an american nrl club

[alien]

i wonder if this could ever happen sometime in the future. say the club is based in hawaii. would millions of americans start watching the nrl on their tv screens? would it make the nrl alot more money? alot of people may disagree but i think america is the sleeping giant of rugby league. png, tonga, samoa have all improved, but seriously how much more can they improve? america has a massive population. rugby league will never be as big in america as the nfl, nbl, nhl, but it doesnt have to be for them to be a force in rugby league. if it was to happen they could play a half of their home games in hawaii then half of their away games in aus/nzl, and then repeat (to save them all the travel). american anacondas into the nrl sometime in the future! you know it makes sense!!!

 

[Rugger]

I don't think it's really feasible. This is similar to the NFL trying to have a team in London.

 

[alien]

I don't think it's really feasible. This is similar to the NFL trying to have a team in London.

have the nfl actually tried that?

 

[Bovrick]

have the nfl actually tried that?

Ish. They're trying it again now that there's a bit of a stronger base being built up slowly with a few games each year. Looks very possible at the moment, but if the novelty wears off it will die very quickly, like every other sport in London other than (association) football, and one or two little club RU areas.

 

[Evil Homer]

The London NFL team is far more realistic than an American NRL team.

 

[roughyed8]

have the nfl actually tried that?

They had NFL Europe in the 90s London monarchs got good crowds at Wembley but as said the novelty wore off and they ended up at a small London soccer ground before the NFL pulled the plug.

 

[PacificCoastRL]

Most Americans pay little attention to what is going on in Hawaii. Unless, they happen to be there for their winter holiday. Or every so often when Pearl Harbor gets brought up.

 

[alien]

the english dont really play gridiron though do they. i was talking about in a couple of decades maybe. obviously rugby league in america would have to get alot stronger first. i was thinking if that happens then the rugby league clubs in america could become like feeder clubs to an american nrl team based in hawaii (hawaii because of a bit less travel to aust & nzl). more people would watch it over there and would probably convince more people to play the game there. i hear there are heaps of great athletes who try out for the nfl but dont make it. maybe some of them who could go well in league could be convinced to play the game if good money and a chance to represent their nation is offered.

 

[Rugger]

the english dont really play gridiron though do they. i was talking about in a couple of decades maybe. obviously rugby league in america would have to get alot stronger first. i was thinking if that happens then the rugby league clubs in america could become like feeder clubs to an american nrl team based in hawaii (hawaii because of a bit less travel to aust & nzl). more people would watch it over there and would probably convince more people to play the game there. i hear there are heaps of great athletes who try out for the nfl but dont make it. maybe some of them who could go well in league could be convinced to play the game if good money and a chance to represent their nation is offered.

In a couple of decades (anything can happen in 20+ years...that's an eternity), there will hopefully be a USNRL or the existing USARL would evolve into something like the NRL.

 

[alien]

In a couple of decades (anything can happen in 20+ years...that's an eternity), there will hopefully be a USNRL or the existing USARL would evolve into something like the NRL.

Yeah most people seem to think in years, where I often think in decades. I guess if the USARL have a comp like the NRL by then, then there wouldn't be much point of an American NRL club. If the USARL do end up having an awesome comp like the NRL then I wouldn't be surprised if they have Canadian and Jamaican clubs in it too.

 

[Foreign Legion]

I think if league tried to form a proper pro league the best way to do it is try and be affiliated with major Universities..... College Rugby League, 8 teams, 2 conferences....

 

[goodplayer]

super rugby was looking at a usa west coast team at 1 stage

 

[alien]

In a couple of decades (anything can happen in 20+ years...that's an eternity)

ok maybe before a couple of decades

 

[alien]

super rugby was looking at a usa west coast team at 1 stage

SANZAR confirms Super Rugby expansion to 18 teams in 2016
Thu 1 May 2014, 4:48pm

The Super Rugby competition will expand to 18 teams in 2016, with three new sides coming from South Africa, Argentina and possibly Asia or the United States.

