“Some 30 years ago the people of this region were rewarded for their determination and hard work but three decades on, the Hunter is being asked to work together again to ensure the Knights remain in Newcastle,” said spokesperson for the Our Knights One Chance, Rob Tew.

 

Since its establishment, the Club has endured fluctuating profitability and uncertainty underpinned by lacklustre on-thefield results under mixed ownership and management structures.

On 9 December last year, a proposed model of community ownership was launched that proposed a sustainable business model that will ensure the future of the Newcastle Knights.

 

The answer is straight forward. Our Knights One Chance focusses on providing the Knights with a stable long term future.

But the opportunities extend well beyond this by:

• securing an existing NRL License. The License is not a certainty; it is portable and is at risk of being relocated to a more viable financial location.

• contributing significant direct and indirect financial benefits to the region.

• providing opportunities for young local players to play at the highest level from their home town.

• elevating supportive sports science skills that also help inform wider health sciences benefiting the whole community.

• building upon a 30 year iconic social, sporting, cultural and commercial brand.

• supporting the Club to improve revenue, football spending, profitability, services and performance.

Our Knights One Chance is the brainchild of a group of local people who share NRL and business experience. We understand the power of this community and in doing so, are developing an ownership model that would place the Knights financially into the top six NRL Clubs.

 

We must first prove to the NRL that this model is sustainable and acceptable to our community. People who want to see this initiative move to the next step, must demonstrate their support of the proposal by registering at the ‘Our Knights’ website.

We have not yet received criteria from the NRL about many registrations it would consider appropriate in this first phase However, we are targeting registration of 20,000 individuals and businesses to convince the NRL to take our region seriously and allow us to move to the second phase of capital raising and then into the third business management phase.

There are already more than 2,000 registrations from fans, members and businesses who understand the broader benefits of having our own NRL Club.

 

Teamwork is what makes a community unique. It is this approach to teamwork that got the Knights off the ground in 1988, that lifted our spirits following the 1989 earthquake and the closure of BHP in 1999. It is also what delivered Premierships in 1997 and 2001 and what has, despite all else, provided sporting, cultural and commercial benefits. Teamwork will also be what forges a new pathway for the Knights from 2018.

 

In coming days our business plan will be finalised. This is being done in close consultation with relevant stakeholders. It will determine an effective ownership structure that will be supported by a sustainable financial strategy to attract and develop competitive talent and build solid business partnerships.

 

Our Knights urges you to take responsibility for our Club and for the way in which it contributes to the quality of the region we live in.

The risk is that if we do nothing, Our Knights might not have a future at all.

Register at www.ourknights.com.au