Show Notes
Just over a week before Anthony de Ceglie stepped down as CEO of the Perth Bears, he joined Scott Keenan on Moneyball for an in-depth conversation about building the NRL’s newest club from scratch.
What was originally a discussion about launching a professional sports franchise in AFL-mad Perth now offers a fascinating snapshot of de Ceglie’s priorities and mindset immediately before his departure.
Anthony talks about building the Bears on a “very short runway”, competing with the PNG Chiefs for attention and talent, dealing with criticism and why his personal mantra was to “ignore the noise”.
And when Scott asks what he would do differently if he had his time again, Anthony’s answer is striking in hindsight: governance.
They also discuss the commercial strategy behind the Perth Bears — memberships, sponsorship, mining and resources, New Balance, merchandise, fan data, North Sydney heritage and the challenge of creating a club Western Australians feel belongs to them.
Recorded before Anthony de Ceglie stepped down as Perth Bears CEO.
Moneyball – The Business of Sport goes behind the deals, decisions, culture and commercial forces shaping the sports we love. Hosted by Scott Keenan.
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00:00 Why this interview matters now 01:44 Building the Perth Bears from scratch 04:33 Competing for attention in Western Australia 10:26 Perth, North Sydney and building belonging 15:04 Perth Bears v PNG Chiefs 17:40 Handling criticism and “the noise” 20:11 Sponsorship, mining and resources 22:07 New Balance and the Bears as a lifestyle brand 26:02 New jerseys and merchandise strategy 28:37 Measuring success before kick-off 30:05 What Anthony would do differently 33:29 The final challenges before Round 1 34:42 What happens next for the Perth Bears
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