Talking Footy

ParraEelsNRL wrote:

Bahahahaha a profit huh?

Would that profit have come about without the vFL dipping their greasy hands into someones pocket?

Full af crap.

Junior participation numbers are significantly up again on the Gold Coast for the second year straight as this year’s figures approach 2,500 junior players, an increase of 17% from the 2011 season which saw a growth of 15% from the previous year.

eelofwest wrote:

pookus wrote:

eelofwest wrote:

This article was written way back in 08 and they were planning to spend 150m on these teams.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-07-16/a ... 50m/441130

This has blown out and is now costing them 220m to make it the next deal.

http://m.smh.com.au/AFL/AFL-news/gws-bo ... 23ktu.html
It will be a long road for the AFL trust me on that, i live in the west of sydney and there is jack all interest or talk about the Giants...

You just make this **** up.Those numbers are quoted over 10 years and the AFL are wrapped at the revenue income especially from the suns.They posted a profit.

Mate do you even read....

http://m.smh.com.au/AFL/AFL-news/gws-bo ... 23ktu.html

Chuck in Port and Demons and they have a huge problem.

NRL has the storm only who are loosing anything near these 4 AFL clubs.

Black hole clubs for the AFL and NRL.

1. GWS 120million over 5 years. Issy Falou 6million
2. Suns 120million over 5 years. Karmicheal hunt millions
3. Port i hear are loosing 7 million or so PA.
4. Demons are loosing about 7 PA.
5. Storm are loosing about 7 PA.

Feel free to add to this blackhole list, i am unsure if there are any bigger then these 5.

That is the order of the highest black holes in the AFL and NRL

AFL 1.250m minus 220million expansion, GWS 6m for issy falou over 5 years, Suns karmicheal 6m over 5 years, Port handouts 35m over 5 years, demons 35m over 5 years handouts = 928million.
NRL 1.025million + NZ sky 100m appox + 150m for internet rights - The Storm 35million over 5 years = 1240million.

eelofwest wrote:

ParraEelsNRL wrote:

Bahahahaha a profit huh?

Would that profit have come about without the vFL dipping their greasy hands into someones pocket?

Full af crap.

What is funny about these idiots is they actually believe that the GOLD COAST is a AFL town......

I recall Demetriou throwing a tantrum a few years ago because the Titans played on the same night that the North Melbourne were playing at Carrara. Under 10,000 people bothered to turn up to the AFL match, while the Titans drew 26,000 fans through the gates.

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/200 ... sport.html

Rugby league is the dominant sport on the Gold Coast. A quick search on Google revealed that in 2008 there were 4.485 juniors playing rugby league on the Gold Coast, compared to just 1.936 for AFL.

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/200 ... sport.html

In 2009, numbers grew to 5000 players with our U/17 competition including over border clubs Bilambil and Tugun Seahawks. With the dramatic expansion of the junior league, the GCDJRL decided to employ a fulltime “Operation Manager” to service in increase needs of the clubs and competition. With extensive previous experience in Rugby League, Mr Gary Phillips was deemed by the executives of the GCDJRL as perfect for this position. Mr Phillips appointment marked a step in the right direction for the GCDJRL. http://goldcoastjuniorrugbyleague.com.a ... .php?id=20

In 2010, the U/17 competition grew again to include more clubs from over border, South Tweed, South tweed Seagulls, Bilambil, and Tugun Seahawks. The 2010 season also saw the introduction of a U/6 competition on the Gold Coast. The under 6 competition was the first competition in Queensland for this age group. This season also saw the introduction of limited interchange for Premier grades U/13 – U/17, as well as the introduction of the Kevvie Gordon Sprint to find fastest player in Gold Coast JRL and the Mike Vievers Cup to find the fastest Club in Gold Coast JRL. The winners were Brad Smith Runaway Bay and Fastest Club was Burleigh JRL.

Due to the continual growth of Rugby League in the junior division, in 2011 the GCDJRL employed two full-time “Sports and Recreation Coordinators” Ty Chapman and Eva Van Groningen. This was possible due to the QLD State Government “Jobs Plan” initiative. The role of the Sports and Recreation Coordinators is to assist the Gold Coast Cluster clubs in increasing participation and volunteer rates in Rugby League on the Gold Coast. Prior to the commencement of the 2011 season, Queensland Rugby League (QRL) appointed an “Education Development Officer”. Mr Jamie McCormack’s role is to provide educational pathways for players and volunteers. Courses include coaching, league safe and first aid.

