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Coventry Bears rebrand


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4 hours ago, David Shepherd said:

I think Cornwall is probably the only place left in the country where this kind of regional branding would work.

 

That’ll never happen 😂😂😂

Apparently this site says I "won the day" here on 23rd Jan, 19th Jan, 9th Jan also 13th December, whatever any of that means. Anyway, 4 times in a few weeks? The forum must be going to the dogs - you people need to seriously up your game. Where's Dutoni when you need him?

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4 hours ago, Henson Park Old Firm said:

looks like this decade will be remembered as the decade of rebranding the way things are going... 

Decade? This Wednesday more like. Looking forward to seeing what happens on Thursday… maybe David Lloyd and Tim Wilby will be back to buy Rovers off Neil, and we can do that merger thing again 😂

Apparently this site says I "won the day" here on 23rd Jan, 19th Jan, 9th Jan also 13th December, whatever any of that means. Anyway, 4 times in a few weeks? The forum must be going to the dogs - you people need to seriously up your game. Where's Dutoni when you need him?

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I have to say I am baffled by this. In terms of regional identity and developing passions/loyalty or whatever you want to call it, Midlands is incredibly weak.

It's not like Yorkshire where people from Sheffield, Halifax and Harrogate are united by pride in their shared county. What's the old joke? 'How do you know someone is from Yorkshire? They'll tell you within two minutes of meeting them'. I don't think anyone from Derby will look at Coventry and see them as being fellow midlanders and brothers in arms. By its very nature the Midlands is a weak and poorly defined region. To people in the north it's just the South, to people in the South it's just the north. Whatever you think of Cornwall, it has a strong regional identity that people understand.

From the outside it seemed Coventry were a modest success for recent expansion and slowly growing but this just feels like 'last throw of the dice' and it's sad to see. 

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4 hours ago, northamptoncougar said:

I could be wrong but I’m pretty sure it’s some grumpy old bar stool from Barrow

I thought it was Dutoni 

Apparently this site says I "won the day" here on 23rd Jan, 19th Jan, 9th Jan also 13th December, whatever any of that means. Anyway, 4 times in a few weeks? The forum must be going to the dogs - you people need to seriously up your game. Where's Dutoni when you need him?

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1 hour ago, Bearman said:

Yes, there is a risk of disenfrechising the loyal fans. Unfortunately, after 5 years there are not enough  Coventrians coming through the gate.The demographics of our fans have shown that a lot of our supporters have come from the wider Midlands. After 5 years it  just wasn't working. We were faced with a situation of rising costs from our landlord, without the opportunity to make any income. That and the draconian cut in central funding meant we had to do SOMETHING.  

We knew this was on the cards a couple of years ago and we had been looking at our options. The local council has shown that they were powerless to help us ( Their ability to help the Sky Blues to find a stadium is proof of that). 

We knew that that SOMETHING would need to be radical. The name " Bears" has been overshadowed by the Warwickshire cricket team and believe it or not we still get confused with an American Football team that folded in the '90s.

Without giving anything away we have big plans for the very near future with on going discussions.  Suffice to say we hope to be able say more in 2022.

As stated above, despite the fact that the "Bears" brand has not worked in the professional arena it has a pretty good history as an amateur club. We want to keep that up and hopefully work with the amateur clubs in the Midlands and perhaps  try to reinvigorate the local scene.

 

As above, we are keen to keep the legacy of the Bears brand. 

I was shocked when we went to Toronto a few years ago that no one we met had a clue where Coventry even was! 100 miles from London worked as did

' near Birmingham". We think of Coventry as a big city, but in reality it isn't 

Again has stated above the " Bears" is now associated with the cricket. I know that the importance of the local press is waning but the headline "Bears + cricket" is now part of the  sporting pysche. 

Of course, we thought long on hard before coming up with Midlands Hurricanes and believe me there were pros and cons and a lot of agonising before the change.

We had to change , it had to be radical. Because after 5 years and faced with swingeing cuts and very little opportunities to grow we had to accept that it really was a case of adapt or fold.

 

  

I’m 100% behind this thinking. It’s always better to die standing on your feet, than live on your knees… give a new approach a shot, and you don’t die wondering. Good luck! 

Apparently this site says I "won the day" here on 23rd Jan, 19th Jan, 9th Jan also 13th December, whatever any of that means. Anyway, 4 times in a few weeks? The forum must be going to the dogs - you people need to seriously up your game. Where's Dutoni when you need him?

