18th club, whose next?

[Vee]

These are worrying times. As yet, there is no effective vaccine.

The Queensland government should close the border to Vic migrants and quarantine any who slip through until they are clear of the AFL virus.

Wellcamp's not being used atm.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

This. Area will be (& is currently) a heavily populated urban area only behind Melbourne - Geelong & Newcastle through to Wollongong. NRL dominating two of these three is massive advantage

Yep, NSW & QLD is more than 50% of the population. Yes, I believe the NRL should expand nationally, but we should also grow with our heartlands. There is a reason why the AFL have to piss millions up against the wall to prop up the Lions, Suns and GWS. They absolutely need a foothold in NSW and QLD way more than we need a foothold in WA & SA.

 

[Perth Red]

Yep, NSW & QLD is more than 50% of the population. Yes, I believe the NRL should expand nationally, but we should also grow with our heartlands. There is a reason why the AFL have to piss millions up against the wall to prop up the Lions, Suns and GWS. They absolutely need a foothold in NSW and QLD way more than we need a foothold in WA & SA.

$643mill to $402mill and sht load more in sponsorship would suggest you may be wrong there.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

If we add Perth as the 18th team then we've got every metro market -- bar Adelaide -- covered. That's progress and will make the game stronger.

 

[Ride the Lion to Zion]

Just been doing some online research on the state of league and afl in southern NSW. Isn’t pleasant reading. In group 9 Wagga brothers have announced that they will be init be in first grade this year following the announcement Junee will return. Afl has consolidated in the region and it’s generally believed has an advantage over league now. Happily it appears that the nrl particularly the Raiders are putting more effort into the area. This is what happens when you rest on your laurels and take things for granted.

RL shouldn't just see grass roots activity as a source of players for the pro game. Participation is vital to maintain or grow the fanbase.

Historically, English pro RL clubs tended to see Union as the game to play, League as the game to watch. This short-sighted presumption bred criminal complacency and neglect of amateur and junior League.

NRL clubs still indulge such idle thinking in NZ. Their scouts are far more interested in schoolboy Union than junior League. Journos at NRL.com seem barely aware that League has ever been played in NZ.

We have to be realistic that the percentage of the population willing and able to play Tackle RL in Western countries is relatively small and likely to get smaller. RL should be treated and delivered as a contact/non-contact package. Tackle is our mass spectator form, Tag/Touch is our mass participation form.

Continual emphasis of non-contact RL by V'landys and Abdo has been the most encouraging aspect of their leadership.

 

[Pneuma]

RL shouldn't just see grass roots activity as a source of players for the pro game. Participation is vital to maintain or grow the fanbase.

Historically, English pro RL clubs tended to see Union as the game to play, League as the game to watch. This short-sighted presumption bred criminal complacency and neglect of amateur and junior League.

NRL clubs still indulge such idle thinking in NZ. Their scouts are far more interested in schoolboy Union than junior League. Journos at NRL.com seem barely aware that League has ever been played in NZ.

We have to be realistic that the percentage of the population willing and able to play Tackle RL in Western countries is relatively small and likely to get smaller. RL should be treated and delivered as a contact/non-contact package. Tackle is our mass spectator form, Tag/Touch is our mass participation form.

Continual emphasis of non-contact RL by V'landys and Abdo has been the most encouraging aspect of their leadership.

This is 100% correct

 

[Ride the Lion to Zion]

Wellcamp's not being used atm.

Queensland could move the whole Vic migrant business offshore to Nauru. Apparently Aussie Rules is the most popular sport there.

Bit cruel, but could work quite well as aversion therapy. Out of the frying pan, into the fire.

 

[Wb1234]

Oops

 

[Ride the Lion to Zion]

Forget Perth looks like St Helens for Team 18

Plenty of away fans.

Maybe don't have to wait for Team 18. Just beam them straightaway into Kogarah. Might get bigger crowds. Certainly more atmosphere.

 

[Perth Red]

Plenty of away fans.

Maybe don't have to wait for Team 18. Just beam them straightaway into Kogarah. Might get bigger crowds. Certainly more atmosphere.

I liked that the 1000 St's fans sounded ten times louder than the 13k Panthers fans lol

 

[The Penguin #6.]

This is 100% correct

 

[The Penguin #6.]

RL shouldn't just see grass roots activity as a source of players for the pro game. Participation is vital to maintain or grow the fanbase. Historically, English pro RL clubs tended to see Union as the game to play, League as the game to watch. This short-sighted presumption bred criminal complacency and neglect of amateur and junior League. NRL clubs still indulge such idle thinking in NZ. Their scouts are far more interested in schoolboy Union than junior League. Journos at NRL.com seem barely aware that League has ever been played in NZ. We have to be realistic that the percentage of the population willing and able to play Tackle RL in Western countries is relatively small and likely to get smaller. RL should be treated and delivered as a contact/non-contact package. Tackle is our mass spectator form, Tag/Touch is our mass participation form. Continual emphasis of non-contact RL by V'landys and Abdo has been the most encouraging aspect of their leadership.