In 2012, the progressive growth and image of Rugby League on the Gold Coast is set to continue. With this in sight, the GCJRL in partnership with the Gold Coast City Council welcomes the addition of the "Coomera Tigers Junior Rugby League" Club. Coomera Tigers will become a part of the norther cluster; and area with dramatic increases in Rugby League participation.

With the addition of our Sports and Recreation Coordinators, in 2012 the GCDJRL office has relocated to Firth Park, Mudgeeraba. These offices are now home to both Junior and Senior Rugby league governing bodies.

2012 also saw the introduction of a girls open rugby league competition. This competition catered to girls aged 14 - 17. Gold Coast Junior Rugby League looks forward to another successful year of rugby league for both male and female.

AFL gold coast.

Junior participation numbers are significantly up again on the Gold Coast for the second year straight as this year’s figures approach 2,500 junior players, an increase of 17% from the 2011 season which saw a growth of 15% from the previous year.

http://goldcoastfc.com.au/blog/gcfc/com ... oungsters/

So RL had 5000 Junior in 2009 the AFL have 2500 in 2011.

RL is King in the Gold Coast and it will remain king.

Nine has hit back at claims from Seven's chief executive Don Voelte that its billion-dollar NRL deal is too costly, and will harm its ability to invest in new programming.

“It’s the standard lament from the mob that went toe-to-toe and dollar-for-dollar but were simply outflanked in the end,” Nine executive David Hurley said.

It is estimated Nine will pay the Australian Rugby League Commission about $85-90 million in cash per season, up from about $48m.

Media buyers estimated that Nine writes about $60 million per season from advertising, meaning the loss runs into tens of millions of dollars.

At Seven’s full-year result yesterday, Mr Voelte told media and analysts the deal could cost Nine $42 million a year.

Mr Voelte told The Australian after the presentation that he and Seven chairman Kerry Stokes believed the $1 billion agreement was too costly and would harm Nine's ability to invest in programming.


"I've got to tell you, yesterday Kerry and I and the other directors all sat around and said, 'We don't feel bad; we feel good.' We're feeling okay about this. No regrets whatsoever," he said.

But Mr Hurley said Mr Voelte’s numbers were wrong. “The figure Voelte has pulled out of his abacus is obviously a result of his looking down wrong end of his telescope,” Mr Hurley said, adding “it’s nothing more than self-serving re-writing of very recent history”.

Market analysts agreed, and an equities analyst for a major broker said that “Nine without NRL was uglier than Nine with NRL”.

Nine Entertainment CEO David Gyngell defended the deal to the The Australian earlier this week, saying he was confident the broadcaster would make its payments.

Mr Gyngell explained most broadcast sports rights were loss-leaders, but he could generate decent revenues through Nine’s other media assets. The NRL also provides Nine with a promotional platform to pull in audiences for other programmes.

“I’m very confident I can fund any payments. I’d be having tougher conversations with people if I didn’t have the rights. It was a must have, we’ve had the NRL for 20 years," Mr Gyngell said.

"(The NRL) is much more than (primary Channel 9 programming) to us. We own a regional television business where their lifeblood is rugby league, and Ticketek, and there are lots of cross-promotional activities," he said.

“We don’t go after the AFL like this because we don’t have Adelaide and Perth. We get 100 cents in every dollar in regional Australia so there’s a big uplift to that side of things.

"Will this make money? No way, but no sport does. If you look at it slot by slot it never has. I’ve stepped up and bought these rights exclusively because I believe long term advertisers will pay for exclusive rights so my viewing shouldn’t get diminished through Foxtel."

Mr Gyngell said Nine’s configuration of TV networks, brand profile and strength on the East Coast meant it was able to leverage the NRL in a way that Seven could not.

“I think we’ve done well," he said. "If the others had bought it, they would have made less money than we competitively can. And I’m not sure that we’re not going to make some money out of this in the future.

"I know one for thing for sure if we didn’t have it, the perceptional brand damage to Nine is significant. You buy big sports rights on free-to-air to herd volumes of people to must-see moments in front of the TV set.”

