St George Illawarra chief executive Ryan Webb has denied any internal push from inside the club to drop 'Illawarra' from the team's branding going forward in the future.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This week the Dragons released a survey to club members which included a number of questions, including the potential of a name change.
One question which raised eyebrows of Illawarra-based Dragons fans was 'which naming convention should the St George Illawarra Dragons use as their formal identity'. Potential changes included St George Dragons, Southern Dragons, Greater Sydney Dragons, The Dragons and St George Illawarra Dragons.
Webb told the Mercury that this question was one out of 40 asked of club members and that there was no internal push to remove Illawarra out of the club branding and that the survey was simply a regulation requirement that any other business would undertake in any other profession.
"As a club we often talk about the strength of our brand and the number of connections we have," Webb said.
"But we never have anything tangible to show that and work with. So we then commissioned an independent third party to go out and have a look at the club [and] look at how people perceive us as a club and our brand. That's what we've done."
So we then commissioned an independent third party to go out and have a look at the club [and] look at how people perceive us as a club and our brand.
- Ryan Webb
Webb added that Illawarra fans should not be concerned that a drop of the geographical link would be happening. He said that the survey was regulation practise for any business.
"It's not something that is talked about [dropping the Illawarra name]," he said.
"It's trying to get a snapshot of what people think we are and what we stand for now.
"We've been around for 23 years now and it's still not clear right across our fan base. So we're just looking to see what people think and getting their feedback.
"This is just a brand health check I guess that most businesses do and everyone's focusing on one question which doesn't work."
It is understood the results of the survey will not be known for some time - most likely months.
The merger between the Steelers and St George began in 1999 and it was not until 2018 when WIN signed to take up a 50 per cent stake.
The survey comes following the club committing to a centre of excellence at the University of Wollongong after securing $50 million worth of funding - mostly from the NSW Government - with construction set to commence in the latter half of next year.
It is expected that the men's and the women's teams at the Dragons will be able to commence training there in 2025.
Webb previously told the Mercury it was essential that the club re-unified, top to bottom, in the one place.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say.
Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
To read more stories, download the Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.
Jordan Warren
Illawarra Mercury sports journalist. Feel free to get in touch jordan.warren@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Illawarra Mercury sports journalist. Feel free to get in touch jordan.warren@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
