Brisbane Bombers

The Brisbane Bombers Rugby League Football Club Limited, commonly referred to as Brisbane Bombers were a proposed Australian professional rugby league football club to be based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 2011, the Bombers sought entry into an expanded National Rugby League (NRL) for a decade, with their bid strategy based around a rivalry with the Brisbane Broncos, dubbed "The Battle for Brisbane".[1]

Brisbane Bombers
Club information
Full nameBrisbane Bombers Rugby League Football Club Limited
Nickname(s)Bombers
ColoursPrimary:
  Navy
Secondary:
  Orange
Tertiary:
  Silver
Founded2011
Websitewww.brisbanebombers.com.au
Current details
Ground(s)
CompetitionNational Rugby League

The bid's directors were Nicholas Livermore, Chris Mangan and Michael Nash.

History and catchment area

The Brisbane NRL Expansion bid launched in 2010, with the hopes of entering the NRL in 2013. Then-Channel 9 CEO David Gyngell publicly stated the NRL's television rights would be more attractive if the competition included a second Brisbane based NRL side.[2]

In 2011, the bid launched their name and emblem to the media, becoming known as the Brisbane Bombers.[3] The name immediately drew the ire of AFL club Essendon Bombers, who vowed to fight to keep their identity.[4] However, no action was ever taken, and the Brisbane expansion bid continued to use the Bombers nickname.

The Bombers' proposed catchment area included Logan City Council, Redland Bay Council, Ipswich City Council, Brisbane City Council as well as the Moreton Bay and Sunshine Coast Regional Councils. They also aimed to set up junior development programs in the north, south and west of Brisbane.[5]

As the NRL continued to delay discussions on expanding the competition, the Bombers aimed high, reportedly targeting rugby union players Quade Cooper and Sonny Bill Williams as marquee signings if their bid was successful.[6]

In February 2021, it was announced that the Brisbane Bombers and Western Corridor bids would merge to form one bid, known as the Brisbane Jets, in an attempt to compete with the Redcliffe Dolphins and Brisbane Firehawks bids. [7]

Name and emblem

After conducting market research, in March 2011, the bid group announced 15 shortlisted names fans could nominate via the bid website, along with colours and jersey designs, and the winning name would be announced via a radio sponsor.[8] The shortlisted names were:

Location NameMascot
BrisbaneBarracudas, Bayliners, Bobcats, Bombers, Braves, Brewers, Buccaneers, Heat
EasternStingrays
RivercityKookaburras
South QueenslandCyclones, Dolphins, Rogues, Spartans, Taipans

After 12,000 responses, on 14 July 2011, the bid launched its brand at Albion Park, revealing the bid club's name, colours and logo. The club's colours were to be navy blue, orange and silver.

Ambassadors

The club had ambassadors to promote the message of 'bringing more League to Brisbane' and to ensure that grass-roots clubs would benefit from the bid. The ambassadors are Scott Sattler and Billy Moore.[9]

Playing arena
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

The Brisbane Bombers intended on playing all home games at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium.[10] It was speculated there was a number of options for a home base including Davies Park in South Brisbane,[11] Dolphin Park, Redcliffe[12] and two locations in Redlands.[13]

References
  1. Brisbane poised for second NRL team as Broncos' stranglehold on rugby league market faces challenge. Courier Mail (27 January 2011). Retrieved on 2011-08-22.
  2. Channel Nine boss David Gyngell says league games will need more stoppages for ad breaks if they want $1bn TV deal | thetelegraph.com.au. Dailytelegraph.com.au (21 July 2011). Retrieved on 2011-08-22.
  3. Jury out on NRL Bombers – Yahoo!7 Sport Archived 18 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Au.sports.yahoo.com (14 July 2011). Retrieved on 2011-08-22.
  4. Badel, Peter. (14 July 2011) Essendon to battle the Bombers | AFL. Fox Sports. Retrieved on 2011-08-22.
  5. "Bid Consortium - Brisbane Bombers". Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  6. "NRL expansion on hold until 2015". 19 June 2011.
  7. "Bombers and Western Corridor join forces in Brisbane expansion bid". nrl.com. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  8. Team names in the ring – Worldnews.com. Article.wn.com. Retrieved on 2011-08-22.
  9. Billy Moore betrays his North Sydney Bears heritage by joining second Brisbane bid for NRL inclusion | thetelegraph.com.au. Dailytelegraph.com.au (20 April 2011). Retrieved on 2011-08-22.
  10. Brisbane NRL Expansion Bid looking at 'home ground' options Archived 26 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine. rleague.com. Retrieved on 2011-08-22.
  11. Brisbane NRL bid eyes Redcliffe as HQ – ABC Brisbane – Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Abc.net.au (15 March 2011). Retrieved on 2011-08-22.
  12. Heming, Wayne. (15 March 2011) Redcliffe home base for NRL bid side | NRL, Rugby League, NRL Scores, NRL Ladder. Fox Sports. Retrieved on 2011-08-22.
  13. Redlands in running as NRL team base – Local News – News – General – Bayside Bulletin / The Redland Times Archived 7 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Baysidebulletin.com.au (4 April 2011). Retrieved on 2011-08-22.
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