New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) chief executive Steve Tew said a revamp was needed in the southern hemisphere competition, which currently includes five teams from each of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

He said expansion, which has been approved by governing body SANZAR, would meet South African demands for a sixth team and help establish elite professional rugby in Argentina.

The addition of an 18th team would also take the game to new markets.

"There's interest on the west coast of America, there's interest in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan," Tew said, adding that discussions were already underway with "credible" potential bidders for the groundbreaking franchise.

Under the new blueprint, the competition will be split into two regional groupings, South Africa and Australasia, each containing two conferences.

The South Africa grouping will have eight teams - including Argentina and the 18th team - with two conferences of four teams.

Australasia will have 10 teams, with the five Australian and five New Zealand sides each forming a conference.

Teams will play the majority of their regular season games against sides from their own regional grouping, which Tew said would minimise the large amounts of travel needed under the current format.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-01/super-rugby-to-expand-to-18--teams-in-2016/5424396

 

[Rodney]

not a chance.
A jakarta NRL team is more feasible than a US one.

 

[IowaRL]

Old news, they've already announced Japan and Argentina as the new sides. We may see the US in the future, but it'll be in a Western Hemisphere Rugby Union conference.

In regards to an NRL team, we need to get the local scene to a pro standard first. Let us grow, and get to our own pro comp in North America. Better than a struggling NRL team (costs would be huge).

SANZAR confirms Super Rugby expansion to 18 teams in 2016
Thu 1 May 2014, 4:48pm

The Super Rugby competition will expand to 18 teams in 2016, with three new sides coming from South Africa, Argentina and possibly Asia or the United States.

New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) chief executive Steve Tew said a revamp was needed in the southern hemisphere competition, which currently includes five teams from each of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

He said expansion, which has been approved by governing body SANZAR, would meet South African demands for a sixth team and help establish elite professional rugby in Argentina.

The addition of an 18th team would also take the game to new markets.

"There's interest on the west coast of America, there's interest in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan," Tew said, adding that discussions were already underway with "credible" potential bidders for the groundbreaking franchise.

Under the new blueprint, the competition will be split into two regional groupings, South Africa and Australasia, each containing two conferences.

The South Africa grouping will have eight teams - including Argentina and the 18th team - with two conferences of four teams.

Australasia will have 10 teams, with the five Australian and five New Zealand sides each forming a conference.

Teams will play the majority of their regular season games against sides from their own regional grouping, which Tew said would minimise the large amounts of travel needed under the current format.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-01/super-rugby-to-expand-to-18--teams-in-2016/5424396

 

[spinnerhowland]

So is success of International Expansion gauged by how many players developing countries can have play in the NRL, and the idea of having a developing country enter the NRL comp. Or is it more to hope that players in developing countries can one day rival those from Australia, and build a comp closer to the NRL?
Are developing nations looked at as nothing more than breeding grounds to feed into the NRL, or are they looked at as one day having a professional competition on their own soil? What is the ultimate goal when we talk about true International Expansion of Rugby League?
I seem to believe it depends on where you live that determines how you view what is success, and what the ultimate goal is. For Rugby League to truly be a global sport, and a real voice in the the international landscape, the game must flourish outside the nations where is it already a mainstay. Looking at developing nations as nothing more than ever expanding hunting grounds for NRL talent is not going to grow the game on a domestic basis.

 

[Warrior@Heart]

I'd rather a fully professional league in the US/North America over a team in the NRL. Even if that competition isn't at a similar standard to the NRL. I see MLS as a good role model for what I hope the USARL can one day be. The MLS is most likely never going to rival EPL/La Liga but it's still a very good competition with a good following. I think a US based NRL team would potentially improve the US national team but also potentially cripple any interest in a domestic league.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

If they ever want any help from the NRL they might need to at least pretend the main aim is to develop NRL players and not compete with it.

 

[deal.with.it]

That is a good point ECT.
I would love to see 2 French clubs compete in SL, and a sustainable semi-pro comp in France; semi-pro (UK championship standard) in North America; a 2nd NZ team in NRL; and a pro comp in another Euro nation.
That would increase employment options and provide a boost to at least 6 national teams, likely more.