Internationals Strategies & Ideas to Grow International Rugby League

[Brother Faisal]

With the excitement of the World Cup Ive noticed alot of members posting in different threads in regards to the growth to the international game. I felt we need a thread for this as for me and maybe others its a growing interest of mine to seek ways in which the internaional game can grow at grass roots level in every country but also improve the representation of the international football we already have i.e Pacific Cup, Euro Cup e.t.c.

So to start off in the next couple of months im going to look into organizations such as Fifa, Fiba, IRB and how they create their international scheduling and rankings and how we compare plus take a closer look into the RLIF, more especially into what the RLEF (Rugby League European Federation) and the APRLF (Asia Pacific Rugby League Federation) are doing as they are the 2 major confederations of the RLIF.

Anyway jump in and have a say

 

[Jah]

need a Jnr WC

 

[surfin]

From what I've seen on here I think most of us would be happy to ditch the once yearly disaster that is the ANZAC game if we had to and have a Pacific comp during the SOO. The games would be I'm guessing pretty close and definately hardcore and it would also drag the quality across the teams right up. Plus if it was a success the Aussies would be begging to join within a couple of years. The other option is have a NZ residents team. If nothing else it gives experience to all involved.

 

[¿N. ig-mah¿]

I konw it is tough now with the length of the NRL season, and with the Nines being added, but a Kiwis tour of Europe, North America, Africa, Pacific, etc each year would be great. Perhaps we could send more of a marginal team, or a large squad and have midweek games with small nations just starting out, with the games against the bigger teams in the weekends..

 

[Brother Faisal]

From what I've seen on here I think most of us would be happy to ditch the once yearly disaster that is the ANZAC game if we had to and have a Pacific comp during the SOO. The games would be I'm guessing pretty close and definately hardcore and it would also drag the quality across the teams right up. Plus if it was a success the Aussies would be begging to join within a couple of years. The other option is have a NZ residents team. If nothing else it gives experience to all involved.

Do the NRL decide if we play the Anzac Test or do the ARL and NZRL decide? Its clear to me the NZRL should be trying to get out of it, turn the focus to more series based matches and tournaments.

 

[surfin]

Do the NRL decide if we play the Anzac Test or do the ARL and NZRL decide? Its clear to me the NZRL should be trying to get out of it, turn the focus to more series based matches and tournaments.

The major problem to me is the Aussies are the power, simply because they are number one, if everyone else goes down a different path, across the board all the other teams get stronger, that leaves the Aussies with the choice of either coming to the party or burying the heads in the SOO is the pinnacle belief and even they are going to get sick of that argument if it continues to go down the one team victor path.

 

[Viking]

I don't know if the RLIF has the money to help but in my mind, the first step to strengthening league as a sport internationally would be to grow the french domestic comp to become fully profesional league that rivals the ESL. It is already somewhat professional now and the infrastructure is in place to grow it to a stage where it could be as strong as French rugby and in doing so, league will eventually get the strong northern vs southern rivalry that union enjoys. Playing French teams in English comps has only been moderately successfull for Catalans and unsuccessful for Toulouse who went from fumbling away in NL1 to going back to the French domestic comp.

 

[Brother Faisal]

I don't know if the RLIF has the money to help but in my mind, the first step to strengthening league as a sport internationally would be to grow the french domestic comp to become fully profesional league that rivals the ESL. It is already somewhat professional now and the infrastructure is in place to grow it to a stage where it could be as strong as French rugby and in doing so, league will eventually get the strong northern vs southern rivalry that union enjoys. Playing French teams in English has only been moderately successfull for Catalans and unsuccessful for Toulouse who went from fumbling away in NL1 to going back to the French domestic comp.

Yeah it kind of needs a billionaire to bank roll an independent french league, i dont think the RLIF have much money, its big news when they give out $2500 to Ghana to buy cones and balls. Lets pray for more billionaires or maybe find a hot french chick for Owen Glenn

 

[Lord Gnome of Howick MBE]

From what I've seen on here I think most of us would be happy to ditch the once yearly disaster that is the ANZAC game if we had to and have a Pacific comp during the SOO. The games would be I'm guessing pretty close and definately hardcore and it would also drag the quality across the teams right up. Plus if it was a success the Aussies would be begging to join within a couple of years. The other option is have a NZ residents team. If nothing else it gives experience to all involved.

I definately think a pacific cup should be jntroduced and that it should be played on free weekends, along with SOO matches.


Europe needs something similar - both comps would need to be in two groups of four with annual promotion and relegation IMO.

 

[Viking]

A Kiwi's vs combined PI team is the only game that could rival SOO for intensity and local support. If the combined PI team could keep the likes of Uate and Leilua etc, they could definately pinch games off the Kiwis. England vs the rest of Europe would be the Northern equivalent.

 

[surfin]

A Kiwi's vs combined PI team is the only game that could rival SOO for intensity and local support. If the combined PI team could keep the likes of Uate and Leilua etc, they could definately pinch games off the Kiwis. England vs the rest of Europe would be the Northern equivalent.

