Florimo Boots Up Again As Bears Plead For 16th NRL Spot To Stave Off Extinction
By BRAD WALTER
SYDNEY MORNING HEARLD - 7/8/2004

North Sydney will be lost if the Central Coast Bears aren't admitted to the NRL, but the Dolphins are circling, writes Brad Walter.

North Sydney officials have written to NRL chief executive David Gallop warning of the imminent death of the 1908 foundation club unless the John Singleton-backed Central Coast Bears are admitted as the competition's 16th team.

With the NRL partnership committee, comprising representatives from News Ltd and the ARL, due to decide the make up of the 2006 premiership on August 16, the pressure is intensifying from rival bid teams - the Central Coast, Gold Coast and Wellington.

The Gold Coast Dolphins consortium, which has $10 million in funding from undisclosed investors, this week advised the NRL of plans to relocate a Melbourne AFL club to the area, while a Gosford-based soccer team is proposed for the new national competition.

But aside from the threat posed by rival codes, Norths vice-president Mike Gibbons told Gallop in the letter of the likelihood that the Bears would no longer field teams in premier league or Jersey Flegg if the Central Coast was unsuccessful in gaining entry to the premiership.

"There are strong indications that our major funding source, the North Sydney Leagues Club, will not be in a position to adequately fund the North Sydney Football Club due to the debilitating effects of the poker machine tax," Gibbons said.

"Without direct links to the NRL, it is impossible for a representative football club like North Sydney to attract sponsors and raise funding sufficient to run adequate operations. The direct result will be the forced winding up of the North Sydney Football Club."

Gibbons and Norths general manager Greg Florimo also recently met ARL chairman Colin Love and chief executive Geoff Carr to inform them of the club's plight. Florimo, who played 285 matches for the Bears from 1986 to 1998, said the failure of Singleton's bid would be disastrous for the 1200 juniors playing in the North Sydney competition and 3200 on the Central Coast.

"Our Jersey Flegg team is on the cusp of the finals this season, but it's difficult without being able to provide a path to the NRL for our players, so we're very reliant on a positive outcome [from the partnership committee meeting]," Florimo said.

Gold Coast director Michael Searle expressed similar concerns for the code in the region from Ballina to Beenleigh, which boasts an estimated 8500 juniors.

While Singleton holds the rights to Central Coast Stadium in Gosford until 2014, and has guaranteed to underwrite all of the Bears' costs for at least that period, Searle said Gold Coast City Council was already in negotiations to hand over control of Carrara Stadium to AFL interests.

"There are a number of AFL clubs considering relocating here and the big difference between the two bids is that if we don't get in now, rugby league will be locked out of the Gold Coast," Searle said.

Should the Dolphins get the go-ahead, $44 million in government funding has been promised to increase covered seating and improve other facilities at Carrara, which has averaged attendances of 14,825 at NRL pre-season matches in the past three seasons.

Central Coast Stadium has drawn similar crowds to games there this season, and managed to reach capacity on several occasions when the failed Northern Eagles joint venture between Norths and Manly played there from 2000 to 2002.

Regional television broadcaster NBN has already agreed to sponsor the Central Coast Bears if they are admitted and with Singleton's advertising clients - including companies such as Qantas, Myer, Bunnings and Ford - other backers are unlikely to be an issue.

Gallop said the partnership committee would be given a comprehensive analysis of the bids when it meets but he could not guarantee that a decision would even be made on whether to expand the competition.

"It's hardly surprising at this point that the bid teams are playing their highest cards," Gallop said. "We've seen some alarming news regarding the Gold Coast and the threat from AFL earlier this week, and the possibility of North Sydney Football Club being unable to operate is obviously a major concern.

"We could not be treating this any more seriously than we are, and we hope that whatever decision is made, a club with the rich tradition of North Sydney will continue to be a part of our game."
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