AMNRL Expansion

[Rouge_Operative]

WC qualifying could get messy, but can the RLIF tell a country they can't play an "All-Star" or select side from the new league in a friendly or exhibition match?

 

[Rouge_Operative]

Look i think niu has done a great job from the ground up getting the game started in the usa, that said david really does play the PR sell good through twitter and facebook.
It does interest me that the likes of seattle, denver and dallas are semi professional clubs it this fair dinkum or just a bit selling. The way i see it denver, dallas, seattle, las vegas and chicago seem geniune the portland side seems way off by the interest, while the orange county side is wait and see. Have seen nothing concrete for atlanta, houston, austin, milwakee, orlando, miami, tampa bay, san francisco.

Not bagging what dave has done but put it into a bit of perspective, there is still no junior comp at all bar the odd eagle tag camp. The fact is david does do good pr, but in terms of where the usa are at in developing nations russia is streaks ahead in junior development along with serbia, lebanon, wales, south africa and all pacfic nations.

Fact is we need to get off high horse and stop judging, the long term plan is a pro comp but i would settle for a decent regional set up with juniors.

There will no no pro league here for a while and I'll tell you why.

1. there is a lot more sports that are ingrained in American culture that have trouble setting up professional leagues. Lacrosse is a big one. It took years for them to take off and from what I understand they're still not profitable. Lacrosse has been here for years.

2. Rugby Union has been here longer as well and is very grounded in college. I have no love for USA Rugby and they had the opportunities to do something and squandered it the "Super League" only to have teams playing on sub-standard pitches, players eating the costs of all of the travel and lack of organization.

3. A pro league is a big jump and we need to start small first. Start small by offering things the union clubs don't offer like: stadiums no matter how small that have shower facilities, transportation to games, full kits, trained refs and touch judges..etc

The problem with rugby union is people considered it a pub game or just a bunch of drunks on a pitch. We need to stop that image and not associate with it for rugby league.

 

[spinnerhowland]

The USA Rugby League (USARL) is the source for high-level, semi-professional Rugby League competition in the USA. Formed on the principles of transparency, accountability and equal voting and equity participation by its participants, the USARL is a cooperative of the Member Clubs. The USARL will hold its inaugural season in the summer of 2011. The USARL is also committed to developing the sport of Rugby League at a grassroots level and a true focus of expanding the sport both in player numbers and in youth initiatives. This commitment embraces the sport at SEMI-professional and AMATEUR levels in an effort to further progress Rugby League.

The Axemen would like to clarify our position on two points - We will 100% support, in any way we can, the move by the AMNRL to host the Rugby League World Cup Qualifiers in the USA - AND - ALL Axemen players will be eligible and supported should they be selected for National Team duties.

 

[Evil Homer]

Do the New Jersey Knights have any affiliation to New York Knights?

 

[nadera78]

The Axemen would like to clarify our position on two points - We will 100% support, in any way we can, the move by the AMNRL to host the Rugby League World Cup Qualifiers in the USA - AND - ALL Axemen players will be eligible and supported should they be selected for National Team duties.

The AMNRL is the officially recognised governing body for the game in the USA. If they refuse to recognise this new competition then none of the players at the clubs in this comp will be eligible to play international RL.

 

[mother rucker]

The AMNRL is the officially recognised governing body for the game in the USA. If they refuse to recognise this new competition then none of the players at the clubs in this comp will be eligible to play international RL.

If that is the case then the USA Tomahawks will not have the top rugby league players in the nation playing for them. Two of the teams in the USARL are the last AMNRL grand final teams. It will be sad to do that to the USA team...

 

[Wellsy4HullFC]

The AMNRL is the officially recognised governing body for the game in the USA. If they refuse to recognise this new competition then none of the players at the clubs in this comp will be eligible to play international RL.

He's just said that the players would be available to play for the AMNRL-run national team. It doesn't matter if the USARL isn't recognised if they are playing for the recognised AMNRL national team.

 

[YANTO]

He's just said that the players would be available to play for the AMNRL-run national team. It doesn't matter if the USARL isn't recognised if they are playing for the recognised AMNRL national team.

No different than BARLA & the RFL in England ,especially with the BARLA Lions and the England Lionhearts.
Two different competitions but players are eligable to represent either national team.

BUT it all comes down to the AMNRL (or whoever the governing board is for America) to recognise the USARL as a legit competition.

 

[Wellsy4HullFC]

No different than BARLA & the RFL in England ,especially with the BARLA Lions and the England Lionhearts.
Two different competitions but players are eligable to represent either national team.

