Other Canadian cities...

[Oxford]

I have spent time and chatted with Sol, let's not presume as to what he would say. I am being cynical, but the longer the club and rugby league in Toronto are stable, the stronger they will grow. You can have your war then. But I do not care about rugby union.

Hello Bob I'm pretty sure I made no intimation that I knew what Sol might say, the point was that there is no controlling the possible reactions of funny-onion and they will do something (or not) whatever we say! That's what Sol seems to have experienced to his cost which he coud comment on if he wanted to!

 

This is the one time I've seen RL use very cleverly the confusion in the market place that has served yawn so well for so long!

 

TWPAC!

[jpmc]

Toulouse certainly.  Toronto hopefully.

 

The question is two-fold, do they offer more than those currently in Super League, or if we expand Super League will splitting the money 14 ways still leave a viable Super League that does not leak all its players to NRL (some is a good thing) or RU.

 

In the case of Toulouse, I think it is a definite yes.  However, then there is the politics, which is depressing.  What is best for Wakefield and Leigh?  They are undermining their chance of Super League and moving the power away from clubs like themselves to international big city clubs, do you think they will support it and support and RFL chairman championing it?

LOL the real problems wont come from the likes of Leigh and Wakefield being replaced by big city clubs it'll come from the Wigans,Warringtons & Huddersfields.

 

Bring on the big city league i say

Canada x3

Francex3

Yorkshirex2

NWx2 presumably Manchester & Liverpool

south east x2

Midlandsx1

S Wales x1

Scotlandx1

Irelandx1

[Wellsy4HullFC]

There will always be a strong heartland presence. It's where the players mainly come from! Yes, other areas will produce players, but not in a large scale and not for a long time. It takes 10 years to build an elite athlete... and that's in an environment that has competition.

We need to build AND maintain. Not one or the other.

[Rascal Bongo Stork]

Toulouse certainly. Toronto hopefully.

The question is two-fold, do they offer more than those currently in Super League, or if we expand Super League will splitting the money 14 ways still leave a viable Super League that does not leak all its players to NRL (some is a good thing) or RU.

In the case of Toulouse, I think it is a definite yes. However, then there is the politics, which is depressing. What is best for Wakefield and Leigh? They are undermining their chance of Super League and moving the power away from clubs like themselves to international big city clubs, do you think they will support it and support and RFL chairman championing it?

youre assuming the pot of SL money would stay exactly the same.But there'd most likely be a proper French TV deal & a Canadian one too.Plus the UK rights would most likely go up as itd be a more enticing competition for broadcasters - assuming they opened it up to bids rather than letting Sky tickle their bellies

[Omott91]

What I would like to know is how the Wolfpack will effect the local domestic competition. Will the local comp run by the CRL simply become feeder teams to the Wolfpack?

 

Also what will the relationship be like between the 2 governing bodies operating in the 1 country as the Wolfpack I assume will be under the Uk banner?

 

With that said, can't wait till their first game because if they are successful, the possibilities are almost endless.

[Oxford]

Hello Bob I'm pretty sure I made no intimation that I knew what Sol might say, the point was that there is no controlling the possible reactions of funny-onion and they will do something (or not) whatever we say! That's what Sol seems to have experienced to his cost which he could comment on if he wanted to!

 

This is the one time I've seen RL use very cleverly the confusion in the market place that has served yawn so well for so long!

 

TWPAC!

[Futtocks]

What I would like to know is how the Wolfpack will effect the local domestic competition. Will the local comp run by the CRL simply become feeder teams to the Wolfpack?

 

Also what will the relationship be like between the 2 governing bodies operating in the 1 country as the Wolfpack I assume will be under the Uk banner?

 

With that said, can't wait till their first game because if they are successful, the possibilities are almost endless.

It does seem that the Toronto project is separate from the Ontario and British Columbia leagues. But I haven't seen any particular animosity or defensiveness from either camp. I hope that they can be helpful to each other's ambitions. I'm sure the CRL has a decent mailing list from their recent well-attended internationals..

[Rascal Bongo Stork]

It does seem that the Toronto project is separate from the Ontario and British Columbia leagues. But I haven't seen any particular animosity or defensiveness from either camp. I hope that they can be helpful to each other's ambitions. I'm sure the CRL has a decent mailing list from their recent well-attended internationals..

well the Canada RL twitter feed seems happy & has pointed out the Wolfpack are one of their affiliated clubs

[Oxford]

"But I haven't seen any particular animosity or defensiveness from either camp." That's cos the universe's supply of both those have been used up on RL forums, Futty!

