Pia serious

[barnyia]

League 1 candidates?

[audois]

Is there no way for semi - professional clubs both sides of Channel to meet up?

[Harry Stottle]

5 hours ago, Eddie said:

At the risk of turning this into yet another TWP debate, I don’t think what you’re saying is strictly correct. RL in the USA is growing bottom up. 

I know all about certain parts of the USA Eddie, I mentioned a certain place in Canada.

[Big Picture]

10 hours ago, Eddie said:

It is relevant to the point being made here that a team doesn’t necessarily need a big population in the town where they’re based to be successful (though clearly in the main it helps). 

It does need access to a big population though, which is why the Packers did things like play two home matches a year in Milwaukee for many years to broaden their catchment area so take in the whole state of Wisconsin.  That was possible because they were the only NFL team in the state and their opponents all came from out of state so they became Wisconsin's team.

Pia can't do that in Pyrénées-Orientales however.  They share the department with clubs in other local towns, and Pia is one of the smallest of those towns if not the smallest.  So you're comparing apples and oranges when you mention Pia and Green Bay together.

[Jao 711]

9 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

Hold on a mo, I am a Lancashire lad who loves my trips to Fev and apart from the rugby my big highlight is visiting the fish 'n chip shop on the High Street they are excellent, in my opinion the Tykes cook their fish 'n chips much better than we do and use 'proper' beef dripping not that 'orrible tasteless vegetable oily stuff that is used this side of the big hill.

Agreed ,we always visit Drakes in Scott Hall Rd Leeds.

[yipyee]

On 11/06/2020 at 07:30, Harry Stottle said:

Off course that is the nature of things and goes without saying, massive oak trees grow from small acorns.

Unless you take North America, there they try to do things in reverse, start big then rely on others to provide the player's no grass roots, no infrastructure, no intention to do so.

I would much sooner have the French way.

It isn't that way at all..

The high schools play football, this leads into colleges who offer free education to the best players, these then feed into the draft.

There is no need to develop your own players. Of course the downside is you can't get all the best youth and control your own future signings, this maybe a fairer way though?

[Harry Stottle]

2 minutes ago, yipyee said:

There is no need to develop your own players.

That maybe so for any individual club, but without the natives getting involved in the sport dirtying their knees rolling up their sleeves and taking to the field it will never be anything more than a sideshow, no infrastructure means no empathy, compassion or warmth.

Do you honestly think that without all those who kept the game going in the France in the communities keeping and maintaining a sense of 'belonging' the sport would be  being played over there today? I Don't, I consider when there is nothing to fall back on when hard times and popularity wanes for the pro game it will die.

[yipyee]

7 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

That maybe so for any individual club, but without the natives getting involved in the sport dirtying their knees rolling up their sleeves and taking to the field it will never be anything more than a sideshow, no infrastructure means no empathy, compassion or warmth.

Do you honestly think that without all those who kept the game going in the France in the communities keeping and maintaining a sense of 'belonging' the sport would be  being played over there today? I Don't, I consider when there is nothing to fall back on when hard times and popularity wanes for the pro game it will die.

I was on about a different system ie the US player development pathways

[Harry Stottle]

18 minutes ago, yipyee said:

I was on about a different system ie the US player development pathways

Why, the topic is rugby league?

So how will the US development pathways be any advantage to Rugby League over the big pond?

[yipyee]

3 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Why, the topic is rugby league?

So how will the US development pathways be any advantage to Rugby League over the big pond?

And here's the problem introvert thinking, we should look at how other sports do things well, the NFL expansion into the UK market is a huge success and if we are not careful RL may be pushed down further in the participation tables.

[unapologetic pedant]

On 11/06/2020 at 16:40, Big Picture said:

It does need access to a big population though, which is why the Packers did things like play two home matches a year in Milwaukee for many years to broaden their catchment area so take in the whole state of Wisconsin.  That was possible because they were the only NFL team in the state and their opponents all came from out of state so they became Wisconsin's team.

Pia can't do that in Pyrénées-Orientales however.  They share the department with clubs in other local towns, and Pia is one of the smallest of those towns if not the smallest.  So you're comparing apples and oranges when you mention Pia and Green Bay together.

Nearest comparison to Green Bay in RL is NZ Warriors. There are plenty of fans of Australian NRL clubs in NZ also, but it`s common to see Warriors merchandise in League communities across all provinces and they are generally portrayed and perceived as NZ`s team.

[unapologetic pedant]

7 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

That maybe so for any individual club, but without the natives getting involved in the sport dirtying their knees rolling up their sleeves and taking to the field it will never be anything more than a sideshow, no infrastructure means no empathy, compassion or warmth.

Do you honestly think that without all those who kept the game going in the France in the communities keeping and maintaining a sense of 'belonging' the sport would be  being played over there today? I Don't, I consider when there is nothing to fall back on when hard times and popularity wanes for the pro game it will die.

There`s an intrinsic value in healthy small town clubs which is special whether or not it provides the base for something bigger. Nowhere more so than in France. Their resilience is something else. Having some time ago abandoned hopes of RL world domination being realised in my lifetime, I follow grass roots in all its forms as much as SL or NRL. The internet has made it possible to do this globally.

Don`t know enough about Toronto to say whether they can achieve lasting success with a top-down model, although experience suggests not. In the early eighties everything looked promising at Fulham, but with next to nothing underpinning them, it all fell away.

[ATLANTISMAN]

PIA is PIA thats whats beautiful about it.

All the talk about teams in big cities is rubbish what France needs is simple total support for its traditional clubs and places where the game has a history.

 

Paul

[Lowdesert]

26 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

PIA is PIA thats whats beautiful about it.

All the talk about teams in big cities is rubbish what France needs is simple total support for its traditional clubs and places where the game has a history.

 

Paul

I agree with that.  I still think Pia will struggle for players, however, more teams means more interest at the lower levels.

Did Bompas ever have a team?  St.Cyp did but folded.  

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

On 11/06/2020 at 07:31, Just Browny said:

Best of luck to them, hopefully they can make it into Super League one day but it is early days on their road to Wigan-Pia.

Bravo

[ATLANTISMAN]

4 hours ago, Lowdesert said:

I agree with that.  I still think Pia will struggle for players, however, more teams means more interest at the lower levels.

Did Bompas ever have a team?  St.Cyp did but folded.  

Bompas not too sure St Cyprien YES used to be good fun as well but sadly now gone.

I think PIA will be OK always plenty of players for 3 decent teams at Elite 1 level in the area and now only one St Esteve who back in the old days were a wonderful club and fantastic committee.

 

Paul