In the build-up to New Zealand’s historic Test match against the USA at Soldier Field in Chicago, I read an interview in The Telegraph with Brett Gosper, chief executive of the IRB.
In the article, the Australian stated he would welcome the “terrific” prospect of playing a Six Nations match in the US, broadening the appeal of rugby in the most competitive sporting marketplace in the world.
While most would dismiss this as fanciful headline grabbing, I am slightly worried that administrators could see it as a viable option. The trend of sending ‘home’ fixtures away is growing.
The concept of taking a home game away from home is not unusual. The NFL’s International Series at Wembley has been so successful that the NFL are talking of moving a franchise to London in 2022. The MLB also play away, opening their season in Sydney at the SCG as part of their commitment to the survival of baseball in Australia, and to grow their global brand.
In the super-competitive and crowded environment of Australian sport, it is fairly common to play home games in towns without a team of their own. The AFL plays matches in Tasmania, Cairns, and now internationally, in New Zealand on Anzac Day. NRL clubs also get in on the act, sending games to Cairns and out west to Perth.
International football teams, for a multitude of reasons, regularly play home friendly matches away. This particularly affects South American teams, as Tim Vickery points out in his excellent blog.
For example, only three of Brazil’s last 12 international friendlies have been played in Brazil. While often for logistical reasons, their recent match versus Argentina in Beijing was purely financial with total disregard for player welfare.
Taking games away from fans has even popped up on the radar of arguably the most recognisable and popular sports league in the world, the English Premier League. For the purposes of brand building, the Premier League already plays pre-season tournaments and matches to build their global brand.
But when chief executive Richard Scudamore proposed an international 39th game, there was widespread opposition. The Football Supporters Federation formed a petition against “Gam£39” opposing what they referred to as the “outrageous desecration of the national game” for financial gain.
That plan has been put on the back burner – for the moment – but the idea has never truly gone away. Scudamore said at the time, “if we didn’t do it, another sport would come and do it to us” highlighting his views on modern sports global reach.
International rugby has previously got in on the act, when the Bledisloe Cup was taken to Hong Kong and Tokyo in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
In European club rugby, Wasps and Harlequins played an LV= Cup match at a temporary stadium in Abu Dhabi in 2011. Wasps fans were so upset with the idea that the club were forced to compensate season ticket holders for the missed game, and organise a private open training session to further placate members.
Saracens have been trying to organise an overseas game since 2011, twice attempting to play Heineken Cup ties in Cape Town. Scuppered by local politics when due to play Biarritz, it was Edinburgh’s chief executive Craig Doherty who put the brakes on second time around, refreshingly citing a “commitment to our fans” as the principle reason.
London Irish boss Andy Martin has broached the possibility of playing a Premiership match in North America, potentially Boston.
Even Brisbane Premier Grade rugby union side Brothers RFC, based in Albion in Brisbane’s inner north, played their Round 15 Hospital Cup game versus Norths in Roma, 500 kilometres to the west, admirably taking rugby to the often ignored country towns.
The desire for sports to showcase and develop their brand is growing in importance, and is arguably becoming a financial necessity in an increasingly competitive marketplace. But playing more club and international matches away from loyal home fans weakens the brand integrity.
I am, first and foremost, a live sport fanatic. The atmosphere as teams battle it out in front of a passionate home crowd, who howl with both derision and unbridled joy, that is what sport is all about.
To that end I can’t reconcile a Six Nations match being played at anywhere else other than in Europe. The tournament is huge, ticket demand far outweighing supply and taking a match away from the fans would be a cruel insult.
I think it’s inevitable that club fans will be forced to miss out on the odd game some seasons. We live in a global world after all, and it would be impossible to halt the irrepressible march of sports teams transforming into businesses. But please don’t do so by affecting the spectacle and alienating the fans.
Simon Smale
Roar Guru
Ye I agree with that to point shulzi. The Premier league has been playing pre season tournaments like the Premier League Asia Cup since - I think - 2002. Plus other clubs organise their own pre-season tours, such as Liverpool coming to Australia recently. I think I read somewhere that Manchester United and one of the Milan teams were contemplating a midweek friendly early in 2015 while their rivals were playing Champions League matches, potentially in the Emirates... I could be wrong about that though. The NBA have brought a few pre-season matches to the UK too if I remember, like the NFL did in the early 90's...
shulzi
Guest
There is a way for everyone to be happy: pre-season club games go international. Sure, the calibre won't be as strong, but it's a fair compromise and is likely to attract some revenue anyway. The NBA does this currently. I'd be more than happy to see Utah Jazz play Indiana Pacers (two bottom teams) in Australia.
Derm
Roar Guru
"It would be hilarious to send Ireland v Italy to New York on or around March 17th though. 90000 passionate “Irishmen” and “Italians” who’ve never left the States of New York or New Jersey in their lives (nor have their parents or grandparents) packing out the stadium." Not sure if it would be hilarious, but if you were to consider having a 6N match played in the US, this would be one of the match-ups that makes sense in terms of appealing to a US based audience. Ireland played Italy in the Giants Stadium in the 1994 World Cup and it was a sellout many weeks beforehand.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
While I disagree with the idea of "selling" home games from a fans perspective, I understand the reasoning from a financial viewpoint.
