Vegas Again/2025 and WCC

[Sports Prophet]

1 hour ago, unapologetic pedant said:

@Sports Prophet What is the point of emoji graffiti? Can only guess which part you have a problem with.

You will have to expand mate, I don’t understand your question.

[unapologetic pedant]

23 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

You will have to expand mate, I don’t understand your question.

You've put the puzzled emoji on a post of mine on the previous page.

I can't work out what you're puzzled by.

[The Rocket]

11 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

For what it’s worth, my vision for the Sharks in 20 years (I think it’s realistic, others may not) is to be a club which represents one of Sydney’s most parochial (done) and affluent (getting there) areas, based in a region which is still one of Australia’s biggest for junior sports participation and registrations (current). The club will be playing out of a boutique, fully seated 25k stadium with over 65,000 members and fixtures consistently above 90% capacity.

The problem the Sharks are going to face is that they are hemmed in by St. George both north and south with little room for population growth and those that increasingly live there coming from backgrounds that either don`t follow League or sport in general, soccer if they do. You read about it all the time on the Aussie forum, children of Sharks fans and fans themselves who can no longer afford to live in the area. 

Sharks were  broke before and may struggle again in the future as the NRL moves to one city or region teams, especially when you think of where all the likely next 3 or 5 teams will come from. Sharks unless they can get their non-NRL revenue`s right (and Roosters and Rabbitoh`s they ain`t, prob not even Bulldogs) will find it hard to compete with those big clubs with much bigger population bases and corporate access available. Is their main sponsor still that gutter installation mob. The stadium is very unlikely, 17 000 is what they are aiming for I believe, not enough, and there`s a snow-ball`s chance of them raising  the $300m to build what you talk about.

The Sharks are a great club and I love their style of play, but moving forward unfortunately I expect it to be a long -time between premiership drinks as the game grows around them. 

[Sports Prophet]

48 minutes ago, The Rocket said:

The problem the Sharks are going to face is that they are hemmed in by St. George both north and south with little room for population growth and those that increasingly live there coming from backgrounds that either don`t follow League or sport in general, soccer if they do. You read about it all the time on the Aussie forum, children of Sharks fans and fans themselves who can no longer afford to live in the area. 

Sharks were  broke before and may struggle again in the future as the NRL moves to one city or region teams, especially when you think of where all the likely next 3 or 5 teams will come from. Sharks unless they can get their non-NRL revenue`s right (and Roosters and Rabbitoh`s they ain`t, prob not even Bulldogs) will find it hard to compete with those big clubs with much bigger population bases and corporate access available. Is their main sponsor still that gutter installation mob. The stadium is very unlikely, 17 000 is what they are aiming for I believe, not enough, and there`s a snow-ball`s chance of them raising  the $300m to build what you talk about.

The Sharks are a great club and I love their style of play, but moving forward unfortunately I expect it to be a long -time between premiership drinks as the game grows around them. 

The club are not aiming for 17,000, that is what the capacity will be post development. To confirm, there is near on zero upgrades to Shark Park as part of this development. The capacity will have dropped by about 5,000 as a result of the development.

Ace Gutters are still an arm sleeve sponsor and Aramex are now into their 4th year I think as main jersey sponsor. From last study, I think the Sharks have one of the NRLs most long standing group of playing kit sponsors. Aramex, Zambrero, Ace and Southern Comfort have all been with the club for their fourth season now. Ace Gutters FYI is owned by a multi millionaire who is a lifelong Sharks man. They are a welcome sponsor anytime.

You are bang on right about the requirement for ongoing commercial activity and you are right once more that they are not the only Sydney club which must get this right. In this respect, they are in no more a precarious position than Souths, Rooster, Manly and Bulldogs. Any “club”, “union” or “community” which is a predominantly geographically dependent commercial entity must always uphold itself as the welcoming and hospitable venue for new fans. A new wave of residents from other areas with varying levels of RL fandom is more so an opportunity, than a risk.

Sustainability on the other hand is not attained by standard of play or number of premierships. It is done by being a beacon of community and being a proud and respected representative of that community. 

For what it is worth, I anticipate the Sharks long term future includes growing outside the Shire and into Dragons territory, whilst the Dragons future will not remain in St George.

Edited March 15 by Sports Prophet

[George Watt]

1 hour ago, The Rocket said:

 

The Sharks are a great club and I love their style of play, but moving forward unfortunately I expect it to be a long -time between premiership drinks as the game grows around them. 

Became a member of their Leagues Club in 1970 and then a season ticket holder from 1972 until 2000 when we moved home from near Cronulla to the Blue Mountains.

Loved watching them in those 30 years when they managed to reach 3 GF's.

[THE RED ROOSTER]

Back on topic it is reported in the Australian press (Courier Mail) that:

Almost 1 million Australians tuned in to the Vegas double header

Thousands more watched in 5000 pubs and clubs nationwide.