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1 hour ago, Bearman said:

Yes, there is a risk of disenfrechising the loyal fans. Unfortunately, after 5 years there are not enough  Coventrians coming through the gate.The demographics of our fans have shown that a lot of our supporters have come from the wider Midlands. After 5 years it  just wasn't working. We were faced with a situation of rising costs from our landlord, without the opportunity to make any income. That and the draconian cut in central funding meant we had to do SOMETHING.  

We knew this was on the cards a couple of years ago and we had been looking at our options. The local council has shown that they were powerless to help us ( Their ability to help the Sky Blues to find a stadium is proof of that). 

We knew that that SOMETHING would need to be radical. The name " Bears" has been overshadowed by the Warwickshire cricket team and believe it or not we still get confused with an American Football team that folded in the '90s.

Without giving anything away we have big plans for the very near future with on going discussions.  Suffice to say we hope to be able say more in 2022.

As stated above, despite the fact that the "Bears" brand has not worked in the professional arena it has a pretty good history as an amateur club. We want to keep that up and hopefully work with the amateur clubs in the Midlands and perhaps  try to reinvigorate the local scene.

 

As above, we are keen to keep the legacy of the Bears brand. 

I was shocked when we went to Toronto a few years ago that no one we met had a clue where Coventry even was! 100 miles from London worked as did

' near Birmingham". We think of Coventry as a big city, but in reality it isn't 

Again has stated above the " Bears" is now associated with the cricket. I know that the importance of the local press is waning but the headline "Bears + cricket" is now part of the  sporting pysche. 

Of course, we thought long on hard before coming up with Midlands Hurricanes and believe me there were pros and cons and a lot of agonising before the change.

We had to change , it had to be radical. Because after 5 years and faced with swingeing cuts and very little opportunities to grow we had to accept that it really was a case of adapt or fold.

 

  

Thank you for that. It seems to make a lot of sense now. All the best.

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Slightly sad to see this, but reading the reasoning and can see it wasn't a quick knee jerk decision.  

(slightly sad as Coventry were a team we played against that had 'made it')

(though we lost every game, so maybe not that sad)

With the best, thats a good bit of PR, though I would say the Bedford team, theres, like, you know, 13 blokes who can get together at the weekend to have a game together, which doesnt point to expansion of the game. Point, yeah go on!

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1 hour ago, Colin James said:

I have to say I am baffled by this. In terms of regional identity and developing passions/loyalty or whatever you want to call it, Midlands is incredibly weak.

It's not like Yorkshire where people from Sheffield, Halifax and Harrogate are united by pride in their shared county. What's the old joke? 'How do you know someone is from Yorkshire? They'll tell you within two minutes of meeting them'. I don't think anyone from Derby will look at Coventry and see them as being fellow midlanders and brothers in arms. By its very nature the Midlands is a weak and poorly defined region. To people in the north it's just the South, to people in the South it's just the north. Whatever you think of Cornwall, it has a strong regional identity that people understand.

From the outside it seemed Coventry were a modest success for recent expansion and slowly growing but this just feels like 'last throw of the dice' and it's sad to see. 

Respectfully I disagree, many people are proud to come from the Midlands. From a sponsorship point of view and commercially it makes loads of sense

In addition the academy and other teams will all fall under the midlands umbrella. It creates a clear structure and room for growth

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I live in border country - Yorkshire is 3 miles away so technically I'm in the North-East Midlands.

I was involved heavily in Midalnds RL when the RFL were backing it properly and people did get behind the Midlands league and rep teams. We ad a cool kit based on the old Midlands (Mercia) flag. We were probably 5 years short of really establishing something when the financial plug got pulled. Thankfully the Bears and to a  lesser but important extent the Outlaws are keeping the sport going.

This is not a decision taken lightly - I know the people at Coventry and I think this was their best, and maybe only, choice. Due to circumstances beyond their control the Bears were probably doomed so something had to be tried.

I'm going to support this venture whenever I can next season, even though it's 75 miles away.

"I am the avenging angel; I come with wings unfurled, I come with claws extended from halfway round the world. I am the God Almighty, I am the howling wind. I care not for your family; I care not for your kin. I come in search of terror, though terror is my own; I come in search of vengeance for crimes and crimes unknown. I care not for your children, I care not for your wives, I care not for your country, I care not for your lives." - (c) Jim Boyes - "The Avenging Angel"

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10 hours ago, Colin James said:

I have to say I am baffled by this. In terms of regional identity and developing passions/loyalty or whatever you want to call it, Midlands is incredibly weak.

It's not like Yorkshire where people from Sheffield, Halifax and Harrogate are united by pride in their shared county. What's the old joke? 'How do you know someone is from Yorkshire? They'll tell you within two minutes of meeting them'. I don't think anyone from Derby will look at Coventry and see them as being fellow midlanders and brothers in arms. By its very nature the Midlands is a weak and poorly defined region. To people in the north it's just the South, to people in the South it's just the north. Whatever you think of Cornwall, it has a strong regional identity that people understand.