[Bob8]

youre assuming the pot of SL money would stay exactly the same.But there'd most likely be a proper French TV deal & a Canadian one too.Plus the UK rights would most likely go up as itd be a more enticing competition for broadcasters - assuming they opened it up to bids rather than letting Sky tickle their bellies

 

Yes, again it come back not to a broad choice of expansion versus consolidation, but the choice between individual clubs. 

[Oxford]

Yes, again it come back not to a broad choice of expansion versus consolidation, but the choice between individual clubs. 

Yes Bob but once again they are not mutually exclusive. The arguments are a bit silly and any Sport's strategic plans and strutures should have all the facets in view for long term desion making!

[Tonka]

I can see a whole massive explosion of our game in North America --- if this Toronto experiment works in 2017 - 2019

 

Toronto to be followed by Montreal within three years. Then soon after that a couple more Canadian cities, plus Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Atlanta, and Jacksonville from the USARL--  slowly and consecutively over the next 8-10 years. If Toronto is successful then this pipe dream could become a reality.. The point is that the costs of funding these rugby league clubs is tiny for North American billionaires, or even just multi-millionaires --- as compared with costs of funding a franchise in the established north American sports. But we would need a TV contract to underpin this whole experiment and make it work. I would hope that comes about. Perhaps most fruitful would be getting the Murdoch family, with its existing investments in televising rugby league in two hemispheres, interested in using its powerful American Fox Sports network to make televising north American rugby league happen. Don't forget that Rupert Murdoch's heir apparent -- son Lachlan -- is a huge rugby league fan..

 

But one step at a time. First let us hope that Toulouse is successful this year and gets promoted into the Championship for next year, and gets into Super League by 2019. In the interim we should be looking for two more French clubs to follow in the wake of Toulouse  (my choice would be Avignon and Paris) to make the continental European component a significant part of Super League within the next 6-10 years. Maybe later even Barcelona and Lyon could be added to the continental representation.

 

Come 2030 we might see the following Northern Hemisphere Super League clubs:

 

Toronto

Montreal

Vancouver

Winnipeg

Boston

New York

Philadelphia

Washington DC

Atlanta

Jacksonville

Chicago

Dallas

Denver

Seattle

San Francisco

Los Angeles

 

Catalans

Toulouse

Paris

Avignon

Lyon

Barcelona

 

Leeds

Bradford

Hull

Wigan

Liverpool-St Helens

Warrington

London

Coventry

Newcastle

Cardiff

 

That would constitute a 32 team Trans-Atlantic Super League, divided into a 16 club North America Conference and a 16 club European conference.

 

Even if only half of this dream comes true, suddenly we will have the foundation of brilliant future World Cups and international tournaments.[/quo

I like the idea of a north American super league confetence/division.

No Leigh on that list I see. Further evidence of systemic prejudice against our 12-toed cousins IMO.

[Oxford]

ame="walter sobchak" post="3320695" timestamp="1461921990"]

No Leigh on that list I see. Further evidence of systemic prejudice against our 12-toed cousins IMO.

Is that twelvist (twelvism)? or Toesist (Toesism)?

 

But Tonka it is good to dream, isn't it?

 

 

TWPAC!

[Wellsy4HullFC]

In 15 years, if we have any full time elite Northern American clubs, we've made progress.

I don't know where some people think the players are going to come from for a lot of these new clubs they're proposing.

EDIT: Was supposed to say American, not Hemisphere!

[MustardBoy]

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*

 

Yes, it does boil down to that, and is that so bad? Turkeys voting for Christmas.

Nobody is saying they don't want the game to reach more foreign lands, but it shouldn't be done at the potential expense of your own clubs.

If Toronto and several other big cities do get into the game, do you think they'll give a hoot about Widnes, Warrington or Wakefield? They will indeed want it all, and they'll get it as money talks.

By all means let them beat English sides, but on their own merit providing teams from their own league, in an additional tournament. Would you really want a Super League which is dominated by North American sides?

If you want super high class RL, watch the NRL

[Futtocks]

Yes, it does boil down to that, and is that so bad? Turkeys voting for Christmas.

