NSW Country Cockatoos emerge as surprise bidders for new Super team

[travelling_gerry]

By Bret Harris
July 21, 2009 NSW Country Cockatoos, the "sleeping giant" of Australian rugby, have emerged as surprise bidders for the licence for the new team in the expanded Super 15 competition from 2011.

Melbourne is regarded as the favourite location for the new team, with Gold Coast and western Sydney also in the running.

But the NSW Country Rugby Union has lodged an expression of interest to base a Super rugby team at Bluetongue Stadium on the Central Coast.

Millionaire businessman John Singleton is believed to be interested in backing the Central Coast bid if it has a genuine chance of success.

"We've done a bit of homework and we qualify as well as anyone," NSWCRU president Bruce Worboys said.

"In Super rugby you have to have a minimum crowd of 15,000 at every home game or you will struggle.

"We will base the team at Bluetongue Stadium which has nice facilities. We would also take games to Newcastle and Wollongong.

"The population base of the Central Coast is 300,000 and growing, but NSW Country has a 2.5m population base."

Worboys said the NSWCRU was the biggest union in Australia with 121 senior clubs and 80 junior clubs spread across the state.

NSW Country has produced a host of Wallabies, including current players Adam Ashley-Cooper, Luke Burgess, Matt Hodgson and Josh Valentine.

The NSWRU supports the Cockatoos' bid, but the ARU is looking to introduce a new private ownership model for the expansion team.

This was why a consortium on the Gold Coast was initially the favourite, but now a privately backed group in Melbourne - in opposition to the Victorian Rugby Union - is seen as the front-runner.

But Worboys was confident the NSWCRU would be able to meet this requirement.
Asked whether Singleton would be involved in the bid, Worboys said: "Potentially, yes.

"He hasn't been involved at this stage, but if we are in with a real chance, we'll say to him we are up against mobs in Melbourne, Gold Coast and western Sydney. Do you want to be involved?"

The NSWCRU bid would need strong financial support as SANZAR has asked the bidders to show they could meet the operating costs of running a franchise of between $8m and $12m.

The seating capacity at Bluetongue Stadium would also need to be increased from 20,000 to meet the minimum requirement of 25,000.

The deadline for expressions of interest is Wednesday and SANZAR will select the preferred applicants by August 9. Full submissions will be made by September 18 and a decision on the location of the new team is expected before October 31.

SANZAR has decided to restructure the Super 15 competition into three geographical conferences in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to increase the number of local derbies.

While the new team will play in the Australian conference, it does not have to be located in Australia.

The Southern Kings from the Eastern Cape in South Africa are expected to make a bid for the licence.

But SANZAR has indicated it will strongly consider the geographical location and time zone of the new team in relation to Australia, which means the team will almost certainly be based here.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...002381,00.html

[beige]

Huh, how about that - I remember tossing this idea around with a friend a few months ago but there hadn’t even been a suggestion of this happening at the time so we just notched it down to “talking crap again” and forgot about it.

I still heavily support Melbourne for the 15th franchise but I thought the Cockatoos had more merit than West Sydney or the Gold Coast. They have the name and tradition, they could play in a big centre like Gosford, Newcastle or Wollongong, and they could recruit directly from the Sydney competition (or elsewhere) just like any other franchise. Assuming anyone would front up the cash of course…

[Darren]

The seating capacity at Bluetongue Stadium would also need to be increased from 20,000 to meet the minimum requirement of 25,000.

Where does this leave us for 2010? Or is this a new requirement?

[jargan83]

Where does this leave us for 2010? Or is this a new requirement?

new requirement as far as I know, it is a minimum requirement for a new Super franchise apparently

[shasta]

Bluetongue is a good venue. But they would need to be able to draw their crowd principally from the Central Coast and to a lesser extent the Hunter. Mungo Country. The rest of the 2.5 million quoted are either in the Brumbies area or would find it difficult to get to Gosford.

[jargan83]

Bluetongue is a good venue. But they would need to be able to draw their crowd principally from the Central Coast and to a lesser extent the Hunter. Mungo Country. The rest of the 2.5 million quoted are either in the Brumbies area or would find it difficult to get to Gosford.

You would think anyone in the Brumbies catchment area (wheres that map that troll man puts up with most of his posts) would not be a member of NSW Country Union but the ACT Union?? (that was more of a question then a statement)

[tic]

This smokey could just get up. John Singleton is the key. If he is on board, the money is there as well. I think that this would be the most attractive and logical place for a 5th Aussie team.

[travelling_gerry]

And hes a mate of John O'Neill.

[Working Class]

Guys, the majority of that 2.5 million still fall under the banner of NSW Country. Both the Hunter ( Newcastle) and Illawarra ( Wollongong) both have over 500,000 people living there. With other regions like the Northern Rivers the are anyway upto 200,000. All three regions I have mentioned have strong club structures with high participation rates.

[AndyS]

That it is even an option surely just highlights that the Waratahs are anything but representative of NSW. I would have thought that the ARU would be better served by telling the NSWRU to get their act together, rather than awarding a second team and splitting the state. I would hate to see a Rugby version of the Eagles & Dockers created...

[Working Class]

Andy

Why? It would be a good thing in my mind. Both in Rugby and League there has alsways been the city vs Country concept and this would only go to enhancing that. It would a true local derby. NSW vs NSW Country. Rugby in Australia at least doesn't really have any at the Professional level, yes it has rivalries like NSW vs QLD but ni true local derbies.

[beige]

Would be a hell of a derby with the Cockatoos reinventing themselves as a fully professional franchise on par with the Waratahs. And it would take an old rivalry to a whole other level.

Makes more sense than "NSW vs West Sydney" anyway...

[AndyS]

So let me get this straight then - there would be the "city" team administered by the NSWRU, who are currently responsible for all amateur teams in NSW. The "country" team on the other hand will be administered by some private entity and the ARU directly, who would however still directly influence the contractual status of all players in all teams.

So would the new team then become the NSWCRU, administering amateur rugby outside Sydney? If so, I presume ARU funding to the NSWRU would be significantly impacted. If not, what would be the significance of the "country" label when the money generated wouldn't wind up back in the country clubs? Would they be giving the money to the NSWRU to use?

For mine, the whole thing would be a disaster waiting to happen...two spoilt kids, both competing for parental attention and largesse, endlessly squabbling over who got what and constantly bitching about real or imagined favouritism.

[beige]

So would the new team then become the NSWCRU, administering amateur rugby outside Sydney?

You mean these guys? http://www.nswcountry.rugbynet.com.au/

[GIGS20]

For mine, the whole thing would be a disaster waiting to happen...two spoilt kids, both competing for parental attention and largesse, endlessly squabbling over who got what and constantly bitching about real or imagined favouritism.

Not to put a harpoon in your well crafted argument Andy, but isn't that what would happen if Western Sydney, or Gold Coast get a gig?

Personally I think it would also happen if Melbourne got it.

Actually, it's a pretty good description of the way the provincial boards handle things right now. with the biggest two brothers picking on all the smaller ones.