From the outside it seemed Coventry were a modest success for recent expansion and slowly growing but this just feels like 'last throw of the dice' and it's sad to see. 

Is your opinion based on the name change only, or have you read about what they’re planning? 

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1 hour ago, Eddie said:

Is your opinion based on the name change only, or have you read about what they’re planning? 

I've read the article they published which didn't really say a lot and watched the video of air raid sirens and seen the logo.

Coventry is a clearer brand than Midlands. The Black Country is quite clear and strong. It has an identity. The Midlands is far too vague. Ricky Hatton didn't take tens of thousands of fans to Las Vegas by promoting himself as the North West's fighter, because it's a weak brand. Yeah it would have encompassed more people (which seems to be the logic they are using) but it wouldn't have built that fervent following. 

 

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1 hour ago, tim2 said:

I live in border country - Yorkshire is 3 miles away so technically I'm in the North-East Midlands.

I was involved heavily in Midalnds RL when the RFL were backing it properly and people did get behind the Midlands league and rep teams. We ad a cool kit based on the old Midlands (Mercia) flag. We were probably 5 years short of really establishing something when the financial plug got pulled. Thankfully the Bears and to a  lesser but important extent the Outlaws are keeping the sport going.

This is not a decision taken lightly - I know the people at Coventry and I think this was their best, and maybe only, choice. Due to circumstances beyond their control the Bears were probably doomed so something had to be tried.

I'm going to support this venture whenever I can next season, even though it's 75 miles away.

There’s plenty of other activity being undertaken in the East Midlands at junior level (and with Sherwood Wolf-hunts two senior teams) where there is a real desire to do more than simply keep rugby league going. 

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So they people involved at ground level say Coventry did not, is not and will not work and try to make positive changes.

So the forum largely thinks they should double down on Coventry anyway because without direct involvement they know best.

Summary of the last 3 pages?

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15 hours ago, RugbyLeagueGeek said:

Does this mean that the team is relocating then? One poster mentioned Birmingham earlier, but I wasn't sure if I'd misunderstood his post or not.

I'd guess it would be to a smaller town if the club are moving, as you'd want to call a Birmingham based club Birmingham.

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2 hours ago, Northern Eel said:

There’s plenty of other activity being undertaken in the East Midlands at junior level (and with Sherwood Wolf-hunts two senior teams) where there is a real desire to do more than simply keep rugby league going. 

The last two years really have been an exercise in survival for everyone. Outlaws were the most prominent name, in Yorkshire Premier last season and with their own ground, but others are obviously doing their bit too.

It's all so far behind where the Bears werem, and where the Hurricanes hope to be, that it will take a long time, or an unexpected benefactor, to get anyone else to that level.

"I am the avenging angel; I come with wings unfurled, I come with claws extended from halfway round the world. I am the God Almighty, I am the howling wind. I care not for your family; I care not for your kin. I come in search of terror, though terror is my own; I come in search of vengeance for crimes and crimes unknown. I care not for your children, I care not for your wives, I care not for your country, I care not for your lives." - (c) Jim Boyes - "The Avenging Angel"

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47 minutes ago, tim2 said:

The last two years really have been an exercise in survival for everyone. Outlaws were the most prominent name, in Yorkshire Premier last season and with their own ground, but others are obviously doing their bit too.

It's all so far behind where the Bears werem, and where the Hurricanes hope to be, that it will take a long time, or an unexpected benefactor, to get anyone else to that level.

With increased junior participation and game time for at least 3 East Midlands clubs this year, it’s not a fair assessment of fighting to survive, alongside the ongoing success of both of Sherwood’s senior teams… Some clubs have made hay whilst the sun shone, including, but not exclusively, the Cov community programme. Indeed, a March to October junior season has been possible in the East, rather than shorter programmes elsewhere. 

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2 minutes ago, yipyee said:

I thought mercia was more yorkshire and lancashire and didnt reach down to the midlands?

Off topic but very wrong I'm afraid. At one stage Mercia had two "capitals" one was Tamworth (I think) the other was Winchcombe, a small town a few miles north of Cheltenham...

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7 minutes ago, Styx said:

Off topic but very wrong I'm afraid. At one stage Mercia had two "capitals" one was Tamworth (I think) the other was Winchcombe, a small town a few miles north of Cheltenham...

Happy to be wrong, though wessex was bigger thats all, nothumbria went all the way to edinburgh but like you say its off topic 

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