Barry Maranta
Encyclopedia
Barry Maranta is an Australian businessman and co-founder of the Brisbane Broncos
rugby league team. As well as being a founder of the Broncos he is currently a Sky Shades president.
An ex Old Boy of Marist College Rosalie
in Brisbane
and a former first grade cricketer and rugby league footballer, Maranta became a sports consultant and entered into a partnership with Wayne Reid
, forming the organisation, International Sports Management. After seeing an interstate Australian Rules Football
match that utilised "state of origin" selection rules in 1978, he started trying to convince Queensland Rugby League
president Ron McAuliffe
to instigate a similar concept in rugby league. This would ultimately have long-ranging effects as the State of Origin
phenomenon took off, becoming one of Australia's biggest sporting events.
By 1984 Maranta had been active in property development in Queensland for over fifteen years and was closely associated in business with former test cricketer and prominent Brisbane businessman, Greg Chappell
.
In 1985 Barry Maranta expressed interest in fielding a Brisbane
-based team in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership
, the top-level rugby league football competition at the time. He was one of the principal owners of International Sports Management
who had contributed to the advent of the Rugby League State of Origin
concept. In 1986 Maranta joined Paul Morgan
, Gary Balkin and Steve Williams
to form the Brisbane club. All men had played for Brisbane domestic teams. Four organisations made bids for the team which would be established in 1987. Ron McAuliffe
, had the support of the NSWRL over the Maranta-Morgan group, other groups included 'International Syndicate' led by John Sattler
and Bob Hagan, and one by Darryl van der Velde
(who would later be CEO of the South Queensland Crushers
).
When the NSWRL decided not to have a Brisbane club in 1987, the groups went down, but in a final bid for the 1988 season
, Both McAuliffe and Maranta-Morgan bid for the club. The NSWRL finally decided to have a Brisbane-based team and thus the Brisbane Broncos
were born. The rights originally were going to go to the McAuliffe based group, but when it was realised they didn't have the funds to support the club, it was given to Maranta-Morgan.
However the Maranta-Morgan group did not please everybody, especially Australian Rugby League
chairman Ken Arthurson
, who decided to add other (now defunct) Queensland-based teams, Gold Coast in 1988
and South Queensland
in 1995
.
Maranta was instrumental in the takeover of the ailing London Crusaders club in the English capital. London, who were founded as an offshoot of Fulham Football Club inside nine weeks and played their first competitive fixture in late August 1980, had a patchy existence until the company that owned the club went into receivership in the early spring of 1994.
The club, the only British professional rugby league club outside of the code's northern heartlands at the time, was run by the Rugby Football League whilst a new owner could be found. Maranta and his Brisbane colleagues saw London as a way into another top flight competition although London were playing in the second tier of British RL at the time.
Brisbane completed their takeover of London Crusaders in April 1994 and the renamed London Broncos began life in the August of that year. The interest of Maranta's fellow board members was to prove short-lived however, and after London had been placed in the embryonic European Super League (which was launched fully in the summer of 1996), his colleagues withdrew their interest. Maranta and fellow director John Ribot remained but Virgin Group founder Richard Branson took an initial stake in the club and later increased his holding to outright ownership after Maranta sold his interest in 1998.
Maranta returned to Australia. London Broncos made their only Challenge Cup final appearance so far at the old Wembley Stadium in May 1999, Branson relinquished his interest in 2001 and the London Broncos brand was 'retired' in September 2005, becoming Harlequins Rugby League under the ownership of Ian Lenagan.
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
rugby league team. As well as being a founder of the Broncos he is currently a Sky Shades president.
An ex Old Boy of Marist College Rosalie
Marist College Rosalie
Sacred Heart College, also known as Marist Brothers Rosalie, was a Catholic boys' college located in Paddington, an inner western suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and a former first grade cricketer and rugby league footballer, Maranta became a sports consultant and entered into a partnership with Wayne Reid
Wayne Reid
Wayne Vivien Reid OBE is a former tennis player, and has been president of the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia , the Melbourne Football Club, the Asian Tennis Circuit, the Confederation of Australian Sport, the International Assembly of National Confederations of Sports and was a founding...
, forming the organisation, International Sports Management. After seeing an interstate Australian Rules Football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
match that utilised "state of origin" selection rules in 1978, he started trying to convince Queensland Rugby League
Queensland Rugby League
The Queensland Rugby Football League is the governing body for rugby league in Queensland. It is a member of the Australian Rugby League and selects the members of Queensland State of Origin teams....
president Ron McAuliffe
Ron McAuliffe
Ronald Edward McAuliffe OBE was a politician and sports administrator in Queensland, Australia. He is best remembered for his years running the Queensland Rugby League, and his instrumental role in the formation of the State of Origin competition.McAuliffe attended school at St. Joseph's College,...
to instigate a similar concept in rugby league. This would ultimately have long-ranging effects as the State of Origin
Rugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
phenomenon took off, becoming one of Australia's biggest sporting events.
By 1984 Maranta had been active in property development in Queensland for over fifteen years and was closely associated in business with former test cricketer and prominent Brisbane businessman, Greg Chappell
Greg Chappell
Gregory Stephen Chappell MBE is a former cricketer who captained Australia between 1975 and 1977 and then joined the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation, before returning to the Australian captaincy in 1979, a position he held until his retirement 1983...
.
