NRL 2023: Canterbury Bulldogs set for record year in sponsorship, membership and merchandise
Cameron Ciraldo’s reign as Bulldogs coach has only just begun, but Belmore is already thriving and the club is bracing for a record year off the field.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Cameron Ciraldo era has only just started but business is already booming at Belmore.
Ciraldo’s arrival – along with key signings Viliame Kikau and Reed Mahoney – has the Bulldogs recording, and predicting, record increases in sponsorship, merchandise and memberships for next season.
The Daily Telegraph has obtained exclusive figures which reveal:
- Sponsorship: Increased by 60 per cent year on year.
- Merchandise: Increased by 100 per cent year on year.
- Membership: Increased 70 per cent year on year.
“Retail sales have far exceeded budgets set out for 2022, with sales comparable to that of our last grand final appearance in 2014,” said Bulldogs chief executive Aaron Warburton.
A new jumper design to be launched within days is, according to Warburton, “expected to break all records.”
“All apparel positions are firmed up with the average jersey sponsorship term sitting at three years,” he said.
With Ciraldo, Kikau and Mahoney now at Belmore, and the current stars Josh Addo-Carr and Matt Burton a year into their Belmore tenure, Canterbury is steaming ahead into what appears to be a new and golden era – on and off the field.
All this has led to a 40 per cent increase in free-to-air coverage for Canterbury next season.
“Outside of player development, we are also taking great strides towards sustainable success for the Bulldogs Rugby League Club,” Warburton said.
“For the 2023 season, our team are set to wear a powerful new design for our home and away jerseys - a design that will be launched in the coming days which is expected to break all records.
“All apparel positions are firmed up, with the average jersey sponsorship term sitting at three years, which speaks to the volume of strength and support from our corporate partners.
“The Laundy Hotel Group who have shown great support in the future direction of the Bulldogs by signing on to a new five-year sponsorship agreement to match the length of Cameron‘s coaching contract.
“And then there is our members. The Bulldogs are the ‘Family Club’ and our members are at the core of our family.
“This year the support and backing from our members has seen revenue up 70 per cent compared to our first month last season. With an extremely family-friendly draw in 2023, we feel confident that we can track towards our goal of 20,000 members.
“We are fortunate to have received a commercially strong draw for the upcoming season. Looking against last year‘s draw, we have 40 per cent more free-to-air viewership in 2023 for our at-home members and fans.
“Playing mostly on Saturday and Sunday afternoons in 2023, means that more families will be able to come along and support their favourite players at convenient times.”
Canterbury’s coaching staff includes Ciraldo as head coach with Chad Randall, Craig Sandercock, Steve Turner and Mick Potter as assistants and Travis Touma the new high performance manager.
“Our club culture has been strengthened by the retention and return of Bulldogs greats like Willie Mason, Andrew Ryan, Mark O’Meley, Hazem El Masri, James Graham and most recently, Josh Jackson, who have each taken up official posts within the club,” Warburton said.
“Last year we saw the return of our NSW Cup team and they made it all the way to the grand final, just one year into playing under the Bulldogs badge again. A number of players were also elevated from this side during the season to make their NRL debut.
“In 2023, we will see the return of a side to play in the women‘s competition under the guidance of coach Luke Goodwin, who has championed the recruitment of marquee players, Gayle Broughton, Tayla Preston, Holi Wheeler and Kennedy Cherrington.
“As a club, we are in a really positive and stable position leading in to the 2023 season.”
NRL star charged with threatening police
Canberra Raiders veteran player Josh Papalii has been charged over an ugly confrontation with police inside a licensed venue, just weeks before he won a prestigious award.
‘Sprays me every game’: How Luai’s tough love transformed Penrith star
Panthers young gun Paul Alamoti has praised Jarome Luai for helping turning his NRL career around, crediting some of the five-eighth’s savage sprays for turning him into a grand final player.