SL and RFL’s problem is marketing and branding. They are not even trying to promote the sport, they are perfectly fine watching it endure a slow death. You have big city teams in London and Newcastle but what good were/are they if they have no exposure? Most RFLC games and no RFL1 games even air on TV.
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RFL has no Youtube channel, and SL doesn’t update their own yt channel. They should be posting 10 min highlights like NRL does, interviews and moments from history. RFL/SL’s entire set up makes it that even existing fans can’t follow them, let alone attract new fans.
I believe that the UK fanbase could triple easily if they just marketed themselves like a competent business, and did some basic things that cost little to no money.
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They should also consider merging RFL1 into RFLC and divide them by Conference; now the RFL1 teams get some exposure as well. Their attendances are bordering non-existent. You’ve got teams like Newcastle Thunder and London Skolars in there who could attract big sponsorship and growing support being based in large cities, but why would any sponsor care for a team that isn’t even seen by anyone? That would be antithetical to the whole point of advertisement.

It’s outside Australia where the game is dying. RL is barely on UK TV, and the RFL and RFIL are barely clinging onto life. No finances, no ability to plan. Even simple marketing and branding, including YouTube presence and updating their website properly, are beyond their capability.

I can’t see people in the UK or elsewhere caring about a women’s doubleheader. There’s a way to make the competition both interesting yet the NRL and SL clubs only have to play twice instead of three games.

Bring in national champs from NZ, PNG, France and the Balkan Super League. Put them in a knockout format, then the respective winner proceeds to face the NRL and SL champ. Then the round-two winners face off in a final match.

This makes it a bigger deal than it is, so that it’s seen as a true ‘club world championship’. The NRL/SL clubs only have to play a winner of the two knockouts and then each other (presuming they win). But you get two additional games at very little cost (5 games in total), and a whole lot of hype.

It would help get the game more coverage in other countries. So that means more TV revenue, and it would help grow the game in those countries as well. RL lacks these continental and multi-national tournaments that soccer and rugby union have. This should be used as an opportunity.

Bring in national champs from NZ, PNG, France and the Balkan Super League, even if they’re amateur or semi-pro. Put them in a knockout format, then the respective winner proceeds to face the NRL and SL champ. Then the round-two winners face off in a final match.

Make it a bigger deal than it is, so that it’s seen as a true ‘club world championship’.

It would help get the game more coverage in other countries. So that means more TV revenue, and it would help grow the game in those countries as well. RL lacks these continental and multi-national tournaments that soccer and rugby union have. This should be used as an opportunity.

Disagree with that first assertion entirely. RU only started to become globally prominent outside its core nations AFTER it adopted professionalism in August 1995. It entered the Asian Games in 1998, and in the Commonwealth Games in 1998 as well. It’s been growing ever since, and with it now being an Olympic sport the participation has skyrocketed in sevens and fifteens.
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RL sat on it’s a-ss that entire time, while RU slowly built itself up. If RL wanted it could be in the Commonwealth Games as well, all it needs to do is develop a structure. Create a Rugby Nines tournament, with games held every 2 months. The entire tournament can be held within a single day. If it gets into the Commonwealth Games, its fortunes change overnight. Now you have countries with tens of millions and hundreds of millions playing the sport. Asian and Latino countries would fare far better in RL than RU because it favours agility over brute force and you don’t need to be built like a tank.
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NRL/ARLC has to be the vanguard. RFIL and RFL are financially inept and struggling to survive, the sport is dying in the UK. In the short-term NRL and Aussies could care less about the rest of the world, but long-term it hurts itself. No more World Cups to take seriously, and NRL growth and revenue will reach its peak within the next decade. Then what? Australia is only 25 million people. Not 340 million like the US is, that’s a huge market to sustain the NFL and it still airs in other countries despite nobody playing it. Currently, NRL doesn’t even air in mainland Asia or continental Europe. If RL can capture other markets, it’s NRL who seeks to benefit the most having positioned itself as the premiere league of the sport.

