Emerging Nations?

[billy2]

Raising money to send a team away would not take a thing away from any domestic efforts.

Sponsers and individuals will give money to support a national team going to a tournament, and that would actually encourage them to chip in for the local team as well.

There isn't just one pool of money that can either be spent on the national team or the local comp. If anything, the national team going on tour gives the local comp more credibility and more chance to raise money.

 

[docbrown]

Just have an open invite for an Emerging Nations comp. If teams can't afford it then they won't go.

 

[NRL-TGG]

I'm just struggling to understand why a purported international RL fan would advocate developing nations spending what meagre resources they have so that they can send a bunch of amateur players to England to participate in an ultimately meaningless tournament?

Cheers.

 

[judah]

For Canada, I think the international program and domestic program work in tandem. We need a strong domestic program to spread our game and lift our national team, while we need a strong national program to to gain funding and encourage players to play domestically. The money we would need to raise to attend such a tournament would not affect our domestic game as we have different sources of revenue for each program. It would be a challenge to raise the necessary funds, but we wouldn't be taking away from the domestic program.

 

[yakstorm]

So, teams like Aus, NZ etc should have their trips paid for, but not the minnow nations? Rich get richer, poor get poorer...

Actually Australia & NZ have to pay their own way to the World Cup, just like they pay their own way for Four Nations tournaments and so on. It's nations like the USA, Tonga and PNG who get their airfares paid for.

This is one of the reasons the NZRL want to maximise their revenues before World Cup years, because the only income they'll get from a World Cup is prize money.

Have a go at the big 3 as much as you want, but at least in terms of the World Cup its impressive they've given up their share of TV and sponsorship revenues, they also pay for their own travel costs and so on. It's these sacrifices that they've made that means we can afford to hold World Cups... it also means we unfortunately can't afford as a game to hold the Emerging Nations tournaments in addition to Student, Womens and Police World Cups.

 

[langpark]

It's not that I'm having a go at the top nations, there's no doubt that there'd be no tournament therefore no revenue without them. But where there's a will there's a way, and if we wanted to help them out we could. These nations could do their own fundraising efforts, coupled with some help from the 'higher powers'.

Here's just one example off the top of my head: Add a $1 levy to all NRL memberships, and there you have roughly $160,000...

It would be great for players (especially younger ones) to experience a WC, the pinnacle of our game, as spectators, then on non-match days, to play themselves.

You can't tell me that staging a match at the likes of Castleford, Keighley, Wakefield, York, Featherstone would break the bank! Charge 5 quid entry and you'll get over 1000 to most matches...

In fact, that's what I'd do, I'd make the emerging nations an U20 competition, maybe with 3 over-age players per team...

 

[deluded pom?]

How much would a fifty cent levy on all NRL games admission realise? Similar with the SLE.

 

[docbrown]

Honestly, I don't know what the NRL gives now (I'm guessing not much) but surely they can scrape together some cash out of the new broadcast deal.

The NRL needs to be looking after the Southern Hemisphere/Pacific countries - it opens up a larger player pool. Surely a few million a year for this purpose is feasible. Help fund development officers & management plus subsidise travel cost so that there can be regular internationals.

 

[Desiderio]

Raising money to send a team away would not take a thing away from any domestic efforts.

Sponsers and individuals will give money to support a national team going to a tournament, and that would actually encourage them to chip in for the local team as well.

There isn't just one pool of money that can either be spent on the national team or the local comp. If anything, the national team going on tour gives the local comp more credibility and more chance to raise money.

Exactly, that's a proper way for emerging nations to get some recognition and publicity in there own countries. not to mention what would that kind of experience mean for a players involved. that is the candy at the end of the road for an amateur player.

 

[RedVee]

T he national team for the emerging nations is quite likely to be the factor that brings notice to the game rather than the local comp.

 

[Perth Red]

Shame they couldn't have made them warm up games for the main events. Offer 25k a nation to help with costs and the nation pays the rest. 250k is a worthwhile investment.

 

[Steve Davy]

Raising money to send a team away would not take a thing away from any domestic efforts.

Sponsers and individuals will give money to support a national team going to a tournament, and that would actually encourage them to chip in for the local team as well.

There isn't just one pool of money that can either be spent on the national team or the local comp. If anything, the national team going on tour gives the local comp more credibility and more chance to raise money.

International games are a huge commitment in time, money and effort. Guys who have to work for a living and have families give up much of their time, so it is not just a question of whether the time and money would be worth it, but also if there is that much to give.

A few internationals are a great think, they get more talented players involved and can be festivals of rugby league in a strange land. They also bring some sponsorship opportunities. However, it is hard to describe how immensely stressful they are, particularly if key people find work and family commitments increase at the same time.

There is only so much time and so much effort. For a nation in the north of Europe to spend money on flights, transport, and get commitments to spend holiday time away from family is not easy. The audience will not be in your native land, so direct increases in exposure will be minimal.

The same level of effort, time and money could have an international game in the home land with a large crowd being introduced to the game and a large number of training sessions in schools.