Bears will not be abandoned by the game | Thebigtip

In a wide ranging interview with Phil Rothfield in the Daily Telegraph on Saturday, David Gallop lamented the loss to the game of North Sydney Bears fans - "the game can't abandon its traditional market and old clubs such as the North Sydney Bears - or the proud and passionate fans who were lost to the game when they folded". Gallop continued on to say the health of Rugby League in Sydney was paramount to the future of the game and is a pre-condition to interstate expansion. Interestingly, he identified the number of teams in Sydney as a major strength of the game, not a weakness.

A lawyer by trade, Gallop chooses his words carefully....often to the intense frustration of those seeking an incling as to NRL plans! He would know the effect his words would have on fans of the Central Coast Bears, who have shown resilience beyond words to maintain the rage for 12 years. To give them false hope now would be beyond cruel - he has drawn a line in the sand from which there can be no retracing. I can see no other possible read on his comments other than that the Bears will be brought back either before or simultaneously with another franchise.

The reasons are many:

* reconnect with his estimate of 40,000+ fans lost to the game when the Bears were removed

* give the Central Coast (NSW's 3rd largest rugby league junior nursey) a long overdue team

* provide local NRL players access to schools which are currently more frequently visited by AFL or soccer players

*  assist local junior clubs through NRL clinics and game day access to increase junior participation numbers

* reward a franchise which has engaged the local community at grassroots level and, with minimal resources, achieved a financial membership base approaching 8,000 - more than some existing NRL teams!

* The multi-generational fanbase of the Bears combined with new fans on the Central Coast ensures a strong support network from day 1.

* A rock-solid financial model underpinned by diversified ownership including Bluetongue Stadium itself.

* sponsorship opportunities that need not impact on other NRL Clubs sponsorships

* provide an opportunity for residents of both Central Coast and northern Sydney to witness NRL at a local stadium with excellent heavy rail connections (current public transport timtables to existing Sydney NRL grounds from the Coast afford a 2hr travel timeframe - too much for families)

* provide sponsors access to the 700,000+ residents of the north shore, one of Australia's wealthiest and most appealing demographics.

* provide sponsors access to the 320,000 Central coast residents, mainly young families.

* provide a local NRL team for the third largest corporate catchment in Australia (north Sydney-Chatswood-North Ryde triangle), most of whose decision makers reside in an area with no NRL team. The region covers financial services and other long term stable growth industries, not subject to boom and bust patterns.

* increase the underwhelming viewing patterns on free-to-air and pay-TV of Rugby League in both northern Sydney and the Central Coast.

* assist Manly strengthen the game in northern Sydney by reigniting a healthy and highly marketable rivalry

* create a healthy regional rivalry between the Central Coast and Newcastle similar to that achieved in soccer between the Mariners and Jets

* heal the wounds of the Super League War to allow the game to grow organically

*show fans that the game has a soul and, like any successful corporation, embrace its history to create an inspiring culture

In almost every expansion poll undertaken in the last 4 years the Central Coast Bears have been overwhelmingly favoured by fans, with a surprising majority from Queensland, due to the linkages from the 80's and 90's. The Bears were many peoples 2nd team in that period, and TV ratings reflected that. The loss of the Bears saw three junior clubs fold in the district through Manly's inability to engage the community. There can be no greater signal that Rugby league is healthy, healed and on the cusp of national expansion than with the return of the Bears. Already one junior club has been regenerated by the Bears this year (Lane Cove Tigers) in anticipation of a positive license announcement. The game cannot move forward until this is achieved - for all concerned it needs to be sooner, rather than later.