Barking Mad Idea!!

[HawkMan]

Okay, here's an idea, possibly an insane one, but here goes. We want to improve the game's profile, put it squarely in the news, get business interested. Just copy what Cricket did with The IPL.and Big Bash. A manufactured franchise competition. New teams in big cities! Seriously.

It needn't interfere with SL at all, that stays as it is, but we get rid of loop.fixtures, the whole of SL including GF is done by August 31, then a month break, then RUGBY LEAGUE CLASH OF THE TITANS SUPER NINE LEAGUE. (13 a side )

Nine teams, strategically placed in big cities, London, Birmingham, Liverpool etc, players bought at auction from.SL and NRL , I don't need to go on, it's exactly like The IPL.

Nine teams, eight games, four home and away, then semis and final. Financed by?...good question. Tempt business people, tv coverage, advertising revenue, no.relegation of course, this is a separate competition. It can be done ,Cricket that most traditional of sports did it. Here's how Sky presenting it would look like.

Brian Carney " So super league, done and dusted, great season we've had, but get ready for Clash of the Titans, the new super nine league coming in October and November. Players are now gearing up to see which team will bid for them, then by mid September we'll know who plays where, then a fortnight later the action begins. The coaches have been appointed, three Super League and three NRL.coaches, and three currently out of a job in.the regular season, nice to see Keiron Cunningham coaching the Bristol franchise owned by Richard Branson....."

Think this is barking? Someone had the vision to invent IPL. Look at it now.

[Mr Frisky]

No!

[GUBRATS]

2 minutes ago, HawkMan said:

Okay, here's an idea, possibly an insane one, but here goes. We want to improve the game's profile, put it squarely in the news, get business interested. Just copy what Cricket did with The IPL.and Big Bash. A manufactured franchise competition. New teams in big cities! Seriously.

It needn't interfere with SL at all, that stays as it is, but we get rid of loop.fixtures, the whole of SL including GF is done by August 31, then a month break, then RUGBY LEAGUE CLASH OF THE TITANS SUPER NINE LEAGUE.

Nine teams, strategically placed in big cities, London, Birmingham, Liverpool etc, players bought at auction from.SL and NRL , I don't need to go on, it's exactly like The IPL.

Nine teams, eight games, four home and away, then semis and final. Financed by?...good question. Tempt business people, tv coverage, advertising revenue, no.relegation of course, this is a separate competition. It can be done ,Cricket that most traditional of sports did it. Here's how Sky presenting it would look like.

Brian Carney " So super league, done and dusted, great season we've had, but get ready for Clash of the Titans, the new super nine league coming in October and November. Players are now gearing up to see which team will bid for them, then by mid September we'll know who plays where, then a fortnight later the action begins. The coaches have been appointed, three Super League and three NRL.coaches, and three currently out of a job in.the regular season, nice to see Keiron Cunningham coaching the Bristol franchise owned by Richard Branson....."

Think this is barking? Someone had the vision to invent IPL. Look at it now.

If we had RL played all over the country , then yes , but if we had the game played nationally we wouldn't have the issues we have , so yes 

Daft idea 

[TboneFromTO]

I don't hate the idea but I fear for the abuse you are about to get on here!

[GUBRATS]

6 minutes ago, TboneFromTO said:

I don't hate the idea but I fear for the abuse you are about to get on here!

It's irrelivant wether you or anybody ' hates ' or ' likes ' an idea , it's wether it is viable , it isn't , so no abuse required , just the pointing out of the facts the OP hasnt considered 

[DEANO]

The clue is in the title of this thread

[17 stone giant]

I was thinking previously about starting a thread for cranky ideas. I think it would be a fun thing to have, and maybe even the occasional good idea would shine through the madness. Maybe this thread could be retained and used for that purpose.

I actually like the inventiveness of the original post. Like others, I'm not sure it would work, but it might do. I would suggest a slight (perhaps major) modification though. I think if you're going to do it, you need to target warm summer evenings. I know there's cricket to compete with, but it's outside of the football season and what you want is a new audience who are perhaps partly attracted by the possibility of sitting in the sunshine and having a beer - especially familes with women and children attending.

[HawkMan]

I called this thread Barking Mad Idea because it has no chance of ever happening, I'm well aware of the financial difficulties, it would entail nine entrepreneurs with more money than sense risking cash in a project that has no guarantee of raising RL's profile. IPL and Big Bash are totally manufactured competitions but worked, probably because of Cricket's good profile beforehand. But if RL had something similar, a impossibly big if, then it might raise the profile of the sport, depends on who the team owners are, for example , Ryan Giggs owner of the Manchester franchise??!!

