IL talks about SL expansion & how the global future of RL lies with clubs not national teams

[Firestarter]

So the question is"how to expand rugby league"?.To be honest I don't think you can.You can tweak it here and their but it will never be as big as rugby union and if someone doesn't come up soon with a cunning plan then it's back to part-time.

We are missing a key ingredient for expansion of Rugby League and it simpler than any rule change, any cap or structure. Its simple to bring new clientele into a sport you have to have at least one player who transcends the sport, who is known not just in the circles of their own game but to people outside the sport.

We actually nearly had it in Sam Tomkins, but we let him go to the NRL out of sight and Rugby League IMO has gone backwards ever since that moment.

How many people only watch snooker because of Ronnie O'Sulivan, how many people only watched cycling due to Bradley Wiggins?. How many people watch formula 1 because of Lewis Hamilton?, would union have made its biggest leap in popularity without the likes of Johnny Wilkinson? look at boxing now how many new fans is Anthony Joshua bringing in to that sport.

Without a poster boy you can throw resource after resource into a sport but you wont tap into that lucrative neutral resource. The issue with Rugby League recently is not only is it not bringing in the neutrals but its also turning away its core fan base in the pursuit of them. Ridiculous league structures that devalue the game have eroded interest in the weekly rounds which is the life blood of the sport, the Grand Final are great show pieces and capable of bringing in new fans but shouldnt be at the expense of the man on the terraces.'

this is very true..... i cant be arsed with darts ???? now that phil taylor has retired and i only watch snooker ???? if ronnie is playing

[medlocke]

So the question is"how to expand rugby league"?.To be honest I don't think you can.You can tweak it here and their but it will never be as big as rugby union and if someone doesn't come up soon with a cunning plan then it's back to part-time.

We are missing a key ingredient for expansion of Rugby League and it simpler than any rule change, any cap or structure. Its simple to bring new clientele into a sport you have to have at least one player who transcends the sport, who is known not just in the circles of their own game but to people outside the sport.

We actually nearly had it in Sam Tomkins, but we let him go to the NRL out of sight and Rugby League IMO has gone backwards ever since that moment.

How many people only watch snooker because of Ronnie O'Sulivan, how many people only watched cycling due to Bradley Wiggins?. How many people watch formula 1 because of Lewis Hamilton?, would union have made its biggest leap in popularity without the likes of Johnny Wilkinson? look at boxing now how many new fans is Anthony Joshua bringing in to that sport.

Without a poster boy you can throw resource after resource into a sport but you wont tap into that lucrative neutral resource. The issue with Rugby League recently is not only is it not bringing in the neutrals but its also turning away its core fan base in the pursuit of them. Ridiculous league structures that devalue the game have eroded interest in the weekly rounds which is the life blood of the sport, the Grand Final are great show pieces and capable of bringing in new fans but shouldnt be at the expense of the man on the terraces.'

this is very true..... i cant be arsed with darts ???? now that phil taylor has retired and i only watch snooker ???? if ronnie is playing

Been the same since the retirements of Leighton Rees and Cliff Thorburn, Darts and Snooker have never been the same for me since :conf:

[DaveO]

We are missing a key ingredient for expansion of Rugby League and it simpler than any rule change, any cap or structure. Its simple to bring new clientele into a sport you have to have at least one player who transcends the sport, who is known not just in the circles of their own game but to people outside the sport.

And one of the reasons we don't is the salary cap restriction that means any earnings a player may make outside of RL but because of his involvement in RL counts on the clubs salary cap.

There is no incentive to do as once happened, be the name of a major brind such as Gillette or whatever and enter into product endorsements which was one of the easiest ways to become a national name.

Sam might have been the last player in recent times who could transcend the sport but I think Paul Sculthorpe was the last one I can remember who actually did. He appeared in adds on TV and on billboards nationally when he was GB captain. Any RL players even close to this these days?

[fozzieskem]

Oh just watched it and hunter Paul is clearly spouting utter gibberish at times I think he agrees with the concept but who knows,Amor wants an all expenses paid jolly up for his memory bank yea I wouldn’t mind that either.

Saints had better not get too attached to Barba either going by that interview he will do his year and be off home

[Wandering Warrior]

Barba, Saints 14 to 15 thousand fans. Yeh reet!
Agree he could well go back at end of year, the groundwork for walking he's put in place.