I think this is just the beginning (see below).
All contact sports are going to need a non-contact version of the game, especially in schools.
We`ve got one, they don`t.

Sydney all-girls school bans Australian football

'What we found concerned us'

wwos.nine.com.au

Elite all-girls school in Sydney bans students from playing Australian football.​

 

[Perth Red]

Touch football is a massive vehicle for us. Dave smith splashing the cash to bring it closer to NRL was a great move. We just need to keep working on the connections. I very much doubt the NRL uses the Touch football players contacts for marketing etc. Certainly in the expansion states its not used to push rugby league at all that I can see. Why the state bodies of touch and RL arent in the same building as a start point around the country is beyond me!

It is a great sport for kids ticking all the physical activity kpi's schools are looking for, its intergender and should be pushed to be a sport in every school in Australia!

 

[The Penguin #6.]

But it`s far from just Touch. There`s almost a pathway in Touch, Tag and League-Tag, with each representing a step closer to the tackle version.
I`ve had an interest in the potential of this for 30 years (from a time that I stood at a playing field in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney with literally hundreds of Touch participants and thought Rugby League should be all over this) and even just watching the pre-season tournament this year I`ve heard player`s Touch/Tag credentials being mentioned more than I`ve ever heard in the past.
Long may it continue to live and prosper.

 

[Wb1234]

If contact sports are banned in schools we would be fairly ok given that firstly we aren’t even played in most private schools anyway and the real action is playing for your club on the weekend

but it would kill rugby union overnight and would hurt afl too

all this bs about contact sports and ufc is on track to become one of the biggest sports in the world

 

[Perth Red]

If contact sports are banned in schools we would be fairly ok given that firstly we aren’t even played in most private schools anyway and the real action is playing for your club on the weekend

but it would kill rugby union overnight and would hurt afl too

all this bs about contact sports and ufc is on track to become one of the biggest sports in the world

Not in participation and only within a specific demographic.
If anything nfl is the best example that you don’t need to have a large participation level in the sport to have a big fanbase. They do benefit from being in a massive population country though.

 

[taipan]

Queensland could move the whole Vic migrant business offshore to Nauru. Apparently Aussie Rules is the most popular sport there.

Bit cruel, but could work quite well as aversion therapy. Out of the frying pan, into the fire.

The island was a former Seagull sh*t mining area.Maybe there is a correlation between phosphate and AFL just saying. Both crappy?

 

[The Great Dane]

Not in participation and only within a specific demographic.
If anything nfl is the best example that you don’t need to have a large participation level in the sport to have a big fanbase. They do benefit from being in a massive population country though.

Yep, and soccer in the USA, Canada, Australia, etc, is the best example that large participation numbers don't necessarily equal big fanbases. There're other examples as well, such as field hockey, lacrosse, water polo, the various touch/flag football codes, etc, being global sports with strong participation rates that have either struggled or totally failed to ever produce commercially successful professional leagues.

There's definitely a correlation between participation and the support base of professional leagues, but the argument for causation is shaky at best.

There's much stronger evidence for pop culture influence, e.g. celebrity supporters and endorsements, video games, movies, etc, leading directly to growth in the support base of professional leagues/teams than there is in participation.

None of that is to say that the NRL/RL shouldn't look to increase it's participation rates though.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Yep, and soccer in the USA, Canada, Australia, etc, is the best example that large participation numbers don't necessarily equal big fanbases. There're other examples as well, such as field hockey, lacrosse, water polo, the various touch/flag football codes, etc, being global sports with strong participation rates that have either struggled or totally failed to ever produce commercially successful professional leagues.

There's definitely a correlation between participation and the support base of professional leagues, but the argument for causation is shaky at best.

There's much stronger evidence for pop culture influence, e.g. celebrity supporters and endorsements, video games, movies, etc, leading directly to growth in the support base of professional leagues/teams than there is in participation.

None of that is to say that the NRL/RL shouldn't look to increase it's participation rates though.

The Madden Football games from the 1990s helped the NFL grow their audience around the world. I learnt how the game is played via those games.

 

[Pippen94]

Not in participation and only within a specific demographic.
If anything nfl is the best example that you don’t need to have a large participation level in the sport to have a big fanbase. They do benefit from being in a massive population country though.

High school & college football over there are something else