owls Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 For me they have been a breath of fresh air, a new city/country experiencing the game and watching in good numbers, good publicity for the game, hope it continues, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lingard Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 it’s the planet that will have the biggest impact, flying back and forth across the Atlantic, just think of the carbon burden. What would Greta do? I demand to have some booze, I want it here and I want it now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamescolin Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 I have watched Featherstone Rovers since 1939. Our game of RL has been fighting off RU for a long time and there is still some items that stay in my mind. I played RU at school because the school didn't play RL. I also played RU in the army and in the army if you were a RL player you were almost straight in to the first 15. Years later at 34 (in the 1960's) I decided I would like to play rugby again. At that age I decided that I would try a game of RU as I was too old for the speed of RL. When I told them of my background they were enthusiastic until I told them I had played RL. I was shown the door. It was middle class against working class and they still resented our breakaway so we could have a bit of money in our pockets when missing work to play. Expansion is good but it needs proper control and expertise. If you watch television when they are talking about RU they just say Rugby as if our game doesn't exist. We need to market properly and encourage more youngsters to come into the game. To that end 'A' teams should be reintroduced. RU players got paid in the past . We called it boot money. Lots and lots of nastiness has gone by over the years. Collaboration with the NAZIS during the war had RU benefitting when our game was banned in France with RU behind that ban. And so it went on. So on with our game long may it live and progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whippet13 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Toronto have been a breath of fresh air as far as I'm concerned, they have had a huge impact on the game's media profile and in generating public interest, I have no doubt that will rise again next year in SL. As was posted on another thread, we are in the middle of the RU world cup and yet Toronto (and Salford to their credit) are providing bigger headlines for the sport. I can't think of anything else RL related which would do that. On a personal level, it's going to cost me a pretty penny going to Toronto next year but I dont begrudge it for a minute. I've watched professional RL in 9 countries now, this will be my 10th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianRugger Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Just now, Whippet13 said: Toronto have been a breath of fresh air as far as I'm concerned, they have had a huge impact on the game's media profile and in generating public interest, I have no doubt that will rise again next year in SL. As was posted on another thread, we are in the middle of the RU world cup and yet Toronto (and Salford to their credit) are providing bigger headlines for the sport. I can't think of anything else RL related which would do that. On a personal level, it's going to cost me a pretty penny going to Toronto next year but I dont begrudge it for a minute. I've watched professional RL in 9 countries now, this will be my 10th. Recommend looking for an AirBNB when you come, there are many in the city and they are all pretty reasonably priced. Whether you decide on making it a Toronto centric vacation or not, I can give you lots of ideas of things to do. I'm not even in Ontario atm but lived there for 10+ years and have been all over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whippet13 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 2 minutes ago, CanadianRugger said: Recommend looking for an AirBNB when you come, there are many in the city and they are all pretty reasonably priced. Whether you decide on making it a Toronto centric vacation or not, I can give you lots of ideas of things to do. I'm not even in Ontario atm but lived there for 10+ years and have been all over. It'll be a (circular-ish) road trip, hopefully with a Toronto home game to both start and finish. I'm sure that there will be plenty of people wanting good advice about coming over so get typing up your notes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianRugger Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Just now, Whippet13 said: It'll be a (circular-ish) road trip, hopefully with a Toronto home game to both start and finish. I'm sure that there will be plenty of people wanting good advice about coming over so get typing up your notes! I may well write a guide for everyone. It will be especially useful once Ottawa comes online as I am very familiar with Ottawa as well. I can point you to many places to eat, drink and visit that lie around and between those two destinations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The British Lion Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 The concept - and what Eric Perez marketed and delivered so far, has me 're-excited' for the future potential of the game. If im honest, I'd lost most hope with another inept RFL administration. Nigel Wood had the vision for this, I have been concerned for a time that Rob Elstone and Rimmer were going to turn this all on its head. If I had to spend yet another season of just looking forward to watching Warrington play (insert m62 team) - again- my interst would have further deteriorated. I honestly think Toronto carry the hopes of all expansionists and good will to do well.... Next - Ottawa (and maybe New York!