[GUBRATS]

6 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

I was thinking previously about starting a thread for cranky ideas. I think it would be a fun thing to have, and maybe even the occasional good idea would shine through the madness. Maybe this thread could be retained and used for that purpose.

I actually like the inventiveness of the original post. Like others, I'm not sure it would work, but it might do. I would suggest a slight (perhaps major) modification though. I think if you're going to do it, you need to target warm summer evenings. I know there's cricket to compete with, but it's outside of the football season and what you want is a new audience who are perhaps partly attracted by the possibility of sitting in the sunshine and having a beer - especially familes with women and children attending.

As you put there is cricket to serve this " sitting in the sunshine having a beer " option , a sport that is played nationally , a sport the whole country is familiar with 

The actual ' issues ' we have stop us from doing many of the things others can do , our lack of International and national profile 

[17 stone giant]

So, in keeping with the cranky thread idea, my suggestion is to piggy back on football.

Set up some exhibition games that you will play in various football stadiums outside of the heartlands, but what you then do is have the two teams play in the football kits (or at least the colours, because probably wouldn't be able to get the actual kit) and using the names of the local teams.

So, Wigan go and pretend to be Norwich at Carrow Road, while the opposition (it could be St Helen's or whoever) represent Ipswich. You have two matches, one in each venue.

I'm calling it "Rugby League Does Football - Derby Day Special". I just made that up right now, because obviously I've given this idea very little serious thought.

So far. my plans include: Ipswich/Norwich, Newcastle/Sunderland, Birmingham/Aston Villa, Southampton/Portsmouth, and probably some London teams.

[GUBRATS]

5 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

So, in keeping with the cranky thread idea, my suggestion is to piggy back on football.

Set up some exhibition games that you will play in various football stadiums outside of the heartlands, but what you then do is have the two teams play in the football kits (or at least the colours, because probably wouldn't be able to get the actual kit) and using the names of the local teams.

So, Wigan go and pretend to be Norwich at Carrow Road, while the opposition (it could be St Helen's or whoever) represent Ipswich. You have two matches, one in each venue.

I'm calling it "Rugby League Does Football - Derby Day Special". I just made that up right now, because obviously I've given this idea very little serious thought.

So far. my plans include: Ipswich/Norwich, Newcastle/Sunderland, Birmingham/Aston Villa, Southampton/Portsmouth, and probably some London teams.

Howling

[Clogiron]

6 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

So, in keeping with the cranky thread idea, my suggestion is to piggy back on football.

Set up some exhibition games that you will play in various football stadiums outside of the heartlands, but what you then do is have the two teams play in the football kits (or at least the colours, because probably wouldn't be able to get the actual kit) and using the names of the local teams.

So, Wigan go and pretend to be Norwich at Carrow Road, while the opposition (it could be St Helen's or whoever) represent Ipswich. You have two matches, one in each venue.

I'm calling it "Rugby League Does Football - Derby Day Special". I just made that up right now, because obviously I've given this idea very little serious thought.

So far. my plans include: Ipswich/Norwich, Newcastle/Sunderland, Birmingham/Aston Villa, Southampton/Portsmouth, and probably some London teams.

Go for a walk and get some fresh air, you might feel better

[Bolton Leyther]

It's a better idea than just thinking we can draw people in by turning everything into a double-header and making it an "event".

[HawkMan]

8 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

Cricket is a national sport and massively in the nation's psyche due to the International aspect of it , RL is neither , comparisons are pointless 

I agree with the international aspect of RL's profile problem. In the pub earlier people were gawping at Kosovo vs Czech Republic in the Euros , shouting " bloody ref" and getting involved.

[HawkMan]

Hope there's no misunderstanding of my OP. I called it super nine league because there's nine teams, it's not a nines idea, but full 13 a side franchise competition. If this ever happened, unlikely I know, they'd be only one team in the heartlands, the point being to spread the game nationally, so would SL fans of all heartland teams support the northern team. I wonder.

[GUBRATS]

2 minutes ago, HawkMan said:

Hope there's no misunderstanding of my OP. I called it super nine league because there's nine teams, it's not a nines idea, but full 13 a side franchise competition. If this ever happened, unlikely I know, they'd be only one team in the heartlands, the point being to spread the game nationally, so would SL fans of all heartland teams support the northern team. I wonder.

