ChoboMog

Looks like it's official, and McDermott is on his way to Toronto: https://www.torontowolfpack.com/2018/11/11/brian-mcdermott-joins-pack/

This would work, just as well. I don't think the challenge is finding a way to schedule the first few rounds so as to avoid Canadian winter weather, in addition to a couple of games played elsewhere; the challenge will be convincing the RFL and a few (rather vocal) die hard fans in the General forum who would consider this "special treatment" for the Wolfpack. Varsity Stadium would be a lovely venue, with a great facility, location etc. That said, it is similarly domed during the winter months, and the University of Toronto would probably balk at having to re-paint the lines for a couple of games. The team certainly made good on that same promise, in 2018, especially once the Qualifiers' games and MPG are taken into consideration; so, I fully expect we will get at least those ten games in 2019. Mentioning the Challenge Cup, though, presents an interesting twist to this discussion, going forward: Start playing some Challenge Cup rounds in Toronto, when we draw at home, and additional regular season "home" games played away doesn't matter quite so much.

I think the team and league need to be careful about relying too heavily on "home" games that are played away, either to deal with the predictably inclement (Canadian winter) weather, early in the season, or for promotion of the brand elsewhere. A couple of games are fine, but too many will be a cause for concern. 2018 was an anomaly, with the turf replacement situation, and few if any supporters objected to these games and the weird first/second half away/home stand setup. I think the expectation, though, is for things to return more to normal in 2019. TL;DR: =< 2 games is fine; 3 is OK; 4, unless some played elsewhere in the GTA, is really pushing it; and >= 5 will leave many supporters and/or season ticket holders (myself included) pretty annoyed. There is, though, really no excuse for so many "home" games to be played away. The RFL can take weather into consideration, for the first few rounds of the season, and just not be dumb enough to schedule a game in Canada, in February. It's for their own players' health and well being, if nothing else. If Lamport isn't available, by mid-March, then Fletchers Fields and Tim Hortons Field remain options that are still within a drive of Toronto, even if they're less than ideal. It's not that hard to schedule: Rounds 1-4, as a block of four actual away games; Rounds 5-6, as your two "home" games, played away; Rounds 7-8, played in the GTA, even if Lamport Stadium is unavailable; Rounds 9-23, home at Lamport, away at our opponent's ground, in whatever combination/blocks the RFL sees fit. There are other combinations which achieve a similar outcome, you might get a tad more sympathy if a "home" away game is played elsewhere in Canada (Montreal, QC; Vancouver/Victoria, BC), same if we don't also lose a "home" game to the Magic Weekend. Just don't go overboard and/or have the RFL use weather as an excuse.

That's correct. Each of us season ticket holders had this game included as part of the package, and we were given a voucher to bring a friend or family member for free. A good gesture, if you ask me. That said, there is no way that accounts for the numbers needed for a sold out East Stand and, apparently, a West Stand which is well on its way.

Well, that's exciting!... [Edit] ... parklandswolf beat me to it.

I've seen a few ads pop up, like this, too. However, this isn't necessarily indicative of the widespread exposure a website like Imgur might otherwise imply. Ad networks, in this case DoubleClick I believe, do a ton of contextual and behavioural targeting based on tracking you as an individual and your unique browsing/viewing behaviour. Watch a few rugby league videos on YouTube, while logged in to Google (which owns DoubleClick), have a cookie or two from browsing websites like TotalRL or the TWP homepage, and they'll notice this and start serving you rugby related ads.. That said, depending on how they have set up and added other keywords/metadata to the campaign, perhaps anyone looking at the Air Transat, Teksavvy, Ticketmaster, or other Toronto sports teams websites might start seeing these, which would be a big deal in terms of getting new people into the game.

Toronto F.C. is already scheduled for league play at BMO Field on April 28, May 4, and May 9, with an additional CONCACAF game possible on April 17/24. I doubt the Wolfpack playing there, on May 5, was ever a realistic option. There is no way that MLSE or the BMO Field grounds crew would have agreed to a less than 24 hour turnaround between soccer and rugby, including the need to repaint lines, followed by a four day turnaround to get the field back into shape all for a single Wolfpack game. The field is already a mess, from both CONCACAF and league play starting so early; and its's doubtful MLSE would even schedule the Argos that tight, and that's for a team they own.

Toronto Wolfpack Confirm Departing Players

I don't think anything needs to change, in terms of things like: Promotion/Relegation; blocks of home/away games; Super8's/playoffs etc. Perhaps, making sure we continue to not have a home game scheduled during the first three or four rounds is smart, given the winter weather. Given the tone of some threads over the past few months, though, making sure a plan is agreed on and in place [stadium upgrades, travel cost coverage (if any) etc) in advance seems important to making it a success and minimizing any disruption/uncertainty. I just hope it all goes smooth and the positive impact continues. With any luck, the successful League 1 season, additional signings, and media coverage make the 8-9000 range typical, the way 6-8000 was this year. Can't wait for the first sellout!

