David Niu leaves AMNRL

[deal.with.it]

Niu has changed his twitter bio.

Spent many years chasing and promoting a rugby ball. Soon to announce that I will be working with ball of a different kind. Stay tuned! Afl-global.com

He has been in china recently promoting arena football.

What does this mean for wc?

 

[RedVee]

AFL ??? Arena? Or Australian?

Hope this means a reunification of AMNRL & USARL is a step closer.

 

[Evil Homer]

If there are any complications for the WC then honestly it's the RLIF's own fault, they should have dealt with this two years ago.

 

[Sydney Knight]

Saw Twitter photos in China of him standing in front of welcome afl to China signs. Thought WTF then realised AFL is arena football league over there.

 

[league13]

Whilst i think it's excellent news,it's a pity Nui lost his way and things turned out the way they have.Iv'e been quick to critizise him over the last couple of years.At the same time we have him to thank fo r all his early work, in getting things started in the States.Lets hope the two outfits can now get together and move ahead for the World Cup.I feel sure there is a great future for our game there.

 

[IowaRL]

He's also listed as the President of AFL-Global on thier website. It'll be interesting to see what happens with the teams for the upcoming season, and how well it's organized.

 

[deal.with.it]

Lets not forget that although the AMNRL was run like a dictatorship, there was a board of control of the AMNRL. Rob Balachandran, Marcus Vassilakopolous, Jeff Preston and so forth. Plus, Vassy and matt elliot have shared the coaching role lately. I think it would be naive to think the AMNRL will not be in control come world cup time.

 

[Clarke]

AFL ??? Arena? Or Australian?

Hope this means a reunification of AMNRL & USARL is a step closer.

Go to the website.

It's Arena Football.

 

[papabear]

You would think some people would be happy given how much the carry on about nix being the next Joseph Stalin.

 

[RLNY]

It's arena football. AFL=Arena Football League.

 

[T Boone Pickens]

Does this mean that the leagues are any closer to unification?

 

[deluded pom?]

You would think some people would be happy given how much the carry on about nix being the next Joseph Stalin.

That's a bit harsh, Pol Pot yes but not Stalin.

 

[parraparraparra]

Great news. Hope AMNRL and USARL can merge now.

 

[Clarke]

I hope they don't.

However I hope they work together to furthe the development of the game in the US & field the strongest possible USA national team.

Would be good to see AMNRL Champions V USARL Champions in either a Rugby League Super Bowl or a USA Club Championship game.

Whichever those in America will work best for the average American to get behind & support.

 

[Fatwing15]

Does this mean that the leagues are any closer to unification?

I really don't think Nui is the main force keeping the leagues apart. I think certain teams in the USARL might feel pressue to make some concessions that they really don't want to make. My gut tells me that there are some serious power players in the USARL that really have nothing to gain by bringing the leagues together and have quite a bit to lose(influence and voting power), so there will definitely be some resistance.

Unification seems simple from the AMNRL perspective, as none of us are really hurt by a merger, maybe a little more travel, but both leagues have been good about accommodating teams and their travel restrictions.

it seems that the AMNRL's idea of a merger is bringing the leagues together similar to before the split, just with Nui's role greatly diminished and a democratic voting structure. (Seems simple enough and a fairly positive step to me, but is this enough considering the evolution of the USARL).

Not sure what the USARL's idea of a successful merger is, but I am not sure it would be as simple as the scenario above. And if they are happy with the way things are going currently, Why they would want to make a move other than just absorbing the other teams.

The two leagues have really gone in different directions regarding structure and costs, and I am not saying there is a right or wrong way of running things, but it will be really interesting to see if there is a common ground.

I can't wait for the announcement of the NEW name of the league. Will the AMNRL drop the unnesasary "M"? Will the USARL realize have the word "United" in their name makes little sense when the leagues are divided? My vote is the USSMNEBAFTPRL
(United Select States Mostly in the North East But Also in Florida That Play Rugby League) or Simply The URL "United Rugby League"

 

[IowaRL]

It will come down to what the leagues want to do in regards to the to level of competition in America. Do we have a "Super" top league with teams from each side? Do we end up with 2 top level conferences with AMNRL and USARL with a "Superbowl"?

Personally, I'd like to split teams in America into 3 categories - Major, Minor and Developing. Major teams are teams like Boston, Rhode Island, Bucks County and New York (just a few example). They play in the top level of the competition, and have to reach certain on field and off field standards. Next, Minor teams. These guys are a step down, who may not have the player depth or off field facilities, but on thier day can challenge Major teams. These guys are like Baltimore, Nova and Utah (good team, but no where near the others). Lastly, developing areas. These are places like Chicago or Orange County, who haven't played alot of full 13's games, but can still play 7's and 9's, building towards getting to the Minors. These are your Park Footy teams.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

Has Dave actually left or are people assuming he has because he is getting involved in another venture? It's not unheard of for people to do more than one project at a time.

Jean Galia started RL in France in 1934 and by 1940, got American Football a start with some decent crowds up to 15,000. I'll wait and see what David Niu himself says in regards to RL before I jump the gun.

If he has left, good luck Mr Niu with your new venture and thanks for all the hard work over the last two decades getting TTG played in the United States. Never did I think I'd watch a United States side play against my home town (population 24,000) in Australia.

Cheers for those memories alone.

 

[juro]

Hard to see Niu walking away with the world cup coming up later in the year. Surely he would wait until after that...

 

[Lone Ranger]

Does anybody know if any of the AMNRL teams operate with budgets and sponsorship commitments outside of local pubs etc? Are they able to work within a model that requires travel outside of a 100 mile area?

I am sure this will impact their ability to successfully merge on equal terms. I'm not saying the USARL teams change how they operate so it's likely the AMNRL will be required to up their game somehow. Maybe this was a sticking point all along. Does anyone have any insight on this?

 

[IowaRL]

Does anybody know if any of the AMNRL teams operate with budgets and sponsorship commitments outside of local pubs etc? Are they able to work within a model that requires travel outside of a 100 mile area?

I am sure this will impact their ability to successfully merge on equal terms. I'm not saying the USARL teams change how they operate so it's likely the AMNRL will be required to up their game somehow. Maybe this was a sticking point all along. Does anyone have any insight on this?

With most of the better AMNRL teams having played against the more distant teams in the USARL, you'd assume they had experience and financing to make the Jacksonville trek