Olympic Leagcy and what that means for RL

[Death to the Rah Rah's]

I'm sure we have all enjoyed the success of our athletes in Rio after a wonderful 2 weeks of competitions against the worlds best.

Sport England will be ecstatic with the medal haul and will view the high profile games as proof that their long term investment and commitment to sport is working through increased participation at junior levels and being able to compete with the worlds best.

Where will that leave rugby league in the future?

when I've listened to the coaches of many of these sports they talk about the medal winners being the culmination of years of hard work and planning, sticking to training plans and tweaking where necessary to get to the pinnacle of their sports.

Then I thought about the state of our sport, rugby league .....a game seemingly with no long term plan, a profile which is diminishing year on year, a shrinking player base at community level and currently with very very little leadership at the highest level.

Does the game have a blueprint for the the future of sport, if we do who sees it?

How much influence do Sport England have on our sport as it's quite obvious to all at community level that there is no money being invested in tiers 3 and 4 to help grow grass roots rugby league, so where does all the money go?

Our game is in a very fragile state, and if we all don't start to pull together then I fear we won't have a long term future.

There are many sports at the olympics who have come back from the dead with good planning, the time has come for RL to do the same.

What's everyone else's thoughts on this?

[Henson Park Old Firm]

I always thought that rl could be played at the winter games... after all it is a winter sport and would be something new for the winter games. Have 8 full teams in a knock out comp...dont worry about the snow, global warming can take care of that.

[LionelHurst]

The opening post says it all - the sport is in a very fragile place with no leadership domestically or internationally. When stakeholders like myself who put huge sums of money into the sport plus years of passion wisdom and experience say this then it really is time to worry. Time to clear the decks at the top and bring on board the many talented people we have throughout the world. The Olympics leaves me with this feeling again: we are the Victorian urchin looking in through the window at the resplendent feast taking place inside - all jollity and merriment whilst we shiver outside cold, hungry and starving.

[Death to the Rah Rah's]

How do you start to purge the games current management and who would choose their replacements?

[Mark S]

Unfortunately I can't see anyone at the top leaving without some game wide scandal kicking off.

We need to get Richard Lewis back ASAP and at the same time get a chairman who's interest goes beyond chasing down buffets.

[Exiled Wiganer]

Internationally, we are about to have our first proper RLIF with independent funding, so I think that side will improve vastly.

[Oxford]

I'm sure we have all enjoyed the success of our athletes in Rio after a wonderful 2 weeks of competitions against the worlds best.

Sport England will be ecstatic with the medal haul and will view the high profile games as proof that their long term investment and commitment to sport is working through increased participation at junior levels and being able to compete with the worlds best.

Where will that leave rugby league in the future?

when I've listened to the coaches of many of these sports they talk about the medal winners being the culmination of years of hard work and planning, sticking to training plans and tweaking where necessary to get to the pinnacle of their sports.

Then I thought about the state of our sport, rugby league .....a game seemingly with no long term plan, a profile which is diminishing year on year, a shrinking player base at community level and currently with very very little leadership at the highest level.

Does the game have a blueprint for the the future of sport, if we do who sees it?

How much influence do Sport England have on our sport as it's quite obvious to all at community level that there is no money being invested in tiers 3 and 4 to help grow grass roots rugby league, so where does all the money go?

Our game is in a very fragile state, and if we all don't start to pull together then I fear we won't have a long term future.

There are many sports at the olympics who have come back from the dead with good planning, the time has come for RL to do the same.

What's everyone else's thoughts on this?

I agree with a lot of what you say here Death to the Rah Rah's about TGG not everything.

 

I don't think there'll be much of an Olympic legacy for RL as in the minds of those with power and influence we're more or less persona non grata.

 

Also I never watch the Olympics as I'm too busy watching RL.

 

There's no doubt we need a global long term plan that domestic leagues need to fall in line with.

 

Which brings us to:

 

Internationally, we are about to have our first proper RLIF with independent funding, so I think that side will improve vastly.

This could make all the difference in the world to TGG, and I hope they get some real teeth or power. First thing should be one set of rules. Then the international calendar for the next decade. Then a revision of elegibilty rules to keep the Briitbrexit crowd happy. And more teams in the world cup, as having a 16 nation WC is great but looks like it's still only played in a few places.

[TheLegendOfTexEvans]

We need to get more serious about 9s if funded sport is just going to be about medals we need to be at least a commonwealth sport.

 

The idea of sport being as way to unite communities and provide social cohesion is slowing turning into a middle class mardi gras. 

[Futtocks]

As for Olympic inclusion, we don't have the geographical spread yet, let alone an inside man at the IOC like Jacques Rogge was for RU Sevens.

 

For now, a push to get inclusion in (or at least continued association with) the Commonwealth Games with the Nines format is probably the best project to stick to. That would be a good step forward for the sport, as well as a showcase for the attractions of the game.

[Oxford]

We need to get more serious about 9s if funded sport is just going to be about medals we need to be at least a commonwealth sport.

 

The idea of sport being as way to unite communities and provide social cohesion is slowing turning into a middle class mardi gras. 

 

As for Olympic inclusion, we don't have the geographical spread yet, let alone an inside man at the IOC like Jacques Rogge was for RU Sevens.

 

For now, a push to get inclusion in (or at least continued association with) the Commonwealth Games with the Nines format is probably the best project to stick to. That would be a good step forward for the sport, as well as a showcase for the attractions of the game.

