Mike canon brookes. 30 BILLION

[The storm]

South sydney now have one of the richest men in the world as a part owner

He is worth between 26 to 37 billion dollars. 

 

[M j M]

When combined with Packer there can't be many sports clubs in the world with wealthier backers.

Whether you like what's changed or not it's a long way from George Piggins keeping it together with chook raffles.

[Dunbar]

Yes, but is he happy.

[Whippet13]

Is he going to rebuild Redfern Oval so the first team can move back there?

[M j M]

4 minutes ago, Whippet13 said:

Is he going to rebuild Redfern Oval so the first team can move back there?

They got turned down for planning permission for such a move didn't they, albeit some time ago.

[DavidM]

19 minutes ago, The storm said:

South sydney now have one of the richest men in the world as a part owner

He is worth between 26 to 37 billion dollars. 

 

I guess when you get to 26 billion you lose count … and run out of elastic bands 

[The Rocket]

Some brilliant headlines over here the last few days with loads of  Mitchell Pearce `is he/isn`t he` going to French Catalans adding a real international flavour to the coverage and today we`ve got one of the worlds wealthiest men buying into the comp. Great headlines like `League the plaything of the rich and famous`,` Massive vote of confidence in Rugby League` etc. etc.

One of the things I think is great about this is that this bloke is universally known amongst that increasingly hard to reach group the millennials, you see the Souths and the NRL know it by the photo in the NRL piece on his buy-in. Him being a part owner of Utah Jazz basketball team just adds to his cred. Great move Souths, great move NRL.

NRL 2021: South Sydney Rabbitohs, Mike Cannon-Brookes, Russell Crowe, James Packer, Atlassian co-founder buys stake - NRL

Follows on from a story in todays Australian about how the NRL were approached by an English billionaire about purchasing a piece of the action.

Atlassian founder Mike Cannon-Brookes; Souths; Rabbitohs; Mike Cannon-Brookes latest in a string of affluent and savvy businesspeople to dive into NRL (theaustralian.com.au)

NRL clubs firmly on the radar of billionaires

About eight months ago, ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys received a phone call out of the blue. It came from an agent claiming to represent an English businessman with billions to burn and appetite to spend it on an NRL team.

You want evidence that rugby league clubs are suddenly a prized commodity, look no further than the mystery Englishman who wanted a piece of the action.

Hot on the heels of South Sydney’s part-sale to Atlassian founder and one of Australia’s richest men Mike Cannon-Brookes, V’landys confirmed the overseas approach to News Corp on Monday as he discussed the growing clamour for a piece of the rugby league action.

“There are a lot of people on the sidelines that would invest in rugby league but there is no-one interested in selling,” V’landys said.

“I know there was an interest from a very large investor in England (eight or nine months ago) but nobody wanted to sell.

“He approached me through an agent but I know he was a billionaire. I told a couple of the clubs and none of them were interested. (Manly chair) Scott Penn said to me at the time, why would I want to see now when there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

“I didn’t even mention a price. It is exciting. I think the game has got itself in a position where it is going to get better and better and better.”

Rugby league clubs have entered a golden age. Two years ago, they had combined losses of more than $30 million. Last year they made a combined surplus and the expectation is that they will do the same this year.

I don`t care if it`s half bull-dust it just makes great reading and is a real positive for the game.

 

 

 

[Damien]

If you this English billionaire would buy into Super League and buy a Salford or London.

[Just Browny]

Are we sure it wasn't Koukash?

 

 

[Whippet13]

58 minutes ago, M j M said:

They got turned down for planning permission for such a move didn't they, albeit some time ago.

They did, by the local council, but a guy with 30 billion coming along might just change their minds. 

[Whippet13]

29 minutes ago, Damien said:

If you this English billionaire would buy into Super League and buy a Salford or London.

Maybe he's the mysterious £100m strategic investor.

[DoubleD]

1 hour ago, Dunbar said:

Yes, but is he happy.

If he's a rugby league fan, the answer would be no!

[The storm]

1 minute ago, Whippet13 said:

Maybe he's the mysterious £100m strategic investor.

The NRL is on its way to being a world class brand 

 

They need to drag us along with it 

[Whippet13]

1 minute ago, The storm said:

The NRL is on its way to being a world class brand 

 

They need to drag us along with it 

That's what I would like to know more about. Are they just fans or is there a vision wider than just Australia that these people are aware of and are trying to buy into? Is the talk of the NRL building their brand in the USA serious for example? I hope so.

[unapologetic pedant]

I saw some interviews with members of the crowd at the recent Queensland Pacific Island RL carnival. When asked which NRL club they supported, the most common response was - "Rabbitohs". There is something about the Souths brand and history that appeals across diverse demographics.

Looking back 20-25 years, most obvious lesson is that we shouldn`t let jumped-up corporate clots plan the future of the game by sticking pins in maps. They have no idea what attracts people to football clubs.

[Whippet13]

1 hour ago, unapologetic pedant said:

I saw some interviews with members of the crowd at the recent Queensland Pacific Island RL carnival. When asked which NRL club they supported, the most common response was - "Rabbitohs". There is something about the Souths brand and history that appeals across diverse demographics.

Looking back 20-25 years, most obvious lesson is that we shouldn`t let jumped-up corporate clots plan the future of the game by sticking pins in maps. They have no idea what attracts people to football clubs.

