US Professional Rugby League Coming Soon!!

[Evil Homer]

League has to work hard at not being tarred with the same brush as Rugby? League is Rugby.

It's 'rugby' + 100 years development. I've found that the single biggest obstacle stopping widespread enjoyment of the game is Rugby Union, especially living in a non-heartland area in England a lot of the time people are unwilling to give RL a try because they saw the 'rugby' (6 nations) on TV and thought it was boring. We absolutely need to distinguish ourselves from RU, which shouldn't be too hard in America as nobody is really familiar or has any bias towards 'rugby' of either code.

 

[Cheby]

It's 'rugby' + 100 years development. I've found that the single biggest obstacle stopping widespread enjoyment of the game is Rugby Union, especially living in a non-heartland area in England a lot of the time people are unwilling to give RL a try because they saw the 'rugby' (6 nations) on TV and thought it was boring. We absolutely need to distinguish ourselves from RU, which shouldn't be too hard in America as nobody is really familiar or has any bias towards 'rugby' of either code.

There is a bias in the USA rugby community toward union because that is how everyone gets started in college. That isn't to say that most of the country even knows that there are two codes of rugby. Most people I come across say something along the lines of "Oh, is that like football without pads?"

 

[Coastbloke]

Jeez, I'd love for tonight TV news bulletins to latch on to the News Ltd story - as long as it is positive..

 

[Brutus]

I think what Rugby League USA is trying to achieve is exciting stuff for the sport in our region (Atlantic). I think there is a lot of work being done that many are not aware of and we all might be in for a pleasant surprize. A professional Rugby League comp. would cause interest in the sport to explode further in Jamaica and tempt other islands to pick up the sport.
People laughed at us when we said we would start playing League in Jamaica, its been 5 years. The poetential is unlimited...maybe one day Jamaican club in the professional US league...mm its a time for big dreams fellas.

Maybe we can get Steve Folkes coaching the Jamaican RL team.

 

[Big Picture]

Lock it in people- Philadelphia, New York, BOSTON, Jacksonville, DENVER and Los Angeles...

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/nrl/story/0,27074,25248078-14823,00.html

A few weird teams there. Dont think anyone picked Denver. Boston is going from nothing to a lot at speed as well. Forst their new AMNRL team, then a year later a professional team.

And from the looks of it they are looking for expats. Interesting...

None of them are weird. They're all major cities, though Jacksonville's a bit smaller than the others. They'll all be new teams too, it remains to be seen how many current AMNRL players will step up to the new league. If it goes ahead it could be exciting.

 

[Dave The Maori]

It's 'rugby' + 100 years development. I've found that the single biggest obstacle stopping widespread enjoyment of the game is Rugby Union, especially living in a non-heartland area in England a lot of the time people are unwilling to give RL a try because they saw the 'rugby' (6 nations) on TV and thought it was boring. We absolutely need to distinguish ourselves from RU, which shouldn't be too hard in America as nobody is really familiar or has any bias towards 'rugby' of either code.

last weeks game between wales and ireland had a peak audience of 7.3 million on bbc . :roll:

 

[Dave The Maori]

None of them are weird. They're all major cities, though Jacksonville's a bit smaller than the others. They'll all be new teams too, it remains to be seen how many current AMNRL players will step up to the new league. If it goes ahead it could be exciting.

there is a large rugby community in utah .

 

[Evil Homer]

last weeks game between wales and ireland had a peak audience of 7.3 million on bbc . :roll:

Exactly, 7.3 mil exposed to that garbage.

 

[Dave The Maori]

Exactly, 7.3 mil exposed to that garbage.

:lol: like the 90,000 who were at the mcg last night for the afl ?

 

[coach]

Rugby League finally lands in US

EXCLUSIVE by Dean Ritchie | March 27, 2009 12:00am

FAST forward to America's Independence Day, 2010. Fireworks light up the sky, The Star Spangled Banner blares around the field - and a game of rugby league breaks out. And not just any game, but the first US Grand Final featuring players who are household names in the NRL.


This isn't a pipe dream, it's going to happen, with a US professional rugby league competition to be announced within weeks.

After almost 40 years of trying, rugby league is about to kick off in the Land of Opportunity.

Competition commissioner and former St George halfback David Niu told The Daily Telegraph that the US league would kick off on March 12 next year and the championship final would be played on July 4, Independence Day.

It will involve eight teams from eight different cities and each club will have a 22-man playing roster for a tournament to be played over 14 weeks - seven home games and seven away matches.

Franchises are already set for Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Denver, Jacksonville and Boston.

"We want to build a comp and we might only have one chance here to develop a professional game," Niu said.

"It would give players the chance to play league outside Europe.

"We would be looking at players towards the end of their careers, players who have maybe been internationals. We could offer a new experience. They could help grow a new sport in a different country."

Niu believes attracting top-level coaches from Australia was crucial.
"We want world-class coaches," Niu said. "The players over here have tremendous raw talent but some of the skills are missing. But there are athletes everywhere."

Brian Lowe, from American Rugby News, believes rugby league would be a hit in the US after rugby union's failure to break into the market.

"The fact of the matter is that while league possesses all the qualities the football fan craves, it's also a much faster game with fewer stoppages," Lowe said.

"Although those purists might not like to hear it, rugby union is way too stop-start, it's way too over-officiated, and it has become a kick-fest. Rugby league, on the other hand, offers end-to-end action, big hits, and for the most part is played at breakneck speed."

