EssexRL

I think we can all agree that outside of a handful of places the sport struggles to have mass appeal (in terms of spectators - I think 'awareness' of RL is reasonable). I mean Championship and L1 crowds, for example, are less than amazing in areas that are meant to be the heartland and not every SL club is packing them in week in week out. We can and should argue about why this state of affairs exists because we need to understand how we have got to where we are in order to move on*, but we should also note other sports (like RU and county cricket) are also struggling. The quirk of RL is that historically it was very northern based, which means - 1. There is a struggle to sustain and grow it in the established areas like other (non football sports) 2. There is an additional task to grow it in new areas (which cricket, for example, does not have to do) If though we agree the sport has merit, the key question is not - 'what has gone wrong in London/Cumbria/Newcastle/South Wales/ or where ever' but rather 'how do we grow it?' and if we want to grow it then London matters (as does Cumbria, Newcastle etc.,) *I realise this sounds like couple counselling although maybe with the sport split between the North and South that isn't inappropriate!

I would happily go back and watch a game in Barcelona.

It is very hard to see what will change in a year. Essentially building a new RL team at any level in London is a hard ask. Perhaps they (I used to think in terms of 'we') need to go back to their origins and see if there are any players in London universities. I hope that club survives. I hope if changes come to Broncos they may benefit Skolars. Any future is probably going to have to be based on a long term plan and engagement with the small band of fans (I've not heard from the club since they went amateur!)

To be fair if the club is a success it won't matter. What matters substantively is how the relaunch is handled. This is an opportunity to reintroduce the club (and sport to London). I will wait with interest to see what is planned.

Totally. That makes no sense. It is, objectively, a very poor choice.

I am not sure what the answer is and clearly things that have been tried in the past have not worked but I am convinced, in principle, if we are not going to have a pyramid structure like football, a three tier league makes sense but it can only make sense if there are enough clubs to avoid these kind of situations.

Well yes and TBH it does read like that...surely it would make sense to spin a bit more positively ('feel you've got to join our squad...")

Blimey reads like they are hoping people will turn up tomorrow to play!

Sadly true and actually even as a one off piece it could be significant, because - 1. The article was about how sports are developing on a global scale and reaching new markets 2. Lots of sports go to Vegas for games (some mentioned in the article) but RL is the prominent one covered 3. The impression is of a forward looking sport that is entraining (the women's international is only briefly mentioned) and family oriented* 4. FT readers including City types and investors 5. The FT has covered RU more in recent months but in the context of the financial crises it is in - having a lot of coverage isn't great if its bad news *At the end of the piece, the writer is on the plane home and is next to a family of Warrington fans all of whom are in their club's shirt except one son who is wearing a NRL club top after swapping with a Aus fan (punch line - 'it is not just by gambling that you can lose your shirt in Vegas').

Well the alternative is that it is never mentioned or is mentioned negatively so I’ll take the positive and you know what it did please me this morning!

I was very pleasently surprised reading today's FT that they had a very positive piece about Wigan and Warrington in Vegas which made up the bulk of an article about sports tourism. I am not sure how accessible articles are if you are not a subscriber but the link is - https://www.ft.com/content/5e2ebb5c-7625-42fb-aabe-f081668c3bf2 The writer seemed to really enjoy his experience of watching the games and being with the fans. He also noted that a number of locals had come along with one Wigan fan describing RL as "NFL without the padding"! It was also positive about RL's attempt to expand its market. It sometimes feels the game is all about one crisis after another or missed opportunity so reading something positive and that presented the sport as having its act together was great.

I don't disagree but the key question down here is - where to get players from? It is why Skolars struggled to be competitive (and all the expansion clubs of a decade ago). Yes we need to build community clubs including for juniors but the reality is that young people in London will have been exposed to RU.

Two good points. I did stay once to watch the 1895 (when Sheffield won). It does make for a long day and unless you're with the finalists fans it is a very odd experience watching 60,000 people leave the stadium. I would either make it the opener or play it somewhere else. Fans do stay overnight so Friday could be a viable option, perhaps with an earlier London-club based game.

I think that's a really good point. The game should try to see what factors have driven their longevity. If they can do it in an part of the country that has no obvious awareness of the game, the model should be replicable any where.

Given all the challenges the game faces down here the fact that Hemel have remained a presence for so long and manage things like this is so encouraging. I used to enjoy watching them when I lived in Watford many years ago. Congratulations to all involved - we need more clubs like them down here.