I think the NRL are better than they used to be in that regard. For example, the movement away from playing loads of regular league games at the Olympic Stadium and drive to re-build regional stadiums across Sydney for example looks a deliberate strategy to re-engage with local communities.

They do have a strong brand identity across the NRL as clubs are known by their nicknames rather than their geographical place names and its something that can have a wider appeal - hopefully they are going to exploit that more internationally.

[Dallas Mead]

Yeh but we’ve got Sun Decks and Billy’s chippy over here so sod ‘em!

 

Different sport over there isn’t it

[Chanter]

5 hours ago, Whippet13 said:

Maybe he's the mysterious £100m strategic investor.

Mr Virgin Atlantic himself? 

[Copa]

5 hours ago, Whippet13 said:

That's what I would like to know more about. Are they just fans or is there a vision wider than just Australia that these people are aware of and are trying to buy into? Is the talk of the NRL building their brand in the USA serious for example? I hope so.

The US thing seems to be serious. V’landys’ other hat is as the chief executive and a board member of Racing New South Wales. He does this and the NRL. He knows gambling.

Storm chairman and part owner, Matt Tripp, has made a fortune as an online gambling entrepreneur and will no doubt be providing advice too.

https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2021/10/13/59708-australian-rugby-league-moves-to-capitalize-on-us-sports-betting

 

[RayCee]

UK SL just can't seem to catch the eye of any billionaires with lazy money to throw at a sport. The value for relatively little outlay makes SL clubs a steal. I guess the sheer size of Soccer overshadows everything when the super rich are in the spending mood. The low profile of RL in the UK means it is doomed to fly below the radar for an investor. Good on Souths for their windfall. 

[doc]

When I win 100 mill from the lottery, I promise to lob the occasional £50 to Widnes for a slap up meal at Paul's Chippy.

[JohnM]

7 hours ago, unapologetic pedant said:

I saw some interviews with members of the crowd at the recent Queensland Pacific Island RL carnival. When asked which NRL club they supported, the most common response was - "Rabbitohs". There is something about the Souths brand and history that appeals across diverse demographics.

Looking back 20-25 years, most obvious lesson is that we shouldn`t let jumped-up corporate clots plan the future of the game by sticking pins in maps. They have no idea what attracts people to football clubs.

And the forum has?

[DC77]

1 hour ago, RayCee said:

UK SL just can't seem to catch the eye of any billionaires with lazy money to throw at a sport. The value for relatively little outlay makes SL clubs a steal. I guess the sheer size of Soccer overshadows everything when the super rich are in the spending mood. The low profile of RL in the UK means it is doomed to fly below the radar for an investor. Good on Souths for their windfall. 

“SL club’s a steal”. Don’t agree with that. A steal is a bargain. Throwing money away with no return is not a steal. The cost of owning a SL club might be low, but they make nothing back. Anyone looking to own one does it solely for the love of the game. David Hughes for instance, £20 million spent on London and the club are now semi pro. Koukash? His pockets are lighter. The bloke at Huddersfield bankrolling that club to a few thousand spectators rattling around a stadium. From a business point of view it’s madness as they not only make nothing, they don’t increase their brand as owners. 

What really attracts billionaire owners in football is it’s international profile. Having a domestic profile (however large) is nowhere near enough. Games screened in Dubai for example, a viewer there feels as though they have a stake in a club, and so anyone with money from there feels they are buying into something that’s relevant to Dubai. You see footage of bars there with people wearing different teams jerseys, celebrating/shouting just like anyone living locally to the club. That’s their team every bit as much as the locals. The Premier League might be English, just as the Beatles are English, as Shakespeare is English, but their audience extends far beyond the shores of England. It’s a global entity and the various nationalities of the owners reflect that.

 

 

[RayCee]

1 hour ago, DC77 said:

“SL club’s a steal”. Don’t agree with that. A steal is a bargain. Throwing money away with no return is not a steal. The cost of owning a SL club might be low, but they make nothing back. Anyone looking to own one does it solely for the love of the game. David Hughes for instance, £20 million spent on London and the club are now semi pro. Koukash? His pockets are lighter. The bloke at Huddersfield bankrolling that club to a few thousand spectators rattling around a stadium. From a business point of view it’s madness as they not only make nothing, they don’t increase their brand as owners. 

Do you have any idea what people like Abramovich not only pay to buy a team but what they often continue to plow into their soccer club? In that context, any RL team is a steal. It's a comment relative to what other sports cost. I don't believe you couldn't work that out. 

4 hours ago, RayCee said:

UK SL just can't seem to catch the eye of any billionaires with lazy money to throw at a sport. 

The comment of lazy money the throw at a sport should have alerted you to the context of a steal. 

DC77 Scorecard: Must try harder. 

 

[rlno1]

18 hours ago, unapologetic pedant said:

I saw some interviews with members of the crowd at the recent Queensland Pacific Island RL carnival. When asked which NRL club they supported, the most common response was - "Rabbitohs". There is something about the Souths brand and history that appeals across diverse demographics.

Looking back 20-25 years, most obvious lesson is that we shouldn`t let jumped-up corporate clots plan the future of the game by sticking pins in maps. They have no idea what attracts people to football clubs.

That's why we shouldn't have killed off Balmain they are just as popular as South Sydney.