Western Force has been synonymous with Rugby in Western Australia since 2005. I simply cannot believe that anyone would want to throw the brand away.
Western Force has been synonymous with Rugby in Western Australia since 2005. I simply cannot believe that anyone would want to throw the brand away.
I have a real problem.
OK I have lots of problems.
But on my left Shoulder Blade I have a tattoo of the Western Force logo. It has been there for 10 years. I am kind of attached to it.
Is it possible that I am in trouble with that RA mob?
Do I have to get rid of my Tattoo if we change the logo? Or the name?
The mind boggles.
So much negativity and self destruction going on lately. We bonded like super glue after what the ARU did to us and in a couple of day of pure BS we are assassinating each other.
Is it any wonder when we can't even agree on whether "Western Force" should be a thing? We're literally arguing over the one reason we're all here.
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
(Just as Rugby Australia will smell as a Turd)
It is only the team; the team's the thing...
I really dont give a shit about RA owning the IP.
The fact is we are allowed to use it.
Since 2006 the Western Force has been my team. I have cheered and cried for them.
I refuse to let some dicks in Sydney - no not me - prevent me from supporting my team.
Its the team I love, the logo I proudly have embedded in my skin and the name I recognise.
Its our 13 year history and I am not going to give up on it.
My Western Force
I dont wanna lose The Western Force, the logo, the colours, any of it.
It may only be 13 years... but thats only for now
Andrews stickers captured it perfectly I Am The Western Force (WA collectively)
This is my major concern of RA owning it, they're not exactly about the best interest to the game let alone to WA.
I would agree up to a point. So long as the contract allowing use has been very clearly read and understood for what it actually is, not what is hoped or optimistically believed. Specifically, that not only can the team use it, they can do so in perpetuity, without any get out clauses or triggers for renegotiation, no means of suddenly increasing any rent or lease cost, etc, etc. But I bet we don't have that, otherwise they might as well have just transferred it. But they've held onto it, so there either is, or RA believes there is, a good reason they want to retain ownership of the name.
After last year, that is enough for me. Use the name in the NRC if obliged to by the CBA, but if so my guess is that it will prove just another leash they have put on WA. I'd put money on it that come 2020, any ongoing involvement in thc NRC will be conditional on continuing to use the name. Ultimately, no-one would renovate or extend a place they are renting - all you are going to wind up with is eviction or higher rent. So why put money or worth into a brand you don't own? The IP was sold; either pay the price to get it back or move on. But you add value to it, even if it is only value to yourself, the price will only go up.
I understand the sentiment, but my observation is that there is nothing that would force RA to blink. They are in the position of owning a website someone wants...costs them nothing to own it, gets them nothing to give it away.
If we really want it for nothing, we will need to create a situation where they are forced to hand it over. One certain thing, saying they should isn't going to do it and the more value pumped into the brand, the bigger the stick (or sticker) will need to be.
RA put a bullet in the history.
It seems the most they're gonna allow is for the "Western Force" name to be on loan (e.g. for the NRC).
They're not going to just give it back as a token of good will, like it or not.
Hell, the RA would take away the IP of the remaining Supe teams as well if they could. Even that of the Tahs, who had to downsize their admin recently to stay free from the clutches of Brett Robinson's cronies.
If the name is only going to be used on loan for the NRC (as run by RA), well, it might be okay to go along with that shit sandwich.
The history at least survives in a token form.
Comparatively little should be invested from WA into the NRC. Just keep using it as a development comp while it lasts.
Not one red cent should be spent rebuilding the brand owned by RA, IMO.
The focus should be on the new Perth pro team they don't have claws in. If that name is the Perth Force, then all good.
I agree with most of the comments above. There is no point establishing a history, ethos, an identity and most importantly shared memories, all under the guise of the Western Force to then throw that out and re-brand with an entirely new name etc. Some tinkering around the edges is fine, but the roots now firmly established should not be ripped from the ground.
Great sporting clubs and their importance to the communities in which they are embedded, are built on tradition and the bonds established through sharing the highs and lows on and off the field, the victories and the defeats.
We are known as The Force, we play in Blue and Black and we carry the black swan logo over our hearts.