims rugby league is a truly national sport with 150,000 registered players.

[Jeffles]

They won't get in. The richest 10% of PNG people have on average a quarter of the GDP of NZ. Somare is an idiot who should concentrate on trying to get a proportion of his people to stop living in their own filth.