Rugby League in the New Statesman

[John Drake]

120 years on, and rugby league is still patronised as “parochial”
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/sport/2015/08/120-years-and-rugby-league-still-patronised-parochial

[C H Calthrop]

RL in the national press on the eve of the CCF, nice.

[Scubby]

This is a very well researched piece and doesn't hold back. Refreshing.

[Saintslass]

Very good article.  I'm glad the author referred to the recent act of Union prejudice so that his readers wouldn't think it was all in the past.

[bird]

Good spot and good article.

[D Collins]

"It remains, according to one journalist, a “prisoner of geography”, ensnared by its older kin. Wembley is its parole, the chains are off, for but a short while, as league earns a pass out of its Northern confinement."

That's a great summation of the situation. It's the pime reason I feel the sport needs a permanent presence in London (it's own stadium, RL headquarters) to remove the parochial label.

[longboard]

120 years on, and rugby league is still patronised as “parochial”

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/sport/2015/08/120-years-and-rugby-league-still-patronised-parochial

 

John, shouldn't this be in the Cross Code Forum. 

[CiderWire]

A great read which eloquently conveys what every participant of the TRL Forum knows to be the truth. I particularly enjoyed the phrase 'the art of treizistance'. 

It makes me reminisce of  'ze fallen Madonna viz ze big boobies'.

[David Wild]

"It remains, according to one journalist, a “prisoner of geography”, ensnared by its older kin. Wembley is its parole, the chains are off, for but a short while, as league earns a pass out of its Northern confinement."

That's a great summation of the situation. It's the pime reason I feel the sport needs a permanent presence in London (it's own stadium, RL headquarters) to remove the parochial label.

If you had read a little bit further, you would have learnt about the atrocity perpetrated by union to one Sol Mokdad.  This might provide a little insight into why union, even to this day, still does all it can to restrict the spread of Rugby and is one reason, perhaps, why Rugby has struggled to establish itself in London . 

[delboy]

 and is one reason, perhaps, why Rugby has struggled to establish itself in London . 

The failure of London's top flight team has SFA to do with the establishment or Union. That is down to the RFL and the clubs various owners. BTW, Rugby League is established in London. There are plenty of teams and various age groups as well as a growing number of schools playing the game.....it's just that we always seem to concentrate on the Super League and forget the grass roots stuff that goes on. Medway Dragons are a perfect example of a community connecting with the game.....

[Sports Prophet]

Great find, great piece

[GaryO]

As is said, "there is no bad publicity" so how will this be viewed by all and sundry.

We TGG'ers have stood united in our derision for the law makers, scribes and establishment that is the RFU for perhaps all of this 120 years that has passed, we have kicked, screamed and shouted and even have our own parliamentary body canvassing for our betterment and acceptance, but have we really moved forward in all that time?

Rugby Unionist's who read that report, will maybe feel a little sheepish especially at the Mokdad report, but after the initial squirm will be happy that their governing body are "keeping the upstarts in their place"

And for the rest including the many millions who can neither differentiate or know there are two forms of Rugby it will just be another article to read, requiring no action.

Forty years ago, we had a great argument with the few Unionist's we came in contact with how their game was watched by a few folk and a dog, until the corporate giveaway international's came around, but it saddens me to say that they have left us light years behind on every aspect of professionalism and popularity.

Whilst the facts as in this excellent article need publishing, I can't see that it will make one hoot of a difference to us.

[David Wild]

The failure of London's top flight team has SFA to do with the establishment or Union. That is down to the RFL and the clubs various owners. BTW, Rugby League is established in London. There are plenty of teams and various age groups as well as a growing number of schools playing the game.....it's just that we always seem to concentrate on the Super League and forget the grass roots stuff that goes on. Medway Dragons are a perfect example of a community connecting with the game.....

You are right delboy, there has been some great progress at grass roots level.

 

However, DCs comment, to which I was responding, is something he has been pushing on the Cross Code forum and what he has been saying is that unless we have a national stadium / headquarters in London we are a regional (parochial?) sport.  The main reason I responded as I did though is that I know DC is a union fan and, yet, after reading that article, he chose to ignore all of the references to the atrocities of union in the Sol Mokdad disgrace and simply suggest that RL needs a HQ in London.  As you have pointed out, we already have an established presence in London - not sure why we need our HQ there though.

[westlondonfan]

This is a really good article. I have forwarded a copy to my Union-following brother-in-law who does not seem to believe me when I told him about what happened in Vichy France!

[GeordieGiant]

strange heading to say it goes on to treat Vichy, Mokdad, RSA etc. Stuart Maconie quoted it...

[DoubleD]

I think the quickest way to overcome the regional/class perceptions of the sport is actually to gain traction growing the game internationally. Other countries do not have the history of struggle against the establishments or the hurdles to overcome from the burden we carry. If the likes of Canada, US or other European countries can make real progress establishing the sport, then it will be easier to drive commercial revenues from a wider demographic base and will make it easier to break down perceptions and barriers in our own country. Until that happens, we'll face an uphill struggle.

 

Growing the game in the UK at grassroots level is the key - in schools so the next generation can understand TGG and not live off the tripe fed from the establishment. That will take a generation though