BUT it all comes down to the AMNRL (or whoever the governing board is for America) to recognise the USARL as a legit competition.

Correct.
It could come down to the people that run the AMNRL being so stubborn that they refuse to pick any of the players from the USARL, which qould seriously hamper USA's chances of qualifying for the WC.

Could open the door for Jamaica though!

 

[taipan]

Gee I hope this is not a scaled down version of Super league.I want the game to grow in the States,I just hope no more infighting prevents it from doing so.
If the USARL accelartes the sem pro and expansion of the code thought the land of the freee,I am all for it.
Therehave been too many false dawns in the past,this time I hope dawn(sic) is the real McCoy.

 

[juro]

It seems strange timing to do this at the start of a year where USA were likely to qualify for their first world cup. It puts an awful lot at risk.

As Spinner has said, his players will be allowed to play for the Tomahawks. But will the AMNRL select them? Like in the Super League War in Australia, the rival camps did not recognise the other camp's players for rep games...

 

[Evil Homer]

I don't think Niu will be petty enough to not pick certain players. He seems like a guy with the interests of RL at heart.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Arthurson and Quayle had Rl's interests at heart but it didn't stop them banning SL players from representing, and that was when there was still only one comp.

 

[Spitty]

I have chatted to Nui on twitter and he's indicated that maybe this could be the best thing for the game in America. He says he is going nowhere, I asked him whether the AMNRL will run a domestic comp in opposition to the USARL and he hasn't responded as yet.

All indication are he is working hard toward the world cup qualifiers.

 

[Rampart66]

I'm sure that the AMNRL will have a 2011 season. There are new teams and they deserve a chance move forward.

In every major American sports league, there has been a competing league that has only made the overall product stronger.

NFL/AFL, NBA/ABA, NL/AL, NHL/WHA

Eventually all teams merged into one league or the strongest teams were absorbed into the stronger league.

One can't say enough about the job that David Niu has done for the sport of rugby league in the United States. We wouldn't be at this point in the sport if it weren't for him and history will judge him as one of the great builders of the sport.

Who knows. In a few more years, the Grand Final may actually be the USARL champion vs. the AMNRL champion. It will be shades of the first Super Bowl in 1967 when the NFLs Packers played the AFLs Chiefs. Or the first World Series in 1903 between the NL champion Pittsburgh Pirates against the ALs Boston Pilgrims.

Each of these games turned out to be a huge turning point for the respective sports and propelled each of them in to the American forefront for years to come.

 

[juro]

Another David Niu tweet from today:

AMNRL Season XIV here we come!!

 

[jim_57]

The AMNRL is the officially recognised governing body for the game in the USA. If they refuse to recognise this new competition then none of the players at the clubs in this comp will be eligible to play international RL.

But if they don't use the other League's players they will have a diminished player pool, which would likely put them behind Jamaica in the WCQ pecking order. Looks like a Rock and a Hard place situation for Niu.

 

[adamkungl]

Hopefully they both keep expanding and have a Superbowl-like game to end each season.

 

[yakstorm]

So the team break down is as follows:

USARL:
Premier Division:
Boston 13's
D.C. Slayers
Fairfax Eagles
Jacksonville Axemen
New Haven Warriors
Philadelphia Fight
Pittsburgh Vipers
New Jersey Knights (New)
Kodiak Rugby New York (New)

Jacksonville Second Division
Jacksonville Axemen Reserves
Orlando
Daytona


AMNRL
Aston Bulls
Bucks County Sharks (Returning)
Connecticut Wildcats
New York/Northern Raiders
New York Knights
Media Mantarays (Possibly returning?)


Unconfirmed
Chicago Stockyarders / Mid West Rugby League
Dallas Dragons
Denver Wolverines
Las Vegas Blackjacks RFC
Maui Rugby
Orange County Outlaws
San Francisco Golden Gate Rugby
Seattle Force
Rose City Rugby League
Utah Rugby League

So at least the positive on just the confirmed AMNRL / USARL teams is that the number of active teams has increased from 11 this year to 17.

It will be interesting to see with the other leagues/teams which way they go and whether they will stick with the AMNRL, or try to join the USARL, or will jump between the two dependent on what suits their needs.

 

[roopy]

Some wish list items.

I'd like to see all news still going through wearerugby.

I'd like to see a website for the new comp that is a little like the NRL site in that it has pages or sections for all teams.

I'd like to see an All Stars game as a selection trial for the WC side - possibly even as a pre season game so people know who needs to be doing the extra work for the WC qualifiers. The All stars game being between the best of the AMNRL and the USARL.