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Here are 15 ideas to help out rugby league HQ

Roar Rookie
3rd January, 2017
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The world's best will be on display at the RLWC in 2017. Can England improve their international chances? (AFP PHOTO / GLYN KIRK)
Roar Rookie
3rd January, 2017
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3954 Reads

This is an open letter to John Grant and Todd Greenberg at the NRL, Nigel Wood boss of the RFL and David Collier who is CEO of the RLIF

With the globalisation and digitalisation of our world, the next five to ten years for rugby league is our time to make some significant structural change or slowly die away.

In recent years, cricket and soccer have made dramatic changes to stay relevant by creating the Big Bash and A-League. Similarly, rugby league needs to evolve if it wants to stay on the map and stop the player poaching, dwindling crowds and recognition paranoia.

For the sake of the game we love, please read the top 15 ideas below and feel free to plagiarise as much as you see fit.

1. Create a representative mid season window for State of Origin and international tri-series
Help reduce State of Origin’s negative impact on the international scene by Creating a window for the top ten countries (excl. Aus) to play a tri-series. All players are to be paid the same as Origin players and all games televised on free-to-air.

It is another great opportunity to promote the game internationally. The games are to be a tri-series with 1 v 2, 3 v 4, 5 v 6, etc, with home games based on the higher ranked country. Based on current standings, this will see New Zealand to play England, Scotland v Samoa, France v Fiji and Ireland v Wales.

2. Create a ‘magic NRL weekend’ for Round 1 to promote the game to new markets
Round 1 to be a ‘magic weekend’ where all teams play their match at the same venue on one weekend. This should be used as a unique opportunity to promote the game around the world as the best ‘rugby’ competition in the world.

As it’s Round 1, this match could be played anywhere in the world, with possible venues include London, Manchester, Cardiff, Glasgow, Rome, Paris, Hawaii, Vancouver, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Capetown, Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne

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3. Rugby league to be a leader for Indigenous celebration
Rugby league is already a leader for celebrating indigenous culture but we can do so much more and lead our nation. The pacific region is celebrating and advocating for indigenous recognition.

The All Stars game is a great initiative, however we can do more. Talk from the Australian players about reintroducing an Australian war cry would be amazing for our Australian culture.

Other opportunities to provide greater on the ground support across the Australian and pacific regions through the use of current and past players and funding should be explored.

4. Strengthen ties between NRL and Super League through formal club affiliation
Create stronger links between league two strongest competitions by linking each team together, allowing clubs to share resources such as players, coaching staff and admin staff and creating a second team for supporters.

Where possible, connections should be found such as the Wigan Warriors and New Zealand Warriors.

5. Encourage more Sydney derbies, in centralised venues reciprocal members rights
The new parramatta stadium to host western Sydney derbies, the upgraded SFS to host Eastern Sydney derbies and the upgraded Homebush Stadium to host the big six central Sydney derbies.

6. Create a fully professional women’s league that mirrors the NRL
Women’s rugby league is fantastic and when played on TV it rates through the roof. Now’s the time to take the imitative and create a pathway for professional sports women and young female fans.

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Rugby league can be a leader in this area and the health of the whole game will benefit.

australia-rugby-league-kangaroos-2016-trans-tasman-test

7. Use state leagues to Test all possible expansion clubs
There are some great possible expansions clubs being touted for the NRL. The NRL should use the expanded state league competitions to test and develop all of these possible teams, setting a clear evaluation criteria after a five-year period, which include crowd numbers, club success, club finances, community support and appropriate venue.

The two best placed clubs after five years will then be promoted up to the NRL among an 18 club competition.

8. Incentivise NRL clubs to foster junior development through salary cap relief and transfer fees
Each NRL club should be allocated formal junior ‘nurseries’ covering all of the pacific region. It is the clubs responsibility to foster and grow the games in their region.

In return the club will get first pick of players from the area, with discount on salary cap and compensation through transfer fees for players leaving the club or its affiliates.

9. Reduce number of NRL home-and-away games to allow for more representative games and increase crowd numbers
Once the competition is expanded to 18 teams, the home-and-away games should be reduced to 17 allowing every team to play each other once. This creates more meaning one every game and increases crowds in over-saturated Sydney.

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It also allows more space for dedicated mid-season rep window, international games, world club challenge, expanded 9s series and all stars

10. Each NRL team to be affiliated with two teams within the new Platinum State league teams – playing three home games in the adopted area
Each NRL should be affiliated with a ‘home’ state team and another ‘regional’ or ‘frontier’ state team.

The NRL team should play a minimum of three games per year in the regional/frontier area to help grow the game and support regional areas. In return, all juniors from these regions will be allocated to their affiliated NRL team.

If this occurs following expansion to 18 NRL clubs, there would be 36 platinum league clubs with non-NRL expansion areas still gaining three games a year through affiliation.

11. Stronger free-to-air TV content to grow game internationally
The governing bodies should seek to get free-to-air exposure in all international markets, even if it requires to give it away for free. Rugby league is a great TV game, and it should be used to grow the game internationally.

All professional competitions should be shown, for example Saturday night NRL games, can be played live to kids in London on Saturday morning. The USA would love to see a ‘highlights weekly wrap up’ during the NFL offseason.

Speaking of NFL, there is an opportunity to create NFL-style documentaries to promote the game in way that appeals to all sports lovers.

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12. Create four confederations with one major league in each
Create four international conferences of Oceania, British Isles, Europe/Africa and America/Pacific. Each confederation should have one major ‘domestic’ competition mainly based in Australia, England, France and America respectively but with minimum of four outside teams in each competition.

Clubs should be affiliated across all four confederations.

Suliasi Vunivalu Melbourne Storm NRL Rugby League 2016

13. Provide a pathway for fledging rugby league nations by Creating a world nines series
Emerging nations play some amazing footy with flair, however they struggle with the big nations to match fitness and professionalism. Rugby league nines removes those advantages due to the shortened nature of the game.

A world nines series provides a professional pathway for the emerging nations to build the game on. The series can travel each January/February, with four annual tournaments being hosted in – city within each confederation.

14. Play world club challenge two weeks after grand final at Wembley
Play the world club challenge as a double header with all four grand finalists playing against their antipodean rival.

The match should be held as soon after the grand finals as possible, suggest two weeks to allow for travel time.

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Hosted at Wembley, this match should be the pinnacle of every player’s career. The match should be broadcasted on BBC to promote the game across the U.K and if played on Saturday night, broadcast live on Australian free-to-air television on Sunday morning.

15. Everyone adopt Toronto Wolfpack as second team
The new Toronto Wolfpack embodies most of the ideas above. They will be the first trans-Atlantic professional sports team, they have been made to enter the UK second division and work up to the Super League.

They have scouted players from all over the Americas, there expecting 10-15k every home game, they have a great TV deal and they are making a documentary about their first season.

Australian rugby league needs nothing more than to be reminded that there is more to rugby league than Australian rugby league and the Wolfpack may be just the team to do it. Plus they have awesome gear.

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