No 

I was fully aware you meant 13 a side 

[Rupert Prince]

55 minutes ago, HawkMan said:

I called this thread Barking Mad Idea because it has no chance of ever happening, I'm well aware of the financial difficulties, it would entail nine entrepreneurs with more money than sense risking cash in a project that has no guarantee of raising RL's profile. IPL and Big Bash are totally manufactured competitions but worked, probably because of Cricket's good profile beforehand. But if RL had something similar, a impossibly big if, then it might raise the profile of the sport, depends on who the team owners are, for example , Ryan Giggs owner of the Manchester franchise??!!

IPL is riddled with gambling.   It's reason for living is gambling and profiteering. 

Its a joke competition.

Mind you, so is 9s

30 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

You aren't reading what I put 

Cricket is a national sport and massively in the nation's psyche due to its International aspect 

That is why it isn't relevant , not that it is a ' new version of the game '

Most cricket is limited over cricket and is played on the "village green".

1st class cricket, like the County Championship or Tests is the exception.  

But also, our (RL) main game is the full game, 13 players, 80 mins.  We will never develop out top players by subverting our talents by playing 9s or 7s. 

Lets not forget that cricket is subverting test cricket by introducing the white ball.  A flashy white wall player can look stupid with the red one.

So forget a cricket type analogy for RL!  However, by all means develop an early and extended challenge cup competition.

[GUBRATS]

9 minutes ago, Rupert Prince said:

IPL is riddled with gambling.   It's reason for living is gambling and profiteering. 

Its a joke competition.

Mind you, so is 9s

Most cricket is limited over cricket and is played on the "village green".

1st class cricket, like the County Championship or Tests is the exception.  

But also, our (RL) main game is the full game, 13 players, 80 mins.  We will never develop out top players by subverting our talents by playing 9s or 7s. 

Lets not forget that cricket is subverting test cricket by introducing the white ball.  A flashy white wall player can look stupid with the red one.

So forget a cricket type analogy for RL!  However, by all means develop an early and extended challenge cup competition.

I haven't suggested playing 7 s or 9 s anywhere in any of my posts 

[Bolton Leyther]

13 minutes ago, Rupert Prince said:

IPL is riddled with gambling.   It's reason for living is gambling and profiteering. 

Its a joke competition. 

The IPL is the sixth best attended sports league in the world. That's hardly indicative of it being a joke competition.

[redjonn]

Whilst RL is not a national game the other Rugby is - thus a well recognized sport all be it most people have no clue as the differences.   So I don't think it is beyond the realm of imagination that the concept could gain wider interest in a short competition of RL in different area's than now. Especially on a regional basis.

Also allow players to have a 2nd contract and sign for whatever clubs they wish whilst having contracts in SL.

I don't think its as bad an idea as initially I thought. 

[fighting irish]

I really like this idea. Whether you could co-ordinate the whole thing just to get it off the ground, is a tall order.

I think I'd like to see one organisation, owning all the players contracts and operating a draft system (assuming its going to have some longevity) to distribute the talent fairly at each Super League seasons end.

With the backing of the right TV company I think it could be big.

Cue ''The Big Picture'' for some detailed creative input.

If it works, it could be the format for a National Super League going forward, with this new idea, going global. 

[GUBRATS]

1 hour ago, fighting irish said:

I really like this idea. Whether you could co-ordinate the whole thing just to get it off the ground, is a tall order.

I think I'd like to see one organisation, owning all the players contracts and operating a draft system (assuming its going to have some longevity) to distribute the talent fairly at each Super League seasons end.

With the backing of the right TV company I think it could be big.

Cue ''The Big Picture'' for some detailed creative input.

If it works, it could be the format for a National Super League going forward, with this new idea, going global. 

No it couldn't 

[Rupert Prince]

5 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

I haven't suggested playing 7 s or 9 s anywhere in any of my posts 

Yes I know. I was not trying to be so specific.

[Rupert Prince]

5 hours ago, Bolton Leyther said:

The IPL is the sixth best attended sports league in the world. That's hardly indicative of it being a joke competition.

It depends who is laughing. 

[Smudger06]

So following in the footsteps of the IPL & BBL, why have 9 teams when clearly 8 is the magic number? 

Using the IPL Model would firstly require the RFL to sell 8 x 10 year franchises at auction with the winning bids having to pay 10% of the auction price by each preseason deadline. 

How much, in total could the RFL raise at such an auction?