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Millions! Buy a top club, buy a sleeping giant or invest in new or emerging?

Scubby

By Scubby
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Scubby

Scubby

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This is a question that I have often thought about. If I wanted to plough millions into a club to make them into an absolute giant (that could dominate and win WCCs) then what is the best course of action?

I don't want to start a club from scratch just to burn a #### load of cash and have an amazing and fulfilling ride.

  • Buy out an existing big team (e.g. Wigan, Warrington, Saints) and just watch them go
  • Pile money into a sleeping giant like Bradford
  • Invest in an emerging place like London, Toulouse, Newcastle, Sheffield (the Melbourne Storm approach)

Would the game in the UK only allow me to have success via route one? Is route 2 (e.g. Bradford) even difficult with the petty politics - would it exhaust me? And would anybody at all within the game welcome me if I was option 3? Or would they fight me to the death for self preservation? 

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Gooleboy

Gooleboy

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10 minutes ago, Scubby said:

This is a question that I have often thought about. If I wanted to plough millions into a club to make them into an absolute giant (that could dominate and win WCCs) then what is the best course of action?

I don't want to start a club from scratch just to burn a #### load of cash and have an amazing and fulfilling ride.

  • Buy out an existing big team (e.g. Wigan, Warrington, Saints) and just watch them go
  • Pile money into a sleeping giant like Bradford
  • Invest in an emerging place like London, Toulouse, Newcastle, Sheffield (the Melbourne Storm approach)

Would the game in the UK only allow me to have success via route one? Is route 2 (e.g. Bradford) even difficult with the petty politics - would it exhaust me? And would anybody at all within the game welcome me if I was option 3? Or would they fight me to the death for self preservation? 

None of the above!

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Scubby

Scubby

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10 minutes ago, Gooleboy said:

None of the above!

I'm certainly not going down the Derek Beaumont (Leigh) or Des Johnson (Barrow) route. As much as you love your club it never ends well when you are too attached to the town.

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Gooleboy

Gooleboy

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2 minutes ago, Scubby said:

I'm certainly not going down the Derek Beaumont (Leigh) or Des Johnson (Barrow) route. As much as you love your club it never ends well when you are too attached to the town.

Do a bit of Sponsorship, have a table in the Hospitality, but that would be it for me if I had money to burn!

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Scubby

Scubby

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2 minutes ago, hindle xiii said:

Grassroots level.

Sanctimonious answer aside, have a "memorable" night out with Zak Hardaker or some such and buy a box at Twickers.

It's not my job to set up grassroots for the whole game. My fictitious club would have the best academies money could buy, however. It is about raising the bar.

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Scubby

Scubby

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2 minutes ago, Gooleboy said:

Do a bit of Sponsorship, have a table in the Hospitality, but that would be it for me if I had money to burn!

I can understand that mate. RL is such a complex and antagonistic beast that you really can't see a way of making a real impact no matter how much cash you had.

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Hela Wigmen

Hela Wigmen

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I suppose it depends on your motivation. If you just wanted success, for example, you’d just buy one of Saints, Wigan, Leeds or Warrington, as they’re the clubs with the infrastructures in place. If you wanted to rebuild a club or really implement structures and processes at a club, you’re going for option two or three.

On the subject of sleeping giants, how many do we actually have and what do we categorise as a sleeping giant? Bradford? Catalans? Widnes? Hull? Leigh? Sheffield? York? Toulouse?

I think there’s probably some crossover between point two and point three. A couple of the emerging or expansion sides probably fall into the sleeping giants category because, if done right and implemented as part of a strategy between the club(s) and the sport itself, they could be giants in the sport. 

I think, if I had to invest money into a club, I’d probably pick an amateur club and invest in them as a labour of love rather than some form of business decision.

 

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Damien

Damien

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I'd love to establish a team in a new area, along the lines of Newcastle in another major city like Cardiff or Birmingham.

I also really like the idea of returning someone like Oldham to their former glory. A rich RL history and a strong amateur setup sees a lot to build on with some money. A nice, sparkling 10k stadium and money for a strong academy and SL would be mine within 10 years I reckon 😂

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The Daddy

The Daddy

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1 hour ago, JM2010 said:

If I wasn't being boring I might go over and buy Avignon. Lovely city, can attract decent crowds and produces players already

Yeah Avignon is one of the ones I'd go for. A ready made SL club. SL quality stadium too. 

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GeordieSaint

GeordieSaint

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If I won, let’s say £145m on the Euromillions, I’d take a different approach and probably build a stadium for about 3-4 clubs who I think are of strategic value to the sport in the UK. Interest-free loan to them over a certain period of time to pay me back...

... I’ll leave you to ponder on which teams they are! 😂

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Hela Wigmen

Hela Wigmen

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If I scooped the Euros and had to spend it on Rugby League, I’m wanting the whole sport, not a very small slice of it, in the form of a club.