The sport is in a critical state, and NRL are the big brothers who can do something about it but won’t, everything is the bare minimum and even that is reluctantly. The sport is dying in the UK, and not growing fast anywhere else. Meanwhile RU is eating up everything, even the .rugby domain name, even starting competitions like “Major League Rugby”. RLIF and RFL are financially inept and run by old men just happy to have a peaceful death.
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In the short-term the NRL and Aussie fans could care less about the rest of the world, but long-term it hurts itself. No more World Cups to take seriously, and NRL growth and revenue will reach its peak within the next decade. Then what? Australia is only 25 million people. Not 340 million like the US is, that’s a huge market to sustain the NFL and it still airs in other countries despite nobody playing it.
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How is NRL planning to grow if the sport dies outside its backyard? Sell TV rights to tiny island nations and make 200k-400k dollars a piece? Doubt they even pay that, that’s probably what Union TV licensing is getting.
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Here’s an idea, develop a Rugby Nines tournament structure similar to RU7s. Play a tournament every 2 months involving nations; all games start and finish within a single day. Then get it into the Commonwealth Games, and RL’s fortunes change overnight. Now you have countries playing it who have tens or hundreds of millions in population. Who makes money from that? Everyone in RL does, but NRL does the most. They position themselves as the premiere league of RL and it’s revenue expands dramatically.
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Currently, NRL doesn’t even air in mainland Asia or continental Europe. Two decades in and NRL doesn’t even have a second New Zealand team. RU is slowly chipping away into Australia, but why isn’t NRL doing the same in NZ and elsewhere? NRL has the opportunity to be the sport’s vanguard and cut into the NZ and Pacific market that much greater. All those small island nations gravitate towards RU because their nations are represented in the RU Sevens tournament.

All this gets “more kids playing” in Australia but not worldwide. The sport is in a critical state, and NRL are the big brothers who can do something about it but won’t, everything is the bare minimum and even that is reluctantly. The sport is dying in the UK, and not growing fast anywhere. Meanwhile RU is eating up everything, even the .rugby domain name, even starting competitions like “Major League Rugby”.
In the short-term the NRL and Aussie fans could care less about the rest of the world, but long-term it hurts itself. No more World Cups to take seriously, and NRL growth and revenue will reach its peak within the next decade. Then what? Australia is only 25 million people. Not 340 million like the US is, that’s a huge market for the NFL and it still airs in other countries despite nobody playing it.
How is NRL planning to grow if the sport dies outside its backyard? Sell TV rights to tiny island nations and make 400k dollars a piece? Doubt they even pay that, that’s probably what Union licensing is getting.
Here’s an idea, develop a Rugby Nines tournament structure similar to RU7s. Play a tournament every 2 months involving nations; all games start and finish within a single day. Then get it into the Commonwealth Games, and RL’s fortunes change overnight. Now you have countries playing it with tens or hundreds of millions in population. Who makes money from that? Everyone in RL does, but NRL does the most. They position themselves as the premiere league of RL and it’s revenue expands dramatically. Currently, NRL doesn’t even air in mainland Asia or continental Europe.

RLIF don’t really push the sport anywhere to be honest. Heck, they sat back and watched while RU registered trademarks like “World Rugby” and domain names like .rugby and take joy being stepped over. RL is banned in multiple countries, always because of the local RU, the game is slowly dying in the UK. Barely on TV there. They don’t really have finances to do much either.

NRL and ARLC are the most powerful entity in the sport. In some regards we need them to do more. Rugby Nines should be in the Commonwealth Games. That will be a game-changer as more nations will be introduced to the sport overnight, countries that aren’t mini states in the Pacific. Of course, before doing so they need to really make a case for it to be there, and that means structuring it so that Nines has it’s own competition between nations much like Rugby Sevens does.