Bulldogs halfback Brett Kimmorley would love to play a season in the US.
"A lot of blokes would jump at the chance to play in America," he said.
"It would be awesome."


http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/sport/nrl/story/0,26799,25248078-5006066,00.html


In my opinion it is a pipe dream. I would love to see it happen but I just don't see this type of competition getting going let alone being any sort of success.

Like it or not most Americans think of Rugby League as being Rugby as in Rugby Union. There is just no motivation there for them to change there thinking. American are very insular and if it doesn't relate to there country then they don't care about it. It has often been said that the USA is 50 different countries put together. Many people don't care what happens in the next county, let alone the next state or any where else around the world. That carries through to there sports.

Right now all we are getting is talk and that just coming from Niu himself. I have searched the websites of all the US major papers and sporting websites and I have found nothing, nothing at all, not even a hint of some announcement pending.

The running time of the competition falls in to the start of the Baseball season and the closing of the Basketball. Those professional sports and College basketball will totally dominate the sporting news.

While it would be great if it happened I really don't see it doing so.

 

[coach]

US National Rugby League
NRL USA MAKES HEADLINES DOWNUNDER The NRL USA has created a huge amount of interest at the center of the Rugby League Universe in Australia. With the premiere Rugby League competition that boasts the greatest players in the world, news of the developing professional league in America has bumped the local action off the back sports page, with an American news story featuring the soon to launch pro league making headlines.


Read the Daily Telegraph article: Rugby League finally lands in US

http://www.nrlus.com/


Right now I think making headlines in the USA is much more important then making them here in Australia

 

[Copa]

A rugby league version of US Pro-cricket?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro_Cricket

 

[XIII]

that article 2 above is the worse sort of thing you could imagine. it doesnt say its planned it says it will happen. uppercut for the thicko who wrote it. oh this sport makes me want to pull my hair out some times.

 

[cumberlandsashes81]

Right now I think making headlines in the USA is much more important then making them here in Australia

What did you expect? It hasn't even been officially launched or announced yet. No US media outlets are going to report on rumours involving a sport most Americans have ever heard of...? the only reason it's making headlines in Australia is because an RL journalist has gotten wind of the developing story.

If no one takes any notice when it is officially unveiled then we can stick the boot in.

 

[westie]

How about the "exclusive". It's been in the news for weeks now. f**k, the Canberra times ran it last week.

 

[aussie_q_factor]

I hope it is a resounding success. Tough nut crack the US market, but definitely worth a shot.

No doubt there will be plenty of people death riding this and, as usual, the majority of them will be from within Rugby League. It is quite sad how so many incredibly selfish people running this great game of ours have stunted its growth. Criminal if you ask me.

Anyway, all the best to those waving the Rugby League flag in US!

 

[roopy]

David Niu has been working towards this for over 10 years and has at least one failed attempt behind him (the USRL 'Sunshine State challenge' disaster of 2000).
There are several highly credentialed businessmen in the AMNRL setup, including Robert Balachandran, who has been CEO of the Hudson river Park Trust - an entity many, many times the size of the NRL (he was in charge of the World Trade Centre precinct at the time it was blown up).
I won't say this is 100% sure to work, but i will say these guys will have done plenty of homework and will release a brilliant business plan with all the i's dotted and t's crossed.

One of Many business bios of Robert Balachandran that can be found on the net. It fails to mention he toured Australia with the American Tomahawks twice as a player and once as an administrator, and is most familiar to Aussie League fans as the guy who did a dance when the Tomahawks were lined up before a game V Saints Legends and they played 'When the Saints come marching in'. He also commentated during the Tomahawks v Kangaroos game.
http://www.renewnyc.com/displaynews.aspx?newsid=c6b63a8c-2b60-4f69-8ca3-3d27b33d6b6b

 

[Shorty]

I saw this on foxsports and got really excited.
This is pretty big.

 

[adamkungl]

Dean Ritchie is a nuffie...he probably read about it on here...

 

[Poul]

Lock it in people- Philadelphia, New York, BOSTON, Jacksonville, DENVER and Los Angeles...

A few weird teams there. Dont think anyone picked Denver. Boston is going from nothing to a lot at speed as well. Forst their new AMNRL team, then a year later a professional team.

And from the looks of it they are looking for expats. Interesting...

The franchise selections are interesting, especially Denver and Boston, and it will be even more interesting to see where the final 2 franchises are located. I guess LA was chosen because it is a big city (2nd or 3rd? in US)and gives the League "national" credentials with a presence in the union's most populous state, California. Also there is a large Aussie, Kiwi, Pcific Islands and Pom ex-pat communities in California, who may provide a viewing market and even player base for this franchise. I would think that it may be easier to attract Aussie and Kiwi professionals to relocate to LA than perhaps the East Coast. Denver, I think is a major airline transport hub, and I believe the city is a relative "stronghold" for the union code.
Boston is also a big? city and gives the League a wide spraed along the East Coast. So where wil the 2 final franchises come from? Presently the AMNRL "stronghold" is based in Connecticut and Philadelphia. I would think that Norwalk and New Haven Ct are perhaps a bit small to have their own franchise, although maybe a bit too far from New York to act a s feeders for the NY franchise. So maybe a franchise for Ct's largest? town, Hartford? I think the final franchise should be located in the nation's capital, with the DC Slayers and Fairfax Eagles to cat as the feeder teams. I know that the franchises do not necessarily have to be loated where the current AMNRL teams are located, but i would think taht those teams sholud at least be able to act as feeder teams, and to do so would need to be in reasonabkle proximity to the franchise team.
I really hope this gets off the ground, and if it does I'll be looking at getting over to Philly again to see the inaugural US National Rugby League Championship Final.