Why the NRL should buy Super League

[Henson Park Old Firm]

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/why-the-nrl-should-buy-super-league-20150325-1m7ez3.html

 

 

The NRL's consultation with England's Rugby Football League over reducing the interchange is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the future integration of the two bodies.

In case you missed it, League Central announced today that the study being conducted into bringing down the number of replacements was being done in conjunction with the NSW, Queensland and country leagues – as well as Red Hall in Leeds.

It's the sort of consultation that never took place in the past, much to the chagrin of administrators in the northern hemisphere.

Another clue to the increasing co-operation is the expanded World Club Series, after a decade of agitation for it, and the possible inclusion of Super League teams in the Auckland Nines.

What I am about to propose might sound like fantasy, but I actually see it as a good chance of happening … eventually.

As a professional sport, we are in a unique situation where we have just two full-time professional leagues. Within those two compact professional leagues, there is a lot of unnecessary duplication – administration, marketing, PR.

The same duplication exists in the NSWRL, QRL and CRL, too – and the NRL's first job over the next five years is to eliminate those. Soon, we'll have NRL NSW, NRL Queensland and a state league competition that really covers those two states, keeping kids in their home towns for longer.

But what is next after that? Surely it is to improve efficiencies across the two major professional leagues – the first baby step towards which we have seen today.

As I've written before, the NRL should try to buy Super League.

The Rugby Football League did try to sell the London Broncos to the NRL two years ago. Good decision on that one, David Smith…..

Other major niche sports, such as American football (CFL?), Australian football, baseball (maybe Japan?) and basketball (a pan-European comp would come close) are not in the same position as rugby league in this regard.

They don't have one standout foreign league that is at a comparative and competitive level that they can absorb to add value to themselves.

Imagine this if you will: Super League becomes NRL North. All the TV money from Britain, Australia, New Zealand and France is pooled, and spread evenly between 28 clubs (that's how many there are now). You are offering sponsors access to new markets, attracting a completely different level of backer, private owner, broadcaster and fan into the bargain.

Every team therefore has the same salary cap, with players moving between clubs seamlessly regardless of hemisphere.

By now you are saying "not Mascord's stupid merged comp idea again". No. Not Mascord's Stupid Merged Comp Idea.

We still need derbies and tribalism, that's what brings in the crowds.

So the season starts with three or four weeks of inter-league play, like the World Club Series we have now. No pre-season matches.

Then, we go into the comp most of you care about, the NRL we know and love. Sixteen weeks of that, with time off for Origin and internationals, over 19 or 20 weeks. That should mean greater demand for tickets and better attendances because of scarcity. Then the same finals series we have now, and an NRL champion is crowned, as always.

Bear in mind we're going to come down to 20 rounds soon, anyway.

At the same time, we get an NRL North champion. We've only played 16 comp games, four matches replacing the pre-season we used to have, and finals – still a reduction in the current number of matches played.

We then resume inter-league play for three or four weeks in October, and crown a world champion at the MCG or Wembley or Old Trafford. We have invented a whole new property and virtually doubled what we currently have without a greater demand on players or a loss of tradition.

I guess we still have to find a place for internationals in this calendar. Perhaps they should all be mid-season, I'm not sure, or maybe they should be limited to Tests on consecutive weekends in the southern hemisphere spring, northern hemisphere autumn.

But the benefits of this are that we keep the best of what we have but the NRL, flush with funds, drags Super League up to speed with it and gets the introduction to foreign markets that it clearly desires -  and that it needs to survive in an increasingly globalised sports market.

Tell me what you think. I'll catch up with previous weeks' comments next Wednesday, too

[Farmduck]

I read the first 2 lines of that article and thought, "I bet Steve Mascord wrote this."

[Henson Park Old Firm]

lol

 

I read the first 2 lines of that article and thought, "I bet Steve Mascord wrote this."

[JonM]

Loads of logistical problems apart from anything else. How many NRL stars would be denied entry at the UK border due to their criminal convictions? Can't see NRL clubs being too happy to play a grand final without star players.

 

If the NRL has that much cash to burn, they should add teams in major centres of population (Perth, Adelaide, NZ) and then target places with big TV markets in southeast Asia.

[SouthernRLfan]

Catalans Dragons struggled spending two weeks in Hull...how would they cope with four weeks in Oz?

