Bears on track for further upgrades of spiritual home at North Sydney Oval

North Sydney mayor Jilly Gibson says the council will “bend over backwards” to ensure the Bears receive whatever assistance is required to return to the NRL.

The Bears are positioning themselves to be in the frame for the game’s 18th licence should the NRL opt to expand the competition beyond the addition of Redcliffe-based Dolphins. Their pitch is to play between four and six games at their spiritual home of North Sydney Oval, with their other home games to be spread across regional centres in NSW.

The council has already spent more than $6 million upgrading North Sydney Oval since 2014 to ensure it is capable of hosting first-class sport. About $1 million has been spent on drop-in pitch technology for cricket wickets, the lighting has been upgraded to broadcast standard, a further $1 million has been spent on change rooms and medical facilities, the bars and kiosks have been renovated and there is now a big-screen television for scores and replays.

The NRL would require the venue’s benches to be replaced with individual bucket seats, but Gibson said that wouldn’t be an issue if it meant the Bears were back.

“We would be happy to work with the Bears,” Gibson said. “Council would be happy to meet with the Bears and try to accommodate. We’ll ready to enter into negotiations to meet their needs.

“New seating is in our plans. We’re progressing those plans as quickly as we can. I’m sure we could speed up replacing the seating if our beloved Bears come back. That would provide incentive to proceed with haste. We would bend over backwards to cooperate.”

Young gun Joseph Suaalii in action for the Bears.Credit:Getty

Gibson, the widow of renowned sports journalist Mike Gibson, has been a councillor for more than 19 years and is expected to retain her seat at the upcoming elections on December 4. She said council would also back plans for the Bears to build a centre of excellence in the district.

“I was at their last game and I want to be at their first game back,” she said.

The Bears are the feeder club for the Sydney Roosters, who wanted to honour their relationship by taking one of their 2020 home games to North Sydney Oval. Those plans were foiled due to the COVID-19 outbreaks, but the parties are keen to consider revisiting the strategy.

“It remains something that we will continue to discuss with the Bears and if the opportunity does arise we will certainly look at it,” Roosters chief executive Joe Kelly said. “We enjoy a strong relationship with the Bears as our feeder team.”

The Bears entered into a short-lived joint-venture with Manly after they were forced out of the competition in 1999. If they were to land a licence, a Bears-Manly blockbuster would appear the ideal season opener.

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