Gold Coast Titans

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The Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional rugby league football team based on the Gold Coast in Queensland. They are the newest team to compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership.

The Titans commenced their inaugural season on March 18, 2007, at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium. They are the second top-level rugby league club to have been based on the Gold Coast, the first being the ill-fated Gold Coast Giants/Seagulls/Chargers, which existed from 1988 to 1998.

Formation

The beginnings of the Gold Coast's bid to return to the National Rugby League began when the Australian Rugby League decided to remove the financially successful Gold Coast Chargers from the National Rugby League at the end of the 1998 Season. The ARL wanted to have a second major team based out of Brisbane and believed the best way to achieve this was by removing the Gold Coast team from the competition. The attempt to launch a second Brisbane team failed and in 1999, Michael Searle, former Gold Coast Chargers player and Managing Director of International Sports Australia, formed a Gold Coast Bid Team. The team included former Chargers boss Paul Broughton and was labelled as "The Gold Coast Consortium" by the media. The board were constantly active in lobbying the NRL to both expand the competition and consider the Gold Coast’s bid for inclusion. They were successful in organising pre-season NRL trial matches to be hosted on the Gold Coast and with average attendances of over 16,000, and peak attendances topping 20,000, the popularity of rugby league on the Coast was clear.

In 2004, during an episode of Nine Network's The NRL Footy Show, the "Gold Coast Consortium" announced their team name and jersey to the public from the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. Initially the team was to be named the Gold Coast Dolphins, with the team colours to be white, jade and orange. While the Dolphins moniker was popular among many, the heavyweight Brisbane Queensland Cup side the Redcliffe Dolphins saw it as a threat for any prospect of entering the NRL they had, and as a result threatened severe legal action if the Gold Coast used the Dolphins name. Midway through that year the National Rugby League announced that after viewing submissions from the Gold Coast Dolphins, the Central Coast Bears and the Wellington Orcas, there would not be a 16th team included in the 2006 NRL competition. Reasons given to the Gold Coast was the National Rugby Leagues concern over the quality and capacity of their homeground, Carrara Stadium, which is an oval and only seats 16,000 (although it has been known to fit in 23,000 after minor redevelopment).

Although their bid was knocked back, the consortium continued to push heavily in 2005 for a Gold Coast NRL team, changing the entry year to 2007. The Gold Coast received a massive boost when the Queensland Government announced they would spend AUD$100 million on a new, 25,000-seat rectangular stadium in Robina for the Gold Coast should they be accepted into the 2007 competition. The stadium would not be completed until early 2008 yet the promise of a new first-class facility was enough for the NRL to accept the Gold Coasts bid and on May 27, 2005, NRL CEO David Gallop announced that the Gold Coast franchise would be the 16th team in the 2007 NRL season.

In the time since the Gold Coast was admitted, the Titans completed a vigorous recruitment drive, they announced the signing of Sydney Roosters assistant coach John Cartwright as the Titans first head-coach and successfully signed contracts with established players such as Dally M Medal winner Preston Campbell, Queensland & Australian representative Scott Prince, New South Wales & Australian representative Luke Bailey and enticing former league player Mat Rogers back from rugby union.

Sponsorship

James Frizelle's Automotive Group & Audi Centre Gold Coast, a local car dealership, signed on as the first major sponsorship partner for the franchise, a deal signed for three years.

The Gold Coast Titans officially became the “Jetstar Gold Coast Titans”, on the 20th September 2006, with the announcement of a five year multi-million dollar naming rights sponsorship with Qantas owned Jetstar Airways.

Later in 2006 Castlemaine Perkins, brewer of XXXX beer, signed a five year sponsorship agreement with the Titans. Under the XXXX Bitter brand, Castlemaine Perkins is now a Platinum Sponsor of the Titans.

Front of Jumper: Jetstar
Top of the back of jumper: Marina Quays
Bottom back of jumper: Australian Power and Gas
Sleeves: ABC Brick Sales
Front of shorts: Back of shorts: Harvey Norman

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Titans launch online betting agency

The Gold Coast Titans are set to break new ground in the NRL by entering into the lucrative corporate bookmaking sector with the launch of Titansbet.com.au.

In a bold new move for the Titans, the club-owned Titansbet.com.au will begin operating today - offering online betting on horse racing, sport and entertainment.

The launch of Titansbet.com.au will make the Titans the first ever professional sporting organisation in Australia and the only club in the NRL to have entered into the Northern Territory’s growing corporate bookmaking market, which is expected to turnover more than $4 billion this financial year.

Titansbet.com.au will operate as a joint venture company with one of Australia’s largest bookmakers, Betezy.

The revenue stream created from the operation will fund both the Titans rugby league club and it’s charity arm, the Gold Coast Titans Community Foundation - giving punters the satisfaction of knowing that win or lose they are making a contribution to the longevity of rugby league in south east Queensland and to charity.

Betezy are also a large contributor to the racing and sporting industries through taxes, tote betting and sponsorship.

Titans managing director Michael Searle said the launch of Titansbet.com.au was an exciting step and an opportunity the Club hs been working on for some 12 months.

“I’m really excited to be able to launch this innovative concept,’’ said Searle.

“A number of other clubs in the NRL rely on money made from poker machines in their leagues clubs but I believe the launch of Titansbet.com.au will provide the Titans with an even greater platform heading into the future.

“We have an opportunity to work with the Betezy on a sophisticated model and feel this may be an opportunity to get a foothold into the growing gambling market within Australia for the benefit of rugby league

“Our Club’s brand strength and strong growth in the market since our inception was an attractive asset to this business venture and this concept has been widely utilised in the United Kingdom.”

Betezy general manager Ryan Kay said the launch of Titansbet.com.au was an innovative concept for both parties.

“This is the first white label service of its type in Australian sport and it’s a very exciting new venture,’’ said Kay.

“The whole website and white label is licensed by Betezy, which is a licensed bookmaker in the Northern Territory.

“Clients will be able to bet with Titansbet.com.au 24 hours, 7 days a week online and on the telephone and it’ll be just like their own personal account with one of Australia’s leading operators.

“We see it being a major contributor of revenue for the Titans. It means that clients and loyal fans can basically bet with the Titans and the money goes back to the club and to the community.

“We see it as a win-win for everyone.’’

Kay also stressed that maintaining the integrity of rugby league would be a major priority for Titansbet.com.au.

“Betezy and Titansbet will be looking at integrity issues. We will be working with the NRL and the Darwin Gaming Commission to ensure there always is integrity in the sport,’’ said Kay.

“One thing we are very resolute about is making sure there is never any illegal activity in the sport and we’ll work with the other bookmakers to ensure that happens all the time.

Titansbet.com.au will utilise the world’s leading bookmaking software, which Betezy’s IT team have spent six years and millions of dollars developing.

“Betezy’s executive staff have a combined wealth of knowledge in bookmaking, boasting over 100 years of combined experience,’’ said Kay.

“We have combined this with a leading edge IT and Development team to create Australia's most dynamic and fastest growing Racing and Sports Book.

“The group today turns over more than $500 million per year and in six years has become Australia's third largest Horse Racing and Sport Group.’’

Titansbet.com.au is licensed in the Northern Territory by the Northern Territory Racing Commission to accept bets by telephone and the Internet on Racing, Sports and Entertainment.

Media Man Australia does not represent the Gold Coast Titans