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1 minute ago, Blackpool rl said:

Average attendances falling 31% in Gaelic. Im not a fan of Gaelic but some of my friends that play and watch hurling and football say it’s getting boring with dull tactics and games and Dublin’s dominance.

They fell last year after a sustained period of rapid growth. No other sport in Ireland fills an 82,000 seat stadium. In the context of your point that "GAA's difficulty is RL's opportunity" it's nonsense. RL needs it's own niche, it will never compete with GAA not should I try to.

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9 minutes ago, Blackpool rl said:

Wow you got me. Your so smart. I am of course a troll that doesn’t watch rl and comes on to forums and makes threads about Irish RUGBY LEAGUE to troll you all.

That's an awful lot to infer from my post pointing out how much your knowledge of Irish sports improved in 48 hours.

I didn't call you a troll and I didn't suggest you are not a Rugby League fan. I am happy to have plenty of chats on all things RL with you.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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Just now, Dunbar said:

That's an awful lot to infer from my post pointing out how much your knowledge of Irish sports improved in 48 hours.

I didn't call you a troll and I didn't suggest you are not a Rugby League fan. I am happy to have plenty of chats on all things RL with you.

I already knew about Ronan and Longhorns I was looking for more stuff like school programs to get kids into the sport. I’m Irish my location says Dublin. that’s how I know about Irish sports. 

13 minutes ago, damp squib said:

They fell last year after a sustained period of rapid growth. No other sport in Ireland fills an 82,000 seat stadium. In the context of your point that "GAA's difficulty is RL's opportunity" it's nonsense. RL needs it's own niche, it will never compete with GAA not should I try to.

We can agree that if there was a professional Dublin Blues side it would have to share fans with either Dublin, Leinster and LOI teams. Rugby internationals sold out Croke Park.

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1 hour ago, Blackpool rl said:

We can agree that if there was a professional Dublin Blues side it would have to share fans with either Dublin, Leinster and LOI teams.

I read that the RLI chairman, Barry Coade, said that trying to enter a team in the Championship, while a long term goal, wasn't in their 5 year plan. Being realistic, it's probably no bad thing.

I have no particular insight, but it sounds like the game is still very much driven by the level of volunteer involvement at each club.

Belfast Eagles seem to be very active, and are getting together teams for young kids, both boys and girls: https://www.rli.ie/news-details/10047743/. I think that this is probably the best way to expend the finite energies of volunteers at the moment. I think it would be more beneficial for clubs to focus on giving kids a sport to play, and becoming part of their surrounding communities, rather than fielding professional teams.

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6 hours ago, Blackpool rl said:

There isn’t really any young players. This is a fluke that he even found the sport. How did they get kids playing the sport in Newcastle? That needs to be done. There’s only one properly pro sport in Ireland. Rugby Union. Footballs semi pro and GAA is amateur. There’s space for more. Need to strike when the iron is hot Gaelic is on the down and no one follows domestic soccer.

The GAA is amateur in the sense rugby union was amateur in the early 90s. Some GAA players such as Lee Chin don't have to work and earn a living through sponsorship money. Most county players a very well looked after and often find themselves in very cushy jobs that give them what ever time off they need.

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Someone earlier in the thread implied I was a troll. Nothing could be further from the truth. I've spent half a lifetime trying to develop rugby league in virgin territory. A territory, not only devoid of rugby league but openly hostile to the game. I'm very interested in what's going on in Ireland (and in Blackpool) regarding the development of the game. My life-long interest in this sport (and the second law of thermodynamics) has taught me that you can't get something for nothing. If you want to create a long term, self sustaining rugby league culture, then you have to embed the game in the community. I think it can be done, with an enormous amount of money, by establishing a Superleague club (as in Toronto) but even that, will wither on the vine unless the community game is developed (a pyramid structure) to support and feed the team at its pinnacle.

Ask yourself, where do Wigan get their young players from? or Leeds for example, or Manly Warringah, Parramatta or Sydney City Roosters. They don't buy them from rugby union clubs, nor sit idly by waiting for outstanding young athletes, to come knocking on their doors. If they did, insufficient numbers would come forward and rugby league would die out in one generation. We have to grow our own, or unearth them from further afield.

