What needs to be done differently?

[bobbruce]

2 hours ago, 17 stone giant said:

I think the key point for me - and someone else has already mentioned it - is that expansion doesn't only mean establishing a full time club in a new area. Expansion means getting more people interested in the sport, at whatever level is right for them. On this latter point, I think there is scope for improvement. Whether it would need someone to come into the game with a bit of money (like the NRL), I'm not sure. But I don't think the sport is without all hope.

Expansion is all about exposing people to the game at a young age. Harry’s right about that if you have an interest in the game when you are young you will carry it forever. The RFLs main criteria for being successful should be how many young kids it can get playing the game everything else it does should only be to pay for that. Obviously you need successful pro clubs to help pay for that but if all you are doing with the money they earn is keeping pro clubs going then it’s just an ever decreasing circle. 

[Big Picture]

5 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

If I remember rightly but happy to be corrected, I said many did not realise there was two forms of Rugby and those that did know the game some indifferent views mostly not bothered about it but some did like it, but they were few and far between.

So most didn't know another form of rugby existed and of the few who did most were indifferent or negative leaving a tiny minority of your sample who like it.  That's what I thought was the case.

4 hours ago, 17 stone giant said:

I think the key point for me - and someone else has already mentioned it - is that expansion doesn't only mean establishing a full time club in a new area. Expansion means getting more people interested in the sport, at whatever level is right for them. On this latter point, I think there is scope for improvement. Whether it would need someone to come into the game with a bit of money (like the NRL), I'm not sure. But I don't think the sport is without all hope.

That's not going to work though.  Toronto showed that a quality pro team can spark interest in new territory like nothing else can.

[17 stone giant]

4 minutes ago, Big Picture said:

That's not going to work though.  Toronto showed that a quality pro team can spark interest in new territory like nothing else can.

I'm not sure what you're saying won't work. All I said is that expansion isn't only about putting a professional team in an area. That's just one form of expansion, among many.

[RP London]

9 hours ago, 17 stone giant said:

I'm not sure what you're saying won't work. All I said is that expansion isn't only about putting a professional team in an area. That's just one form of expansion, among many.

Absolutely. As has been shown time and again you need something so that when the pro team goes pop (if it does) there is still activity in the area.. 

The RFL have never had a plan. From the start it's always been about a bloke with an interest/cash popping up and saying he wants to do something. Sydney Parkes in London wanting to expand the game with a 6 team league to exploit the greyhound stadiums etc reading his letters showed he had the means, had the drive had the contacts. Thanks to the RFL it turned into 2 teams that had some success with media, PR, fans etc but still the rfl put obstacles in the way (all in letters) and it falls away quickly. Sydney Parkes spirit was sapped quickly due to zero support. What could have been if the RFL put a strategy of help and a plan in place to really drive that investment and that interest. Loads of the expansion efforts have had the same. 

Today we still get it. Expressions of interest for league one!?!? What the actual.... get a plan together, invest in the area you think has the most potential (or two). Build it up and then you can plan for when they enter the league system. This should have been started back in 95 and if anything like that had occurred I truly believe you'd have had a strong skolars and maybe one other London team in the ranks (back in the day I thought south London would grow to it). Birmingham area, north east, south Wales etc could all have had good nl1 or champ teams underpinned by strong junior development. However we still see sporadic clubs popping up doing everything the hard way becuase they get zero support and there is no plan, and anyone who doesn't give those trying their hardest to keep those clubs going respect needs their head read. 

The biggest change would be for the RFL to actually put a plan together based on research of 1 or 2 areas they really want to grow and target and start putting time and effort into it (money could actually come from extra funding schemes opened up in those areas, it doesn't have to be current money, and the access to that funding can be apart of the research and reason for going there). 

Angry annoyed post that's been sat in my head since researching historic expansion attempts 20 odd years ago.. added to by working hard at expansion junior set ups too and seeing what can be done when the rfl does help (London in the 00s) and then how quickly it can all got to s%*% when that gets pulled. 

Edited September 13 by RP London

[Gooleboy]

12 hours ago, Big Picture said:

So most didn't know another form of rugby existed and of the few who did most were indifferent or negative leaving a tiny minority of your sample who like it.  That's what I thought was the case.

That's not going to work though.  Toronto showed that a quality pro team can spark interest in new territory like nothing else can.

It sparked interest because they were winning. It is winning that mainly puts bums on seats in new areas. 

[EggFace]

2 things will work invite Eddie Hearns back of as the owners of Bath, Penzance and Sale to cross over.

Nice Wine I'm drinking.