when looking at expanding the game with new clubs the nrl is aware that to have a competitive team, a club needs around $2 million a year from outside sources on average

perth, wellington or png would all have at least these losses if not more

queensland teams will go closer to breaking even as their finances are generally better, especially if the club is in an area with a strong population

it seems clubs need at least crowds of 20,000 to break even under the current tv deal.

It still amazes me it costs $15-20mill to run a NRL club and only $5-8mill to run a SL club, with basically the same salary cap.

Or improve the attendances, sponsorship revenue and merchandising take? a better bet than having all your eggs in one basket TV which can be pretty fickle.

Actually it was decided that a new team not aligned with any of the factionalism in the CRL would have a better chance of success and garner support from the entire community rather than one (albeit wealthy) single club.

hopefully not, i expect my future home to have its own NRL franchise in the form of the central coast bears by 2013. but ill still be a roosters member when i arrive in July!

jb sees the CC bears as the enemy so ignore him

We'll see if Bears get the nod.

Shout when you get here in July.

www.theherald.com.au/news/local/ ... 79926.aspx Knights will play 3 games in Gosford this year. .

www.theherald.com.au/news/local/ ... 79926.aspx Knights will play 3 games in Gosford this year. .

did you read the article?

I am well aware of this, as we'll have to play them again, as last year they played their reserves in a local, lesser comp.

One thing you should be aware of is that that is an old article. There was a bit of a stink as the Central Coast's basketball side is called the Crusaders. You'd have thought the RL geniuses would have looked into in first before choosing that name. Subsequently, the RL side will not be called that but something else. It's name escapes me. But yes, the Knights have said they will play 3 "home" games there.

yeh they will be called to teh Centurions after backing down to Basketball.

It is clear that Newcastle are making a bid to entice Central Coast folk to join them, as they should being so close.

close huh?




close is Hull FC and Hull KR

they are playing 3 games there. but they are the "away" team for all 3. its souths, roosters and manly home games. all 12 of their home games are in newcastle

are the upgrades at EnergyAustralia finished yet? the knights only averaged 16000 last season, i know the upgrade was going on but there were still a lot of empty seats and that hit them hard financially

North Sydney is closer to Gosford than Newcastle is.

True (by a few kms) but irrelevant as there isn't an NRL team in Nth Sydney! (and were not talking about Newcastle fans going to Gosford, but the other way around)

Newcastle have a great plan, get 3 games in a ripe for the picking territory whilst not sacrificing any home games to disgruntle your Newcastle fans. It is a little over an hour from Gosford to Newcastle, if I lived there I'd be travelling it every other week to support a regular team.

If you lived in Gosford wouldn't you head to Sydney where there are a greater choice of teams? Just hypothesizing.

Just so you know as an aside North Sydney DRLFC goes all the way up to the hawkesbury, so our juniors in say Berowra are only 15 odd mins from Gosford.

not if a team was making an effort to link to my home town. Hence why I applaud the Knights for stepping in and filling the gap. They are forming strong links with the area and as such i would support that back by choosing them as my team.

so if the sharks did the same for perth you would then back the sharks then mate to be your local team?

Why do you think Newcastle have chosen to do that now?

Good question. Maybe they get the sense the bears thing isn't going to happen so they see the opportunity now and are ceasing it. Maybe they realise they need to grow their supporter base and there is a big area of RL fans 1hr away that is ripe for linking up with, maybe it is just coincidence? Who knows. What does really surprise me is that the bears didn't move their NSW cup team to Gosford when Melbourne announced they were leaving.



as hard as it would be to swallow, if the Sharks announced they were playing 3 games in Perth and running a NSW cup team out of Perth, yep I'd become a Sharks member.

Ask yourself why Newcastle didn't go in there before Melbourne did for their 2 years.

I suspect Newcastle did nothing until the threat of a team starting up in Gosford has been deemed to be real this time. Whether it be a start-up or a relocation.

maybe, which ever way it is a smart move by the Knights. I found this strange newsarticle from the northern CC as well the other day. Not sure what the link is with the Reds and the area but we are obviously casting our net far and wide for our new SG ball team! www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/st ... for-heads/

maybe, which ever way it is a smart move by the Knights. I found this strange newsarticle from the northern CC as well the other day. Not sure what the link is with the Reds and the area but we are obviously casting our net far and wide for our new SG ball team! www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/st ... for-heads/

Quote ="JB Down Under"maybe, which ever way it is a smart move by the Knights. I found this strange newsarticle from the northern CC as well the other day. Not sure what the link is with the Reds and the area but we are obviously casting our net far and wide for our new SG ball team! www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/st ... for-heads/'" Probably a local resident. YOu know what aussies are like. As long as theres a link, they'll build them up. Yes I look forward to Norths playing your SG Ball side this season.

Quote ="JB Down Under"maybe, which ever way it is a smart move by the Knights. I found this strange newsarticle from the northern CC as well the other day. Not sure what the link is with the Reds and the area but we are obviously casting our net far and wide for our new SG ball team! www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/st ... for-heads/'" Probably a local resident. YOu know what aussies are like. As long as theres a link, they'll build them up. Yes I look forward to Norths playing your SG Ball side this season.

I think were going to be in for a flogging, but from little acorns....

Actually I don't think we do play you as the draw is split and you don't get to play everyone in the 8 or 9 game regular season.