FNQ’S SUPER LEAGUE
Cowboys make play for Pride in Far North game-changer
THE North Queensland Cowboys are negotiating an “unprecedented” bid to take over the Northern Pride’s Queensland Rugby League licence.
It would pave the way for more financial security for the Cairns-based club and career pathways for players and staff as early as next year.
But Pride chairman Tony Williamson says the club’s branding, team colours and identity into the future are nonnegotiable.
THE North Queensland Cowboys are poised to stake their flag firmly in the Far North with an “unprecedented” bid to takeover the Northern Pride’s QRL licence in the works.
Club officials will meet in Cairns today with the Cowboys to prepare a feasibility study to present to their board in June after consulting with sponsors and community stakeholders.
A licence handover means the Cowboys could manage the Intrust Super Cup side next season, mirroring models adopted by several AFL teams, including last year’s premiers, the Richmond Tigers.
It is understood the NRL club has been in negotiations with the Pride since late last year after North Queensland officials returned from a factfinding mission in the US looking at professional baseball teams’ feeder-club set-ups.
Pride chairman Tony Williamson said a meeting with Cowboys football general manager Peter Parr in December proved to be the starting point for negotiations.
“We were discussing how, in the United States, the feeder clubs are almost always owned by the national team,” Williamson said.
“The LA Dodgers own three levels of feeder clubs below them. The whole pathway is clearly set out for administrators and players and everyone is an employee of the Dodgers.
“If this is adopted, I believe it will help make rugby league the powerhouse (sport) in Far North Queensland.”
But Mr Williamson said the licence would only be handed over under certain conditions with the club to retain its branding, team colours and identity into the future.
“We’ve got a great legacy already that we want to ensure carries on into the future,” he said. “One of the non-negotiables of any deal is that the Northern Pride name and identity isn’t lost. But this is about guaranteeing the future of the club. Our agenda is to make sure rugby league thrives.”
Mr Parr, who will be joined in Cairns today by the Cowboys human resources manager and chief commercial and financial officers, said while there were “no guarantees”, managing its QRL feeder club had merit.
“We’re excited by the idea,” Parr said.
“Obviously we wouldn’t have done all this if we weren’t.”
“From our point of view, the Pride board have asked us to assist them with establishing a best-practice model.
THE WHOLE PATHWAY IS CLEARLY SET OUT FOR ADMINISTRATORS AND PLAYERS... IF THIS IS ADOPTED, I BELIEVE IT WILL HELP MAKE RUGBY LEAGUE THE POWERHOUSE (SPORT) IN FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND NORTHERN PRIDE CHAIRMAN TONY WILLIAMSON ON THE BENEFITS OF ADOPTING AN AMERICAN-STYLE FEEDER CLUB SYSTEM
“We want to investigate how that looks. Now, it’s a matter of looking at ways we can use our expertise and resources.
“The Pride is really important to Cairns and to the Cowboys and it’s why we invest very heavily (in the club) from a financial point of view.
“We have to do a proper due diligence on all aspects and engage with all stakeholders … but we need to ensure that the Pride are sustainable long-term.”
Regardless of the outcome of today’s meetings, Mr Williamson said the Pride was committed to strengthening the club’s ties with the 2015 premiers.
“Four years ago when I joined the board the relationship between us and the Cowboys wasn’t as strong as it should be,” he said. “One of the
big things I’ve pushed for is to strengthen our relationship.
“The Cowboys have to go away after these meetings to make sure we’re the right fit for them and vice-versa.
“There’s no precedent for this. This is a journey no one else has taken from a rugby league standpoint. These are uncharted waters because there are no ISC teams that are fully affiliated with an NRL team at this stage.
“I would stress that at the end of the day we’ll do what’s best for rugby league.”
Queensland Rugby League operations manager David Maiden said any handover would have to be approved by its board. “We have participation agreements that each of our clubs sign and adherence to that is paramount,” he said.
“If there’s any licence handover, we’d have to know exactly what that entails.”
The Pride joined the state league competition in 2008, winning its first premiership in 2010, beating Norths Devils at Suncorp Stadium. The club had its most successful season in 2014, winning the Intrust Super Cup grand final before going on to be crowned NRL State Champions, defeating NSW Cup premiers Penrith Panthers at ANZ Stadium.