midfielder
Well-Known Member
This is from the NRL pages and shows what I have been saying for a while about the NRL wanting a better relationship with football.
It is very telling especially in the AFL / NRL battle of the codes,
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23214,00.html
AFL falls behind on the Gold Coast
By Stuart Honeysett
June 07, 2008 FAR from feeling threatened by having an A-League team on the Gold Coast, Titans managing director Michael Searle believes it could be a fatal blow to the AFL's hopes of establishing a club on the tourist strip.
The prediction came after Football Federation Australia this week all but rubber-stamped the addition of a Gold Coast club for the 2009-2010 season.
With the Titans already well entrenched and supported in the area, Searle believes the AFL may leave its run too late when it arrives in 2011.
"I think what it does is put incredible pressure on the AFL," Searle said of FFA's plans to back a Gold Coast proposal from millionaire property and mining magnate Clive Palmer.
"This manoeuvre would be giving the AFL second thoughts about coming into this market.
"There's a finite amount of revenue here as far as sponsorship and hospitality goes and soccer's clearly got a jump on AFL now in the market."
There has been no love lost between the NRL and AFL as they battle for control of south-east Queensland.
The pair went to war early in 2006 with a dispute over Carrara Stadium. The NRL accused the AFL of running interference on the ground's configuration. In 2007 the AFL scheduled a maximum of 10 games for the Kangaroos over three years while the Titans played their inaugural season at Carrara.
Since then the AFL has committed to establishing a team in the area in 2011 and it wasreported the league will use big salaries to lure untried teenagers from other codes.
While the AFL also has plans to establish a club in western Sydney in 2012, Searle said the real battle will be fought on his doorstep.
"Clearly they've shown their hand in regards to scheduling, they've shown their hand on a number of issues of running interference in our inaugural year," Searle said.
"This is going to be a long, drawn-out battle. I'm still not convinced the war of the codes is going to be based in western Sydney, I still think the battle is for southeast Queensland.
"They've clearly drawn a line. They're going to put $30million into development in this area. We put $600,000 a year.
"We need to be strong and we won't rest until we're as strong as we possibly can be."
Searle decided against biting back at some comments from Palmer, who claimed his A-League club would be more successful than the Titans.
Given Palmer's club wants to play at the Queensland Government-owned Skilled Park, of which the Titans are the main tenant, Searle said he was hopeful the pair could work together.
"To me, soccer feeds off our legacy, which is a brilliant stadium," Searle said.
"I would hope that we would be able to work closely with the soccer franchise in whatever capacity. I'm not sure what sort of relationship we'd have with them, but I would think it would be one we'd work in collaboration together."
The NRL and the A-League have shown they can work in unison with the Newcastle Knights enjoying a close relationship with the Jets.
Knights chief executive Steve Burraston is known to catch up regularly with Jets chief executive John Tsatsimas and chairman Con Constantine while the players have shared training sessions.
The NSW Government owns EnergyAustralia Stadium but leases it to the Knights and they in turn sub-lease it to the Jets.
"We don't see them as a competitor," Burraston said.
"It's a summer sport against a winter sport, it's a different demographic. We attract different audiences and we more than likely attract different sponsorship and corporate supporters as well. I'm quite happy to co-exist with them and we have a pretty cosy relationship."
NRL chief executive David Gallop remains confident in his own product.
"We realise soccer or football is the major international game but we back our game and the people of the Gold Coast to remain loyal to the Titans," Gallop said.
"We were under pressure to put a team at the Gold Coast but waited until the infrastructure was in place and the work had been put into community involvement. On any measure they've been an outstanding success and the other codes must take them on to beat them."
It is very telling especially in the AFL / NRL battle of the codes,
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23214,00.html
AFL falls behind on the Gold Coast
By Stuart Honeysett
June 07, 2008 FAR from feeling threatened by having an A-League team on the Gold Coast, Titans managing director Michael Searle believes it could be a fatal blow to the AFL's hopes of establishing a club on the tourist strip.
The prediction came after Football Federation Australia this week all but rubber-stamped the addition of a Gold Coast club for the 2009-2010 season.
With the Titans already well entrenched and supported in the area, Searle believes the AFL may leave its run too late when it arrives in 2011.
"I think what it does is put incredible pressure on the AFL," Searle said of FFA's plans to back a Gold Coast proposal from millionaire property and mining magnate Clive Palmer.
"This manoeuvre would be giving the AFL second thoughts about coming into this market.
"There's a finite amount of revenue here as far as sponsorship and hospitality goes and soccer's clearly got a jump on AFL now in the market."
There has been no love lost between the NRL and AFL as they battle for control of south-east Queensland.
The pair went to war early in 2006 with a dispute over Carrara Stadium. The NRL accused the AFL of running interference on the ground's configuration. In 2007 the AFL scheduled a maximum of 10 games for the Kangaroos over three years while the Titans played their inaugural season at Carrara.
Since then the AFL has committed to establishing a team in the area in 2011 and it wasreported the league will use big salaries to lure untried teenagers from other codes.
While the AFL also has plans to establish a club in western Sydney in 2012, Searle said the real battle will be fought on his doorstep.
"Clearly they've shown their hand in regards to scheduling, they've shown their hand on a number of issues of running interference in our inaugural year," Searle said.
"This is going to be a long, drawn-out battle. I'm still not convinced the war of the codes is going to be based in western Sydney, I still think the battle is for southeast Queensland.
"They've clearly drawn a line. They're going to put $30million into development in this area. We put $600,000 a year.
"We need to be strong and we won't rest until we're as strong as we possibly can be."
Searle decided against biting back at some comments from Palmer, who claimed his A-League club would be more successful than the Titans.
Given Palmer's club wants to play at the Queensland Government-owned Skilled Park, of which the Titans are the main tenant, Searle said he was hopeful the pair could work together.
"To me, soccer feeds off our legacy, which is a brilliant stadium," Searle said.
"I would hope that we would be able to work closely with the soccer franchise in whatever capacity. I'm not sure what sort of relationship we'd have with them, but I would think it would be one we'd work in collaboration together."
The NRL and the A-League have shown they can work in unison with the Newcastle Knights enjoying a close relationship with the Jets.
Knights chief executive Steve Burraston is known to catch up regularly with Jets chief executive John Tsatsimas and chairman Con Constantine while the players have shared training sessions.
The NSW Government owns EnergyAustralia Stadium but leases it to the Knights and they in turn sub-lease it to the Jets.
"We don't see them as a competitor," Burraston said.
"It's a summer sport against a winter sport, it's a different demographic. We attract different audiences and we more than likely attract different sponsorship and corporate supporters as well. I'm quite happy to co-exist with them and we have a pretty cosy relationship."
NRL chief executive David Gallop remains confident in his own product.
"We realise soccer or football is the major international game but we back our game and the people of the Gold Coast to remain loyal to the Titans," Gallop said.
"We were under pressure to put a team at the Gold Coast but waited until the infrastructure was in place and the work had been put into community involvement. On any measure they've been an outstanding success and the other codes must take them on to beat them."
