cpwigan wrote:I do not buy shirts any more but when I did I wore a Parramatta one quite happily as the Eels with Kenny, Ella were my Aus team. Growing up at school a group of friends first started watching Wigan RLFC and then started following the NRL/NSWRL on C4 IIRC. We discovered Micron and the joy of 2 hour video of each round. Likewise Trevor Smith and Smiths started importing RLW and Australian RL Books. Nothing much existed about British RL bar Open Rugby. Down Under Leisure came a little later. The Aus shirts were far better quality to wear away from RL. So friends had Manly, Balmain etc etc shirts.
Irrespective of whether it was Britain / Australia; every member of that group of student friends are now devoted League fans. I want youngsters today to experience the joy we had discovering RL and I care not if it is Aus or British.
It's also a garment of leisure, a fashion item which is different to the run of the mill that every tom, dick and harry wears.
Younger fans are leading the way with this if you go by the number in the gym and on holiday wearing NRL Vests, T/Shirts, Jerseys and Shorts.
As a fashion item WW, you've got to buy into the idea it's a changing world we live in and peoples interests change. Just because you seem to have a sort of tunnel-vision view on the subject, it doesn't mean others are wrong spending their money as they like. It would be a dull world if we all went round wearing what you wear.
And as CP says, if it's a RL item then that's good for the game and can spread interest on a wider scale. In Australia fans of 2 competing clubs are routinely seen wearing the colours of other NRL teams, not because they support that side, but because they like the fashion, design, colours, style, fit etc.
People started getting interest in the NRL years back, again as CP says when Micron did the weekly rounds on Video, and "Rugby League Week" was distributed over here with all the NRL news. Of course, with all the UK based players now in that competition, plus the growing coverage on "Premier Sports" it's hardly surprising this aspect in the market is growing.