I would sooner see them play for their own country, combined teams won't help internationally.

 

[Viking]

I would sooner see them play for their own country, combined teams won't help internationally.

There's no reason why they can't do both. When and if they Island teams get to a point where they beat NZ then there'd be no need for a combined team but a one sided whipping annually does nothing for international league and doesn't help the Kiwis either.

 

[surfin]

There's no reason why they can't do both. When and if they Island teams get to a point where they beat NZ then there'd be no need for a combined team but a one sided whipping annually does nothing for international league and doesn't help the Kiwis either.

You mean like the ANZAC test?

 

[Viking]

You mean like the ANZAC test?

Yep. The difference is that the NZRL make a tidy profit from the ANZAC with very little effort or outlay whereas a Pacific Cup is unlikely to self sustainable and at the very least, will need to have some serious investment to get up and running. The RLIF and NZRL don't have funds to take a risk on what would initially be an experiment and the Island nations definately don't the money to risk it. Sky are unlikely to throw money at an unproven concept. A combined PI team means the contributing Island nations (and PNG?) can split the costs and hopefully, profits. And they have a good chance at beating NZ. You couldn't have the current situation where players bide their time in a single or combined Island team while they wait to be selected by NZ or OZ. Might kill two birds with one stone in that respect.

 

[snake77]

I don't know if the RLIF has the money to help but in my mind, the first step to strengthening league as a sport internationally would be to grow the french domestic comp to become fully profesional league that rivals the ESL. It is already somewhat professional now and the infrastructure is in place to grow it to a stage where it could be as strong as French rugby and in doing so, league will eventually get the strong northern vs southern rivalry that union enjoys. Playing French teams in English comps has only been moderately successfull for Catalans and unsuccessful for Toulouse who went from fumbling away in NL1 to going back to the French domestic comp.

This is a good point; the sport would then have 3 decent professional club competitions instead of 2. They could either have the French teams in the Challenge Cup or have another competition combining all of the teams or the top 4-6 from each.

 

[mrblonde]

From what I've seen on here I think most of us would be happy to ditch the once yearly disaster that is the ANZAC game if we had to and have a Pacific comp during the SOO. The games would be I'm guessing pretty close and definately hardcore and it would also drag the quality across the teams right up. Plus if it was a success the Aussies would be begging to join within a couple of years. The other option is have a NZ residents team. If nothing else it gives experience to all involved.

In fairness I suspect the NZRL'd ditch the once yearly disaster that is the Anzac game if they could afford to. Certainly like to see a Tri-Series - NZ, Samoa, Tonga. Even NZ A against those teams.

I'd really like to see the re-introduction of three test series (not anti the Four Nations, just this is to me the better option) but I'd like to see that like some people would like to see a real dodo.

 

[surfin]

In fairness I suspect the NZRL'd ditch the once yearly disaster that is the Anzac game if they could afford to. Certainly like to see a Tri-Series - NZ, Samoa, Tonga. Even NZ A against those teams.

I'd really like to see the re-introduction of three test series (not anti the Four Nations, just this is to me the better option) but I'd like to see that like some people would like to see a real dodo.

Yeah I realise the cold hard facts, but even if the Anzac test is kept the SOO still opens up the other squads getting game time, especially if the stand alone weeks come into play, and as much as I like to see Aussies punch each other in the face, for me the uneven way it has gone in the last 8 series I'd personally prefer to watch the Kiwis, Tonga,Samoa, Cooks, PNG and Fiji play games, even if it's done like the soccer and called a friendly rather than an actual tournament and they don't get to all play each other over the year. Three weeks and 6 games.

 

[USAExPatriotNZCitizen]

We really need to utilise the 9's, its probably the easiest sport to learn aside from soccer. A 9's tournament is a shit-load cheaper than a full comp. The less financial risk the more likely you'll get backing.

 

[drake83]

Id like to see during SOO for NZ to have an Auckland vs the Rest. A mini tournament for the teams from the pacific run over the 3 weeks involving Tonga Fiji Samoa Png Cooks and maybe the Phillipines. Or maybe this tournament with the Auckland and heritag teams added.
Also if getting a fully professional league in France maybe adding an italian team or two to this league. Also like to see south Africa stride forward and become better as a league nation.

 

[mt.wellington]

The major problem to me is the Aussies are the power, simply because they are number one, if everyone else goes down a different path, across the board all the other teams get stronger, that leaves the Aussies with the choice of either coming to the party or burying the heads in the SOO is the pinnacle belief and even they are going to get sick of that argument if it continues to go down the one team victor path.

I agree. To grow the game the very first step should be to remove the influence and power the ARL, the NSWRL in particular, weild. I realise they bring in the most money and have the biggest fanbase but you will never grow the game while the RLIF is being dictated to or undermined by the ARL. Thats all league will ever be if things dont change, an Australasian past time. Lets be honest. The game is slowly dying in the only other League stronghold in the world, England.

Time for the dog to wag the tail. Not the other way round as it is at present...