We’re working with the best marketing, advertising and PR people in the game, I’ll pay Sky to end the contracts of the Sky Sports team barring Jenna Brooks, minimum standards will be introduced across all levels and there will be a strategy and a business plan for the whole sport and for a number of clubs. 

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zylya

zylya

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3 hours ago, JM2010 said:

I'd be boring and invest in the community game

Me too.

I don't play the lottery, so it's an academic discussion, but if I won, say, £10 million then I'd try and create 8 community clubs in my home county and have a genuine RL structure - men's/women's/junior/X-League/touch/tag etc. I'd put some of the money aside as a funding source for clubs who want to do new projects and award cash for initiatives to grow the game (e.g. club needs £1000 to start a girls team or wants £2000 to take their juniors on tour).

I'd also invest in a personal development programme for coaches, referees and volunteers so that all the people involved in RL had the best chance of making themselves and their clubs a success.

If I won enough, I'd also try and invest in a 3g pitch somewhere with decent facilities to have a "home base" for things like club & school finals days etc and to make sure there was somewhere for players to train in a good environment.

Probably also make some of that funding available to new countries that wanted to start up as well, because I think developing the international game is really important.

If a team managed to get themselves semi-pro or pro, that would be cool, but not the aim of the project. I would just try and get a load of people playing and enjoying Rugby League. Maybe name the trophy after myself 😂 but that would be it.

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Bedfordshire Bronco

Bedfordshire Bronco

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6 hours ago, Scubby said:

This is a question that I have often thought about. If I wanted to plough millions into a club to make them into an absolute giant (that could dominate and win WCCs) then what is the best course of action?

I don't want to start a club from scratch just to burn a #### load of cash and have an amazing and fulfilling ride.

  • Buy out an existing big team (e.g. Wigan, Warrington, Saints) and just watch them go
  • Pile money into a sleeping giant like Bradford
  • Invest in an emerging place like London, Toulouse, Newcastle, Sheffield (the Melbourne Storm approach)

Would the game in the UK only allow me to have success via route one? Is route 2 (e.g. Bradford) even difficult with the petty politics - would it exhaust me? And would anybody at all within the game welcome me if I was option 3? Or would they fight me to the death for self preservation? 

I've already postulated this a few months ago. I suggested Bill Gates plough £1 bilillion into Broncos over 3 years- new stadium, top marketing firm, full schools programme and buy the best NRL players (get bent accountants to work out how pay them outsude the cap.... ..... But he should insist he gets the starting spot at 9 each game (when fit) 

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Bedfordshire Bronco

Bedfordshire Bronco

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4 hours ago, The Blues Ox said:

Id put it in my local amateur club. As has been mentioned the days when someone can come in to a team like Halifax and be able to spend a lot of money to take them to the top of the game are long gone.

Koukash couldn't do it but not sure it means it can't be done 

If a genuine billionaire came in he'd easily be able to buy on field success 

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The Hallucinating Goose

The Hallucinating Goose

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If I won the euromillions I'd probably pump loads of money into the community game, building facilities for teams that don't have anything permanent, buying pitches so teams have got permanent bases and a bit more of a presence in their areas, especially when it comes to expansion areas. I'd also build stadiums or at least pay for major improvements to stadiums of existing teams. Essentially I'd spread the money around the game as a whole rather than just improving the fortunes of a single team. 

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Bedfordshire Bronco

Bedfordshire Bronco

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2 hours ago, The Blues Ox said:

Id be intrigued to see it. They would still be limited by the salary cap.

Think we'd all love to see it. Salary cap would only be one thing. If you have an amazing stadium, facilities, trainers, prospects, vision etc then I think it would attract plenty of good players. Plus just shove £10k in their kit bag each game and everyone is happy

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Bedfordshire Bronco

Bedfordshire Bronco

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2 hours ago, ShropshireBull said:

My own choice (because I am ambitious/deluded to think I can make RL an international game) would be build North Wales Crusaders a 6000 capacity 3g stadium and home for Welsh Rugby League.

Tell RFL and Super League what I am going to do and once built start regularly holding events there.  Boxing Day Wales vs Eng 9's, annual Wales vs Jam international on Challenge Cup final day.  After one year,  say to SL and RFL that if you lock us into SL on a Leigh type deal 13 of matchday squad will be Welsh eligible. 

Then gang up with RFL, Jamaica and France to do a annual 4 nations tournament on FTA (bar world cup years). 

Use money from fta deal and sponsors to set up three academies. One in Wrexham, Merthyr and Swansea.

Have proper international calender, transform the sport and terrify the other code as they cower behind their paywall. 

We all say it and daydream about a genuinely competitive France and Wales (again I guess) 

I wonder what bottom line that would cost? It'd certainly take a decade but that's no barrier 

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