New North American Competition?

[langpark]

$10 admission. Why is it that fans are allowed to attend these matches, but not the actual NARL matches?

[GUBRATS]

1 hour ago, langpark said:

$10 admission. Why is it that fans are allowed to attend these matches, but not the actual NARL matches?

I thought that was 10 dollars per pint

[steavis]

Guys there has only been one successful true expansion franchise - in a non traditional area and still in the fulltime professional top flight - since 1895! And News Corporation's investment of A$80 million is what's kept Melbourne Storm alive. It is 100 per cent a characteristic of rugby league that these ventures fail over and over again. Rugby league is rugby for poor people. There is almost no-one in the game with a combination of resources and altruism, the necessary combination for expansion to proceed. The altruists have no money and the people with money are out to make more. The only way to break the cycle is to go to a new place, not rely on the old demographic, and start again in a completely different paradigm where the sport is NOT automatically associated with the working class - the western suburbs of Sydney and the north of England. Nines and North America represent the best opportunities to do that. But it needs a spark: one person with altruism and resources. It seems NARL, as usual, had one and not the other. 

[Hello]

23 minutes ago, steavis said:

Guys there has only been one successful true expansion franchise - in a non traditional area and still in the fulltime professional top flight - since 1895! And News Corporation's investment of A$80 million is what's kept Melbourne Storm alive. It is 100 per cent a characteristic of rugby league that these ventures fail over and over again. Rugby league is rugby for poor people. There is almost no-one in the game with a combination of resources and altruism, the necessary combination for expansion to proceed. The altruists have no money and the people with money are out to make more. The only way to break the cycle is to go to a new place, not rely on the old demographic, and start again in a completely different paradigm where the sport is NOT automatically associated with the working class - the western suburbs of Sydney and the north of England. Nines and North America represent the best opportunities to do that. But it needs a spark: one person with altruism and resources. It seems NARL, as usual, had one and not the other. 

That's the spirit, let's give up on expansion even if other sports have managed it

[steavis]

Just now, Hello said:

That's the spirit, let's give up on expansion even if other sports have managed it

126 years of failure - five generations - will do that. I'm not giving up on expansion. I'm giving up on doing it the same way we've done it for five generations. 

[Cumbrian Mackem]

2 minutes ago, steavis said:

126 years of failure - five generations - will do that. I'm not giving up on expansion. I'm giving up on doing it the same way we've done it for five generations. 

Unless there’s a multi-billionaire james bond type villain willing to pump 100’s of millions into RL then the best expansion model for RL is that of the thunder and bears which centres around expanding the game into neighbouring towns from a semi/fully professional based team.

[Pulga]

34 minutes ago, steavis said:

Guys there has only been one successful true expansion franchise - in a non traditional area and still in the fulltime professional top flight - since 1895! And News Corporation's investment of A$80 million is what's kept Melbourne Storm alive. It is 100 per cent a characteristic of rugby league that these ventures fail over and over again. Rugby league is rugby for poor people. There is almost no-one in the game with a combination of resources and altruism, the necessary combination for expansion to proceed. The altruists have no money and the people with money are out to make more. The only way to break the cycle is to go to a new place, not rely on the old demographic, and start again in a completely different paradigm where the sport is NOT automatically associated with the working class - the western suburbs of Sydney and the north of England. Nines and North America represent the best opportunities to do that. But it needs a spark: one person with altruism and resources. It seems NARL, as usual, had one and not the other. 

I agree with most of what you've said Steve, except the America part.

If RL is rugby for poor people why would we target a nation with such a high cost as an entry level?

Why don't we target certain places where the dollar or pound go further?

[Man of Kent]

Just now, Pulga said:

Why don't we target certain places where the dollar or pound go further?

Because you wouldn’t sell many baseball caps in Timbuktu?

[Pulga]

1 minute ago, Man of Kent said:

Because you wouldn’t sell many baseball caps in Timbuktu?

You're not selling any in London either.

[Cumbrian Mackem]

4 minutes ago, Pulga said:

I agree with most of what you've said Steve, except the America part.

If RL is rugby for poor people why would we target a nation with such a high cost as an entry level?

Why don't we target certain places where the dollar or pound go further?

Like brazil, Columbia, chile and Argentina etc?

[Man of Kent]

3 minutes ago, Pulga said:

You're not selling any in London either.

Steve might…

[Pulga]

1 minute ago, Cumbrian Mackem said:

Like brazil, Columbia, chile and Argentina etc?

Exactly like those nations. I have my beliefs in which nations would be best to target but there are others too.

Imagine being able to rank a nation by how well rugby league would take off there. Obviously there would be a lot of guesswork involved though.

What would the criteria be?

[Cumbrian Mackem]

7 minutes ago, Pulga said:

Exactly like those nations. I have my beliefs in which nations would be best to target but there are others too.