In 1985 Barry Maranta expressed interest in fielding a Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
-based team in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership
New South Wales Rugby League premiership
The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League from 1908 until 1994, the premiership was the state's and later the country's elite rugby league competition...
, the top-level rugby league football competition at the time. He was one of the principal owners of International Sports Management
International Sports Management
International Sports Management Limited is a sports management agency based in Cheshire, England that represents leading figures from the sports of golf and cricket. It was founded in 1989 by former European Tour golfer Andrew "Chubby" Chandler...
who had contributed to the advent of the Rugby League State of Origin
Rugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
concept. In 1986 Maranta joined Paul Morgan
Paul Morgan (rugby league)
Paul "Porky" Morgan was an Australian rugby league player and businessman. He is remembered for being co-founder of the Brisbane Broncos club...
, Gary Balkin and Steve Williams
Steve Williams (Australian rugby player)
Steve Williams is an Australian former state and national representative rugby union player who captained the Wallabies in five Test matches in 1985.-Early life and sporting promise:...
to form the Brisbane club. All men had played for Brisbane domestic teams. Four organisations made bids for the team which would be established in 1987. Ron McAuliffe
Ron McAuliffe
Ronald Edward McAuliffe OBE was a politician and sports administrator in Queensland, Australia. He is best remembered for his years running the Queensland Rugby League, and his instrumental role in the formation of the State of Origin competition.McAuliffe attended school at St. Joseph's College,...
, had the support of the NSWRL over the Maranta-Morgan group, other groups included 'International Syndicate' led by John Sattler
John Sattler
John William Sattler is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1960s and '70s. He was a rugged Prop forward who led his club, South Sydney to four premiership victories between 1967 and 1971 and who played four tests for Australia – three as the national captain...
and Bob Hagan, and one by Darryl van der Velde
Darryl van der Velde
Darryl van der Velde is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, coach and administrator. He played club football in Queensland for Souths and represented his state on one occasion in 1977. After playing he coached the Brisbane Rugby League premiership's Redcliffe side in 1986...
(who would later be CEO of the South Queensland Crushers
South Queensland Crushers
The South Queensland Crushers were an Australian rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. In 1992 it was decided that the team would be admitted into the New South Wales Rugby League competition, along with three other teams, as part of the League's expansion plans for professional...
).
When the NSWRL decided not to have a Brisbane club in 1987, the groups went down, but in a final bid for the 1988 season
New South Wales Rugby League season 1988
The 1988 New South Wales Rugby League Premiership was the eighty-first season of professional rugby league football in Australia. This year saw the first expansion of the NSWRL competition outside the borders of New South Wales, with the addition of three new teams, the Brisbane Broncos, Gold...
, Both McAuliffe and Maranta-Morgan bid for the club. The NSWRL finally decided to have a Brisbane-based team and thus the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
were born. The rights originally were going to go to the McAuliffe based group, but when it was realised they didn't have the funds to support the club, it was given to Maranta-Morgan.
However the Maranta-Morgan group did not please everybody, especially Australian Rugby League
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
chairman Ken Arthurson
Ken Arthurson
Kenneth Richard "Arko" Arthurson AM is an Australian rugby league football identity. Affectionately known as "The Godfather of Manly", he played, coached and was later an administrator at the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles club of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership...
, who decided to add other (now defunct) Queensland-based teams, Gold Coast in 1988
New South Wales Rugby League season 1988
The 1988 New South Wales Rugby League Premiership was the eighty-first season of professional rugby league football in Australia. This year saw the first expansion of the NSWRL competition outside the borders of New South Wales, with the addition of three new teams, the Brisbane Broncos, Gold...
and South Queensland
South Queensland Crushers
The South Queensland Crushers were an Australian rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. In 1992 it was decided that the team would be admitted into the New South Wales Rugby League competition, along with three other teams, as part of the League's expansion plans for professional...
in 1995
Australian Rugby League season 1995
The 1995 ARL premiership was the 88th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the first to be run by the Australian Rugby League. For the first time since 1988, the League expanded again, with the addition of four new clubs from North Queensland, Western Australia, South...
.
Maranta was instrumental in the takeover of the ailing London Crusaders club in the English capital. London, who were founded as an offshoot of Fulham Football Club inside nine weeks and played their first competitive fixture in late August 1980, had a patchy existence until the company that owned the club went into receivership in the early spring of 1994.
The club, the only British professional rugby league club outside of the code's northern heartlands at the time, was run by the Rugby Football League whilst a new owner could be found. Maranta and his Brisbane colleagues saw London as a way into another top flight competition although London were playing in the second tier of British RL at the time.
Brisbane completed their takeover of London Crusaders in April 1994 and the renamed London Broncos began life in the August of that year. The interest of Maranta's fellow board members was to prove short-lived however, and after London had been placed in the embryonic European Super League (which was launched fully in the summer of 1996), his colleagues withdrew their interest. Maranta and fellow director John Ribot remained but Virgin Group founder Richard Branson took an initial stake in the club and later increased his holding to outright ownership after Maranta sold his interest in 1998.
Maranta returned to Australia. London Broncos made their only Challenge Cup final appearance so far at the old Wembley Stadium in May 1999, Branson relinquished his interest in 2001 and the London Broncos brand was 'retired' in September 2005, becoming Harlequins Rugby League under the ownership of Ian Lenagan.