Nobody is saying they don't want the game to reach more foreign lands, but it shouldn't be done at the potential expense of your own clubs.

If Toronto and several other big cities do get into the game, do you think they'll give a hoot about Widnes, Warrington or Wakefield? They will indeed want it all, and they'll get it as money talks.

By all means let them beat English sides, but on their own merit providing teams from their own league, in an additional tournament. Would you really want a Super League which is dominated by North American sides?

If you want super high class RL, watch the NRL

If enough North American teams achieve a high pro/semi-pro standard, then forming their own league will be much more logistically sensible than flying over to play in a British league.

 

Toronto are coming to England for now, because they want to compete at a level that is currently non-existent over on their side of the Atlantic.

[Manfred Mann]

We have to remember that there is a pretty vibrant amateur competition in the USARL, with the Spinner Howland stimulated southeast having a plethora of new clubs.

 

That is why, if Toronto is successful in 2017 and thereafter, I can easily imagine at least one or two USA clubs wanting to emulate Toronto's path in the near future.

[Oxford]

We have to remember that there is a pretty vibrant amateur competition in the USARL, with the Spinner Howland stimulated southeast having a plethora of new clubs.

 

That is why, if Toronto is successful in 2017 and thereafter, I can easily imagine at least one or two USA clubs wanting to emulate Toronto's path in the near future.

And your point here is what exactly? Good, bad, indifferent? If they get the backing which is a huge obstacle then what?

[Manfred Mann]

And your point here is what exactly? Good, bad, indifferent? If they get the backing which is a huge obstacle then what?

 

Good of course. If they get the backing and join the 3rd tier of UK rugby league, with ambitions for promotion to Super  League, then we will have the seeds of, and momentum for, a professional competition in North America a decade from now.

[TheReaper]

I could see Montreal being a possibility. They've been largely ignored by Rugby Canada despite having a good club scene from what I hear. There would certainly be less compenition for fans than in TO. 

[jpmc]

Thought of a proper Northern Hemisphere super league really is exciting to think about.

Fingers crossed Toronto works out and goes from strength to strength and other North American business men push to get involved with more clubs over ther

[Oxford]

Thought of a proper Northern Hemisphere super league really is exciting to think about.

Fingers crossed Toronto works out and goes from strength to strength and other North American business men push to get involved with more clubs over ther

Bluddy great or what, jpmc?

 

My guess is that if it is a success it will lead to NARL like the NHL!

Imagine the kind of contract sums that might be on offer then!

But we don't need to worry about that because a decade from now the SL SC will be still at the same level!

[jpmc]

Bluddy great or what, jpmc?

 

My guess is that if it is a success it will lead to NARL like the NHL!

Imagine the kind of contract sums that might be on offer then!

But we don't need to worry about that because a decade from now the SL SC will be still at the same level!

I think its impossible to have a full time NA league any time soon,the players simply arent there.Some kind of development league would be good to help supply players to the major league teams.

CIearly money is all important but can you imagine a world series Toronto vs Melbourne Leeds vs sydney Toulouse vs NZ warriors London vs Canberra Montpelier vs Vancouver.

The SC would have to be up there with the NRL & RU but i dont think that would be a problem 

[Oxford]

"....the players simply arent there..." No, but the athletes are! And plenty of them who didn't find their place in the sports now available!

And that means plenty of gems to be found.

[Rascal Bongo Stork]

Yes, it does boil down to that, and is that so bad? Turkeys voting for Christmas.

Nobody is saying they don't want the game to reach more foreign lands, but it shouldn't be done at the potential expense of your own clubs.

If Toronto and several other big cities do get into the game, do you think they'll give a hoot about Widnes, Warrington or Wakefield? They will indeed want it all, and they'll get it as money talks.

By all means let them beat English sides, but on their own merit providing teams from their own league, in an additional tournament. Would you really want a Super League which is dominated by North American sides?

If you want super high class RL, watch the NRL

it's quite a leap of faith to imagine a host of cashed up North American clubs joining SL but Im sure if that ever did happen they,and Toronto,would then have their own comp.That's nowhere near feasible at the moment,perhaps ever,so Toronto are in with us.The game taking off over there in a big way would only be beneficial to our sport & that includes Widnes et al as well.But we are all getting ahead of ourselves,let's see what happens with Toronto