THE Jets NRL bid has not given up hope of becoming the 20th team in an expanded competition, while adding both new fans to the game and thwarting the march of the AFL in Brisbane’s west.
The bid refers to itself as “the NRL’s newest, oldest team” in waiting, a reference to the partnership between the Ipswich-based Jets and foundation club Newtown Jets.
Formerly known as the Western Corridor and Brisbane Jets in previous iterations, the bid has been in existence since 2008 when former NRL boss David Gallop toured Ipswich and said the game must go “where the fish are biting”.
Despite PNG and Perth being front-runners to be the next two NRL teams, ARLC chairman Peter V’landys said recently that a fifth team based in Queensland’s southeast was still in play so long as it did not cannibalise fans from Brisbane, Gold Coast or the Dolphins.
Steve Johnson is chairman of the Jets NRL bid and at the helm of the Ipswich Jets, but has signed a non-disclosure agreement with the NRL while the bid process unfolds.
Ipswich City Council’s veteran councillor Paul Tully urged the NRL not to ignore the Jets bid amidst the surge in support for AFL premiers Brisbane Lions in the area.
“The western corridor between Ipswich and Toowoomba is the fastest growing area in Queensland and the AFL has already muscled in on the area with the stadium at Springfield which is the home base of the successful Brisbane Lions,” Tully said.
“The NRL needs to look very seriously at the western corridor because all the feedback I get is that local fans want a local NRL team. It is an untapped resource for the NRL and a phenomenal opportunity.
“The bid will add fans that don’t currently support the Broncos, not take them away. Ipswich and the region west to Toowoomba and beyond is very proud of the great players that have been produced there but they don’t have a local team to support.”
The Jets have received a $40 million commitment by three levels of government to upgrade North Ipswich Reserve and establish a centre of excellence.
The bid has an in-principle deal with Suncorp Stadium to initially play all home games at the venue, where they would wear the green and white strip of Ipswich.
The bid has multiple millionaire benefactors, including businessman and Newtown life member John Singleton, with funding not an issue as it was previously with the Brisbane Jets.
“The Ipswich City Council has supported an NRL team in the western corridor bid since its inception and we don’t want to be going another five or 10 years without any certainty about what is going to happen,” Tully said.
“The support for a local team is generational. We have a lot of young players in Goodna (in Ipswich) who are looking for a future in the game without having to leave their home area.”