This would be relatively cheap to do. The Pacific nations would take part. Games are short, and they would only be playing once a month, every two months. An entire tournament can be held and finished within daytime. In contrast you’re paying far more for regular season games with far more players –in the hundreds– for 80 minute games. This will be 18 minutes.

People pay attention to the FIFA World Cup more than anything, the viewing numbers speak for themselves. Entire nations, not just the ones involved in the game, but even nations who aren’t in the tournament become empty in their streets to watch games.

Half the soccer viewing public don’t pay attention to regional tournaments apart from their own neck of the woods. Only someone delusional would put more importance behind a regional title.

Bring in national champs from NZ, PNG, France and the Balkan Super League, even if they’re amateur or semi-pro. Put them in a knockout format, then the respective winner proceeds to face the NRL and SL champ. Then the round-two winners face off in a final match.

Make it a bigger deal than it is, so that it’s seen as a true ‘club world championship’.

It would help get the game more coverage in other countries. So that means more TV revenue, and it would help grow the game in those countries as well. RL lacks these continental and multi-national tournaments that soccer and rugby union have. This should be used as an opportunity.

Lukie O Let’s not act like Rugby League isn’t popular in Australia, England, Wales, New Zealand, Fiji, Canada and Papua New Guinea. Rugby Union has Scotland, South Africa and Northern Ireland as well, but that’s hardly a big difference. We’re talking about Commonwealth states correct, so what’s popular elsewhere isn’t of concern and even then RU was never a mainstream sport outside these countries and France/Italy.

I believe if the Aus and the other League playing countries tried, they could get the it into the Commonwealth Games or at least a permanent fixture in the Pacific Games.

If they labelled it “world champions of rugby league” then passersby wouldn’t care nearly as much. The generic “football” label it to pique interest. The whole point of this ad is to poke fun at the concept of a team in an isolated league claiming to be “world champions”. So it isn’t intended to be serious!

As for spreading the sport: What NRL / ARLC needs to do to is convince the Australian government, the National Olympic Committee or whatever the relevant body is, to get Rugby Nines into the Commonwealth Games and other multi-national competitions in the region. I’m sure other countries like NZ, Papua NG and Fiji would back the bid to get it in.

RL is a sport that is perfect for Asian and Latino countries. Their teams are never going to amount to anything in RU, ever, because it favors brute force and players with large builds whereas RL favors agility. Rugby League is like the middle ground between soccer and rugby union in terms of what it demands from players. RL is isn’t even trying to promote the sport like it should be. At every level it has been organic growth from people on their own. Meanwhile RU uses their political clout and money to spread the sport, got it into multi-national Games, and suppressed the sport in developing countries (They just banned League in UAE in 2015; they tried to do the same in Italy and Morocco; Japan bans any player from Union if they partake in League).

Not really news-worthy for American press because they don’t follow rugby league but judging by a few comments here from people who live in the US or have, they’ve seen reactions among people on the ground.

You might want to read what he said, because it seems you’re being pedantic to the point where you’re not even making sense.

And do you know they banned League in the UAE in 2015? So the witch hunt hasn’t stopped. Their national Union (UAE Rugby Federation) claimed to control “all forms of rugby” in the country….how do you do control League when you’re not even sanctioned by League? They used that rubbish excuse and had the head of the UAE Rugby League arrested. They would have sentenced him too, but then the League guys from Europe had to fly over to explain to those Emirati morons that League and Union are two different forms of sport. They managed to kill of RL in another country.

Having terms of release is just fair and ethical. If someone doesn’t want to play, no point having him captive. He’s not going to perform well anyways. What benefit does it do anyone just to have him starve, let him find a job elsewhere and move on.

The difference between leaving for Rugby Union or the NFL is that the NFL actually gives the NRL and the sport of Rugby League some publicity. Union doesn’t give them that because Union and its fans already know about League’s existence, and in places where they don’t it’s because Union actively suppresses the sport and on occasion even bans it.
Secondly, NRL players who switch to NFL tend to switch back pretty soon. But League players who switch to Union often do well enough that they don’t come back for a long time.
So in summation: With NFL there’s a trade-off (talent in exchange for exposure). With Union, there’s just loss of talent.

