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Having touched on issues such as player transfers and the sin bin in Part 1, and standalone representative weekends and the match-day experience in Part 2, today we explore three final issues to improve the NRL.
Improvement 8: Expansion
The issue of expansion has been written about to death but has obviously fallen on deaf ears at NRL HQ.
I myself wrote an article about just where it should happen and when but still the big bosses remain silent.
The NRL in its current format has become stale, with predictable match ups and local derbies that fail to produce the type of excitement that the A-League produces with their Sydney and Melbourne derbies.
The addition of more teams will add excitement and unpredictability, and increase fan numbers.
The reasons for expansion are endless, so I won’t rant on about it because I could write a 100-page document on why and where and how it should all happen.
Improvement 9: NRL nines
One of the best things that the NRL has done in recent years is create the nines. The crowd numbers are good, the entertainment is great, and the interest it generates is priceless.
I was walking around Singapore for this year’s addition and although it was with great sadness, I saw the Rabbitohs win the final against my Sharks on about 12 different TV screens I walked past.
Fostering the growth of the game into international markets is one of the most important things for the game, and the nines is probably the best way to do it. Auckland has done a great job hosting it but after their contract is done, the NRL should use this tournament to turn their game into the most profitable in Australia.
The staging of this event in international markets such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Dubai, London, Paris, Los Angeles, Johannesburg, and New York could prove to be the most outrageous thing the NRL has ever attempted to do, but could be the shot in the arm the international community needs to realise that rugby league is the greatest game that there is.
Can you imagine a TV rights deal that includes genuine interest from some of those markets? The result would be growth of the game but also in the profitability of the competition, allowing it to increase youth programs in indigenous communities and international locations, improving every part of the game.
Improvement 10: Local venues
The best thing I’ve ever heard Dave Smith say is that, after watching an NHL game, he believes small stadiums are the way to go.
Nothing beats going out on a cold night to Brookvale Oval or Shark Park to see the die-hard fans cheering on their local team. Sure the facilities aren’t first class but we don’t need the shining toilets and 300 different food outlets of a massive stadium to support our team, we just need to be out there to give hell to the opposition and give our boys a lift to bring home those two points.
That’s not to say the experience cannot be improved, but let us stay at our local stadium and when we outgrow that, don’t ship us off to stadiums that are a two-hour round trip away. Help us invest in an upgrade of our little patch of dirt so that we don’t lose what is truly special about our game. The AFL lost that years ago, please don’t let us lose it as well!
Although changes need to be made, I wouldn’t give up on being a fan of this competition for the world. I just want to be able to share it with as many people as possible!
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