Pulga

Here's a positive spin: While he was screwing the English game he wasn't screwing the global game.

Cool video. Hopefully with Idaho developing they will have some competitors a bit closer.

That reminds me: Apparently there may be a Utah team at a Santa Rosa CA 9's tournament in October.

Are you sure? I was talking with one of the guys behind it and I'm sure he mentioned hosting an Aussie team. I may have got my wires crossed though.

Has Daniel Vidot made his debut yet? 2 RL players in the WWE is pretty funny.

Lots of talk and early steps happening in the USA right now. A few might know of the Chicago Stockyarders who have been around for a few years basically by themselves who play the odd game here and there but not inside any competition. Recently they played a game of 9's with a Cleveland team put together by Monte Gaddis. This was the first time Cleveland had played any RL. The same guy(s) behind the Stockyarders are looking to put together a team out of Joliet, Illinois. Things are happening in the Carolinas too. I know there is some Oztag happening. I do believe full contact is in the works. There is talk of a team developing in Idaho and another in Oregon. Texas too has begun the process of forming a team. California has started some training sessions, the first in Hollywood. The OC Outlaws from a few years back are likely making a comeback. So that's a possible 7 or 8 new teams in the works at least. I am probably forgetting some. It looks like it could be a boom few years for the USA. Obviously, it's early days for most of these and some likely won't come to fruition. Most of these teams mentioned have a social media presence. Go and give them a like.

Hoping for a Toronto win here. But it's win - win for expansionist.

I agree. How good would either a documentary or a dramatization be!?

Love this idea.

Even now crowds aren't great but TV viewership is. PS, these figures don't include regional viewers where the NRL does VERY well.

Naturalisation takes 5 years so it's unlikely.

You can't really draw any meaningful stats comparing AFL attendance. The AFL is EASILY the most attended sport per capita in the world. It's such a statistical outlier it's not funny.

I've come across coaches and guys willing to run it. Some with rugby league experience. I started a database with emails and club names. It's really interesting how open and keen they are.

I've been "cold calling" lately via Facebook. Basically I've been targeting rugby union players in the USA on Facebook, finding them through RU pages, groups and events pages. I've been targeting people with certain types of names because of the organisation I work with. I have been finding overwhelmingly positive results. I've found that most union fans are super keen to play some League. I've been thinking how much success I could have if I had a group doing this with me and not looking for specific types. Who would be interested in doing this? I've got some more specific goals I would share personally.

I'm glad people are taking some notice. Besides my daughter, this project is something that I'm probably most proud to be involved in. There's still a lot of work to do though with almost no outside help.