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Promotion and relegation in Australia? Dream the impossible dream

Gethin Perry new author
Roar Rookie
28th April, 2016
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Would we ever see promotion and relegation in Australia?
Gethin Perry new author
Roar Rookie
28th April, 2016
39

Ok, so I know that I’m not going to win any fans for this, and that we’re all fed up of expansion and talk about promotion and relegation!

However, I just read something that blew my mind, and had to share it.

I love football but I’m not afraid to see what’s happening in other sports. It helps to keep an open mind.

I’ve previously posted an article about the approach to promotion and relegation in the English rugby league competition, and this news comes from that same competition. So here it is.

A team from Toronto (yes the one in Canada) has been admitted for the 2017 season in to the third tier of the English rugby league pyramid (Keystone Press League 1).

As we all know rugby league is a mighty international game played in two Australian states, parts of New Zealand, parts of northern England and the south of France.

The Keystone Press League 1 is a development league for traditional clubs that have fallen on hard times, and clubs outside the northern heartland.

In 2017 it will be a 16-team league with: seven teams from northern England, five teams from southern England, two teams from Wales, one team from France and now one team from Canada.

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The traditional clubs have larger stadiums (or share them with football clubs) up to around 10,000 capacity but the newer clubs are around the 2-4,000 capacity and some even down at 500.

As the crow flies it’s 1200km from the northern-most English club to the French club. That will jump to 6200km from Toronto to Toulouse. The Toronto team will play blocks of four to five home-and-away games, and pay the travel costs of the visiting teams.

Why is this relevant? Why should we be bothered? Well rugby league in England is a distant third in the football code hierarchy. Even in its heartland it is up against Liverpool, Everton, Man U, Man City and Leeds, plus a myriad of other clubs.

It relies on pay TV and gets scant coverage on national free-to-air (it does get some local stuff). Yet, it is developing an international league structure with promotion and relegation.

Why would the clubs and owners invest in something that gets low crowds and low returns? Because they have direct access (via promotion) to the Super League, based purely on their on-field performances.

In a few years the Super League could have English, Welsh, French and Canadian teams, not because they have been selected – but because they have earned it.

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So in 2017 we’ll have a pan-Atlantic rugby league competition of 30 teams (12 Super League, 12 Championship, 16 League 1), with promotion and relegation. Still think we can’t have a bigger, multi-division football competition in Australia?

The lessons for the FFA? Open up the opportunities, provide a pathway so that clubs can build, remove gold plating like the minimum spend on players.

I dare to dream!

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