I am of the same mind. The goal is clearly promotion to SL, sooner rather than later, and as things stand they've got a good shot by the end of next year. That said, there's no guarantee and once you're into the Super8's Qualifiers it's a whole new ball game. This is probably a topic for another thread, in order to keep this focused on the signings between now and next season; however, the RFL/SL really needs to make sure it has a plan in place, should Toronto gain promotion for 2019.

I think the assumption was 2019 would see Toronto up into the Super League, and Montreal in League 1, with Barrow playing in the Championship.

If this does happen, it will be one of the following: Montreal, QC -- Large metropolitan population, Canada's second largest behind Toronto; AirTransat's other hub/base of operations, with direct/non-stop flights both to several places in the U.K., and to Toulouse & Marseille in the south of France; the Toronto-Montreal rivalry being so strong, in every sport; Stade Saputo (capacity: 20801; surface: grass), Percival Molson Memorial Stadium (capacity: 23420; surface: FieldTurf), and CEPSUM (capacity: 5100; surface: FieldTurf) all well-established. Halifax, NS -- Much smaller population and lacking the flight connections and rivalry. However, the new stadium would be a perfect size, the flight somewhat shorter, and the city lacks a major professional sports franchise. Quebec City, QC -- Similar to Halifax, above. The English-French Canada rivalry would add to the fun. Stade TELUS-Université Laval (capacity: 12257; surface synthetic turf) would be a good venue. My money is on Montreal; but who knows. Also, the only reason why I see a western Canadian option as doubtful would be travel times and the existing CFL season, which would conflict. I would be happy with any expansion, though.

I have to disagree. If, in 18 months, the top tier has 12-14 teams and a quarter are from outside the U.K., there would actually be many positives: The non-U.K. sides in question will have clearly become relatively permanent fixtures on their home turf, thus demonstrating at least some level of Rugby League's success overseas. Any new teams would provide additional (local/international) professional opportunities. Any Super League teams relegated to the Championship could make that second tier an even more exciting competition; while any non-U.K. sides relegated to the Championship could continue to bring international attention to that level, as opposed to such attention being almost focused exclusively on the top tier. Any Championship squads would have a truly international top tier to which they can aspire. Just imagine the additional competition and drama in the Super8's Qualifiers, if this were the case. The value of TV contracts would only increase with the greater international/intercontinental exposure and audiences. More nations with teams playing means more grassroots development. This, in time, means more homegrown players in these areas and, eventually, more teams which can properly compete with the top dogs in an international Test and/or World Cup. To be honest, if I am allowed to dream, in 50 years time it would be amazing to have a "Super League" with 10-14 teams, half made up from those promoted from a "UK/EU RFL Championship" and half, similarly, promoted from a "NA RFL Championship". The acronyms might need a bit of work; but this could make for an amazing trans-Atlantic top tier competition, all the while maintaining fiercely competitive second tiers on each side of the ocean. I admit, this is an ideal scenario and there will almost certainly be some bumps along the road. I also admit that my views are skewed by the bias and naïvety that comes with being relatively new to Rugby League and a Toronto Wolfpack season ticket holder. That said: Just because the total number of U.K. teams in the Super League might decrease, as might U.K.'s share of teams within that top tier, does not necessarily make for a "weaker game" and could easily make for quite the opposite. Developing, adapting to, and embracing a new (international) normal for the RFL and the game has the potential for a very bright future for all involved.

It's worth pointing out: The linked article is actually content created and syndicated by the Canadian Press, as opposed to original reporting by the Toronto Star. The down side is the Star didn't have their own reporter there, at the ground, that day; but the potentially significant upside is that this content ends up being published on news websites across the country. The Globe and Mail, for example, another newspaper with national reach, has published similar syndicated content, about the Wolfpack, in the past: Toronto Wolfpack Prosper in Debut Season Despite Blows to Small Roster [2017-08-30] I believe the Toronto Sun has, on several occasions, been reporting original content and match reports, in addition to the syndicated Wolfpack content: Wolfpack Back at Home [2017-08-18] On the topic of original content, this morning's article Toronto Wolfpack Calling for Support Ahead of League 1 Decider has made it to the front page of Toronto's FanSided page (Tip of the Tower). When the goal is to build local and national interest, and to grow the game, this type of coverage can't possibly be a bad thing.

Halifax (Nova Scotia) vs. Halifax (West Yorkshire) would be the ideal Canada-U.K. naming conflict with existing RFL teams; and it's not quite as far-fetched as the others, given the 300k+ population, the provincial capital status, the lack of any other major sports team, and given that the Atlantic Schooners (CFL) were almost a thing. I doubt it will ever happen, but it would be pretty sweet.