I think the Commonwealth Games is a good target for now and could help increase the number of countries taking up RL'

[ELBOWSEYE]

In this country we are celebrating the Olympics with state funded success, but for every success there is a lot more countries saying the games have seen poor returns on state supported competitors. So although as a sport we look on with envy in this country let's not get too down and think it's all doom and gloom. The sport needs to work internationally and nationally and at the moment we need Toronto and toulouse more than they need us.

[Oxford]

In this country we are celebrating the Olympics with state funded success, but for every success there is a lot more countries saying the games have seen poor returns on state supported competitors. So although as a sport we look on with envy in this country let's not get too down and think it's all doom and gloom. The sport needs to work internationally and nationally and at the moment we need Toronto and toulouse more than they need us.

Good post but I think Toulouse and Toronto need us as much as we need them to achieve all our goals.

[David Shepherd]

How do you start to purge the games current management and who would choose their replacements?

 

I nominate Parksider.  He's got all the answers.

[bar red]

If they had won the gold medal, the GB 7s team should have been  challenged by a RL 7s GB team. I fancy we may have won it.

[TheLegendOfTexEvans]

If they had won the gold medal, the GB 7s team should have been challenged by a RL 7s GB team. I fancy we may have won it.

If you remember the hype at the Commonwealth games in Manchester about union 7s and then Bradford Bulls giving them a reality check when they entered and won the 7s

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4piQYfzAzI&feature=youtu.be

[Kris]

There is no Olympic legacy- a slight raise then a fall within 12 months in participation of sport overall following London, same again this year - at £4million a medal its an elitist arena for professional sportspeople paid out of paid out of lottery and public funds at a time when we really need to look at the NHS, housing etc - sorry to ruin the party but we spend more on cycling in Team GB than the yanks and all the others put together

 

All on an 8 year cycle

 

So if you consider the amount we spend its probably not value for money is it!

 

RL will feature in the Olympics when it has a viable international platform, end of. Until then its a niche sport just like NFL base ball etc - loads of potential needs a cash injection to get to that level

 

We should worry more why a sport like ours that grows organically cannot attract meaningful sponsorship - expansion and a viable market value share is the future - forget the Olympics for now

[londonrlfan]

The main thing that can help is England winning a major tournament on terrestrial tv, hopefully this year in the Four Nations will be the one. The thing with the Olympics is, once they're over, we never hear about these sports again (except Athletics) until the next one in 2020. A lot of the bandwagoners will fall off and probably go back to watching football, before cheering the next big success in England. Look how forgotten Murray's Wimbledon win and England's Six Nations win have become already thanks to the Olympics. 

[londonrlfan]

I think the Commonwealth Games is a good target for now and could help increase the number of countries taking up RL'

 

It would be the best thing to happen to International RL for a long time. I think we'd have a decent chance of being an optional sport (rather than core) atm, but still need to do more to grow the sport in Africa, Asia (especially) and the Carribean and Guyana. I'm not sure why RL would not be accepted for the Commonwealth Games, it is pretty much the definition of a commonwealth sport. Plus, whenever it is in Australia they probably pick it. 

[Padge]

There is no Olympic legacy- a slight raise then a fall within 12 months in participation of sport overall following London, same again this year - at £4million a medal its an elitist arena for professional sportspeople paid out of paid out of lottery and public funds at a time when we really need to look at the NHS, housing etc - sorry to ruin the party but we spend more on cycling in Team GB than the yanks and all the others put together

 

All on an 8 year cycle

 

So if you consider the amount we spend its probably not value for money is it!

 

RL will feature in the Olympics when it has a viable international platform, end of. Until then its a niche sport just like NFL base ball etc - loads of potential needs a cash injection to get to that level

 

We should worry more why a sport like ours that grows organically cannot attract meaningful sponsorship - expansion and a viable market value share is the future - forget the Olympics for now

 

 

Even more amazing that they got all those medals, I'll bet everyone else had new ones.

[Man of Kent]

The only legacy of Olympic sevens is making the 15-man code look even more boring. If people want to watch Fiji-style running, support play and offloading (and not kicking the ball away as GB did), they can watch league.

[Oxford]

The only legacy of Olympic sevens is making the 15-man code look even more boring. If people want to watch Fiji-style running, support play and offloading (and not kicking the ball away as GB did), they can watch league.

You spent time watching it? There's a lot of minutes you'll never get back!

 

I've always felt the Fijians took a wrong turn because their style of play would suit League better than any other perversion of rugby.

 

What do you think Man of Kent Locked or Crosscode rubbish for these two posts?

[Scubby]

There is no Olympic legacy- a slight raise then a fall within 12 months in participation of sport overall following London, same again this year - at £4million a medal its an elitist arena for professional sportspeople paid out of paid out of lottery and public funds at a time when we really need to look at the NHS, housing etc - sorry to ruin the party but we spend more on cycling in Team GB than the yanks and all the others put together

 

All on an 8 year cycle

 

So if you consider the amount we spend its probably not value for money is it!

 

RL will feature in the Olympics when it has a viable international platform, end of. Until then its a niche sport just like NFL base ball etc - loads of potential needs a cash injection to get to that level

 

We should worry more why a sport like ours that grows organically cannot attract meaningful sponsorship - expansion and a viable market value share is the future - forget the Olympics for now

 

The niche sport that is baseball is in the Olympics for 2020.

[gingerjon]

The niche sport that is baseball is in the Olympics for 2020.

Entirely coincidental that it's huge in Japan!

[Futtocks]

The Americans had Baseball and Softball in the Atlanta games.

[gingerjon]

The Americans had Baseball and Softball in the Atlanta games.

Softball is back as well.