barnyia Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 Where are these teams appearing from and who's paying the travel? I reckon its a dreamer sending out messages with nothing concrete behind it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hela Wigmen Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 15 minutes ago, barnyia said: Where are these teams appearing from and who's paying the travel? I reckon its a dreamer sending out messages with nothing concrete behind it. I think the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langpark Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 7 hours ago, Hela Wigmen said: Twitter @EuroXIIIs is their handle. “It's Official!!! After consulting applicants and partners we are able to confirm that the 2021 competition will be contested by 16 teams rather than the original 8 team format!!!” Fantastic!! Yet another "big announcement" completely void of any substance or real details! Wake me up when something even remotely concrete gets announced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ojx Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ojx Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshmagpie Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 Interesting... Dublin Brussels Two capital cities, that’s a positive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted June 2, 2020 Author Share Posted June 2, 2020 22 minutes ago, welshmagpie said: Interesting... Dublin Brussels Two capital cities, that’s a positive. Yes superb, can’t wait to hear what the Luddites on this forum can find to slag it off about. Incidentally though why do you prefer capital cities to other places? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted June 2, 2020 Author Share Posted June 2, 2020 42 minutes ago, ojx said: I wonder if the Longhorns have got anything to do with this, as Dublin’s leading club. I just checked their Facebook page and there’s nothing about it, though that’s not to say either way obviously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshmagpie Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 1 minute ago, Eddie said: Yes superb, can’t wait to hear what the Luddites on this forum can find to slag it off about. Incidentally though why do you prefer capital cities to other places? I guess a competition featuring Dublin, Brussels, Amsterdam and Prague (the latter two for example) has more appeal than one with Xativa, Hradec Kralove, Kadikoy and Harderwijk (for example) In the long run - that’s got to be an easier sell for sponsors, players and TV et al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted June 2, 2020 Author Share Posted June 2, 2020 23 minutes ago, welshmagpie said: I guess a competition featuring Dublin, Brussels, Amsterdam and Prague (the latter two for example) has more appeal than one with Xativa, Hradec Kralove, Kadikoy and Harderwijk (for example) In the long run - that’s got to be an easier sell for sponsors, players and TV et al. Ok point accepted regarding TV, though to me it doesn’t matter where the teams and players are from, as long as they’re playing. I’d as happily watch Mechelen v Sligo in this comp as I would Dublin v Brussels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted June 2, 2020 Author Share Posted June 2, 2020 I’m not on Twitter but having followed ojx’s link above they’ve also said their first draft location is Brisbane. Sounds like things are coming together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ojx Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 Is it a cup tournament or a league? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted June 2, 2020 Author Share Posted June 2, 2020 Just now, ojx said: Is it a cup tournament or a league? On the Chasing Kangaroos episode I heard a few weeks back they said cup first year (2021) then a league (from 2022). Though that may have changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yanto Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 1 hour ago, Eddie said: Yes superb, can’t wait to hear what the Luddites on this forum can find to slag it off about. Incidentally though why do you prefer capital cities to other places? Luddites NedBel.. Netherlands/Belgium competition lasted one season due to costs and travel. Balkans League Two (or was it three) seasons due to costs and travel. I keep repeating, unless the guys behind this venture have a massive backer or three and /or TV deal, then I and many other "Luddites" can't see how it can be viable. Can you honestly, hand in heart, believe a level of football lower than UK local leagues can attract money to run a European wide competition then sustain and grow it, when the money machine that is the NFL pulled out of Europe due to losing money hand over fist. I don't think you realise the cost of travel and accommodation in Europe and that's before they start paying draft players, wherever they are coming from, or how insignificant the game is on the continent ?? Anyway if the guys have a few million quid spare and a sound business plan then I wish them all the success in the world but until this is still around (and growing) in five years time I will be a European Luddite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langpark Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 2 hours ago, Eddie said: Yes superb, can’t wait to hear what the Luddites on this forum can find to slag it off about. I applaud them for finally announcing some actual teams. But I have 2 questions for you, how many games have these two teams played in the last 3 years? I believe Dublin is a brand new entity and North Brussels only activity (as far as I am aware) has making the annual trip to the Rotterdam 9s. I