If you don't have the kind of money that Toronto seem willing to invest, what should we do? Forget it, give up, take up bowls, or snooker? Yes if you want. Otherwise, you can try to grow this game, from the ground up. It will not be an overnight success, but our game is an outstanding game, which can be promoted even in the most hostile environments. We don't attract this hostility because our game is weak, or poor, or evil. We attract the hostility because its good. Our enemies envy us this great game.

Look at London, which has grown in a random walk kind of way, but the game has persisted and is now producing good quality players born and nurtured in London. Newcastle are grasping the nettle (listening to my old mate Mick Hogan on Back Chat was heartwarming). Coventry are accepting the responsibility to grow the game in their area. Wales are developing slowly but surely in spite of enormous financial rewards offered by RaRa.

If you want to see the sport grow, in your country, county, city or town, get involved. Play, referee, form junior teams, coach, administer, be a physical part of the thing, not an invisible critic. Create the links between what exists to provide pathways for our young players to progress to professional clubs. Don't stand by hoping that a benevolent millionaire will appear and make your dreams come true. Do something, make friends, get involved in some small way. Revel in this truly amazing sport and watch it grow.

That's whats happening in Belgrade, Jamaica, Chile, USA, and everywhere else where people haven't got the patience to wait, they want to get it going, to play, to be in it, not just watch it on the TV.

If they can do it, we can. Good luck, fight the good fight.

 

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10 hours ago, Blackpool rl said:

There isn’t really any young players. This is a fluke that he even found the sport. How did they get kids playing the sport in Newcastle? That needs to be done. There’s only one properly pro sport in Ireland. Rugby Union. Footballs semi pro and GAA is amateur. There’s space for more. Need to strike when the iron is hot Gaelic is on the down and no one follows domestic soccer.

Gaelic on the down? Really, are you having a laugh?

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4 hours ago, fighting irish said:

Someone earlier in the thread implied I was a troll. Nothing could be further from the truth. I've spent half a lifetime trying to develop rugby league in virgin territory. A territory, not only devoid of rugby league but openly hostile to the game. I'm very interested in what's going on in Ireland (and in Blackpool) regarding the development of the game. My life-long interest in this sport (and the second law of thermodynamics) has taught me that you can't get something for nothing. If you want to create a long term, self sustaining rugby league culture, then you have to embed the game in the community. I think it can be done, with an enormous amount of money, by establishing a Superleague club (as in Toronto) but even that, will wither on the vine unless the community game is developed (a pyramid structure) to support and feed the team at its pinnacle.

Ask yourself, where do Wigan get their young players from? or Leeds for example, or Manly Warringah, Parramatta or Sydney City Roosters. They don't buy them from rugby union clubs, nor sit idly by waiting for outstanding young athletes, to come knocking on their doors. If they did, insufficient numbers would come forward and rugby league would die out in one generation. We have to grow our own, or unearth them from further afield.

If you don't have the kind of money that Toronto seem willing to invest, what should we do? Forget it, give up, take up bowls, or snooker? Yes if you want. Otherwise, you can try to grow this game, from the ground up. It will not be an overnight success, but our game is an outstanding game, which can be promoted even in the most hostile environments. We don't attract this hostility because our game is weak, or poor, or evil. We attract the hostility because its good. Our enemies envy us this great game.

Look at London, which has grown in a random walk kind of way, but the game has persisted and is now producing good quality players born and nurtured in London. Newcastle are grasping the nettle (listening to my old mate Mick Hogan on Back Chat was heartwarming). Coventry are accepting the responsibility to grow the game in their area. Wales are developing slowly but surely in spite of enormous financial rewards offered by RaRa.

If you want to see the sport grow, in your country, county, city or town, get involved. Play, referee, form junior teams, coach, administer, be a physical part of the thing, not an invisible critic. Create the links between what exists to provide pathways for our young players to progress to professional clubs. Don't stand by hoping that a benevolent millionaire will appear and make your dreams come true. Do something, make friends, get involved in some small way. Revel in this truly amazing sport and watch it grow.

That's whats happening in Belgrade, Jamaica, Chile, USA, and everywhere else where people haven't got the patience to wait, they want to get it going, to play, to be in it, not just watch it on the TV.

If they can do it, we can. Good luck, fight the good fight.