The new broadcasting deal struck this week by the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) represents an outstanding result as well as a lost opportunity.

The $1.025 billion that the Nine Network and Foxtel will pay for the privilege of broadcasting rugby league for the next five years is an enormous fillip for the sport’s coffers.

The deal more than doubles the existing broadcast rights which, back in 2005 (and came in to effect in 2007), were valued at $500 million.

The flow-on effect from the injection of cash will be seen at the elite level, with the salary cap for NRL clubs to be lifted from the current level of $4.4 million a year to possibly as high as $6 million.

Players will be financially rewarded for their talents, a lingering sore point which, in part, led to the high-profile defections of Karmichael Hunt and Israel Folau to AFL and Sonny Bill Williams to rugby union.

The ARLC has promised its financial windfall will trickle down to ensure more money and resources are poured into junior development. The grass roots frontier is not to be underestimated. All of the football codes are engaged in a battle for the hearts and minds of parents to convince their children to join the AFL, NRL, ARU or FFA “family”. And that’s without the next tier of winter sports such as basketball, netball and hockey, **** others, thrown in to the mix.

On many levels, the broadcast rights deal is a big win for rugby league. But while the sports and its participants are winners, there are many who won’t see the benefits.

A new broadcast deal has not changed anything for TV audiences. The Nine Network will continue to show just three NRL matches most weekends and only one of them will be “live”.

To ensure those free-to-air matches are attractive to the Queensland audience, one of the three games will always involve a team from up north, most likely the heavily-supported Brisbane Broncos.

Nine chief executive David Gyngell said the network had to “commercialise” its coverage to ensure healthy audiences were tuning in. So, if your team is not performing well or does not have a strong following, it is unlikely to figure prominently on free-to-air television.

To some degree, Gyngell has a point. The Nine Network will fund rugby league to the tune of more than $85 million a year, so perhaps it has a right to dictate broadcast terms.

But for the punters who want more, they will have to pay for the privilege to see Foxtel’s coverage of five matches per weekend. In other words, it is the same broadcast access to rugby league we have seen since 2007.

The broadcast strategy relies heavily on what is known as “event TV”. “Live” sport is a popular product for consumers and a much-sought-after commodity for broadcasters. But its value is short-lived: the mass market audience shrinks within hours of the conclusion of a sporting event once everyone knows the result.

With pay-TV subscription rates running at approximately 34%, it means two-thirds of Australians are only able to watch one NRL match “live” every weekend, with another on one-hour delay and a third on two-hour delay.

At a time when rugby league is fiercely trying to ward off the AFL insurgency in the northern states, one wonders about the ARLC’s strategy to increase its reach to consumers. The same limited, free-to-air coverage for the next five years is not going to help.

The ground on which this battle is taking place is also shifting. We are now in a digital era when consumers are demanding access to content wherever and whenever they want.

The AFL is embracing this change and investing heavily in developing itself as a quasi-media entity. It has a media unit with more than 100 staff which delivers text and digital content directly to fans.

Chief executive Andrew Demetriou is on the record as stating that the construction of the National Broadband Network might well give the AFL the opportunity to provide content (matches) direct to the consumer and cut out a third party (the broadcasters).

The idea is not without risk. The broadcasters are financially propping up sports at the moment, so to exclude them from the coverage might be self-defeating.

But the ARLC must resist the temptation to lay back and roll about in the cash that is about to come in. It is still negotiating the broadcast rights for mobile services, so there is an opportunity to latch on to this shift in audience demand for immediate access to content.

TV ratings tell us that media consumption habits are changing – as are media products. The internet is encouraging innovation and competition, and internet broadband players are already offering pay-per-view deals that threaten products offered by Foxtel.

Rugby league might be celebrating now. However, the rivers of gold will not continue to flow past this new broadcast deal unless the sport starts to be at the forefront of media developments and consumer demands.

pookus wrote:

eelofwest wrote:

ParraEelsNRL wrote:

Bahahahaha a profit huh?

Would that profit have come about without the vFL dipping their greasy hands into someones pocket?

Full af crap.

What is funny about these idiots is they actually believe that the GOLD COAST is a AFL town......

I recall Demetriou throwing a tantrum a few years ago because the Titans played on the same night that the North Melbourne were playing at Carrara. Under 10,000 people bothered to turn up to the AFL match, while the Titans drew 26,000 fans through the gates.

