even if the west comp starts up it will have to run as a seperate league anyway. there is no money for these teams to travel cross country every other weekend. so ultimately you are going to end up with 3 leagues if it takes off and its a big if due to the fact that it has been promised for at least 6 years now
Pennpool hit the nail on the head. There is very little money for clubs to operate here in the US and we have to compete with other sports that are more popular (baseball, lacrosse, soccer(football)) and we come in last place when it comes to sponsors willing to give money and time. Soccer gets a lot of sponsorship money from construction companies because a lot of people that play in amateur leagues in my area are from Latin American and a lot are laborers. Baseball/softball are "American Pastimes" and lacrosse is huge on the east coast and parts of Canada. The thing is even the MILL, or MLL, or NLL - or whatever they call themselves these days - has been attempting to turn profit on an already established sport here in the US and even they have trouble. Lacrosse in an NCAA sport, rugby league is not. In fact rugby league isn't even a college club sport like rugby union is. Some colleges help fund their rugby union programs if they do particularly well, like BYU, Utah, Penn State, Kutztown, U of Cal and so on. The IRB also gave USA Rugby an pretty decent infusion of cash to help popularize the sport here, what the hell they did with it is anyone's guess.
Rugby League is not very known and a lot that play rugby union in college aren't familiar with it or if they are they don't like it - and they don't know why, they've just been told to hate it so they do.
Areas with established clubs have to compete with a lot of activities and have to deal with established union clubs that run 7's programs here in states. A lot of union clubs are apprehensive on sending players over in the summer to play league and think we're "stealing" players from their 7's programs even if most don't or won't play 7's a day in their lives.
So to make rugby league work here it's my opinion you have to start smaller and offer something unions clubs do not offer. Playing on a pitch with showers after the game is a start. So is clubs being able to provide transport to games. Offering full kits, a chance to play on a decent pitch with grass in a stadium is another one. You have to start with the basics and then you'll bring people over. We accomplish those things - regardless if it's the USARL or AMNRL - then we've accomplished more than USA rugby ever have.
Grandiose ideas of starting a professional paid league here in the US with stadiums, tv rights, and large sponsors is all well and good but without a footing it's all a pipe dream.
When we have teams canceling games or cannot commit a full side to a game in a supposedly semi-pro league we have a problem.
