AMBITIOUS, bold and daring — the Canterbury Bulldogs want to go public with their plan to become the most successful sporting club in Australia.

Celebrating their 80th anniversary as a club in 2015, the Bulldogs board are refusing to live off their rich history, instead going where other NRL club’s and sporting franchises wouldn’t dare by declaring that just like the players and coach Des Hasler, they too will be measured upon by success and failure.

Four-months in the making, Bulldogs management will soon release their detailed five-year strategic plan to fans and members and is highlighted by a list of lofty targets including:

* Two premierships by 2019

* A top four finish every year in the NRL and NYC (under-20s)

* Top eight finish in the NSW Cup

* A local junior is contracted to the NRL top 25 squad every year

* Club revenue is $30 million by 2020

* 30,000 average home game attendance by 2018

* 25,000 members by 2018.

media_camera Terry Lamb with Raelene Castle, CEO of the Bulldogs in front of a billboard in Belmore as the Club celebrates it's 80th anniversary this year.

The Bulldogs offer to make their goals public, while daring, does two things.

It indicates a confidence within the Bulldogs front office while also suggesting that there is a level of professionalism and lack of ego which exists within the Canterbury board.

But primarily, it raises the bar to other NRL club board members, who have failed to run their club in a professional manner with their rusted-on ex-players and token ‘executives.’

Canterbury chief executive Raelene Castle took The Sunday Telegraph through the strategic plan last week and explained why the club want to make their goals public.

“Because we want to be measurable not just on the football field, where our results are always clear for everyone to see,’’ Castle said.

“We want to make sure our fans and our members can measure our off-field result also.

“We’re going to measure our strategic plans against a scorecard and we’re going to present that at our Annual General Meeting’s and then people can actually rate how the board are operating and make decisions based on fact around their performance.’’

TWO GRAND FINAL WINS BY 2019

media_camera Bulldogs coach Des Hasler.

Castle and the board sat Hasler down over summer before finalising the strategic plan. Hasler is contracted until the end of 2017, meaning he has little time to waste if the goals of the board are to be realised.

Asked if the premiership-winning coach was overwhelmed by any added pressure or expectation to deliver upon the targets, Castle said Hasler would meet the challenge head-on.

“He’s up for it 100 per cent because the guy dreams about winning,’’ Castle said.

“He is never going to shy away from a football target.’’

BIGGER CROWDS AND GAME-DAY EXPERIENCE

media_camera Players during Bulldogs training at Belmore Oval.

According to the strategic plan, which will be assessed every 12-months, the Dogs will also strive to ‘set the benchmark for the game day and fan experience’ during both their return matches at Belmore Oval this season and ANZ Stadium in years to come.

The club has also identified an average home crowd figure of 30,000 by 2018 as a legitimate target despite a much-less home crowd average of 15,425 last season.

“The game-day experience aspect is a recognition from us that you’ve got some other codes doing a really good job of it like the Western Sydney Wanderers which people are really enjoying,’’ Castle said.

“We don’t want to be the Wanderers, because football has got their own thing — but its about how do we make the Bulldogs experience, a unique Bulldogs experience.

“It’s not about entertaining more, its also about safe places where families can go without alcohol as well.

“We’re just finalising those at the moment which fans will say ‘wow, this is different’.’’

NRL PATHWAYS

media_camera Josh Reynolds celebrates a Bulldogs win.

The Bulldogs boasted just one local junior in their NRL squad last season, five-eighth Josh Reynolds.

It’s not good enough for a board who are determined to “deliver an innovative football program that results in consistent, un-matched on field success and nurtures local talent.”

With 4,000 kids playing across 18 junior league clubs, the Dogs are aiming for a local junior to be contracted to the top 25 squad every two years.

“We’ve got a passionate junior rugby league competition with people that play aspire to be Bulldogs,” Castle said.

“What’s aspirational for us is to find that local talent out of the area and take them on the pathway all the way to the NRL.”

And if the Bulldogs fail to meet and of their targets included in the plan?

“If you’ve got an explanation as to why and a plan as to how you’re going to get there, we’ll address it,” Castle said.

“The reality is too we might smash that target. But that’s not what this is really about.

“Its about looking to maximise all the elements that we’ve got.”