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/200 ... sport.html

Rugby league is the dominant sport on the Gold Coast. A quick search on Google revealed that in 2008 there were 4.485 juniors playing rugby league on the Gold Coast, compared to just 1.936 for AFL.

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/200 ... sport.html

In 2009, numbers grew to 5000 players with our U/17 competition including over border clubs Bilambil and Tugun Seahawks. With the dramatic expansion of the junior league, the GCDJRL decided to employ a fulltime “Operation Manager” to service in increase needs of the clubs and competition. With extensive previous experience in Rugby League, Mr Gary Phillips was deemed by the executives of the GCDJRL as perfect for this position. Mr Phillips appointment marked a step in the right direction for the GCDJRL. http://goldcoastjuniorrugbyleague.com.a ... .php?id=20

In 2010, the U/17 competition grew again to include more clubs from over border, South Tweed, South tweed Seagulls, Bilambil, and Tugun Seahawks. The 2010 season also saw the introduction of a U/6 competition on the Gold Coast. The under 6 competition was the first competition in Queensland for this age group. This season also saw the introduction of limited interchange for Premier grades U/13 – U/17, as well as the introduction of the Kevvie Gordon Sprint to find fastest player in Gold Coast JRL and the Mike Vievers Cup to find the fastest Club in Gold Coast JRL. The winners were Brad Smith Runaway Bay and Fastest Club was Burleigh JRL.

Due to the continual growth of Rugby League in the junior division, in 2011 the GCDJRL employed two full-time “Sports and Recreation Coordinators” Ty Chapman and Eva Van Groningen. This was possible due to the QLD State Government “Jobs Plan” initiative. The role of the Sports and Recreation Coordinators is to assist the Gold Coast Cluster clubs in increasing participation and volunteer rates in Rugby League on the Gold Coast. Prior to the commencement of the 2011 season, Queensland Rugby League (QRL) appointed an “Education Development Officer”. Mr Jamie McCormack’s role is to provide educational pathways for players and volunteers. Courses include coaching, league safe and first aid.

In 2012, the progressive growth and image of Rugby League on the Gold Coast is set to continue. With this in sight, the GCJRL in partnership with the Gold Coast City Council welcomes the addition of the "Coomera Tigers Junior Rugby League" Club. Coomera Tigers will become a part of the norther cluster; and area with dramatic increases in Rugby League participation.

With the addition of our Sports and Recreation Coordinators, in 2012 the GCDJRL office has relocated to Firth Park, Mudgeeraba. These offices are now home to both Junior and Senior Rugby league governing bodies.

2012 also saw the introduction of a girls open rugby league competition. This competition catered to girls aged 14 - 17. Gold Coast Junior Rugby League looks forward to another successful year of rugby league for both male and female.

AFL gold coast.

Junior participation numbers are significantly up again on the Gold Coast for the second year straight as this year’s figures approach 2,500 junior players, an increase of 17% from the 2011 season which saw a growth of 15% from the previous year.

http://goldcoastfc.com.au/blog/gcfc/com ... oungsters/

So RL had 5000 Junior in 2009 the AFL have 2500 in 2011.

RL is King in the Gold Coast and it will remain king.

Tell me again how many league teams have already died there.the fact that so many kids play on the coast is a testament to the fine job AFL is doing.Believe me league would not have that many juniors in VIC,SA and WA combined.

eelofwest wrote:

King-Eliagh wrote:

The GC and GWS surely require significantly more funding than any of the poor NRL clubs...

Chuck in Port and Demons and they have a huge problem.

NRL has the storm only who are loosing anything near these 4 AFL clubs.

Black hole clubs for the AFL and NRL.

1. GWS 150million over 5 years. Issy Falou 6million
2. Suns 150million over 5 years. Karmicheal hunt millions
3. Port i hear are loosing 7 million or so PA.
4. Demons are loosing about 7 PA.
5. Storm are loosing about 7 PA.

Feel free to add to this blackhole list, i am unsure if there are any bigger then these 5.

That is the order of the highest black holes in the AFL and NRL

AFL 1.250m minus 300million for GWS 6m for issy falou over 5 years, Suns karmicheal 6m over 5 years, Port handouts 35m over 5 years, demons 35m over 5 years handouts = 868million.
NRL 1.025million + NZ sky 100m appox + 150m for internet rights - The Storm 35million over 5 years = 1240million.