And this is why victims aren’t on the judge and jury. So, that whole “if the victim was your daughter/sister” fallacy is nonsense. This is nothing more than an appeal-to-emotion and a forgoing of rational thought.

The leading countries and clubs should send their secondary teams to tour the Balkans, Turkey, Lebanon, Morocco and where ever the sport is slowly growing.

When domestic teams play foreigners it always get attention in developing countries, but when the established countries are way too strong and destroying the local comp it doesn’t benefit either side, it has to be competitive. Have one or two stars per team, then the rest should be junior or reserve players.

If the French RL governing body could merge with the Catalan and Basque region bodies in Spain (or create them if it doesn’t exist), I think it would be a smart way to grow the sport. Do the same for Belgium as well. Sometimes consolidation is the key to growth. Then create a Conference system where 4 regional “Division champs” reduce to 2 “Conference champs” from the East and West. Then they crown a single champion.

Comp tickets (complimentary)….which brings me to wonder, RLF and SL should actually give out comps and do creative package deals, etc. Basically figure out ways to entice more people into the sport and attending games. They need to introduce teams from Scotland into the RLF system.

Just make goal kicks 2 points. That’s exactly what a 3 pt shot in basketball is. That way players can score from a distance. Right now the 1 pointer makes it that players don’t even think about goals. Goals scored in RL used to be 2 points up until the ’80s when it was reduced.
Also consider widening the goalposts (cross-bar) to 6 metres in place of the current 5.5 metres. Also consider making the playing field maximum of 90 metres long. The shorter fields make it that existing soccer fields can be converted to play RL thereby making the sport accessible to the whole world.

That’s fascinating. They should make this a yearly tradition. Just plaster the annual NRL champions on a billboard on some American or Canadian city every year—but in a major metropolitan area where there’s high traffic. They could do it for either NFL or MLB (baseball) since the NRL final ends before both.

Literally every country that’s not Australia or Papua NG is ‘union-centric’ because union is played in schools whereas League isn’t. The irony is that League is far simpler to learn and better suited for students.
RU favors brute force and players with big builds whereas RL favors agility. Rugby League is like the middle ground between soccer and rugby union, in terms of what it demands from players. Which makes RL perfect for Asian and Latino countries. Their teams are never going to amount to anything in RU, ever, but they can in RL. It is part RU’s politics and part RL’s own lack of promotion that RL is held behind. Rugby League should be lobbying to get Rugby Nines into the Commonwealth Games and to become a permanent fixture in the Pacific Games. It’s after being in them for a decade that RU7s got selected by the Olympics. Australia should be leading the charge to get RL9s included in the Commonwealth; I’m sure NZ, PNG and Fiji would support that bid.
If RL starts a professional league in Canada and the northern US, you best believe plenty of Rugby union and American/Canadian gridiron football players would make the switch to play professionally. The gameplay is a easy crossover from all 3 codes. I would recommend they not try to expand in the south, except for Atlanta, because it’s firmly soccer and NFL territory and would become a waste of money.

At first glance, that’s what it seems. But in reality it may have been a blessing in disguise. A new team getting into the Super League could have been premature. They would be on a loss-heavy streak and that would have killed all support for Wolfpack by the end of the year because “they got exposed”.
Now they have another year to hone their craft and prepare for the big league. I would like to see them use this as an opportunity to hold games in other neighbouring cities of Ontario Province, and also a Wolfpack–Toulouse game in Montreal, Quebec Province as well. They’ve established themselves in Toronto well in the past 2 years. Now it’s time to expand into the wider metropolitan area.

That commercial would go in and out people’s minds within 40 seconds. A well-designed and well-placed billboard is far more effective. In this case it was in Atlanta where the SuperBowl is. So it’s definitely going to peak people’s curiosity.
They should have added the NRL’s Youtube and Instagram handles on there though.