Melbourne Storm - National Rugby League - Established 1998
In April 2010 the shattering news of major salary cap breaches by Melbourne Storm administrators came to light. The culprits were sacked, but the penalty handed down to the Melbourne Storm included being stripped of its Premierships in 2007 and 2009, and the team would not be allowed to accrue any points during the current season. This ensured that Melbourne Storm would stay on the bottom of the 2010 NRL ladder, no matter how many games they won.
More than a few fair-weather supporters jumped off the band-wagon and threw away their collectibles. So what did the Storm do? They decided that for every try and every goal scored, a donation would be made to a different charity each week, calling it the "Points with a Purpose" campaign. Not just a stroke of public relations genius, this also showed the resolve and resilience of the Melbourne Storm rugby club. In a city where Australian Rules Football dominates, the Storm proved conclusively that they are here to stay.
At the end of the season, tickets to the last Melbourne Storm game were sold for just $1 to show the club’s appreciation for the support of the people of Melbourne. The Melbourne Storm may not have scored any league points, but they certainly captured the hearts of many, many new fans.
The Storm has now been forced to shed quite a few players in order to retain others, but with the coaching genius of Craig Bellamy they will re-build their team anew. It just may take a while. 2010 was a sad year in many ways, but the Melbourne Storm rugby league club made the city of Melbourne proud, and many worthwhile charities were helped greatly along the way.
Featured Article
Have Australian NRL teams sold their souls?
In 1998, with the inclusion of the Melbourne Storm into the National Rugby League, many of us ‘south of the border’ had our interest in the game rekindled. Incredibly, the Storm played and won the Grand Final in 1999. What a sight as Glenn Lazarus led his boys out onto the field, all wearing their blue and purple jerseys with two lightning bolts down the front, along with the small Honda symbol on each sleeve.
St George-Illawarra wore their usual red and white, but their sponsors logo ‘Integral’ took up a third of their jersey.By the time Melbourne Storm reached their second NRL Premiership in 2007, their uniforms looked more like the team from ‘Medibank’ were playing ‘Delmege’ instead of Melbourne Storm versus the Manly Sea Eagles. In 2009, ‘Me Bank’ were apparently playing ‘Pirtek’, not Melbourne Storm vs Parramatta Eels. As sponsors come and go, one does have to wonder what overseas viewers make of our ever changing team ‘names’.
Of course teams need sponsors, but how can they allow a company logo to cover up their very identity? That privilege really should cost as much as it would to field a team of their own. A jersery is the very essence of a club. The teams in the NRL and their sponsors are their own worst enemies. Old and new fans alike want to identify with their club not the sponsor. Many, myself included, won’t buy logo dominated clothing, merchandise or memorabilia because it ‘screams’ sponsor rather than club.
Australian Rules Football teams have never lost sight of what their ‘on field image’ means nor have they ever traded their ‘souls’ for sponsorship funding even in the face of financial collapse. Their jerseys carry sponsor logos on the front, but these are restricted to a small area on the upper left side, opposite the AFL logo. In the United States, NBA and NFL team jerseys have only the smallest of sponsor logos, usually bottom left.
By comparison, Australian rugby league clubs have prostituted themselves. Now it’s time they reclaimed their dignity and relegated sponsor logos back into the background where they belong. NRL - stop treating the front of team jerseys like billboards.
In fact- how about it Melbourne Storm? - be the first to buck the trend and let’s see the lightning again!!
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