The media rights deal is a huge win for the game. Historically the NRL has been the poor cousin to the AFL and with this new TV deal the NRL can invest in grassroots rugby league, the players and the clubs. This will ensure the long-term leadership of the NRL in Australia. The setting of a NRL fixed schedule for the first 20 rounds is a great outcome for fans. Rugby league's future is now secure, including the protection on Wednesday nights of Australia's premier sporting event, State of Origin. Free-to-air television continues to have exclusively three games with 7.30 Friday night matches for Sydney and Brisbane. The near-live game on Sunday afternoon, together with some games on Thursday and now a game on Anzac Day, are great for the fans. With many choices to follow their team, the fans are big winners.
 
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John Brady, NRL director of media.
The rights agreement represents a significant win for fans not least for the fact that it ensures their favourite teams will remain strong into the future, that those teams will be capable of attracting the best athletes and that the grassroots of the game will continue to flourish. Fans will have certainty through fixed scheduling, additional programming and key events such as the Anzac Day game, Test matches and State of Origin on free-to-air television. Television rights are the biggest single factor in determining the financial security of the clubs and the game as well as being the key platform in giving people access to the sport. This package balances the need to attract revenue, to ensure the best games are on free-to-air television and to promote attendances. It unquestionably delivered the strongest financial outcome for the game across its broadcasting assets.
 
 
This deal is not a win for fans. It is a win for the NRL administrators because they have a clear agenda under new authority to boost attendance numbers at venues. What of the fans who love the game but for whatever reason cannot make it to watch their team play or can't afford Foxtel? Channel Nine, in particular, could come to regret this deal as a short-term financial gain but an overall loss of viewer loyalty and hence a decline in its advertising revenue. It simply doesn't have the programs to make up the shortfall.
Adrian Burley, Earlwood
Make no mistake, this is a win. Many will complain that there's only one live game in Sydney every weekend but the stark reality is the more live games, the less money for the rights. To match the AFL and get four live games means maybe $200 million less from the networks. The NRL has done the right thing here. The short-term revenue is more important for now. Maybe next time the NRL will be in a better position to compromise on cash to get more live games. The fans just need to suck it up and understand the money will benefit the game in the long term.
James Reed, Caringbah
How does rugby league expect to grow a support base if it is not readily accessible to the fans of tomorrow? Limited coverage and night grand finals mean viewing on television is not practical for small children, let alone any dream of actually attending. Developing interest in sports for children is really important, and I wish league could learn more from the failures of rugby union in recent years.
Tony Carn, Rozelle
The new deal has changed virtually nothing for the fans. I appreciate the NRL's need to get the best deal possible so they can keep the best players and grow the code. The issue is delayed coverage. With the growing influence of technology in our lives, not finding out a score has become almost impossible. I have not managed to get through one delayed Channel Nine game this season without finding out the score. While the delays annoy me, it is much worse for the younger generation of fans who are not awake at 10pm on a Friday. At least the AFL lets me watch Israel Folau live.
Tim Knoblanche, Edgecliff
The new deal is a pathetic outcome for the fans who have been treated badly by Channel Nine for so long. It will contribute to more people watching AFL and fewer watching NRL. Channel Seven shows four live AFL matches a week in Sydney by making use of its digital channels. It seems as if Channel Ten was offering something similar for NRL. It's inconceivable that in 2013 we can have only one live NRL match on free-to-air and not a single one on a Saturday. With the advent of digital channels and online options, pay TV subscriptions will stagnate. The new deal demonstrates the commission has little regard for fans and is interested in only the dollars.
John Hanlon, Hornsby Heights
The deal is as good as it gets. The coverage is the same but the money has doubled. Plus, News has given up first and last rights. I have Foxtel and watch every game it covers. It's much better than Channel Nine and with much better commentators, who don't waffle about garbage. If you don't have Foxtel, do what I did and prioritise your spending - maybe give up the grog and smokes - but please, stop whingeing about it.
Jeff Cook, West Pennant Hills
The deal done by the NRL with Channel Nine is another kick in the guts for grassroots league fans. There are no NRL games on free-to-air TV on a Saturday, so if you don't have pay TV, tough luck. It won't take long for the free-to-air TV viewers to change their viewing to AFL. That's the only choice they have. The almighty dollar wins over the game, which without fans will slowly die. Well done to the NRL commission, you are no better than the previous managers of our game.
Paul Cullen, Tieri, Qld
The NRL has seen great growth on the back of quality coverage of the sport on television. This is a major factor that has enabled the NRL to quantify the legitimacy of such a large deal. Not to broadcast the games to the present standard and decrease the number of live games shown to potentially one a week would be a disaster for the game. It would result in a massive drop in viewers, which would reduce the amount of money spent on advertising. In five years, when broadcasting rights are renegotiated, the value would drop significantly and the game would not see its potential growth. This is a great deal financially, but sometimes short-term gains have to be considered in light of future results. The dictated scheduling ensures more night games, designed purely to keep people at home rather than attending and thereby making the NRL's already poor crowds a laughing stock **** competitors. Thursday night, the awful 5.30 Saturday timeslot and Monday highlight the disregard for attending spectators. Rugby league is the only major sporting code that sells its soul for TV rights. More lucrative and popular codes such as the National Football League (US), English Premier League and the Australian Football League all play most games during daylight and their full houses help improve their product.
Andrew Bull, Sydney
The TV deal may be great for the game but not for fans. Other sports around the world showcase their sport live every week, whereas Channel Nine is not giving the fans that opportunity. Many argue that if you want to see a game live, why don't you go to the ground? Well, that's OK if you live in the city, but that's extremely hard for a supporter from the bush. Surely the next TV deal will make sure that all free-to-air games are shown live and in a way that can keep all parties happy.
Isaac Kensell, Tamworth
The NRL has looked at the short-term gain, but have not made an accurate assessment of how this will affect its fan base in western Sydney. There will be droves of fans who will miss out on the action every week and, more importantly for the code, it will have less visibility for potential fans of the next generation. This strategy of short-term gain without looking at the long-term picture is almost a carbon copy of the federal government's strategy with the mining tax, a strategy that offers short-term cash injection but has mining companies looking for somewhere else to invest. NRL fans to AFL perhaps? Works for me as an AFL fan.