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Picture Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 How it's impacted me is unique as I'm a rare Canadian who's been following the sport since 1994. Like some of the Brits here I remember the start of the whole SL thing with the big influx of money, the expansion failures and all that. When I first heard about the Wolfpack the idea of a Canadian team playing in a British league sounded a bit nutty to me due to the great distances which the team would have to cover, but I've paid close attention to all things related to it from the start. For me the Wolfpack's journey through the UK league structure and the reactions to them was quite unsettling in a totally unforeseen way because it exposed how small time the game's setup is over there which I never really understood before. What the ultimate end result will be remains to be seen, but I was rooting for the Wolfpack big time on Saturday and felt relieved when they began to pull away for the win. I haven't made it to a live match yet, partly because I felt that they should have made more effort to bring some Canadian players along at the start when they were in the game's third tier and partly because I hardly ever feel any motivation to visit the big, expensive and hectic metropolis of Toronto. It would be a 2 hour drive from here, assuming the Gardiner doesn't turn into a parking lot due to traffic volume and/or a collision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omott91 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 For me, it was making sure that the mpg was on record at 5.30am and waking up earlier than usual to watch the game. My father even said who would have thought we would up early to watch a rl game from Canada. For me, as I live 5minutes away from Toronto, Australia, had more personal interest than the Nrl gf as I have been following twp since day 1. I'm just 1 of many aussie's who support them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copa Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 It’s made the RL world just a little bit more exciting for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuutaisrambo Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 For me personally....there has been no real effect at all. I have a casual interest in RL mainly focussed on my local team (fev) who i go watch every so often.... i don't go to every game as i like to do other things as well and have 3 kids to run around after and a wife that hates sport. I watch far more NRL than Super League ( I only really take an interest in the last couple of months of the season at the business end) To me it seem a strange idea having a team from a wealthy North American city over 3500 miles away joining a struggling competition but i don't have an issue with it other than losing the grand final on Saturday (no one likes losing) It'll be interesting to see what happens over the next few seasons. I have no issue with Toronto themselves (i think McDermott is a miserable so and so) and all these arguments about crowds are frankly stupid and pointless. You have played by the rules and gone up the correct way. I know it isn't very nice hearing people saying you shouldn't be allowed into a competition.........Fev reached their first meaningful grand final for 21 years last weekend and all i saw was people saying we are too small a club and shouldn't be allowed in if we won.......it's not pleasant and puts a dampener on the occasion as i'm sure all the negativity around Toronto may have had a similar effect for you guys. My only concern/source of irritation is Toronto being used as a reason to get rid of promotion and relegation....... I really didn't like the sport when licensing was in place and i hope it never comes back......I'm sure Toronto fans can well appreciate the excitement promotion games create.........other than that i'm not fussed really. Good luck next year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fighting irish Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 To me, they represent a ray of hope, for the future of our game. They provide confirmation that neutrals in virgin territory can be converted to our game in droves if we present the game well and the team has freshened up and enlivened our traditional competitions. Thank you to David Argyle, Eric Perez, et al. Good luck lads, keep up the good work. All the best for the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 14 hours ago, Whippet13 said: Toronto have been a breath of fresh air as far as I'm concerned, they have had a huge impact on the game's media profile and in generating public interest, I have no doubt that will rise again next year in SL. 15 hours ago, owls said: For me they have been a breath of fresh air, a new city/country experiencing the game and watching in good numbers, good publicity for the game, hope it continues, What they said, couldn't have put it better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RP London Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 For me it is proving something I have long thought.. expansion is possible but you need deep pockets and patience.. I love the fact they are bringing something fresh to the sport, a fresh voice and fresh spectators that dont have the chip on their shoulder. While they can be a standard bearer for a modern way of doing things not everything they do can or should be copied but it is great to see. I am not 100% sold on whether it will work in the long term, there is a huge amount of time to go and a huge amount of things that need to happen to make it work. I have studied expansion, its failure and the history of this sport at degree level and beyond and I am not going to just assume it is going to work.. But I'm looking forward to the next few years finding out.. The chat around me (in a non RL area) is growing just because they are in and the BBC are making noises about them.. that cannot possibly be a bad thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave T Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 39 minutes ago, RP London said: For me it is proving something I have long thought.. expansion is possible but you need deep pockets and patience.. I love the fact they are bringing something fresh to the sport, a fresh voice and fresh spectators that dont have the chip on their shoulder. While they can be a standard bearer for a modern way of doing things not everything they do can or should be copied but it is great to see. I am not 100% sold on whether it will work in the long term, there is a huge amount of time to go and a huge amount of things that need to happen to make it work. I have studied expansion, its failure and the history of this sport at degree level and beyond and I am not going to just assume it is going to work.. But I'm looking forward to the next few years finding out.. The chat around me (in a non RL area) is growing just because they are in and the BBC are making noises about them.. that cannot possibly be a bad thing. I agree with your post, but I find this bit in bold unnecessary. Why do we have to keep criticising our current fanbase i.e. ourselves? Because tbh, when things haven't necessarily gone the way some of these new fans want, we have seen pretty big chips. Everybody wants what they want, how they want it. The new Canadian fans are most welcome, but they are just the same as the rest of us! Their chips may just be about different things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert Prince Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 19 hours ago, Bearman said: I'm a fan. I was fortunate enough to visit Lamport when the Bears