[moto748]

After watching the BBC's Super League Show and hearing the comments of Amor and Paul (okay, Hunter-Paul for the pedantic), Amor basically admitted that he agrees with "expansion" in Australia and otherwise because it gives him and other players "something to look back on" when their careers have ended. Paul just came out with what largely appeared to be indecipherable BBC gobbledegook. Tanya Arnold looked completely puzzled. Please do watch it, if interested and let me know if I've missed something. :eusa4:

I watched it last night. I think all the players who come on TSS pretty much 'talk the company line'; they will not speak out against the current set-up in whatever form, for example the current format with the Super 8s, no-one says a word against it, although I doubt all SL players really are that impressed with it, any more than we do. Amor's comments really weren't much more than "it's a nice week's holiday in the sun for us".

[shaunedwardsfanclub]

After watching the BBC's Super League Show and hearing the comments of Amor and Paul (okay, Hunter-Paul for the pedantic), Amor basically admitted that he agrees with "expansion" in Australia and otherwise because it gives him and other players "something to look back on" when their careers have ended. Paul just came out with what largely appeared to be indecipherable BBC gobbledegook. Tanya Arnold looked completely puzzled. Please do watch it, if interested and let me know if I've missed something. :eusa4:

I watched it last night. I think all the players who come on TSS pretty much 'talk the company line'; they will not speak out against the current set-up in whatever form, for example the current format with the Super 8s, no-one says a word against it, although I doubt all SL players really are that impressed with it, any more than we do. Amor's comments really weren't much more than "it's a nice week's holiday in the sun for us".

The Super 8s are quite clearly costing the game money and hopefully the new SL Board will make changes ASAP. We need to attract funding not pour money down the drain. Now if Sky had come with a barrow load of money and made the game financially stable, as well as providing the funding to attract and keep the best players, then their demand for such changes would be more palatable.

[shaunedwardsfanclub]

[won't bother quoting previous posts.]

Dave, yes I do have an opinion on the topic. I had a light-hearted dig at you because you come across as so strident, even angry. As to your reply to Meds, I'm largely in agreement with you (!)

And thanks, Meds, for the info re Gregg's. I'll be booking me & the Mrs into Barrow now. Only been twice since me dad took usi winkle-picking on Walney Island in the 1950s.

I see the 2-way pull on RL. We want to expand, but we want to be a community game. We want to move from the "M62 corridor" (though it's population is 8-10 million or 20% of England), but no-one wants their team to be relegated, or to merge with local rivals.

What worries me is that we give power to someone like Hearns and end up with mergers, half-baked new teams planted in Edinburgh or Bristol. Remember Uncle Mo's plan?

On the other hand, I do want us to grow organically. I'm hopeful for Toronto, if not 100% convinced yet. But don't rush NY or wherever unless there is very firm commitment from big backers.

I'd favour 2 divisions of 10. Play each other 3 times a season, or playbeach other twice and introduce a new comp that could be sold to BBC.

The 2 X 10 would allow your Fevs etc a good standard in SL2, whilst avoiding diluting standards in SL, or SL1.

The Championship clubs are going to get short changed soon.

[Wes]

So the question is"how to expand rugby league"?.To be honest I don't think you can.You can tweak it here and their but it will never be as big as rugby union and if someone doesn't come up soon with a cunning plan then it's back to part-time.

We are missing a key ingredient for expansion of Rugby League and it simpler than any rule change, any cap or structure. Its simple to bring new clientele into a sport you have to have at least one player who transcends the sport, who is known not just in the circles of their own game but to people outside the sport.

We actually nearly had it in Sam Tomkins, but we let him go to the NRL out of sight and Rugby League IMO has gone backwards ever since that moment.

How many people only watch snooker because of Ronnie O'Sulivan, how many people only watched cycling due to Bradley Wiggins?. How many people watch formula 1 because of Lewis Hamilton?, would union have made its biggest leap in popularity without the likes of Johnny Wilkinson? look at boxing now how many new fans is Anthony Joshua bringing in to that sport.

Without a poster boy you can throw resource after resource into a sport but you wont tap into that lucrative neutral resource. The issue with Rugby League recently is not only is it not bringing in the neutrals but its also turning away its core fan base in the pursuit of them. Ridiculous league structures that devalue the game have eroded interest in the weekly rounds which is the life blood of the sport, the Grand Final are great show pieces and capable of bringing in new fans but shouldnt be at the expense of the man on the terraces.'

Great post that!

[Fujiman]

IL does not believe this nònsense he is spouting, he has a very large ego and thinks that being first to deliver new practices within RL will give him a higher profile and an opportunity to make money for himself, RL comes second to IL after his pursuit of financial gain.

With all due respect to your opinion that is a load of crap.[/quote
And so is your response but I believe it and can live with it

fair enough