corkonian77

Best of luck to your son with his playing career. Its a hard journey and he will need it. It kind of could work if there was a equivalent of London Irish in league. But that doesn't exist. Mike Haley from Preston who plays with Munster Rugby Union is as Irish as many these guys on Rli pathways program.

This is crazy stuff. I can't think of a single country that would put on a second tier competition a ahead of their own international team.

Back in th 2000's they thought what they could for League what Jack Charlton did for Irish football. But the big difference was that Irish football had multiple leagues and clubs in existance prior to Charlton's arrival. The sucess they did have could not have been harnessed because the clubs didnt exist to benefit from it. and the 2000 World Cup was on Sky Sports an not on RTE or BBC. I cant see the likes of Brian Carney ever coming through again. It was a different era. Effectively if you arent training professionally as an 18 or 19 year old now you may as well forget about playing elite sport. The truth is that Ireland is closer to producing an NFL player than a Super League player.

One thing for sure there is no winners in a thing like this. I am sure some one has looked at these posts and concluded that there is probally somthing less stressful that they could spend their spare time doing.

I am sure that they have a 5 figure budget rather than a 6 figure budget. Historically sports grants are highly political in Ireland. There granting has very little to do with need and all about Policticans getting elected.

I am completely at a loss. I was at the Ireland Under 20 Rugby Union hammer Scotland at home in front of 8,400 people. I state that because Ireland have dominated Rugby Union at that age grade in Europe for several years. With only 4 Provinical teams the system can not cope with the amount of talent coming through. Up 75% of the these squads simply give up as they see no future if they don't get into the provincial union system. My point being is that they are focusing on average lads in England when talented Irish lads arent even contacted.

Focusing on English born Irish eligbile players at that level is a waste of time. Especially when they can declare for England at the drop of a hat. What you desribed would not happen in any other sport in Ireland. I am sure that its great for England and Super League but doesnt do much for the sport in Ireland. The Rugby League Ireland website is constantly inactive. A website that has been barely updated since the Rugby League World Cup. www.rli.ie.

€20,000 one guy said. That amount in Ireland like Scotland wouldn't go far. One part time worker would swallow that figure alone. All this at the cost of media attention and postive articles like below. https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/2022/10/22/matt-williams-wolfhounds-are-a-team-worthy-of-irish-support/

I am a country affected by this decision. That being Ireland. One thing i commend the board for doing is picking a good weekend to bury bad news. It went unreported in Ireland and very commneted on it. On face value the criteria on face value seem laugablely easy. Leitrim a county with a population of 30,000 would meet the criteria if its GAA clubs also played Rugby League. To get a true understanding of the problems of Rugby League expanding in Ireland you have to look back. Ireland pre the Celtic Tiger of the 1990s was a cold house to professional sport and federations had little interest in going professional. The interest in Rugby League took off with Rupert Murdochs Sky TV in the 90s and the ending of the ban in 1995. Rugby League in Ireland seemed to be in its strongest in 2000's . Both Ian Dowling and Brian Carney played Rugby League and both became dual code internationals. In the mid 90's the then Super League must have seemed alot more glamerous than the domestic Irish Rugby Union scene. Since that period Rugby League in Ireland seems to have gone into stagnation and decline. In 2013 the RFL anounced that they would cut Rugby League Ireland funding. This decision has had devistating consequences and had led to the situation we are at now. Had Rugby Leaugue put big money in the 90s and 2000s in Ireland things may have worked out differently. The creation of the Celtic League in Rugby Union in 2001 seriously affected Rugby League chances of expansion in Ireland. While Rugby League Ireland had two international matches on TV a year on at best Rugby Union had 2 to 3 Provinical matches a weekend on Free TV. The professionalisation of Irish Rugby Union has led to a explosion of interest in the game. It is ironic the country that least wanted professionalism benefited the most while Australia the one that most wanted it the most benefited the least. The Provincal Rugby Union teams have caught the public imangination. There has been talk of a League 1 franchise been given to Ireland for over a decade. A few articles and forum posts but all talk no action. One thing for sure the sport wont expand in Ireland off a budget that would barely run a small GAA club in rural Ireland. That figure being around €50,000. I think this action is a power play by Australia and the NRL and is more about cutting votes than anything else. I seriously doubt i will see Ireland at Rugby Leage World Cup again and much the pity it is as i have a lot of good memories watching the games. I feel bad for the well meaning familes that put their heart and soul into Rugby League in Ireland and amoung emigrant communities.

You are absolutely correct Sky changed Rugby League to summer to have content year round. I remember when live events weren't as common on Sky. Particularly in the summer. Rugby Union in Wales and England is in a bad state. In France and Ireland it is strong. Tv viewership in France and Ireland is good in respect of club game. Australian match kick off times are bad for Europe. Not too many broadcaster could sell matches for before noon on a Saturday and Sunday.

It's a horrifically bad idea of reverting to Winter. Not alone has Football become more successful and high profile things like Nfl are becoming more popular. Domestic Irish Football moved to a summer season for similar reasons to league. No one would entertain such a suggestion unless there sole aim was to get attention.

Those are extremely low standards

The 2012 World Cup was supposed to champion the expansion of the sport. It is been remarkable in its failure to produce. London Skolars dropping down is supprising.

That wouldnt encourage Irish based lads to stick with the game. The Rugby League Ireland website is down. Hadnt been updated since World cup.

Rugby League in Ireland has received virtually no help from the stronger nations.