 

You grow the game by having strong international tournament's. Ireland aren't hostile at all to rugby league, in fact there is a growing interest in the game from union players but the game keeps getting forgotten about due to the lack of internationals. Nobody in Ireland gave a damn about cricket until the t20 and 50 over world cups came about and now the sport is thriving compared to what it was here.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

They had some fella on the Full Eighty show talking about a potential Dublin Blues bid to join League One. Whoever he was, he didn’t come across confident or like he really knew what the plan was, if there even was one. 

I don't know if it's the same people, but this report bobbed up a little while ago: 

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/sport/7166223/dublin-blues-eye-rugby-league-league-one-place-in-ireland/amp/

I don't believe that any of the people mentioned as being behind the application are based in Ireland.

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11 hours ago, Keith989 said:

You grow the game by having strong international tournament's. Ireland aren't hostile at all to rugby league, in fact there is a growing interest in the game from union players but the game keeps getting forgotten about due to the lack of internationals. Nobody in Ireland gave a damn about cricket until the t20 and 50 over world cups came about and now the sport is thriving compared to what it was here.

 

 

I agree

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14 hours ago, CrushersForever said:

I don't know if it's the same people, but this report bobbed up a little while ago: 

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/sport/7166223/dublin-blues-eye-rugby-league-league-one-place-in-ireland/amp/

I don't believe that any of the people mentioned as being behind the application are based in Ireland.

You are incorrect. At least one party with professional RL experience is based in Ireland and behind this.

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On 2/18/2019 at 7:18 AM, meast said:

No, too palatial for us plebs, legends bar and cherry tree about as far as we dared to take him ?

Good work. Taking Ronan to Legends and the Cherry Tree is enough to put him off drinking in Huddersfield, ? which may help him concentrate on his training. 

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19 hours ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

They had some fella on the Full Eighty show talking about a potential Dublin Blues bid to join League One. Whoever he was, he didn’t come across confident or like he really knew what the plan was, if there even was one. 

Like most stories that pop up about an Irish team entering League 1, it has the caveat "we're just waiting for one or two investors to come on board".

Unless one of these bids has a confirmed backer with deep pockets it's just more wishful thinking I'm afraid.

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14 hours ago, damp squib said:

Like most stories that pop up about an Irish team entering League 1, it has the caveat "we're just waiting for one or two investors to come on board".

Unless one of these bids has a confirmed backer with deep pockets it's just more wishful thinking I'm afraid.

Nail on the head. Every so often there will be a thread that will amble on for page after page about an Irish team entering league 1.

 Until I win one of those large euro millions  jackpots, there will be no Dublin Blues tho personally with me they will be called the Stormont Silence.

Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor but because we cannot satisfy the rich.

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7 hours ago, Irish Saint said:

Nail on the head. Every so often there will be a thread that will amble on for page after page about an Irish team entering league 1.

 Until I win one of those large euro millions  jackpots, there will be no Dublin Blues tho personally with me they will be called the Stormont Silence.

The Belfast Backstops

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On 2/18/2019 at 9:41 PM, Oliver Clothesoff said:

They had some fella on the Full Eighty show talking about a potential Dublin Blues bid to join League One. Whoever he was, he didn’t come across confident or like he really knew what the plan was, if there even was one. 

he was just trying to work out where the hell he was going to get £500k to be allowed in!

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Arrived home to the latest edition of Rugby League Journal. Article by Ron Bailey the former Featherstone secretary and in a segment he remembers that in May 1962. Featherstone, Widnes , Workington  and Huddersfield all played in Dublin to promote the game. 

 

 

Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor but because we cannot satisfy the rich.

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19 minutes ago, Irish Saint said:

Article by Ron Bailey the former Featherstone secretary and in a segment he remembers that in May 1962. Featherstone, Widnes , Workington  and Huddersfield all played in Dublin to promote the game. 

 

 

There's pictures of the programme from 1962 here.

https://www.footballprogrammes.net/featherstone-rovers-rugby-c-90_903_909/widnes-rugby-v-featherstone-rovers-1962-in-dublin-ireland-p-39969.html?zenid=giiamfva6uha0grj1u30ojllv7

Played at what was then called JFK Stadium. It's now Morton Stadium, and has hosted the most recent Ireland international matches.

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