visited. The whole experience was uplifting. I went as a guest of the Wolfpack to the "home" game v Halifax at New River last season and had another blast. Next season, if fixtures permit I will be following them as a supporter. So I will be putting a bum on a seat of a Superleague club that I would not otherwise have attended. Come to Wigan. It's got a nice stadium, its the best town Lancashire and they make great pies and Uncle Joe's Mint Balls. Check the flights early because I'm guessing that the RL will start the season with Wigan versus the Wolfpack somewhere in week 1. TWPs impact might be that one of the current 11 SL clubs might get relegated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bring back the Boyd Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 I’m 56 and have loved the game since my dad took me to a A team match when I was about 7 years old—- I remember asking him why people were shouting at the players and he replied along the lines of “ it’s just people who think they know everything about the game but have probably never played it”. Well, people are still shouting and I still love the game . I worked in Liverpool for many years and couldn’t understand how none of the Scoucers liked it. So for me personally, I Love Toronto and thank their fans for liking Rugby League. Without expansion I think the game in the Uk will survive as long as Sky keep paying—- without Sky the game in the Uk will struggle to survive as we know it. If Canada and other countries push the game onto the Global map, how can that be bad. I like seeing who they sign and all the shouting makes me smile. Good luck I say Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LR23 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Impact so far has been that the team has wound me up no end with their tactics in the two meetings so far (v Salford) but the fans always seemed very enthusiastic. I have quite enjoyed their very existence annoying some people but I'm twisted like that. I'm hoping future impact will be a trip to a game in Europe and Toronto - obviously this won't be something I'll have experienced before and wouldn't have happened otherwise (well maybe the game in Europe with Catalans, but I'm still holding out hope for Toronto v Salford in Copenhagen). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RP London Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Dave T said: I agree with your post, but I find this bit in bold unnecessary. Why do we have to keep criticising our current fanbase i.e. ourselves? Because tbh, when things haven't necessarily gone the way some of these new fans want, we have seen pretty big chips. Everybody wants what they want, how they want it. The new Canadian fans are most welcome, but they are just the same as the rest of us! Their chips may just be about different things. Yes fair enough.. what I meant was the RU/RL issue.. They get on with their business and if there is a problem they see it for what it is rather than "someone else fault" and they try to fix it.. poor phraseology on my part Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave T Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 2 minutes ago, RP London said: Yes fair enough.. what I meant was the RU/RL issue.. They get on with their business and if there is a problem they see it for what it is rather than "someone else fault" and they try to fix it.. poor phraseology on my part Fair enough, and I did consider you may have meant that, although it is important that we understand that this isn't just a chip on the shoulders. People have seen RU try and shaft RL over and over, and if they were to witness that in Canada it would just be the same there. We are still seeing these issues around the world in other countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canis Lupus Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 41 minutes ago, LR23 said: Impact so far has been that the team has wound me up no end with their tactics in the two meetings so far (v Salford) but the fans always seemed very enthusiastic. I have quite enjoyed their very existence annoying some people but I'm twisted like that. I'm hoping future impact will be a trip to a game in Europe and Toronto - obviously this won't be something I'll have experienced before and wouldn't have happened otherwise (well maybe the game in Europe with Catalans, but I'm still holding out hope for Toronto v Salford in Copenhagen). To be fair the current team under McDermott is playing a totally different way. The tactics used when we played Salford were those of Rowley and thankfully are gone. At the time it didn't sit well with me so now much happier that that side is no longer there. We as clubs all have players who do the wrong thing but that did seem to be asked of certain players. Nice to see some positives from you though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krzzystuff Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for the posts and for sticking to the topic and being honest. I have really enjoyed reading through everyone's posts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RP London Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 18 minutes ago, Dave T said: Fair enough, and I did consider you may have meant that, although it is important that we understand that this isn't just a chip on the shoulders. People have seen RU try and shaft RL over and over, and if they were to witness that in Canada it would just be the same there. We are still seeing these issues around the world in other countries. totally agree.. however, it is used far too much as an excuse for things not working when actually it is nothing of the sort, and we should look at either something closer to home or just an inability of the person/plan to actually work.. there are times, I agree, around the world where there are issues and I have massive sympathy for that, but equally there are also very good occasions when the 2 can live very much side by side and work together and it is no bad thing.. just nice to see the positivity and glass half full mentality that many involved with the wolfpack seem to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbruce Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Rupert Prince said: Come to Wigan. It's got a nice stadium, its the best town Lancashire and they make great pies and Uncle Joe's Mint Balls. Check the flights early because I'm guessing that the RL will start the season with Wigan versus the Wolfpack somewhere in week 1. TWPs impact might be that one of the current 11 SL clubs might get relegated. Does he really need to fly from Coventry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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