AMNRL Expansion

[RedVee]

Guys, there is some stuff going on but there are TWO sides to every story - we are NOT about to start a smear campaign on twitter or facebook about any of this. We will release a statement soon in regards to this very soon.
I need to make it clear that all of this is NOT an Axemen lead directive and NOT something that I am in charge of. We (the Axemen) are just one of 6 of the AMNRL clubs who have EQUALLY asked for some changes in the AMNRL - sorry guys, I am not about to compromise our integrity and post details here on the forum - you are all welcome to send a note at the CONTACT US on the Axemen website and I will add your name to the email list so you get any info we release will come to you. We are NOT going to start a twitter or facebook deal with this - we had done all we could to keep this an internal approach to the AMNRL to keep the integrity of the game safe and we will continue that approach

Done.

Thanks mate - at the moment kinds words of support are few. I am sure it will all be revealed soon. Yes it is tough to keep quiet with all that is being said and directed at me, but our approach was a professional one and I plan on keeping it directed as progress for RL in the USA.
I don't really feel the need to respond to assumption (or perceptions) to be honest, we feel that the achievements of the Axemen are our resume and that speaks for us. We have ALWAYS put the game first and done everything we can to help promote RL and the AMNRL.

Mate, Please keep going with your approach to growing RL in the US.
I have been watching from afar for years and adopted the Slayers as my team (being a St George supporter). I must say though that your organisation seems to be head and shoulders above all but 1 or 2 of the other teams.

I have been and continue to be hugely impressed.

 

[bobmar28]

Keep up the good work. I will keep checking the Axemen website for future developments

 

[CQ Italia]

When does the RLIF review the organising bodies in control in each country?
could it by time for a change in the usa just like italia and russia ?

There has been a change in Italy (confident there will be a very positive one for the future of Italia RL) - but will make it clear IRFL is unsanctioned.

What AMNRL should clearly do (if needed) is look at all the suggestions and ways to improve - accept Constructive Criticism and feedback from their clubs.

 

[deal.with.it]

The axeman are my preferred team in the AMNRL and are probably the most professional.
It is a wonder than Niu and Vass have cracked the sh*ts with Spinner.
The amount of time he had put in with the atlantic cup shows his committment to us rl.
Agree that AMNRL needs to consider all options and find a sollution.
The more AMNRL success driven people the better.
Would be great to hear from Niu and Vass about their perspective of the matter, and how there is a "rat" or "backstabber".
Their twitter updates arent helping!

 

[MR KNIGHT]

Believe me, when it comes out exactly what happened, people will see that it is David Niu has taken the high road FOR A VERY LONG TIME

The treachery that has gone on makes the Superleague/ARL stuff look like a fairytale.

EVERY team in the AMNRL has recieved immense and unpublicized help from David Niu and the AMNRL. The only difference is instead of grandstanding David Niu goes about the buisness of developing Rugby League for Rugby League. Not trying to chase a quick buck or fame that he never had.

Every team over here owes its existence to David Niu. He doesn't ask for money or thanks, just to develop and play the game the right way for the right reasons.

David Niu has not made a dollar of Rugby League here in the states. The AMNRL is an ameteur comp. No one has given more and gotten less.

I have been around Rugby League a long time in Australia and the US and you will not find a more competant and generous Rugby League man than David Niu. The Rugby League world and the decision makers in international Rugby League know this.

Ask any "name" that has been over here and they will say it. Ask David Gallup, ask Russell Crowe, ask Graeme Annesley, ask Shane Richardson, ask Daniel Wagon, ask John Cartwright, ask Matt Elliot, ask Brian Smith, ask Craig Bellamy, ask Mark Maguire, ask Matt Johns, ask Adrian Morley and these are off the top of my head, people who have seen first hand what has been done here for over 17 years.

What some people attempted to do him was way out of order. It really is disappointing.

If anyone in this forum believes in trust, mateship, loyalty, selflessness and honour they are going to be disappointed. Thats funny - I just described all the characteristics you look for in Rugby League. I am glad I have nothing to do with these people.

 

[deluded pom?]

The truth will out in the end. I just hope the game of RL in the USA is not damaged irreparably once the dust has settled.

 

[juro]

Niu has obviously done immense good for rugby league in the USA. Without him, people who have followed in his footsteps would have had a much harder task to achieve what they have.

Spinner has obviously done immense good for rugby league in Jacksonville. Seeing how he has made his team so professional, how he has developed a local following with healthy crowds, how he has brought international games to the region, how he has made the team part of the community, ... is very impressive. Other teams could no doubt learn a lot about how to run their operations from Spinner.

Making this a Niu vs Spinner exercise is hopefully a very simplified and flawed picture of what is going on. Sitting on the other side of the world with only second-hand (or worse) evidence on which to make judgements does not help me.

I just hope that everyone involved with management of the clubs and the league remember that the game is bigger than any one man. Now is not the time for egos to take over. The game is still too small for anyone to cash in. It needs many more years of careful development before that day arrives.

I guess we interested observers will just have to wait until some more details meet the light of day... and hope that decisions are made for the right reasons...

 

[MR KNIGHT]

Lets also be clear on more thing.

This is not a Jacksonville thing. This was a movement of a few people from six clubs. Most people from those clubs did not know what was going on. They were not informed. Many of them are disturbed and dismayed at what happened.

Some of these people have worked here in rugby league for a while. Others are fly by nighters and oppurtunists. One of the lead guys has NEVER done a thing for rugby league. Never been involved or even watched a game.

It will be interesting how long these people last in bed together.I suppose you live by the sword you die by the sword.

The true Rugby League men will hopefully prevail and as always keep pushing s##t uphill to make something for the game here.

