With touch football finally under its wing, rugby league is en route to being the game of the people.
So hopes NRL chief executive Dave Smith, noting at Tuesday’s announcement of a new partnership with Touch Football Australia (TFA) that his code would have even greater reach to repel AFL’s advances into western Sydney.
“We’re committed to becoming Australia’s biggest sporting community, and today helps us a lot in achieving that,” Smith said.
“Rugby league is very much about growth, and I think this represents a real opportunity for growth.
“There’s a natural alignment there and it’s always seemed natural from the time I started at the NRL … it’s important for both families and there’ll be huge opportunities for everyone involved.”
TFA and the NRL had been in discussions for almost two years about the deal, which will result in more than 1 million people playing in competitions under a joint NRL-TFA banner.
Both Smith and TFA chief executive Colm Maguire expect the union to lower participation costs, provide a more streamlined pathway for talented youngsters, and help with lobbying and funding.
“This is a real opportunity to grow the profile of touch both as a recreational games and an elite sport,” Maguire said.
Smith and Maguire joined the likes of superstar code hopper Sonny Bill Williams, popstar Jessica Mauboy, and touch football guns Louise Winchester and Steve Roberts in announcing the deal on Tuesday.
“I’d love to have had a bit of a run around Sonny, that would have probably made my life,” Smith said as Williams, mulling over a shift back to rugby union, completed some light runs in a scratch match at Allianz Stadium.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Horatio. No quite ,the reality and you have now forced me to bring it out of the shadows. . That was not O'Neill's comments I was referring.It goes something like this and was spoken and written about prior to the 2003 RWC: Rugby will be the no 1 code in NSW and Qld and the no 2 code in the AFL states.He had no idea what the NRL has planned or will do as to expansion.His comment was out there and as black and white as one could get..The same gent once cynically described rugby league as just 5 tackles and a kick.There can be nothing more explicit than those two comments,they cannot be sugar coated. Now his successor appears to be following the same immature style. I suggest Gallop at no stage during his admin of the code,stooped as low.
John
Guest
Rugby Union fan by any chance haha
Jo
Guest
I like that my sport in no. 1 in Australia. Feels good.
Horatio
Guest
Actually as has been discussed before - O'neill was referring to the possibility of 5 Super 15 sides covering 70% of the country compared to RL covering less than 50% (note I haven't counted the regions here so he proved correct in one sense - You have forced me to bring up gallops stupid comments like the chances of a hybrid game between RL and RU ("why would Coke mix with pepsi").as he looked thru his narrow Sydney heads glasses or maybe he meant RL was Pepsi. Or that 2 ex RL players scored tries in a RU WC final until a Union writer pointed out they were marking each other.....
Renegade
Guest
Cool story bro.
Alvin Purple
Guest
Tom as stated above I believe Sportsaccord recognises the IRB as the body who has the rights to touch internationally. I know it sounds stupid but I read it via another blog on this particular issues. Supposedly without the Sportsaccord endorsement the ITF is limited in pushing the sport to be included in events such as the Commonwealth games. Anakin has provided some clarity on the issue however who knows without getting something official from the ITF. The next step is to get other countries even with some RL played in them to adopt this same approach. It gives the game a great platform to attract more supporters and sponsors by working together.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Titus I am using ABS figures shown in Wikipedia for 2011/2012 which refers to ABS (both indoor and outdoor) 683,000 in 2011/2012. Now I know we get figures far greater than that re participation well over 1 million for soccer in this country and I have no doubt that is the case,but I can only go on what I read.If those ABS figures are incorrect don't blame me. I played soccer up to the age of 12,so have a decent affinity with the code.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Agree Davey that was a silly comment by the journo and Lonergan's,before a ball is kicked and the results known.Shades of John ONeill in 2002,describing rl as being overtaken by ru in this country. People at times should look beyond rose coloured glasses,when new events come into play.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
You will never get through to them Renegade. The discomfort for one or two is evident.Having so many people under the NRL banner and being able to rationalise costs,and becoming one of the biggest sporting organisations in this country,is worrying to competitors perhaps. They completely ignore how it (touch)started in 1963.History appears to be irrelevant.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
If you believe amalgamating two large sporting organisations spread the length and breadth of the country is a 5 minute exercise,then good luck.If that were the case D Gallop would have had it signed sealed and delivered in 6 months or less. And guess what,99.9% of info comes from media sources true,false or indifferent.Unless you are there looking over shoulders,and some in fact comes from the very NRL itself. Therefore it can be argued my source is no worse or better than yours.
Renegade
Guest
Of course they are different games however it's based on rugby league.... essentially a modified non-contact version of it.
Tom
Guest
I agree 'the von' but everyone reads the paper and repeating the facts in the paper doesn't add value. It's a great result for the game ain't it. M
Davey
Guest
Very childish behavior like when I open up my courriermail newspaper sports page there was an article about the up and coming NRL nines in NZ next year is gonna be bigger than the 2011 rugby world cup and it will NZ biggest event ever. How the league reporter got to print Dean Lonergen's lies without doing some sort of research is beyond me.
Von Neumann
Roar Guru
Titus. So this is how it works. Basically, the touch associations are a part of the ARLC now. *** We annexed them *** And they are happy about it. So should you be happy and less critical. 1 million participants. And growing. Look up the meaning of Annex.
Von Neumann
Roar Guru
Bravo! Well said Crosscoder. My thoughts exactly. In defence of your comments. Hill may have started it, but he didn't do it by himself. I am unsure if people on here have a comprehension of what its like to run a multifaceted, wide-scope, multi layered governance such as the ARLC. Its a team effort. The fruits of anyones labor could have fallen down at any stage. Who are we to know. I think "rugby league" did it. But I know who to send the credit to - the ARLC. who else. Who's side are you people on. Get off the bitter pills.
In Brief
Guest
Touch football is horrible as is oztag. I played oztag and it was rubbish. Too many penalties, no contact, no kicks, rubbish sport.
Tom
Guest
Geez man that's what the Indians are for - ideas. That's what they are there for - to push the game along at the grassroots. Chiefs are to oversea and nod approval.You could argue why didn't Andrew Hill close the deal earlier? Two is a long time to close a deal! Rest assured David Smith is taking credit for David Gallop initiation. You just repeat wot you read in the papers.
Titus
Guest
No, they don't include indoor numbers for Football, in fact if you look at ABS figures they specifically say (outdoor) or (indoor). Renegade, I have played both touch and Rugby League and they are vastly different games, as someone else said, you may as well count Rugby and Rugby League together because there is far more similarity.
p.Tah
Guest
CC I agree. People on both sides of the divide say and do things they shouldn't. They're cheap shots. It doesn't help anything. If I recall the Moroccan incident happened a few years go as well. I'm pretty sure there is more behind this that what's been written on the forums. I don't believe sport will hold the same appeal in the future it does today. I genuinely believe all the sports will have to collaborate.
Anakin
Guest
The Federation of International touch (FIT) is recognised as the world controlling body - albeit the recognition has only been forthcoming the last few years. Union runs a number of 'Touch' compeittions/federations in the northern hemisphere - predominantly those nations that identify solely to Union - but this in itself, whilst providing funding, has presented its own issues with participants scared away because of the name Touch "Rugby".