Other Canadian cities...

[MustardBoy]

What benefit would all this be to say a Widnes or Castleford fan? Would you be happy to see Toronto and other North American teams, maybe even French, sweeping up all the silverware?

 

The press ignoring you is a problem, why do you crave attention and recognition? Large US cities would ###### all over Heartlands teams if the cash came in, then you've promoted something that you'll no longer have any potentional glory/joy from.

 

Why, as I said, can't North America build their own league if there's some passion? Why do they have to join League 1, it's totally ridiculous.

[Rascal Bongo Stork]

imagine if early professional (association) football had been run by RL heartlanders who had somehow fallen back through time. Clubs clinging on in the north west and west midlands and bitterly decrying crazy schemes to expand elsewhere in the country and, shock horror, abroad.

This all boils down to - if we let other teams in then they might beat us. How dare new teams and countries try to expand the sport, Widnes or Castleford might get beat by them and in the global interest of Rugby League that mustnt be allowed to happen *snorts*

[Futtocks]

What benefit would all this be to say a Widnes or Castleford fan? Would you be happy to see Toronto and other North American teams, maybe even French, sweeping up all the silverware?

 

The press ignoring you is a problem, why do you crave attention and recognition? Large US cities would ###### all over Heartlands teams if the cash came in, then you've promoted something that you'll no longer have any potentional glory/joy from.

 

Why, as I said, can't North America build their own league if there's some passion? Why do they have to join League 1, it's totally ridiculous.

If North America gets to the levels where they are up in quality with the best SL/NRL teams, then they would be strong enough to have their own professional league/cup structure, and no doubt the pioneers of Toronto would happy to be part of that, rather than continuing with transatlantic competition.

 

Our only problem with that would be the ghastly possibility of a richer, more competitive, more global Rugby League with a higher media profile... plus the chance of getting beaten by a different nation in the RWC/WCS/Test Tours/other tournaments that may come along.

[Oxford]

"What benefit would all this be to say a Widnes or Castleford fan?"

Mustard, Futtocks has already answered you to some extent.

 

But why do you suppose Cas would just sort of disappear? If Toronto reached SL, although unlikely to have away fans, the level of interest for Cas and non - Cas fans alike would be worth its weight in gold. If you couldn't market a game involving Toronto get out of the way and let the Hornets in cos they'll give it a go!

 

The reason we need press coverage to go up, and our profile to increase, is to get more and bigger sponsors into the game which means more revenue. The more interest in the sport the more sky wil be willing to pay for it!  They are a relationship no sport can afford to ignore except on the march to extinction. Its the reason we've been starved of it for so long because vested interests are at work. It's not a conspiracy just that the newspapers prefer yoonion and choose to ignore RL so denying them the oxygen of money in sufficient amounts to progress. That's what needs changing first and foremost. And it's the most difficult thing because it's so embedded people don't recognise it's even there any more. The RFL have already increased it some by doing this and deserve a load of praise for it. And the more they do adventurous outside the box stuff like this the more it will happen!

[Kris]

Create competition where we have none and people get edgy because they may have missed the boat

 

As good as the likes of Cas are at producing world class rugby players they are also a very small town punching well above their weight

 

The original dream of SL was euro cities in one league - guess we are looking further afield and fingers crossed could be an inspired idea

[Dave T]

There is a genuinely valid point though as to what the RFL's SL actually is.

In 10 years if the rfl were running a comp of

Catalans

Toulouse

Toronto

Montreal

Barcelona

Paris

Wigan

London

Dublin

Leeds

Is that a triumph for British RL?

We need to ensure that expansion is not seen as a replacement. Expanding the league through conferences is a positive development but it is normal for people to be sceptical when expansion efforts so far have seen existing teams replaced by new teams.

[Oxford]

There is a genuinely valid point though as to what the RFL's SL actually is.

In 10 years if the rfl were running a comp of

Catalans

Toulouse

Toronto

Montreal

Barcelona

Paris

Wigan

London

Dublin

Leeds

Is that a triumph for British RL?

We need to ensure that expansion is not seen as a replacement. Expanding the league through conferences is a positive development but it is normal for people to be sceptical when expansion efforts so far have seen existing teams replaced by new teams.

Dave it's a bit of a stab in the dark. Orwell's 1984 got a million things wrong and about one thing correct and even that was a bit questionable. We have to be careful about imagining what tomorrow will be like because we're more or less always wrong. And I'm sure that SL won't just surrender everything for the dream fo big city clubs and Wigan isn't a big city anyway! The hardest thing always seems to be getting a sense of balance about change and anything else.

[Futtocks]

Create competition where we have none and people get edgy because they may have missed the boat

 

As good as the likes of Cas are at producing world class rugby players they are also a very small town punching well above their weight

 

The original dream of SL was euro cities in one league - guess we are looking further afield and fingers crossed could be an inspired idea

If you're good enough, it doesn't matter how big the town or city you come from is. Otherwise the likes of Watford and Bournemouth wouldn't be in the Football Premiership.

[Bob8]

Toronto has limited chance of succeeding in a couple of years.  If there is no TV deal, it would be very difficult.  