 

[roopy]

It seems to me that the AMNRL needs to set up some sort of democratic process for stakeholders to have their say in an open and organised fashion.
This sort of thing could rip the game apart, and I think the way the league is organised now means power struggles will happen again and again.
This isn't anti Nui, I think he has done a great job and is the best man for the future. I just think the organisation needs to be more inclusive if this sort of thing is to be avoided.

 

[roopy]

It seems to me that the AMNRL needs to set up some sort of democratic process for stakeholders to have their say in an open and organised fashion.
This sort of thing could rip the game apart, and I think the way the league is organised now means power struggles will happen again and again.
This isn't anti Nui, I think he has done a great job and is the best man for the future. I just think the organisation needs to be more inclusive if this sort of thing is to be avoided.

 

[Poul]

It seems to me that the AMNRL needs to set up some sort of democratic process for stakeholders to have their say in an open and organised fashion.
This sort of thing could rip the game apart, and I think the way the league is organised now means power struggles will happen again and again.
This isn't anti Nui, I think he has done a great job and is the best man for the future. I just think the organisation needs to be more inclusive if this sort of thing is to be avoided.

An Independent Commission perhaps?
I would agree that David Nui has done a great job in establishing a League from scratch in the US ( where others have previously failed), and that this has been going for something like 13 seasons. As I am only operating on hearsay, it is difficult to comment fully, but I would have thought that the matters raised by this apparently aggrieved faction would have been better heard in a formal AMNRL meeting ( with one scheduled in a few weeks time?), rather than in the demanding confrontational manner that that has supposedly occurred.
I do think David Nui would be wise to listen to this faction, and for there to be at least some conciliation, as the last thing that we need in the US is for a split, or worse still for Nui to walk away from the game to leave it with an uncertain future. Rugby League was able to survive the Super League War in Australia to a large extent because it was a firmly entrenched sport. In the US can Rugby League survive if a similar split occurs? I sincerely hope that common sense prevails on all fronts.

 

[pennpool]

one thing is for sure. the way this thing is being played out on twitter is extremely unprofessional and damn right pathetic. its not making anyone look good.

 

[joshreading]

one thing is for sure. the way this thing is being played out on twitter is extremely unprofessional and damn right pathetic. its not making anyone look good.

That is a statement I THOROUGHLY agree with. It shows a level of unprofessional conduct that is disturbing. Such immature activity enforces a reality that something (whatever that is) must change.

 

[amnrlfan]

AMNRL Expansion should probably start with an updated website

 

[Hollywood Jesus]

I've always had a great respect for David based on what he has done for League in the US. Recently, I've developed a similar respect for Spinner as I've watched the Axemen grow and become a Club to be proud of.

The last thing that I would want to see is any kind of split where these two end up opposed to each other. The best path forward for League in the US has these two men working together.

However, just because David has done so much for League doesn't mean that he will always be right and that he should always get his way. Similarly, just because Spinner and the Axemen are going gangbusters these days doesn't mean that he will have the answers for a competition wide agenda.

I hope that both sides can be calm in dealing with this and look at what the other has to offer in terms of going forward and continuing to develop League in the US.

 

[amnrlfan]

I agree with you hollywood, league in the US needs these two men working together.

 

[roopy]

League needs Jacksonville.
Any other club could fold and you would lose maybe a few hundred fans from the game, but the people at jacksonville have built up a fanbase of a few thousand at least. Probably more than the rest of the comp put together.
Not just the AMNRL, but the whole league world, needs to keep the Jacksonville ball rolling.

 

[RhinoCats]

There have been grumblings for years about the way Niu runs things here, from dubious schedules and bizzare playoff rulings to his my way or the highway approach to the other teams. This has been a long time coming and will hopefully shake things up enough for the game to introduce an independent non bias leader to help the game grow.

 

[Progress]

There have been grumblings for years about the way Niu runs things here, from dubious schedules and bizzare playoff rulings to his my way or the highway approach to the other teams. This has been a long time coming and will hopefully shake things up enough for the game to introduce an independent non bias leader to help the game grow.

The AMNRL, as well as Rugby League in a whole, owes David Niu tremendous thanks…and probably much more! We all know that without his efforts the game of RL would not be played at the level it is today in America (although not the highest level, but still noteworthy).

However, over the years club teams have grown tired of his favoritism towards the Bulls, the lack of an AMNRL web presence (how many times has this been brought up?), leadership as a dictator-routine, secretive nature and now his social media unprofessional campaign (what leader(s) do you know would stoop to a twitter campaign smear?).

The league has voiced their concerns in the past and they have fallen on deaf ears. You see, this is what happens when a leader does not listen…others will rise to the occasion (or follow a different path), as they can only take so much. Instead of David embracing them, he decides to take offence along with several others.

This is an opportunity for the AMNRL to expand, beyond one man. David Niu will always be remembered as the pioneer, the one who put his time in and received little glory, the one who’s passion for the game drove him to take time away from other important things. Movies are made from this sort of thing (if Russell reads this forum, jump in!).

If you fail to realize this then, sadly, the AMNRL will never grow to its true potential.

Embrace change and you will see this league and sport grow beyond your wildest dreams. There are people ready and willing to help…with or without David Niu (although his passion and desire will not allow the without).

Hopefully, David will read this message and join in on the movement along with those who share his desire for RL in America to grow.

 

[Sam_the_man]

I can't help but wonder what would happen if Spinner took over from David. David has done a fantastic job getting the league up and running but his skill set may lie in getting something off the ground and onto a solid footing while someone else may have the skill set to take the AMNRL to the next level.
As i said i wonder if Spinner is the person to take the league to the next level. And as has been mentioned THE WEBSITE NEEDS TO BE SORTED OUT.