piesman2011 wrote:

eelofwest wrote:

King-Eliagh wrote:

The GC and GWS surely require significantly more funding than any of the poor NRL clubs...

Chuck in Port and Demons and they have a huge problem.

NRL has the storm only who are loosing anything near these 4 AFL clubs.

Black hole clubs for the AFL and NRL.

1. GWS 150million over 5 years. Issy Falou 6million
2. Suns 150million over 5 years. Karmicheal hunt millions
3. Port i hear are loosing 7 million or so PA.
4. Demons are loosing about 7 PA.
5. Storm are loosing about 7 PA.

Feel free to add to this blackhole list, i am unsure if there are any bigger then these 5.

That is the order of the highest black holes in the AFL and NRL

AFL 1.250m minus 300million for GWS 6m for issy falou over 5 years, Suns karmicheal 6m over 5 years, Port handouts 35m over 5 years, demons 35m over 5 years handouts = 868million.
NRL 1.025million + NZ sky 100m appox + 150m for internet rights - The Storm 35million over 5 years = 1240million.

I think the Demons are making money, I expect they will post a profit or at worst a slight loss this year. I think that Port were about 7 million in debt total. But im not sure if the AFL bailed them out. I think I heard something about the AFL helping them out with this in the news. No doubt they will make a couple million loss this year again, however they will come good again with better ladder position and the move to Adelaide oval. The Suns offically made a profit last year. With an average crowd of about 17K? they make a nice profit from the stadium deal they have. You could argue that with set up costs they lost money that is for sure. However the set up costs are a one off payment and it should be mostly downhill from here. The Giants are a bit of a worry. They had good sponsership this year however their crowds were overall poor in my opinion. They will make a loss however I expect it to be a couple million at most, which would be covered by the AFL future fund with ease. This is all second hand information and the best way to check this is to look at the clubs end of year statment from last year and the one for this year will be comming out early next year.

The Giants - like all clubs - will continue to be subsidised by AFL headquarters. The chief executive, Andrew Demetriou, said the code's expansion with its 17th and 18th teams would cost $220 million