Dragons CEO speaks out after backlash from fans over name change proposal

The St George Illawarra Dragons have been roasted by NRL fans after the club scoped out the possibility of a dramatic name change. The club sent an email to members this week asking for feedback on a number of name change proposals, one of which would drop the Illawarra part of the joint-venture's name completely.

The St George Dragons merged with the Illawarra Steelers in 1998, forming the St George Illawarra Dragons. They play their home games equally between Kogarah (St George) and Wollongong in the Illawarra.

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Club members were sent a survey recently, with one question asking: “Which naming convention should the St George Illawarra Dragons use as their formal identity?”. The proposals were: St George Dragons, Southern Dragons, Greater Sydney Dragons, The Dragons and St George Illawarra Dragons.

Members were also asked to what extent they agreed with the phrase: “The era of the St George and Illawarra Steelers has passed and we must now look to the future as one”.

According to News Corp, there has been significant support for a return to the St George Dragons name. But any move to drop the Illawarra name would cause widespread anger in Wollongong and alienate half the club's fan base. The Illawarra Steelers entered the New South Wales Rugby League in 1982 and have some of the most passionate supporters in the game.

After backlash from fans on Thursday, Dragons CEO Ryan Webb said there was no push from within the club to drop Illawarra from the name. Webb said the survey was standard business practice.

“As a club we often talk about the strength of our brand and the number of connections we have,” he told The Illawarra Mercury. “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.

“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."

NRL fans savage Dragons name change proposal

Geoff Armstrong, a Dragons historian and author of the book 'Spirit of the Red V: A Century of Dragons Rugby League', is among the many to express their bewilderment at the proposed move. Speaking to SEN radio on Thursday morning, Armstrong said: “When I saw the story this morning, I’m just totally bemused by it.

“In my view the great St George Illawarra brand, the big city club and the nearby region has an opportunity to be a powerhouse if only the club had embraced all the things that make it so special. Instead they seem to want to run away from the things that make them special.

“With all the problems they’ve been having over the last few months, changing the name would actually change nothing. I honestly don’t understand. They have all this history and all this tradition yet they seem to want to run away from that.

“It almost spooks me out as a fan. I just wish that St George Illawarra would stop thinking of themselves as two separate factions. To say that the era of St George and the Steelers has passed, those clubs live on in the joint-venture. They’re an important part of the joint-venture and it really frustrates me when the current administration wants to run away from that.”

The Dragons will be desperate to turn around their fortunes in 2023 after a disastrous few years on and off the field. The club hasn't made the finals since 2018 and coach Anthony Griffin is facing mounting pressure to perform.

Captain Ben Hunt slammed his teammates recently after he was one of only three players to attend the club's end-of-season awards night. Retired great Matt Cooper then savaged the club after snubbing a reunion for players and staff of the 2010 premiership team.

Dragons fans have flocked to social media to savage the idea of changing the club's name. One fan labelled it 'disrespectful', while another said it 'makes me sick'.

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