Pretty jealous of Union right now

[adamkungl]

Did a little research with Wikipedia pageviews.

Average pageviews per day in July 2016:
Rugby union: 1,170
Rugby sevens: 849
Rugby league: 653

Average pageviews per day since the start of the Olympics:
Rugby sevens: 24,691
Rugby union: 5,316
Rugby league: 1,831

So we've had around 3x the amount of people looking up RL that we did before, compared to around 5x as many for RU (and obviously a huge increase for 7's). This is just for the English language version of Wikipedia, I'll check out some other languages later on.

All those people are mistaken, we should change the name of the sport to Topball so they don't mistake us for that damn Rugby Union anymore.

 

[Perth Red]

Rugby 7's has had more global publicity this week than League will get in a decade. This is what you get when you have an administration with vision and strategy. They had this goal two decades ago when they started to build the 7's completion around the world.

We should have touch footy in the Olympics and as a global sport but we wont. We only have the Nines here due to some kiwi wanting to make some money!

Stick with our local league, its what were good at.

 

[Hawkins]

I went to Day 1 of the sevens in Sydney this year.

Fun concept but very long. Its just tries basically. Like a 14 minute highlight reel followed by a break and then a 14 minute highlight reel etc.

I watched it once but I watch the 8 NRL games every week.

It's like test cricket and 20 / 20. One is for men the other for boys.

 

[adamkungl]

Rugby 7's has had more global publicity this week than League will get in a decade. This is what you get when you have an administration with vision and strategy. They had this goal two decades ago when they started to build the 7's completion around the world.

We should have touch footy in the Olympics and as a global sport but we wont. We only have the Nines here due to some kiwi wanting to make some money!

Stick with our local league, its what were good at.

Well, after next year's World Cup, we should start to see the implementation of the fabled "Strategic Plan". It touches on most if not all of things we want to see - regular, pre defined calendar, expansion, funding, broadcasting, 9s...- but are they capable of actually doing it? That's the billion dollar question.

 

[Knownothing]

I went to Day 1 of the sevens in Sydney this year.

Fun concept but very long.

It's like test cricket and 20 / 20. One is for men the other for boys.

The first day of any Sevens tournament is never as interesting as the second. The aim of every Sevsns tournament is to make them into an event. Obviously the Hong Kong Sevens is the benchmark. That has become a three day party.


20/20 cricket is pretty popular, incidentally.

 

[GW.]

GW here,

Funny, i have these ideas and how we can do things different, but they just get moved to the cave.

Dont kid yourselves, the minds of LU are very much part of the problem.

 

[myrrh ken]

They had this goal two decades ago when they started to build the 7's completion around the world.

Rugby sevens tournaments with international teams is an established concept, even older than RL itself.

From Wiki:

Rugby sevens originated in Melrose, Scotland in the 1880s; the Melrose Sevens tournament is still played annually. The popularity of rugby sevens increased further with the development of the Hong Kong Sevensin the 1970s, the World Rugby Sevens Series in 1999, and more recently with the 2009 vote by the International Olympic Committee to bring rugby back to the Olympics beginning in 2016.

Not easy to compete against.

I agree that marketing touch football as the international variant of league is a great idea and would have global appeal. I'm sure there some international infrastructure and comps already to take advantage of.

 

[adamkungl]

Touch footy is just not a spectator sport. People won't watch Rugby in reasonable numbers without tackling while tackling exists.

It would be nice to have it more visible on a world stage (another Comm games candidate we could be pushing) but being honest it isn't going to result in a surge in RL interest.

 

[Billythekid]

At this point I've just accepted that RL will always be a minor sport compared to union worldwide. They continue to expand into new countries with fantastic success meanwhile we are still stuck squabbling over whether or not we can put a team in Perth.

Thankfully I don't hate union so I can still get a fix of international rugby. Union is on its way to being the 2nd or 3rd biggest sport worldwide. Whilst I wish it was league it at least gives me a legitimate international game to watch that I enjoy. I don't hate soccer but it would be great to have another sport with a similar sort of global competition (I realise nothing will ever come close to matching soccer).

For the record I love league and will always support it both locally and internationally I'm just realistic about our standing in international sport.

 

[adamkungl]

At this point I've just accepted that RL will always be a minor sport compared to union worldwide. They continue to expand into new countries with fantastic success meanwhile we are still stuck squabbling over whether or not we can put a team in Perth.

Thankfully I don't hate union so I can still get a fix of international rugby. Union is on its way to being the 2nd or 3rd biggest sport worldwide. Whilst I wish it was league it at least gives me a legitimate international game to watch that I enjoy. I don't hate soccer but it would be great to have another sport with a similar sort of global competition (I realise nothing will ever come close to matching soccer).

For the record I love league and will always support it both locally and internationally I'm just realistic about our standing in international sport.

It would be silly to think we can catch up to Union, they have a head start, momentum and money, but what we'd all like to see is gradual improvement and expansion on our own terms. More than enough room in the world for both sports to be successful.

We don't need to "beat" Union but if RL doesn't keep growing and stay in the fight, Union can certainly beat us.

 

[BODISGOD]

Lol, NRL is the best club Rugby comp in the world of either code. Not delusional at all.

It's patently delusional.