[Futtocks]

I read the first 2 lines of that article and thought, "I bet Steve Mascord wrote this."

Indeed. He has taken one bit of good news (a new rule that will involve consultation with SL, for a change) and parleyed the thing up into an argument for a buyout.

[thirteenthman]

I read the first 2 lines of that article and thought, "I bet Steve Mascord wrote this."

 

Gotta admire Steve for his enthusiasm for the game worldwide, but some of the stuff he's been writing in the past couple of years is absolute .

[scotchy]

It sounds good to me. I don't think its likely but it would be great in my opinion.

 

All sports are going more global, its an area we could lead and get something of a head start.

 

We wont of course but there is no reason we couldn't.

[Futtocks]

It sounds good to me. I don't think its likely but it would be great in my opinion.

 

All sports are going more global, its an area we could lead and get something of a head start.

 

We wont of course but there is no reason we couldn't.

It is kite-flying, nothing else. Sure the NRL money would be welcome in the short term, but it would be given grudgingly and leave the NH game as a little-regarded add-on.

[sweaty craiq]

The new plane will cut journey times to 6 hours for london to sydney, job done same time as Leigh to Leeds on a bad 62 day

[scotchy]

It is kite-flying, nothing else. Sure the NRL money would be welcome in the short term, but it would be given grudgingly and leave the NH game as a little-regarded add-on.

Not at all. I think the exact opposite. The economy of the UK is far bigger than that of that of Australia. I think the NRL would raise the profile of SL and a successful NH game has huge potential benefits for the SH sides.

 

Lets not forget the NRL is currently worth next to nothing in the NH and SL gives them an open pathway to the 5th and 6th biggest economies in the world, economies who do have a long and pretty strong heritage of RL as well as those two economies being the 2nd and 3rd biggest economies in the largest single market in the world.

 

These are numbers that the NRL even if it swallowed all antipodean sport simply couldn't dream of. A Smart NRL would see the NH as a massive opportunity.

[Futtocks]

Not at all. I think the exact opposite. The economy of the UK is far bigger than that of that of Australia. I think the NRL would raise the profile of SL and a successful NH game has huge potential benefits for the SH sides.

 

Lets not forget the NRL is currently worth next to nothing in the NH and SL gives them an open pathway to the 5th and 6th biggest economies in the world, economies who do have a long and pretty strong heritage of RL as well as those two economies being the 2nd and 3rd biggest economies in the largest single market in the world.

 

These are numbers that the NRL even if it swallowed all antipodean sport simply couldn't dream of. A Smart NRL would see the NH as a massive opportunity.

After a century of dealing with a pretty even-handed and honest national media, they'd be in for a very nasty shock indeed if they try to operate in the UK.

[John Rhino]

Here's an even madder idea. How about having and organisation which set the rules for both comps so they played the same game.. Its word would be law and fully respected by all. It could be funded by some of the TV money from both hemispheres and it could run the world club challenge and all internationals to bring in more revenue.

We just need a daft name for it now such as the Rugby League International Federation.

[Allora]

Mascord needs to take a step back and look at where he has been heading with his ideas, he appears to be losing it (if he ever had it)

[Allora]

Double post

[marklaspalmas]

Here's an even madder idea. How about having and organisation which set the rules for both comps so they played the same game.. Its word would be law and fully respected by all. It could be funded by some of the TV money from both hemispheres and it could run the world club challenge and all internationals to bring in more revenue.

We just need a daft name for it now such as the Rugby League International Federation.

 

Pure fantasy.

 

Unfortunately.

[deluded pom?]

Catalans Dragons struggled spending two weeks in Hull...how would they cope with four weeks in Oz?

I know Hull's a wonderful place but why did Catalans stop here for a fortnight?

[JonM]

I know Hull's a wonderful place but why did Catalans stop here for a fortnight?

 

Week on the lash? I do business trips to France pretty frequently. If you're only going for a 2-3 hour meeting, it's an easy day trip. Can't see any need for them to stay here between games.

[jpmc]

LOL at another crack pot idea.

 

So much opportunity for rugbyleague to continue to grow in Australia and the rest of the southern hemisphere and people think they should spend/waste vasts amounts of money on a league the other side of the world