ESL 9s

[miguel de cervantes]

If the Auckland 9s goes well we will more than likely see proposals for an ESL version.

Would it be a goer?

Ideally they would play it outside of the north, but should probably still be in England or Wales, and Wembley and Millenium are too big. A stadium around the 30-40k mark sounds good - not sure where though.

The ESL season is already too long, although this could be used to keep the broadcasters happy while dropping a round or two of the regular season.

 

[Evil Homer]

They already run a 9's circuit during the summer with reserve/junior players. The UK really doesn't need to copy everything that happens in Australia.

 

[roughyedspud]

id like the magic weekend evolve into a nines comp

 

[parraparraparra]

I'd like to see the three pools of8 clubs play each other three times. Two as 13s and one as Nines. Bottom four get eliminated and are matched up with the other divisions in a sudden death play off with the three minor premiers being able to select their opponent.

 

[roughyedspud]

jesus......why do RL fans have a knack for making simple ideas really convoluted???


a simple 16team 9s comp please....doesn't need to be any harder than that...

 

[roughyedspud]

id like to see 3 big 9's events..


the championship one 9's - 16 teams,14 champ1 teams + 2 invites (army,barla etc) held in may (blackpool)

the championship 9's - 16 teams, 12 champ teams + 4 invites (champ1 winners,3 french teams?) held in june (blackpool)

ESL 9's- 16 teams , 12 ESL teams + 4 invites ( 2 champ 9's finalists + 2 more) held in july at the man city



there...a summer 9's series

 

[Bronco Rob]

id like the magic weekend evolve into a nines comp

I agree, I think it would be more marketable and a chance to attract new fans to the game. Does the Magic Weekend actually attract new fans, I just don't see anyone new to RL sitting through 3 or 4 games a day that are 2 hours in duration? In 9's crowds would get a taste of every team and see a quicker brand of footy and fans of certain clubs might stay for most of the day rather than pissing off after their team's game is completed.

 

[deal.with.it]

Couple of things:

I agree that 9s is more marketable for new fans within a magic weekend style event. It would attract more new fans than the current magic weekend does.

I went to the Gold Coast rugby UNION 7s. It was brilliant. They only got about 20 odd thousand through the gate over the weekend, but it was a great atmosphere.

However! Just because myself, like many others, went to a rugby union 7s comp, it doesn't translate into new viewers of rugby 15s. I'd go to the 7s again, but I wouldn't go to a 15s match or watch it on TV, other than an Australian test match.

 

[roughyedspud]

deleted

 

[The Great Dane]

I think the Auckland nines promoters will want to get the ESL teams involved in the Auckland nines in some capacity in the future, so the ESL probably wont need their own.

 

[Bronco Rob]

Couple of things:

I agree that 9s is more marketable for new fans within a magic weekend style event. It would attract more new fans than the current magic weekend does.

I went to the Gold Coast rugby UNION 7s. It was brilliant. They only got about 20 odd thousand through the gate over the weekend, but it was a great atmosphere.

However! Just because myself, like many others, went to a rugby union 7s comp, it doesn't translate into new viewers of rugby 15s. I'd go to the 7s again, but I wouldn't go to a 15s match or watch it on TV, other than an Australian test match.

But the 7's is all about the party with a bit of footy on the field and at least the Nines is slightly less players than the 13 a side, 7's is basically a different sport altogether.

 

[roughyedspud]

I think the Auckland nines promoters will want to get the ESL teams involved in the Auckland nines in some capacity in the future, so the ESL probably wont need their own.

oh right so cos a couple of ESL teams might be invited theres no point us sorting our own comps out for the 48 teams that could be involved up here??


if extra slots become available in the auckland 9s next year id rather they where filled by england,france png,usa etc..than wigan,leeds,warrington etc

 

[The Great Dane]

oh right so cos a couple of ESL teams might be invited theres no point us sorting our own comps out for the 48 teams that could be involved up here??

It's pretty likely that once the Nines start to get a bit repetitive and ratings start to drop in Australia in a few years time, that they'll invite all of the ESL clubs to participate to change it up a bit.

Not just a few.

if extra slots become available in the auckland 9s next year id rather they where filled by england,france png,usa etc..than wigan,leeds,warrington etc

It's incredibly unlikely that the Auckland nines will ever invite Australia, NZ or England as international teams into the competition, so you can give up on the idea of England ever making an appearance. It's more likely that they'd give a English residents team a go, so basically an ESL dream team, but even that seem really unlikely and would only ever happen as a filler.

