Despite new money, NRL fails to stem the flow

Yes but Hutch how many domestic leagues does league Have, , professional leagues that is. Also the 6nations comp is worth 160-170pound for 4years and they only play 30games per year. Also the union fans are very happy with what we have, dont know if you lot are.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/nines-get-a-toe-in-commonwealth-games-door-20140214-32ras.html

At current exchange rates, the FRU are getting the equivalent of $111 million Australian dollars for their TV rights . http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jan/16/the-breakdown-french-rugby-top14-tv That article also states the English RU get 38 million pound (about $70M Australian) a year for their rights.

You heard wrong with the ticket sales. Lucky to be 3000 there last Saturday.

Global superstar? Really? Geez union fans have an overinflated opinion of their sports global importance!

Well said crosscoder!

Niche sport with a tv deal more than every domestic union competition combined.

Brett if it were to happen anywhere it would start in the uk. Super league games rate much higher than club union in England and England and Wales have previously looked to rugby league for talent. In the case of the English rugby union, they almost rely on rugby league for rugby talent.

French union tv deal is under half of the nrls tv deal.

Problem with most muppets who talk about expansion is that they think they can throw money at an initiative but the conflict is that the game is run by commercial interests amd the fan base and players are too insular. Are the powers in Aus willing to invest in a global body. The answer is no. Who do you know in the league world has based themselves at the grassroots in another country to build the game there. You need people doing a civil service in foreign countries to spread the game. Companies which is what the NRL is cannot do that for code alone. If you ask why isn't the game expanding? It's because followers of the code couldn't care less about spreading the game. Get out there and spread the world. Talk to your ex pat mates. Half the problem is amateur player numbers into adulthood drop off dramatically (touch isn't exactly league either). Most ex pats who follow the code are arm chair fans. It's hard to spread the game from an armchair. Address those things and you have a foundation. At the moment there's sweet f all.

Emric, I very much doubt that it shows which is more fun to play, it just shows which has more money and more chance to have a higher profile. Players will chose the sport they enjoy more when they reach the twilight of their careers.

Pot even moi as a rugby league tragic,doesn't believe that.The Olympics wont happen fior rugby league in my lifetime.As to the Commonwealth,it may well do so.

Who is forgetting?.It appears some here have no idea of timing. And French ru poached French rl players for decades during the amateur years.So that evens the equation,in terns of moral high ground.at least rugby league as professional sport did not hide the fact it was pro.

Emric .The post stated NRL.Name the ABS and S15 players poached by the NRL(ie since 1998) when union was prof. I am not going to get into which is the best or more fun to play or in fact entertaining to watch.I have played both.One could suggest NRL clubs did not consider S15 players for various reasons.

Emric learn the difference and timing between the NRL and the ARL.Then you might understand my response better.

yoza. The solution is is IMO a twofold one,and like most things in life,not easy.. First & foremost ,the NRL and rugby league have to increase revenue on top of the monies they receive on TV deals.Look for other sources,get more companies on board.Increase your participation base and expand the game in this country. It looks like the ARLC under Smith is doing just that.Smith stated the code cannot rely mainly on Tv revenue.They have to grow the money pile,including increasing memberships(which is happening).bring in sports such as Touch and Oztag,which will reduce insurance costs,(economies of scale) and bring more opportunities for ground improvements. Companies will come on board,if the code has a national imprint,and players behave themselves.Its all about marketable exposure.Then you can increase substantially 3rd party arrangements to retain the top players. And a centralised pool of funds for retention of top line essential star and/or marketable players.Call it a top 50,the criteria left to far better people than I. Secondly expand the game and promote the game more to non heartland countries.That is what other codes have done in the past,hence their financial clout now.get the game on a stronger footing in England and France for a start.You have a stronger International presence ,then players would be more likely to play rl in France and England if they were Superpowers of the game. if newish countries with only small playing numbers can secure Govt grants,surely the professional ones can do more. The 9s tournament is a classic example of @ Promoting an abridged version of the game to a non heartland territory B) Securing large funds to underpin the tournament not only for the benefit of the clubs,and no doubt the promoters,but rugby league itself. There will always be a player or two,who will receive a huge offer from a Japanese /French or English club,who will take the bait.But bear in mind Kiwi ru players have been taking up contracts with French and Japanese clubs . In the commercial world,top execs get poached by competitors with far bigger pay cheques.Free enterprise (pick and choose) works on the basis of everyone doing his or her best and being rewarded for their efforts. Finally sell the game as the people's game.The days of it being just a working class one ,are long gone.It is for people from all walks of life.This is not the 70s or 80s ,the average youth today attends uni or is a graduate and attends TAFE for various course. Oxford and Cambridge have a rugby league team,so it hardly has a stigma to it.

You mean since Rugby evened the odds and went professional very few have jumped ship since then which screams volumes about which is the more fun sport to play :)

lol where to start. Lets go with Matt Ridge - Should I go on?

LOL .. Go Warriors the NRL (and its former incarnations) spent around 100 years buying up New Zealand All Blacks. How quickly our League Supporting friends forget