The chairman behind the failed Western Bears bid has revealed the decision to not pay a multi-million dollar licence fee is why the ARLC has rejected his expansion plans.
Peter Cumins, the executive deputy chair of Cash Converters, and boss of the Western Bears bid, broke his silence to The Sydney Morning Herald, stating he’s “spent a lot of money for nothing”.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo informed Cumins about the rejection after ARLC chairman Peter V’landys was reportedly left stunned by no pledge of a licence fee.
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Speaking to The Herald, Cumins said his organisation’s bid was “excellent”.
“Disappointed would be an understatement, and we’ve spent a lot of money for nothing,” he said.
“The frustration from our point of view is there has never been a licence fee paid by any club in the NRL, including the Dolphins. The Dolphins have been going for 75 years with $100 million worth of real estate and they’ve got all the facilities they need.
“We’re a start-up in an AFL state, so our start-up costs are massive. There’s a $16 million burn before you even kick a football. We’re bringing new eyeballs to the game to help with negotiating broadcast rights, new sponsorship dollars because we’re not competing with east coast sponsors.
“None of it commercially made any sense [to offer a substantial licence fee], which is why we elected not to.”
The fall of the Western Bears won’t put an end to the resurgence of the North Sydney Bears though, with V’landys confirming he won’t ditch the Bears brand.
With the NRL and ARLC now in negotiations with the Western Australian government, it’s unlikely any team will be named the Western Bears or Perth Bears considering the trademarks have been taken.
Cumins meanwhile hasn’t given up hope of an 11th-hour backflip.
“We’re all rugby league people and this was never about millions of bucks,” he said.
“I’m still a rugby league diehard from Perth and Cash Converters has poured millions of dollars into the grassroots game over many years.
“I still want to see a Perth team. I want it to be successful. I’m not going to be an obstacle. We’re still there if they want us.”