Imagine being able to rank a nation by how well rugby league would take off there. Obviously there would be a lot of guesswork involved though.

What would the criteria be?

I’m a huge fan of seriously expanding the game in Brazil which is the region’s powerhouse in terms of its economy and population.

 

[Lowdesert]

23 minutes ago, Cumbrian Mackem said:

Unless there’s a multi-billionaire james bond type villain willing to pump 100’s of millions into RL then the best expansion model for RL is that of the thunder and bears which centres around expanding the game into neighbouring towns from a semi/fully professional based team.

It might be the best expansion model for Newcastle and Coventry but not the USA.  As they both develop, I believe it will take Newcastle another 5 years to be in a position to challenge for SL.  

I think there is a lot of truth in what Steve says regarding setting up where RL isn’t stigmatised in the way it is in the UK.  

[Cumbrian Mackem]

2 minutes ago, Lowdesert said:

It might be the best expansion model for Newcastle and Coventry but not the USA.  As they both develop, I believe it will take Newcastle another 5 years to be in a position to challenge for SL.  

I think there is a lot of truth in what Steve says regarding setting up where RL isn’t stigmatised in the way it is in the UK.  

The USA/North America model absent of any major financial investment should be that of states and regions. I quite like what I was reading in the south east region prior to the NARL regrading the teams in Florida and Atlanta.

Similarly the activity in Texas and California.

[Eddie]

1 hour ago, steavis said:

Guys there has only been one successful true expansion franchise - in a non traditional area and still in the fulltime professional top flight - since 1895! And News Corporation's investment of A$80 million is what's kept Melbourne Storm alive. It is 100 per cent a characteristic of rugby league that these ventures fail over and over again. Rugby league is rugby for poor people. There is almost no-one in the game with a combination of resources and altruism, the necessary combination for expansion to proceed. The altruists have no money and the people with money are out to make more. The only way to break the cycle is to go to a new place, not rely on the old demographic, and start again in a completely different paradigm where the sport is NOT automatically associated with the working class - the western suburbs of Sydney and the north of England. Nines and North America represent the best opportunities to do that. But it needs a spark: one person with altruism and resources. It seems NARL, as usual, had one and not the other. 

In the south of England RL is seen as Northern, class has nothing to do with it. Anyway Cumbria is an example of successful expansion. 

[Eddie]

26 minutes ago, Lowdesert said:

It might be the best expansion model for Newcastle and Coventry but not the USA.  As they both develop, I believe it will take Newcastle another 5 years to be in a position to challenge for SL.  

I think there is a lot of truth in what Steve says regarding setting up where RL isn’t stigmatised in the way it is in the UK.  

Is it stigmatised? I’ve never been aware of that tbh. 

[Spidey]

3 minutes ago, Eddie said:

In the south of England RL is seen as Northern, class has nothing to do with it. Anyway Cumbria is an example of successful expansion. 

How is Cumbria expansion?

[Smudger06]

1 hour ago, Cumbrian Mackem said:

Like brazil, Columbia, chile and Argentina etc?

And Russia, Mexico, Poland.....so many places that have decent population size and are neither dirt poor or super expensive. 

[steavis]

7 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Is it stigmatised? I’ve never been aware of that tbh. 

I live in London. It's considered a whippet-and-flatcaps northern sport when people think about it at all. And generally speaking, no-one even thinks about it. 

[Smudger06]

52 minutes ago, Cumbrian Mackem said:

I’m a huge fan of seriously expanding the game in Brazil which is the region’s powerhouse in terms of its economy and population.

 

Brazil only has football, its not like US with American football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey all terribly well established and very popular. No cricket and rugby union either.......

[Cumbrian Mackem]

2 minutes ago, Smudger06 said:

And Russia, Mexico, Poland.....so many places that have decent population size and are neither dirt poor or super expensive. 

Poland is an absolute must for me and although it’s not ideal and everyone’s cup of tea regrading expansion but the number of potential heritage players in Australia and England could be a huge boost for Poland like with Lebanon and Serbia etc.

[steavis]

9 minutes ago, Eddie said:

In the south of England RL is seen as Northern, class has nothing to do with it. Anyway Cumbria is an example of successful expansion. 

A, not in the top flight and B, has been a rugby league area since 1898!

[steavis]

1 hour ago, Cumbrian Mackem said:

Like brazil, Columbia, chile and Argentina etc?

Because everyone involved wants more OUT of it. The IRL had a report targeting wealthy countries because they want someone out of it. Going to Cuba or Brazil etc is almost purely altruistic.

[steavis]

1 hour ago, Pulga said:

Exactly like those nations. I have my beliefs in which nations would be best to target but there are others too.

Imagine being able to rank a nation by how well rugby league would take off there. Obviously there would be a lot of guesswork involved though.

What would the criteria be?

The IRL doesn't have the resources to serious target anywhere. And when enthusiasts pop up organically, they don't have the resources to seriously support them either.