Fox Sports MD Steve Crawley is quoted as saying " there is no doubt it (Vegas) could displace Origin as the event of the rugby league year"

The double header was the most watched NRL games of all time across Fox and Kayo sports

NRL bosses are looking at plans to build Vegas Sunday in Australia including barbecues in stadiums for fans and Vegas themed events in venues.

So it matters not whether the NRL has impacted in the US as much as the domestic hype surrounding the event has turned up the volume for the NRL in Australia.

[gingerjon]

1 hour ago, THE RED ROOSTER said:

Back on topic ... [ ]

So it matters not whether the NRL has impacted in the US as much as the domestic hype surrounding the event has turned up the volume for the NRL in Australia.

Tell me you haven't read the thread at all without telling tell me ...

[going for the corner]

10 hours ago, THE RED ROOSTER said:

Back on topic it is reported in the Australian press (Courier Mail) that:

Almost 1 million Australians tuned in to the Vegas double header

Thousands more watched in 5000 pubs and clubs nationwide.

Fox Sports MD Steve Crawley is quoted as saying " there is no doubt it (Vegas) could displace Origin as the event of the rugby league year"

The double header was the most watched NRL games of all time across Fox and Kayo sports

NRL bosses are looking at plans to build Vegas Sunday in Australia including barbecues in stadiums for fans and Vegas themed events in venues.

So it matters not whether the NRL has impacted in the US as much as the domestic hype surrounding the event has turned up the volume for the NRL in Australia.

Anything that displaces origin is alright in my book.

just need the end of season internationals to displace origin even more.

[The Rocket]

Figures show NRL’s Las Vegas gamble may just come up trumps (msn.com)

State of Origin-style television ratings at home, more than 100 separate pieces of media coverage in the United States and more than 10,000 Las Vegas-branded merchandise items sold in a week.

The numbers are in after the NRL’s historic foray into Sin City, and they suggest the bold gamble may have paid off. The governing body has compiled all the metrics from the historic double-header, which marked the first time that a competition game has been staged outside Australia and New Zealand.

The social media figures are of particular interest.

 Traffic to the official website also spiked: there were 1,045,270 unique users on NRL.com and the NRL App (up 43 per cent) in the 24-hour period covering March 2 (US)-March 3 (Australia). Of those, 40,870 unique users were from the US, a 185 per cent increase on the opening round of last year.

 

[The Future is League]

Talk off, of playing the WCC in LV next year.

[going for the corner]

3 minutes ago, The Future is League said:

Talk off, of playing the WCC in LV next year.

As a separate event or part of the NRL double header?

[The Future is League]

Just now, going for the corner said:

As a separate event or part of the NRL double header?

I read it as on the same day and either before or after the NRL double header, and hopefully getting and even bigger crowd with 5 NRL clubs and a British club.

That will be a lot of hotel bookings and i hope the bars have plenty of beer

It would be quite a boost to the LV economy as they say late February and early March are low seasons for LV

[going for the corner]

1 minute ago, The Future is League said:

I read it as on the same day and either before or after the NRL double header, and hopefully getting and even bigger crowd with 5 NRL clubs and a British club.

That will be a lot of hotel bookings and i hope the bars have plenty of beer

It would be quite a boost to the LV economy as they say late February and early March are low seasons for LV

Well it’s definitely gets my vote

im guessing as it’s the low season for vegas they’ll be some good deals going for the travelling fans?

[going for the corner]

https://www.nrl.com/news/2024/03/23/data-shows-full-potential-of-nrls-us-strategy/

[ATLANTISMAN]

23 minutes ago, going for the corner said:

Well it’s definitely gets my vote

im guessing as it’s the low season for vegas they’ll be some good deals going for the travelling fans?

If that's the case then the prices in high season will be beyond most people 

[Sports Prophet]

I can’t imagine the NRL brining the WCC into this event. Why would they? The NRL bankrolled the inaugural event to the tune of ten’s of millions and did all the hard work.

Why would the NRL allow SL to just swan in and potentially present itself as the world’s premier competition by winning the WCC as part of a triple header? Not that I anticipate the RFL or SL Champions could afford sharing the cost anyway. WCC in Vegas is a non-starter from what I can see.

[Pigeon Lofter]

49 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

I can’t imagine the NRL brining the WCC into this event. Why would they?

Probably add another 10,000, perhaps more, to the gate and enhance the international credentials of the weekend by including the competition between the two hemispheres' top club sides? Something more at stake rather than just a couple of league games.

Why would SL need to financially support it? They would be guests, not hosts.

[eal]

The WCC challenge will go the way of the dodo if it isn't part of the Las Vegas festivities. With NRL now planning on picking the Vegas teams well ahead of time (by May), if the NRL champions are ultimately one of the Las Vegas participants they will obviously not withdraw from the big money event to fly over to Wigan or St Helens instead.

