2019 NRL Kick Off

[Yorkshire Knight]

From my experiences, Australians are wannabe Americans

[Yorkshire Knight]

17 hours ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

And how did clubs like Everton/West Ham become global brands?

The popularity of the sport, more specifically the Premier League, propelled them. It definitely wasn't due to their willingness to take games abroad

[hunsletgreenandgold]

4 hours ago, Yorkshire Knight said:

The popularity of the sport, more specifically the Premier League, propelled them. It definitely wasn't due to their willingness to take games abroad

Taking a game abroad is to get exposure in a new part of the world.....which is kind of requirement to get your team recognised more globally these days. And whilst the PL hasn't taken PL games abroad pretty much all of them do tours of NA and/or Asia each preseason with the definite reason to help increase their own exposure on a global scale. NRL and it's clubs are simply trying to do the same here - what's wrong in that? The fact the NRL and RL in general doesn't have anything like the exposure PL does, that's all the more reason to do this. 

[Yorkshire Knight]

1 hour ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

Taking a game abroad is to get exposure in a new part of the world.....which is kind of requirement to get your team recognised more globally these days. And whilst the PL hasn't taken PL games abroad pretty much all of them do tours of NA and/or Asia each preseason with the definite reason to help increase their own exposure on a global scale. NRL and it's clubs are simply trying to do the same here - what's wrong in that? The fact the NRL and RL in general doesn't have anything like the exposure PL does, that's all the more reason to do this. 

I'm saying those tours aren't the main reason why those teams have global popularity. It's more to do with the fact that they play in the most popular league in the most popular sport in the world. As has been said before, Americans are not going to find clubs from Australia appealing. Internationals are the way to go

[hunsletgreenandgold]

1 hour ago, Yorkshire Knight said:

I'm saying those tours aren't the main reason why those teams have global popularity. It's more to do with the fact that they play in the most popular league in the most popular sport in the world. As has been said before, Americans are not going to find clubs from Australia appealing. Internationals are the way to go

No they're not but they still do them and it's certainly going to give RL some much needed exposure over there at a time when we're trying to grow the game in NA. Still baffled about what anybody is basing 'Americans not finding Aus teams appealing' on  - why would they not? 

[Yorkshire Knight]

19 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

No they're not but they still do them and it's certainly going to give RL some much needed exposure over there at a time when we're trying to grow the game in NA. Still baffled about what anybody is basing 'Americans not finding Aus teams appealing' on  - why would they not? 

The game is not grown through nrl clubs playing there. All that does is give those clubs and the comp some exposure but that's about it. How are you expecting the game to grow if there is no development? NRL couldn't care less about growing rl. This is about increasing the revenue of the NRL

[hunsletgreenandgold]

18 minutes ago, Yorkshire Knight said:

The game is not grown through nrl clubs playing there. All that does is give those clubs and the comp some exposure but that's about it. How are you expecting the game to grow if there is no development? NRL couldn't care less about growing rl. This is about increasing the revenue of the NRL

Re-read what I said - I didn't claim this was going to grow the game, I said it gives more exposure alongside that aim. Two completely different conversations. Of course the NRL are doing this for their own gain - I wouldn't expect anything less. Same as any other sporting organisation. Again I don't see what problem anybody has with this? 

[Yorkshire Knight]

20 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

Re-read what I said - I didn't claim this was going to grow the game, I said it gives more exposure alongside that aim. Two completely different conversations. Of course the NRL are doing this for their own gain - I wouldn't expect anything less. Same as any other sporting organisation. Again I don't see what problem anybody has with this? 

Time will tell how Americans will receive this initiative. But there's more reason for doubt. I'd feel more confident with internationals

[hunsletgreenandgold]

1 minute ago, Yorkshire Knight said:

Time will tell how Americans will receive this initiative. But there's more reason for doubt. I'd feel more confident with internationals

Why do you think International is the way to engage Americans? - genuinely interested to know. 

The way I see it we'd be selling them an international game where there's arguably only 3 competitive teams. This is where RU have the lead on us massively and why I agree we need to do a lot more with international RL, but not to a new audience right now. 

Right now the most competitive fixtures are played out of the NRL and that's why to me it makes perfect sense to advertise that to a new US audience as the elite level of the game. 

[Yorkshire Knight]

1 minute ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

Why do you think International is the way to engage Americans? - genuinely interested to know. 

The way I see it we'd be selling them an international game where there's arguably only 3 competitive teams. This is where RU have the lead on us massively and why I agree we need to do a lot more with international RL, but not to a new audience right now. 

Right now the most competitive fixtures are played out of the NRL and that's why to me it makes perfect sense to advertise that to a new US audience as the elite level of the game. 

Because they would have most likely heard of these countries as opposed to Sydney suburbs. If there's a connection to the teams, it would engage them better. For instance, Ireland vs USA, England vs USA, Ireland vs England are just some fixtures I could see engaging the US public

[Yorkshire Knight]

An example of that was in union where there was a perfect marketing mix with New Zealand vs Ireland in Chicago. The best team in the sport vs a country with a strong connection to many Americans, especially in Chicago

[Yorkshire Knight]

10 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

Why do you think International is the way to engage Americans? - genuinely interested to know. 

The way I see it we'd be selling them an international game where there's arguably only 3 competitive teams. This is where RU have the lead on us massively and why I agree we need to do a lot more with international RL, but not to a new audience right now. 

Right now the most competitive fixtures are played out of the NRL and that's why to me it makes perfect sense to advertise that to a new US audience as the elite level of the game. 