BBA
Guest
While the comment was said, I dont think that it will happen. Moving a six nations game will only happen if there is sufficient money to be made. It is hard to think that there could be more money made unless America pays a lot to be able to host (which i doubt) and/or they can pack more in stadiums than what they could in Europe (which I seriously doubt). If it fails on economics we dont even get into the other reasons brought up by the author. However if it did happen you would think it would only be a one-off, so no real big deal in teh grand scheme of things as I couldnt ever see it being a regular thing, for a tournament with so few home games.
mielie
Guest
Surely it depends on the criteria. Money, or Rugby.
Simon Smale
Roar Guru
We are definitely reaching the time when promotion and relegation is becoming more viable melbourneterrace, but I cannot ever see it happening. There would be a hell of a flight from Scotland and the other home nations about keeping it a closed system. Especially with the prestige and historical matches like the Calcutta Cup etc. I could see Scotland's RFU going bust without their annual 6 Nations crowds at Murrayfield too... Excellent points about the Pacific Cup Lion Down Under. That would be the best way to push standards higher in the game over there, regular competition, and then periodically getting European and SANZAR nations to tour. I'd love the prospect of one day there being a Lions Tour, or at least part of a Lions Tour to Argentina and the Americas.
Simon Smale
Roar Guru
Totally agree Kenjac, baseball in particular is a good example because there are so many home games. The NFL is an interesting one for me. Only 14 regular season matches, only 7 at home? To loose one of them is to remove a significant amount of football that you're going to see live in a season... As for playing big internationals, I agree again. The Churchill Cup was a tournament from a few years ago where England sent their second team (the Saxons) out to play Canada and the States plus one other if I remember correctly... I don't really agree with the Europeans taking development sides over to be honest. I like that the All Blacks pretty much played a full strength side - and the big stadium crowd and NBC television spoke of how seriously US rugby fans took it.
Simon Smale
Roar Guru
Maybe for some of the smaller sports that might be the case, but perhaps the smaller sports arent going to be offered the kind of money that big football games would attract. Or for that matter, big rugby games. In terms of football, I don't think the players playing for Brazil would be too concerned about whether or not the Confederacao Brasileira de Futebol gets an extra $1million for playing overseas or not... I doubt very much the players would see that, and when most of them are on obscene salaries anyway - what does it matter? If those players picked up injuries on their return to their clubs on the other hand, I think the clubs would be very unhappy, which could affect the amount that the players - and other players from that country - could earn in future contracts...
Kenjac
Guest
I agree with what you are saying but I think how much something like this hurts depends on the sport. In baseball it really doesn't matter because there are 80 more home games to attend. International games of actual consequence though are another matter and I certainly don't want a 6 Nations game played in the US. I'm American but I do realize that that wouldn't be right. There is also the fact that a 6 Nations game would not be that kind of draw. People went to Chicago because it was the All Blacks. Most of those were rugby fans who knew just who they were going to see play. We've had Scotland, Italy and Ireland all play here fairly recently. Those were to play the US but there weren't nearly as many people to watch those matches. Even if you did have an Italy v Ireland game there isn't a guarantee that it would bring a big crowd.
Lion Down Under
Guest
Great post. Agree with all of that. What was interesting was it was the head of the IRB and not anyone involved in organising the 6Ns that suggested this. One reason may be that the All Blacks received EUR800,000 (AU$1.15m) for playing the USA Eagles in Chicago. Last year the WRU had three Wales home games in the 6Ns which provided revenue of EUR26m (AU$37.33m). The financial argument is strongly *against* going to America. It would be hilarious to send Ireland v Italy to New York on or around March 17th though. 90000 passionate "Irishmen" and "Italians" who've never left the States of New York or New Jersey in their lives (nor have their parents or grandparents) packing out the stadium. Rugby in the USA (and Canada) would be far better served by having its own domestic (or N American) professional league and a Pacific Cup consisting of USA, Canada, Japan, Samoa, Fiji and Tonga played like the 6Ns or RC. If a proper global season could be agreed on then it could be played at the same time as the 6Ns, RC, ENC, CAR, Asian Howevermany Nations etc. Eventually it could have p/R to the R/C via playoff in the same way that ENC will with the 6Ns. This idea is a gimmick which will do nothing for the sport in America, typical advertising agency stuff from Gosper rather than subbstance and a medium-term plan.
balotelli
Guest
A bigger brand means more money,more money means better salaries,better salaries means better player welfare... How about that
melbourneterrace
Guest
Moving games away from real fans is a terrible trend in modern sport. At least in Europe the fans have the balls to say it's not on. What on earth to Saracens stand to gain from playing in Cape Town? They already like rugby and have a team! It would be a disgrace for the 6N to have a game played anywhere other than Europe. The atmosphere of the games is the best in all of rugby, mostly because each nation has some form of rivalry with each other and playing games in America would ruin it. England vs Ireland or France vs Italy just would not feel the same in front of 60000 silent and bored yanks. The 6N should be focusing on developing the European market and part of that should be implementing promotion and relegation between the 6N and the European nations cup. Keep the scotland and Italy games interesting while giving Romania, Russia and Georgia a chance to crack the second tier glass ceiling. They should let america do its own thing with Canada, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina. Scudamores suggestion shows just how out of tune professional football in England is with its fans. This is just the latest episode in the top clubs pandering to foreign glory hunters who have driven the cost of football up at the expense of real fans who actually live in the community as well as fuelling declining interest in local leagues overseas.