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Clubs are now coming out of the woodwork to express their interest in joining the NRL. Even without any definite indication from the NRL that expansion will take place, there are now seven groups that have expressed serious interest in joining the NRL at some point in the near future.
These clubs/groups are:
– Central Queensland
– Brisbane City
– Brisbane Eastern Suburbs Tigers
– Ipswich Jets
– Central Coast Bears
– Western Australia Reds
– Papua New Guinea
Four or five of the above groups have developed their bids to a significant degree and would be considered to have a compelling case for entry into the NRL.
So how does the NRL decide? It would be a terrible loss to the game if the NRL simply chooses two bids and turns the others away empty-handed. Or worse still, decides not to expand at all.
So what is the solution? A second division is the answer.
The NRL should create a second division of eight to 14 clubs. The second division would obviously not command the same sort of crowds or public exposure that the first division does.
But it would be the ideal place for aspiring clubs to prove themselves worthy of inclusion into the top tier. Those teams that perform well in the second division can eventually apply to be promoted into the first division.
Second division leagues in Europe (in soccer and both rugby codes) tend to achieve attendance figures of 25 per cent to 50 per cent of their respective first divisions.
So given the average NRL attendance is currently around 16,000, a second division might realistically aim for crowds between 4,000 and 8,000. This seems a reasonable goal given that a number of clubs currently in the Queensland Cup regularly get crowd attendances of two to three thousand with very little media exposure.
In fact, the Queensland Cup may provide the easiest and simplest route to creating a national second division. Simply expanding the Queensland Cup to include the Central Coast Bears and WA Reds would result in a solid competition with teams in most of the likely expansion areas.
Would the public have any interest in watching a second division? There is plenty of evidence that they would.
Historically, football in Australia was traditionally focused on the local region. Before the creation of the NRL and AFL, every city or regional area had its own competition which was the main focus of public attention.
There’s no reason to believe that interest in watching local clubs compete has disappeared altogether – it just needs to be revived with a quality competition. Despite their somewhat reduced circumstances, the state leagues across both major footy codes still hold significant followings.
The Queensland Cup, SANFL and WAFL still rate strongly when they are broadcast on the ABC. In fact, these strong ratings for the Aussie Rules competitions have prompted the AFL to create their own second tier of sorts this year, the Foxtel Cup.
The NRL and rugby league should not be left behind. A second division is the best way to manage expansion of the NRL.
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