 

The chance of Toronto succeeding and more Canadian clubs coming through are even more limited.  

 

If several Canadian clubs did come through, which is very unlikely, then a pan-North American competition would be the most likely.  However, it is a long shot.

[Dave T]

Dave it's a bit of a stab in the dark. Orwell's 1984 got a million things wrong and about one thing correct and even that was a bit questionable. We have to be careful about imagining what tomorrow will be like because we're more or less always wrong. And I'm sure that SL won't just surrender everything from the dream fo big city clubs and Wigan isn't a big city anyway! The hardest thing always seems to be getting a sense of balance about change and anything else.

obviously it was an extreme illustration, but where we need to be careful is not to pee off our customers. SL has around 100k customers, if a decent portion of them feel that they are at risk of being isolated and not welcomed because of overly-aggressive expansion strategies then we end up in this position where the negativity grows further.

Im not convinced we are expanding if we keep our comp at 12. Growth and expansion should imho mean bringing more areas, fans, players etc into the game, welcome everyone, but just replacing one club with another in a different town is not true expansion imho.

Encourage and nuryure heartlands and new areas. Appreciate what we have and encourage new participants, never one or the other.

[damp squib]

That would require a conference set up, or an NRL style league where the fixtures are unbalanced. Possibly also franchising. All unacceptable to the hard core traditionalist heartland fan.

[Dave T]

That would require a conference set up, or an NRL style league where the fixtures are unbalanced. Possibly also franchising. All unacceptable to the hard core traditionalist heartland fan.

im not so sure it is. Conferences would be new, but it would be more inclusive so easier to sell than relegating an existing team to bring one in.

We have had inbalanced fixtures for years.

[Oxford]

obviously it was an extreme illustration, but where we need to be careful is not to pee off our customers. SL has around 100k customers, if a decent portion of them feel that they are at risk of being isolated and not welcomed because of overly-aggressive expansion strategies then we end up in this position where the negativity grows further.

Im not convinced we are expanding if we keep our comp at 12. Growth and expansion should imho mean bringing more areas, fans, players etc into the game, welcome everyone, but just replacing one club with another in a different town is not true expansion imho.

Encourage and nuryure heartlands and new areas. Appreciate what we have and encourage new participants, never one or the other.

Dave I'm sorry you sound a bit panicky considering it's one team and might not even be there next week, never mind next year or 2036 or whatever!

[Dave T]

Dave I'm sorry you sound a bit panicky considering it's one team and might not even be there next week, never mind next year or 2036 or whatever!

i am trying to put some context around why some people can be negative about these things.

In SL we have artificially included quite a few new teams at the expense of existing teams. This makes plenty nervous.

My point is to make sure we have proper expansion and integration approaches.

[ettenna]

Nice list can you spot the odd one out? , a clue!, all cities, except a small S#%t hole down the East Lancs Rd

[Oxford]

Nice list can you spot the odd one out? , a clue!, all cities, except a small S#%t hole down the East Lancs Rd

Really?

 

i am trying to put some context around why some people can be negative about these things.

In SL we have artificially included quite a few new teams at the expense of existing teams. This makes plenty nervous.

My point is to make sure we have proper expansion and integration approaches.

The negatives don't need any help from you Dave they've got far more support than any of us dream of!

[Dave T]

Really?

The negatives don't need any help from you Dave they've got far more support than any of us dream of!

aye thats a fair point

[Oxford]

aye thats a fair point

That was quick Dave, all the best!

 

What about that WOLFPACK?

[Dave T]

That was quick Dave, all the best!

What about that WOLFPACK?

pah, i was part of the Wolfpack over 20 years ago as a wire junior season ticket holder!

[Sports Prophet]

one of the biggest issues Super Rugby is facing is the lack of interest in the competition itself.

I think we can all say that most supporters of RL in the UK have an interest in all the weekly fixtures of the SL if not the lower divisions as well.

Even strong supporters of the Super Rugby concept find disinterest in continental fixtures that don't include local teams.

[flyingking]

Back to the original question, I believe that the good folk of Hull and London has been waiting for years to see a successful Rugby League team.

[Oxford]

pah, i was part of the Wolfpack over 20 years ago as a wire junior season ticket holder!

Come on Dave you almost had me conviced with the Bah, humbug bit and then you put Wire in there!

 

Good victory by the WIRE tonight great stuff but the WOLFPACK ARE COMING!

[The Daddy]

Just listened to the radio interview posted on the other thread and Eric Perez confirmed there was interest from a Montreal franchise alongside other Canadian cities. This could be a watershed moment.

[Oxford]

Just listened to the radio interview posted on the other thread and Eric Perez confirmed there was interest from a Montreal franchise alongside other Canadian cities. This could be a watershed moment.

Even if it's only Toronto it's still a defining moment but good post Daddy!

 

TWPAC!

[Copa]

Wants teams all across north America as part of rfl structure. Radio host is very accommodating and enthusiastic.

 

http://www.sportsnet.ca/590/jeff-blair-show/canadian-sport-thats-never-canada/