The NRL has begun definitive action to expand the league, with ARL Commission chairman Peter Beattie engaging broadcasters about adding an additional team.
Per The Courier-Mail, Beattie has opened discussions with Fox Sports and Channel 9 regarding an additional team when the NRLโs next TV deal begins in 2023.
Under Beattieโs proposed expansion, the leagueโs 17th team would be based in Brisbane, rather than the next-likely location of Perth.
โI am a strong supporter of expansion because I think the game has to expand,โ Beattie told The Courier-Mail.
โClearly Queensland needs another team, that is obvious.โ
After ongoing speculation, the discussions are the first decisive step towards expansion since Beattie claimed that the league must โexpand or dieโ.
The ARL Commission will have three and a half years to negotiate a deal with broadcasters, to ensure expansion by 2023.
โThe bottom line is Fox Sports and Nine arenโt running a charity,โ Beattie said.
โThey have to work out, how does extra teams bring in revenue and is it good for the broadcasters?
โNone of this is easy. We donโt have a solution yet, but Todd (Greenberg) is working on one.โ
Broncos will be livid that their monopoly is under threat.
So a city that has a team and a state that has several clearly needs another team and yet a city\state with zero teams has to wait……
I would have thought that putting a club in Perth would have made more financial sense
1. you are not diluting another club’s revenue stream
2. any gain in memberships/gates is a real gain
3. TV opportunities has to be greater
4. Sponsorship opportunities has to be greater
5. Against this is the opportunity to have a game in Brissy every week and the local derby aspects
Logic not quite right I think unless we don’t have the full story yet.
As if Broncos aren’t enough to hate, If Queensland needs another team I’d go with a sunshine coast(1) or rockhampton(2) both have stadiums already and both have airports. You only have to look over Sunshine coast stadiums attendance records to see it warrants a NRL side. A second Brisbane team is the worst idea I’ve ever heard.
IF, and it’s a HUGE IF, but if Beattie is talking to the networks about a 17 team comp now, then he needs to step down/step aside, because that just doesn’t make sense.
What’s the benefit of 17 teams, other than not needing the depletion of games through mid season “bye rounds”, as byes would be a regular weekly event, and to a much lesser extent, the popularity of the “new team” (mainly Qld TV audiences)?
If he believes the game needs to “expand or die” then surely it needs at least 2 new teams (adding a game a week), and attracting more and/or more passionate supporters.
A team in Perth (and for the record I live in Perth) won’t be easy/won’t be smooth sailing, but it’s definitely doable, and I think it’s a must, especially if the NRL needs to “expand or die”.
The logical 17th team would be the relocation of the Roosters to Perth.
Their current demographic is dominated overwhelmingly by South Sydney fans and members, they don’t have a junior development program and their membership numbers are embarrassing.
Relocate them to Perth und rename them the Perth Turkeys.
“The logical 17th team would be the relocation of the Roosters to Perth.”
Logical? I’m missing something.
1. Relocate the Roosters to Perth and name the The Perth Turkeys for reasons given above.
2. Introduce a new team to Brisbane which will make up the 17.
That means that there would be 16 teams. Don’t the Roosters have a higher crowd average than Souths (Woody would back me up – if he wasn’t dead). Also, don’t Souths play away from home at ANZ stadium. Souths should move, as there fan base is spread all around Australia, hence they are less likely to lose fans and will gain more by relocating at Perth. Souths also play games at Perth, so this makes more sense to relocate them
though to be fair i couldn’t care less who moves, because i think the nrl will be leaning towards expansion anyway
Beatie is just a useless talking head clueless politician. Get him out of our game otherwise it will “die”