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.

This is purely anacodotal but I used to know a fair few southerners who went to the CC. Some were northern exiles, others had family links/history to the game in the north and others were followers of Broncos, Skolars or Hemel (when attendances were not high but much higher than now). That southern presence has gone. Covid broke the habit for many I think along with the general decline in the sport here. I am sure it doesn't account for the decline in attendance to any large extent but I suspect it has some impact.

Obviously I wasn't there and I am a bit wary (it is not that long ago that The Guardian had a well written article about Skolars being taken over by an Australian consortium which came to nowt) but given there are real and credible people and organisations named it feels reasonably substantial. They must be pretty confident 'i's' and 't's' will be dotted and crossed to host something in Australia House. There seemed a fair few people there (who were they all?_ Frankly this feels a lot less odd than much I have experienced with the sport in London over the years!

Anything is possible and individual sports have grown. I am old enough to remember the late 70s/80s when football seemed in terminal decline in this country. Two of my three children a few years ago had no interest in F1 or NFL but now love both (well ahead of footie) even to the extent of going to the US to watch their team (Chiefs) but...growth needs money and strategies to overcome barriers and exploit opportunities. I believe, objectively, that RL is a great spectacle and a 'saleable' product. Everyone I have taken to a game really enjoys it but that is not enough to get them to engage with it, particularly if they already have a sport(s) they follow. Whatever the future holds, a visible and hopefully successful presence in London is a vital part of that future so let's really hope that this all comes to pass.

Pleased this is on the BBC's website - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/cqxee1v7d53o

I think given the promises we have had over the years with Broncos and Skolars some caution is understandable but this does feel more solid. Fingers crossed. I do hope some direct approach was made to media in London about this, particularly with the CC coming up.

Agree. This has to be about 'new' and 'exciting'. We need to represent RL to Londoners as something that should be interesting to them and worth watching.

You are 100% right but in my memory what actually happens is SweetFA. I don't even recall seeing a poster any where advertising the game or a story on regional TV. I would be surprised if there is any thought to the wider implications of the match for the game down here. Frankly the very fact that there are clubs down here playing the game would probably be a news story!

Looking forward to watching RL at new river again. Been a while.

I have to say having experienced two bouts of speculation about the takeover of London Skolars which eventually came to nothing despite a fair bit of noise, I will wait and see, but hope this does lead to something tangible and positive. Do other sports experience weird endless and slightly surreal speculation about developments (actually I know the answer to that I support Reading FC. That has been a somewhat existential experience in recent years).

Just bought two tickets for Wembley. Looking around the blocks I was interested in, there appear to have been a fair few sales already. Hopefully there will be a good turn out from Londons Aussie ex pats.