[going for the corner]

2 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

I can’t imagine the NRL brining the WCC into this event. Why would they? The NRL bankrolled the inaugural event to the tune of ten’s of millions and did all the hard work.

Why would the NRL allow SL to just swan in and potentially present itself as the world’s premier competition by winning the WCC as part of a triple header? Not that I anticipate the RFL or SL Champions could afford sharing the cost anyway. WCC in Vegas is a non-starter from what I can see.

It wouldn’t be a super league event though but a WCC event instead.

could sell it to the yanks as a genuine World Series contest

[Anita Bath]

Not another ‘world’ series with only teams from two countries eligible.

[Whippet13]

2 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

I can’t imagine the NRL brining the WCC into this event. Why would they? The NRL bankrolled the inaugural event to the tune of ten’s of millions and did all the hard work.

Why would the NRL allow SL to just swan in and potentially present itself as the world’s premier competition by winning the WCC as part of a triple header? Not that I anticipate the RFL or SL Champions could afford sharing the cost anyway. WCC in Vegas is a non-starter from what I can see.

There are multiple reasons to include SL in what the NRL are trying to do and the NRL are already considering their potential involvement, which is why a SL delegation attended the 2024 Vegas event.

Wigan have a very wealthy owner and can afford it, the club suggested playing the WCC v Penrith in Vegas this year.

[The Rocket]

1 hour ago, eal said:

The WCC challenge will go the way of the dodo if it isn't part of the Las Vegas festivities. With NRL now planning on picking the Vegas teams well ahead of time (by May), if the NRL champions are ultimately one of the Las Vegas participants they will obviously not withdraw from the big money event to fly over to Wigan or St Helens instead.

Good point, but a tricky one because I suppose one of the main points about the WCC was its accessibility to the fans of at least one of the clubs involved. not a lot will be able to afford to travel to Vegas. That opportunity for regular fans to see their champion team play in such a match was I thought one of its` main attractions due to the passions aroused.

Speaking of dodos though, our pre-season Indigenous All-Stars match is facing a similar predicament, in its` case, being completely overshadowed by the Vegas hype. Which would be a damn shame to lose that because it offers something unique in Australasian sport. 

 

[Sports Prophet]

2 hours ago, Anita Bath said:

Not another ‘world’ series with only teams from two countries eligible.

4 countries. 5 if you include North Wales being in the professional pyramid.

[Sports Prophet]

3 hours ago, Pigeon Lofter said:

Probably add another 10,000, perhaps more, to the gate and enhance the international credentials of the weekend by including the competition between the two hemispheres' top club sides? Something more at stake rather than just a couple of league games.

Why would SL need to financially support it? They would be guests, not hosts.

SL would be guests of who exactly? The NRL? 10,000 additional poms (I doubt that figure very much) through the gates doesn’t sound very enticing to me when the outlay is in the tens of millions a year.

I think the NRL have demonstrated they can do this successfully without any profile or financial input that SL, the RFL and a match like the WCC could offer. Again, after spending tens of millions already and preparing to spend the same again and more next year, why let northern hemisphere RL become direct beneficiaries of all that hard work and financial input?

2 hours ago, going for the corner said:

It wouldn’t be a super league event though but a WCC event instead.

could sell it to the yanks as a genuine World Series contest

As someone else pointed out. What if one of the four clubs chosen for Vegas actually wins the comp? It compromises the whole Vegas event. They’d be left scrambling to find another club for a triple header, or worse, they would then tell one of the four clubs they are no longer required. 

1 hour ago, Whippet13 said:

There are multiple reasons to include SL in what the NRL are trying to do and the NRL are already considering their potential involvement, which is why a SL delegation attended the 2024 Vegas event.

Wigan have a very wealthy owner and can afford it, the club suggested playing the WCC v Penrith in Vegas this year.

There are reasons to include SL yes. In my opinion, those reasons are overwhelmed with reasons not to include SL.

[ATLANTISMAN]

7 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

SL would be guests of who exactly? The NRL? 10,000 additional poms (I doubt that figure very much) through the gates doesn’t sound very enticing to me when the outlay is in the tens of millions a year.

I think the NRL have demonstrated they can do this successfully without any profile or financial input that SL, the RFL and a match like the WCC could offer. Again, after spending tens of millions already and preparing to spend the same again and more next year, why let northern hemisphere RL become direct beneficiaries of all that hard work and financial input?

As someone else pointed out. What if one of the four clubs chosen for Vegas actually wins the comp? It compromises the whole Vegas event. They’d be left scrambling to find another club for a triple header, or worse, they would then tell one of the four clubs they are no longer required. 

There are reasons to include SL yes. In my opinion, those reasons are overwhelmed with reasons not to include SL.

Having the WCC as well would be madness and just dilutes the entire thing.

The cost of flights hotels food tickets etc PP is around 2000 pounds so 10000 poms forget it.

 

Edited March 24 by ATLANTISMAN