I don't think international is the generic way to engage Americans. It's just the only logical way for rugby league to do that externally, disregarding local development and teams of course

[hunsletgreenandgold]

36 minutes ago, Yorkshire Knight said:

Because they would have most likely heard of these countries as opposed to Sydney suburbs. If there's a connection to the teams, it would engage them better. For instance, Ireland vs USA, England vs USA, Ireland vs England are just some fixtures I could see engaging the US public

I wrote earlier in this thread: 

I don't get the argument mentioned about 'Why would they care about 2 suburbs from a city they've barely heard of' - Americans don't identify with the location of a team in any case, all they've ever known is franchises, so the strong ties we have to location barely exist there. Hence why they most commonly just reference the team name (i.e Falcons, Bears, Cardinals etc.) rather than city/State. So to a US audience it'll be for eg. the Broncos v Storm and Rabbitohs v Roosters.

I'd also add, if it is teams like Storm, Broncos, Roosters - I'd be pretty certain most Americans have heard of Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.  

[Yorkshire Knight]

36 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

I wrote earlier in this thread: 

I don't get the argument mentioned about 'Why would they care about 2 suburbs from a city they've barely heard of' - Americans don't identify with the location of a team in any case, all they've ever known is franchises, so the strong ties we have to location barely exist there. Hence why they most commonly just reference the team name (i.e Falcons, Bears, Cardinals etc.) rather than city/State. So to a US audience it'll be for eg. the Broncos v Storm and Rabbitohs v Roosters.

I'd also add, if it is teams like Storm, Broncos, Roosters - I'd be pretty certain most Americans have heard of Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.  

The context is different. In regards to American teams, in some cases yes they do reference the team name and not necessarily the city although that is not always true especially with the NBA. I've seen 'Golden State' and 'Cleveland' being mentioned more than Warriors and Cavaliers in the recent finals series  But anyway only referring to team names goes far beyond not identifying with location. They've known these teams all their lives. These teams and their sports have cultural significance which is something rugby league doesn't have in America

[hunsletgreenandgold]

1 minute ago, Yorkshire Knight said:

The context is different. In regards to American teams, in some cases yes they do reference the team name and not necessarily the city although that is not always true especially with the NBA. I've seen 'Golden State' and 'Cleveland' being mentioned more than Warriors and Cavaliers in the recent finals series  But anyway only referring to team names goes far beyond not identifying with location. They've known these teams all their lives. These teams and their sports have cultural significance which is something rugby league doesn't have in America

I agree that some fans do identify with the location in the US and maybe even cultural significance - but do I care as a UK fan of NFL that my team (Packers) are from Green Bay? No, they're just the Packers to me. 

The point I'm trying to make is nobody in the US is going to be confused or disengaged by Manly-Warringah or Canterbury-Bankstown because that's not who they are to an American audience - they're the Sea Eagles and Bulldogs. 

[Yorkshire Knight]

2 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

I agree that some fans do identify with the location in the US and maybe even cultural significance - but do I care as a UK fan of NFL that my team (Packers) are from Green Bay? No, they're just the Packers to me. 

The point I'm trying to make is nobody in the US is going to be confused or disengaged by Manly-Warringah or Canterbury-Bankstown because that's not who they are to an American audience - they're the Sea Eagles and Bulldogs. 

Teams with no significance to America so we go back to the initial premise which is Americans not being interested in clubs from Australia. Also there are a few NRL teams who share names of NFL teams so confusion could definitely arise

[hunsletgreenandgold]

Just now, Yorkshire Knight said:

Teams with no significance to America so we go back to the initial premise which is Americans not being interested in clubs from Australia. Also there are a few NRL teams who share names of NFL teams so confusion could definitely arise

That's not how it works. No team outside the US would have significance to Americans by that reckoning - but they do. As far as having the same team name that's surely a way of picking a team you might want to follow from a new sport - one that matches the same team name from the sport you already follow. I know a lot of Wigan fans follow NZ Warriors for that very reason, so what's to stop a Denver Broncos fan taking Brisbane as their "RL Team"? 

Americans love this kind of thing. Look at the names MLS teams have used to imitate European Football teams

Real Salt Lake - Real Madrid 

DC United - Man United 

Sporting Kansas City - Sporting Lisbon 

[Lounge Room Lizard]

If they get the Rabbitohs as one team involved then many Americans have heard of them via Russell Crowe. Get Melbourne, Brisbane,Sydney Roosters or NZ Warriors as another then most Americans have heard of them places if not the team. But like anything the marketing needs to be done well in advance and the "Event" hyped up as much as possible on TV, Social Media and the local area especially Schools, Colleges etc. Get the players like Greg Inglis on highlights packages on TV Shows and TV Adverts. Yes it will cost money but either do it properly or not at all.

I would even look to have an America v Canada or a game between the two Californian Development Teams LA Raiders & Orange County Outlaws if they still going by then assomething beforehand and have in the Programme how you can play Rugby League in California, as well as elsewhere in the USA AND Canada and who to contact. And then it needs some regular development and games afterwards. One off with the usual nothing after is just a waste.

[Allora]

8 minutes ago, Lounge Room Lizard said:

If they get the Rabbitohs as one team involved then many Americans have heard of them via Russell Crowe. Get Melbourne, Brisbane,Sydney Roosters or NZ Warriors as another then most Americans have heard of them places if not the team. But like anything the marketing needs to be done well in advance and the "Event" hyped up as much as possible on TV, Social Media and the local area especially Schools, Colleges etc. Get the players like Greg Inglis on highlights packages on TV Shows and TV Adverts. Yes it will cost money but either do it properly or not at all.

I would even look to have an America v Canada or a game between the two Californian Development Teams LA Raiders & Orange County Outlaws if they still going by then assomething beforehand and have in the Programme how you can play Rugby League in California, as well as elsewhere in the USA AND Canada and who to contact. And then it needs some regular development and games afterwards. One off with the usual nothing after is just a waste.

I agree, get the marketing right and it will do ok.