am not saying it won't work, but hardly what anyone can consider to be established and stable entities. Someone did mention Longhorns (who I believe have entered the Challenge Cup a few times) may have been a safer bet, as would Galway Tribesmen. But I also accept the point about wanting to include capital cities rather than smaller towns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Daddy Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 No it looks like the Dublin team is the Dublin Blues who have been around for a while Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langpark Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 14 minutes ago, The Daddy said: No it looks like the Dublin team is the Dublin Blues who have been around for a while Are you sure? I cannot find any evidence of them. Their facebook page just has a logo and according to FB, was created 4 hours ago. Also, the RLI website does not even list them as one of their existing clubs: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfranco Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 48 minutes ago, langpark said: Are you sure? I cannot find any evidence of them. Their facebook page just has a logo and according to FB, was created 4 hours ago. Also, the RLI website does not even list them as one of their existing clubs: Unfortunately I can't remember which podcast i heard the club's head honcho being interviewed on a year or two ago (I think it may have been the BBC RL podcast), but he was talking about applying for League 1. Albeit he didn't sound like he had much in place, more an idea of what stadium he wanted to play at and had some ideas of potential sponsors... It also wasn't clear (IIRC) if the club had any connection with the original Dublin Blues who won a few Irish leagues back in the day. Sorry if that all sounds a bit vague, but to be honest I don't think a lot of detail was forthcoming even in quite a long interview! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted June 3, 2020 Author Share Posted June 3, 2020 7 hours ago, yanto said: Luddites NedBel.. Netherlands/Belgium competition lasted one season due to costs and travel. Balkans League Two (or was it three) seasons due to costs and travel. I keep repeating, unless the guys behind this venture have a massive backer or three and /or TV deal, then I and many other "Luddites" can't see how it can be viable. Can you honestly, hand in heart, believe a level of football lower than UK local leagues can attract money to run a European wide competition then sustain and grow it, when the money machine that is the NFL pulled out of Europe due to losing money hand over fist. I don't think you realise the cost of travel and accommodation in Europe and that's before they start paying draft players, wherever they are coming from, or how insignificant the game is on the continent ?? Anyway if the guys have a few million quid spare and a sound business plan then I wish them all the success in the world but until this is still around (and growing) in five years time I will be a European Luddite. It may not be viable, but you have no idea if it is or isn’t at this stage so why go with the RL glass half full mentality (unless you enjoy rubbishing things, in which case carry on fill your boots), instead of enjoying it and seeing where it ends up. Personally I loved seeing those two teams announced and my immediate thought wasn’t how many games they’d played as this is clearly a new competition and new teams can enter it. Strange how so many posters on this forum say Ottawa should go straight into SL when they haven’t played a game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Eel Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 55 minutes ago, Eddie said: It may not be viable, but you have no idea if it is or isn’t at this stage so why go with the RL glass half full mentality (unless you enjoy rubbishing things, in which case carry on fill your boots), instead of enjoying it and seeing where it ends up. Personally I loved seeing those two teams announced and my immediate thought wasn’t how many games they’d played as this is clearly a new competition and new teams can enter it. Strange how so many posters on this forum say Ottawa should go straight into SL when they haven’t played a game. In Yantos defence, he has been there and done that with RL on a European level for many years and he knows full well the implications of such a plan. I am pretty sure Yanto will still be joining me wishing the project the very best of luck and hoping that it can get off the ground and establish itself in the years to come. If we’re dealing with idioms, I’d be going with ‘once bitten twice shy’, rather than ‘glass half empty‘. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hela Wigmen Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 8 hours ago, mrfranco said: Unfortunately I can't remember which podcast i heard the club's head honcho being interviewed on a year or two ago (I think it may have been the BBC RL podcast), but he was talking about applying for League 1. Albeit he didn't sound like he had much in place, more an idea of what stadium he wanted to play at and had some ideas of potential sponsors... It also wasn't clear (IIRC) if the club had any connection with the original Dublin Blues who won a few Irish leagues back in the day. Sorry if that all sounds a bit vague, but to be honest I don't think a lot of detail was forthcoming even in quite a long interview! Someone from the Dublin Blues was on the League One Podcast probably eighteen months ago now about talking about joining League One. He didn’t really have any details or show any signs of a plan being in place and it seemed quite amateurish from that interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yanto Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 2 hours ago, Eddie said: It may not be viable, but you have no idea if it is or isn’t at this stage so why go with the RL glass half full mentality (unless you enjoy rubbishing things, in which case carry on fill your boots), instead of enjoying it and seeing where it ends up. OK so you are talking about a venture that may or may not be viable and yet your knocking guys like myself who are treading with caution and not being blinded by a few media releases!!!!! People are asking questions, putting over opinion yet are labelled luddites . How typically Rugby League Guess you ain't been around long enough to witness the damage to the game various other ventures that "have not been viable" have caused. Its not the first time Italy have promised great things that didn't come to fruition. The Greek tragedy (like that ) World Rugby League... All grand plans with little substance. Even this guy at Valencia promised a big game last year that didn't happen. That should be enough to say " hang on let's hear more about this new competition please" . Serbia have been one of the leading nations regarding European development over the past ten years. Within their organisation they have Jovan Vujosevic and Colin Kleyweg, two important members of the RLEF. Both full of great vision on how to promote and improve the game on the continent. Red Star aligned themselves with the world famous football club and entered the challenge Cup to raise awareness. The Serbia RL livestream games and are very active on social media. Serbia TV stations show the NRL and Super League. Serbia were behind innovations like the European under 19 championships and the Balkan League. They have been on the brink of qualifying for the world cup more than once. They have imported a few top coaches and experienced league players to improve standards. Have a history of the game stretching back to the 1950's.They are very active in trying to push the game forward. Now after all this building, development and promotion, at a steady pace, show me crowds flocking to watch RL in Belgrade. Show me the local (or international) companies throwing money at the game. Show me the domestic Serbian TV stations offering big money to broadcast domestic or international games on TV. Show me players rushing to sign for Serbian clubs. Show me the success of a well planned and initially well executed Balkan League. In reality it just is not that simple. If the guys behind this project are thinking, like you, that the game can sell just because its "TGG" and they just have to show it and people will go WOW and flock to support it, then they are in for a rude and very expensive wake up call. I have doubts about its viability. Even at minimum costs its a very expensive and ambitious venture. If you also think it "may not be viable" then surely the energy, enthusiasm and finance these guys are promising could be directed at a more localised development plan rather than going European wide from the off. Substantial growth or boom and bust???? But hey as I said, good luck to them, live the dream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yanto Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 More from Twitter. "Due to the competiton being increased to 16 teams, the Draft system has been extended from 36 to 56 players. Each team will receive 2-5 Draft picks based on their squad strength. What do you think?" 56 draft players??? Where are these guys coming from.?? Teams from Portugal, Moldova and Austria? Not only are they setting up a new competition but are promising teams in nations with no League footprint at all. Amazing!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted June 3, 2020 Author Share Posted June 3, 2020 24 minutes ago, yanto said: More from Twitter. "Due to the competiton being increased to 16 teams, the Draft system has been extended from 36 to 56 players. Each team will receive 2-5 Draft picks based on their squad strength. What do you think?" 56 draft players??? Where are these guys coming from.?? Teams from Portugal, Moldova and Austria? Not only are they setting up a new competition but are promising teams in nations with no League footprint at all. Amazing!!! Maybe it is amazing, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt now until we know more. In response to your longer post above Yanto, I understand all your concerns but someone is trying something that we all want (rugby league to grow in Europe) and I’d rather wait and see how they get on before declaring it won’t work. Pretty much nothing would ever have been invented if people had listened to those who said it won’t work. Ok it might fail but at least they’ll have given it a go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted June 3, 2020 Author Share Posted June 3, 2020 7 minutes ago, scotchy1 said: One thing I dont understand is, what does 'treading with caution' mean, or achieve? It's the same with NYC an abundance of people on here are desperate to tell you how and why it will fail and how we should all be distrusting of those involved. Yet it makes no difference whether you or I are cautious or gung ho. It's not our money, we have no decision making power regarding them. Worst comes to the worst you got a bit excited about something good happening, then it didnt happen. And even if it doesn’t happen so what, at least someone has tried to do something, good luck to them. I don’t think anyone is expecting a fully pro league on all the main TV channels played in enormous packed stadiums anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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