They might invite minnow nations at some point, but all the indicators are that the NRL is interested in making the Auckland Nines a club based competition that eventually evolves into a Big Bash esc summer league. So it's unlikely that we'll see the reincarnation of the World 7's come out of the Auckland Nines unfortunately.

BTW there're already a few rumors going around that the NRL clubs are looking to make the WCC part of the nines tournament and not a stand alone event, if they can't get rid of it completely.

 

[CC_Roosters]

id like the magic weekend evolve into a nines comp

That is a great idea. If he world club challenge doesnt evolve to include more teams in full aside version then perhaps the best 4 from each 9s comp could face off over a weekend in a neutral venue. Maybe dubai, the usa, Italy.

 

[roughyedspud]

BTW there're already a few rumors going around that the NRL clubs are looking to make the WCC part of the nines tournament and not a stand alone event, if they can't get rid of it completely.

so like my idea of the WCC game on the friday night then 9's on sat & sun?

 

[miguel de cervantes]

Yes, OK, evolve the Magic Weekend into a 9s, shared around the UK. It is true that the Magic WE should be about growing the game and 9s would be more digestible. I like that.

And also, this is why sending ESL teams to play in the Auckland 9s is not what I meant about an ESL 9s....it is a great tool to publicise the game.

"Minnow" nation teams could be included at both 9s - the PIs, SA @ Auckland, Euro minnows aplently in the ESL 9s. That would mean not playing for ESL points however.

It's actually a simple and probably very effective idea for promoting league.

 

[The Great Dane]

so like my idea of the WCC game on the friday night then 9's on sat & sun?

No literally a 9's game during the Auckland 9's that is between the NRL Premiers and the ESL premiers, maybe as the last game on the first day or after the Grand final of the Auckland Nines.

That would be the ESL premiers only participation in the event, one game of nines in Auckland then they'd go home.

 

[The Great Dane]

As expected and amazingly before the night is even over, the first reports come in pretty much confirming my suspicions of the NRL's plans for the Auckland Nines.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/02/14/nrl-nines-set-go-global

Next year's NRL Nines could go global after Super League teams expressed an interest in playing in this weekend's inaugural tournament in Auckland.


The intense interest in the inaugural NRL Auckland Nines could spawn a global event with Super League sides set to join the tournament next year.

NRL boss Dave Smith revealed on Friday Super League sides had expressed an interest in playing in this weekend's tournament but had been turned down in order to best promote the Australian competition.

Wigan have been in New Zealand in the lead-up to their World Cup Challenge clash with the Sydney Roosters next week and tournament organisers say they were stunned at the hype surrounded the shortform event.

Bradford are understood to be another side to have indicated their interest in playing at the Nines.

If expanded next year the competition could even include French side Catalans Dragons.

"We have already attracted attention and interest from the international clubs who want to be part of the format," Smith.

"We chose not to do that this year because we want to land this tournament but there is lots of interest.

"We're committed to staging the Nines in Auckland for at least three years with a two-year option and I believe the event will get bigger and bigger.

"This format has a lot of potential. Once we get through the weekend, we'll sit down with our partners and think about how we can make the event bigger and better.

"It's a serious tournament and the event is a sellout. We will have more than 100,000 people over the two days and I believe we haven't had a tournament sellout at Eden Park since 1992.

"We have really sparked the interest level for the greater good of rugby league.

"The NRL has a very clear strategy to expand the game and these are just some examples. The way Auckland has embraced rugby league shows how successful we can be if we try.

"We said we have a vision to expand the game and we are now implementing that strategy."

Before a ball has been kicked in anger, or a five point try scored, the NRL has declared the Auckland Nines a raging success.

A day before the start of the inaugural tournament, which is expected to $5 million into the local economy, you can't turn around in Auckland without being reminded about the sold-out Eden Park event.

Smith says the bold rugby league incursion into rugby union heartland has been embraced wholeheartedly by the New Zealand public.

"It's amazing, it's outside our wildest expectation the way it has been received," Smith said.

"The city is absolutely on fire. There is a real energy behind the event.

"I don't think there is anyone in New Zealand who isn't aware rugby league has come to Auckland."

 

[miguel de cervantes]

I'm very sceptical.

Flying all these teams around the world at the start of their regular season to play maybe an hour of football?

This would bump the cost up a huge amount amongst other problems.

Would anyone dare suggest the NRL teams fly out for an hour of football in the north of England? I didn't think so.

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

Yeah, I agree. Just let the ESL have their own.

End of the day, there needs to be an international tournament of this. International teams. It would be awesome. Even just a European one.