Why would ESPN start broadcasting the NRL just now? They've had 35 years to do it (they may have broadcast it at times, but not that I recall). Australia unfortunately, is in a terrible timezone to attract in the Americas and Europe. As others have said though you are trying to work off the recognition of "rugby" (of either code) and bring them to the NRL, not grow the sport internationally. Because the sport with the money and infrastructure worldwide is rugby union and if someone rocks up to play rugby worldwide, they are far more likely to end up at a rugby union club. So even if they catch some NRL and love it, they can end up going straight into the arms of rugby union.

I'm not going to argue about what the best rugby competition is worldwide. That has no winners here, but your ideas on growing RL are delusional.

 

[BODISGOD]

Did a little research with Wikipedia pageviews.

Average pageviews per day in July 2016:
Rugby union: 1,170
Rugby sevens: 849
Rugby league: 653

Average pageviews per day since the start of the Olympics:
Rugby sevens: 24,691
Rugby union: 5,316
Rugby league: 1,831

So we've had around 3x the amount of people looking up RL that we did before, compared to around 5x as many for RU (and obviously a huge increase for 7's). This is just for the English language version of Wikipedia, I'll check out some other languages later on.

These are interesting figures. A rebrand of rugby league wouldn't necessarily damage the residual views RL is getting from the Olympics though.

 

[adamkungl]

It's patently delusional.

Why would ESPN start broadcasting the NRL just now? They've had 35 years to do it (they may have broadcast it at times, but not that I recall). Australia unfortunately, is in a terrible timezone to attract in the Americas and Europe. As others have said though you are trying to work off the recognition of "rugby" (of either code) and bring them to the NRL, not grow the sport internationally. Because the sport with the money and infrastructure worldwide is rugby union and if someone rocks up to play rugby worldwide, they are far more likely to end up at a rugby union club. So even if they catch some NRL and love it, they can end up going straight into the arms of rugby union.

I'm not going to argue about what the best rugby competition is worldwide. That has no winners here, but your ideas on growing RL are delusional.

It was a hypothetical example, wasn't the point of the argument. Espn was the first broadcaster that came to mind, I could have said Fox or Sky or anyone else.
The point was that we can and should take advantage of the name Rugby.

My ideas for growth don't involve sitting around waiting for Unions scraps. BUT since theres a spike in interest right now we would be silly not to take advantage.

 

[Knownothing]

My ideas for growth don't involve sitting around waiting for Unions scraps. BUT since theres a spike in interest right now we would be silly not to take advantage.

It's a two-edged sword, mate, cuts both ways.


The likelihood is that any publicity using the name "rugby" outside existing RL heartlands is likelier than not to benefit RU.

 

[adamkungl]

It's a two-edged sword, mate, cuts both ways.


The likelihood is that any publicity using the name "rugby" outside existing RL heartlands is likelier than not to benefit RU.

Sure. But since we don't have any major events on at the moment and when we do they are smaller than theirs, we aren't exactly throwing fans their way.

When it comes down to it though, no good alternatives have been suggested for a rebrand even with a confusing rebrand it would be blatantly obvious to any casual observer that we are playing Rugby of some sort.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

It's patently delusional.

Why would ESPN start broadcasting the NRL just now? They've had 35 years to do it (they may have broadcast it at times, but not that I recall). Australia unfortunately, is in a terrible timezone to attract in the Americas and Europe. As others have said though you are trying to work off the recognition of "rugby" (of either code) and bring them to the NRL, not grow the sport internationally. Because the sport with the money and infrastructure worldwide is rugby union and if someone rocks up to play rugby worldwide, they are far more likely to end up at a rugby union club. So even if they catch some NRL and love it, they can end up going straight into the arms of rugby union.

I'm not going to argue about what the best rugby competition is worldwide. That has no winners here, but your ideas on growing RL are delusional.

Ok, we'll just sit back and let haters like you kill our game because of jealously.

Fraud.

 

[BODISGOD]

Ok, we'll just sit back and let haters like you kill our game because of jealously.

Fraud.

Jealous of what?

And this isn't talking about growing the game, it's about using branding

 

[BODISGOD]

Sure. But since we don't have any major events on at the moment and when we do they are smaller than theirs, we aren't exactly throwing fans their way.

When it comes down to it though, no good alternatives have been suggested for a rebrand even with a confusing rebrand it would be blatantly obvious to any casual observer that we are playing Rugby of some sort.

Which isn't a problem. History is history. That goes nowhere, it's about brand.

 

[VictoryFC]

1. Global attention lol

2. Does global attention help swimming become sports broadcasters pour billions into? Or athletics?

3. Watching 7s and believing people that do will automatically become lifelong 15s fans deserves another lol. Most of the people that watch 7s were already fans of 15s.

 

[Knownothing]

1. Global attention lol

2. Does global attention help swimming become sports broadcasters pour billions into? Or athletics?

3. Watching 7s and believing people that do will automatically become lifelong 15s fans deserves another lol. Most of the people that watch 7s were already fans of 15s.

There was an article in The Weekend Australian claiming that our new 100 metre freestyle champion is now worth $10 million. So somebody is interested in swimming.


As for the Sevens, I think you will see an upsurge in interest amongst females of all ages.


Are you in market research? If not, how do you know who watches the Sevens?