Good afternoon, and welcome.
Thank you for being here today.
It is fantastic to see so many people in the room who share something very simple, but very important = we believe Adelaide deserves to have a team in the National Rugby League once again.
Today isn’t about looking backwards with with rose coloured glasses.
It’s not simply about remembering what rugby league once meant to South Australia.
This afternoon is about asking what could be possible in the future.
And that’s why we’re here.
For many of us, league has been part of our lives for years. We have followed clubs, watched State of Origin, taken our kids to games, played the game, volunteered, coached, supported local clubs and travelled interstate to watch our teams.
But there is something missing.
South Australia is on of Australia’s major states, Adelaide is a growing capitol city, and yet we don’t have a team representing us in Australia’s premier rugby league competition.
And importantly the conversation needs to start now!
We know there will be people who say, “Adelaide has already had an NRL team an didn’t work.”
We understand that argument.
Bur Australia has changed.
Adelaide has changed.
The NRL has changed.
And the business of professional sport has changed. dramatically.
The Adelaide Rams were part of a very different competition, operating in different sporting and economic environments.
What happened in the 1990’s shouldn’t automatically determine what happens in the 2030’s.
The question shouldn’t be:
“Why did it fail last time?”
The question should be:
“What would it take to make it work next time?”
That’s the conversation we want to have:
And we’re not pretending that establishing an NRL team in Adelaide will be made easy, it won’t.
There are significant challenges – stadium, investment, pathways for players, grassroots participation, corporate support, media, broadcasting, competition for the sporting dollar and, ultimately, convincing the NRL that Adelaide represents a genuine expansion opportunity.
They are the reason to develop a credible plan.
And the is what this working party is about.
We aren’t here simply to say, “Give Adelaide a team”,
We want to build the evidence and the case for why Adelaide should have one.
We want to demonstrate the size of the market.
We want to understand the potential economic impact.
We want to demonstrate the benefits to South Australia businesses.
We want to create opportunities for young South Australia.
We want to loot at pathways from juniors and local clubs all the way through to elite football.
We want to explore opportunities for women and girls, schools, universities, community organisations and indigenous communities.
And we want to demonstrate that an Adelaide NRL club could be more than just a team that plays 12 or 13 home games a year.
It could become a community asset.
It could be a vehicle for participation, health and fitness.
it could create jobs.
It could attract interstate visitors.
It could provide opportunities for young people.
It could strengthen rugby league across South Australia.
And it could give South Australians another team they can proudly call their own.
But there is another important point today.
This isn’t about taking anything away from South Australia’s existing sports.
Adelaide is a great sporting city.
We have AFL.
We have cricket.
We have basketball.
We have netball.
We have motorsport.
We have fantastic local sporting organisation.
We don’t need to replace these sports.
We need to add to the sporting opportunities available to South Australians.
And there is enormous potential for rugby league to complement the sporting landscape rather than compete against it.
Imagine what it would mean for a child in South Australia to grow up being able to take say:
“I want to play for the Adelaide NRL team one day.”
Now, that dream requires them to look interstate.
We believe that dream should be able to exist right here in South Australia.
But for that to happen, this cannot be the work of one person.
it cannot be the work of a handful of passionate supporters.
And it certainly cannot be achieved by simply complaining that Adelaide has been overlooked.
It needs a movement.
It needs supporters.
It needs former players.
It needs grassroots clubs.
It needs coaches and administrators.
It needs business.
It needs community leaders.
It needs schools and universities.
It needs media.
It needs political leaders from across the political spectrum.
And ultimately, it needs the South Australian community to say:
“Yes – we want you”.
Today is therefore an information session, but it is the beginning of something.
We want to hear your ideas.
We want to hear your concerns.
We want hear want you think an Adelaide NRL team should look like.
We want to know what you believe the working should be doing.
And we want to find people who are prepared to roll up their sleeve and help make the case.
Because if we are serious about getting rugby league back into Adelaide, we need to move beyond a wanting a team.
We need to start building a case for one.
There is a long road ahead.
We don’t know when Adelaide might be next considered for NRL expansion.
And we certainly can’t promise today that an Adelaide will be considered tomorrow, next year, or even in the next expansion process.
What we can promise is that we will put in the work.
We will gather evidence.
We will engage with the community.
We will talk to government.
We will talk to business.
We will talk to rugby league (NRL).
And we will make sure that when the NRL seriously considers its next expansion opportunities, Adelaide is part of that conversation.
Because we believe South Australia has the population, the economy, the sporting culture, the corporate community and the potential to support a successful NRL club.
But belief alone isn’t enough
We need evidence.
We need preparation.
We need unity.
And we need people in this room who are willing to be part of the journey.
So today, I want to thank every one of you for coming. Thank you for believing that Adelaide can once again have a team of its own.
Thank you for being prepared to have the conversation.
And thank you for being prepared to help us answer one very important question:
What would it take to brin rugby league back to Adelaide – and how do we make sure that next time, it stays?
Welcome to Adelaide Rams Wants Their Team Back Working Group.
Let’s get started.