Expansion a waste of time & Resources

[quitpot]

There are actually people employed by the League to concentrate on nothing but expansion but I believe it is a waste of time and money. I honestly thought this would be the year common sense would come into play and games on Fridays and Sundays would played at the same time around the country. Again we see in WA, SA, TAS and Victoria delayed telecasts of these games. Having these games shown at midnight where the league is trying to expand is a joke.

If you are selling the rights to your product is it rocket science to think that the league would demand this? Foxtel get it perfect but the free air thing has been a joke for many years. Australia continues to be the worst place in the world to watch Australian sports whilst administrators are making millions running the sports. To watch these games at a realistic time I have plug my computer into the TV and watch UK TV. How many people born outside of NSW or QLD woill go that effort?

Why is this so hard for rugby league administrators to understand? This should be the number one issue with expansion. I love this game like so many others but this is ongoing frustration especially now we are in the age of digital TV.

 

[dimitri]

There are actually people employed by the League to concentrate on nothing but expansion but I believe it is a waste of time and money. I honestly thought this would be the year common sense would come into play and games on Fridays and Sundays would played at the same time around the country. Again we see in WA, SA, TAS and Victoria delayed telecasts of these games. Having these games shown at midnight where the league is trying to expand is a joke.

If you are selling the rights to your product is it rocket science to think that the league would demand this? Foxtel get it perfect but the free air thing has been a joke for many years. Australia continues to be the worst place in the world to watch Australian sports whilst administrators are making millions running the sports. To watch these games at a realistic time I have plug my computer into the TV and watch UK TV. How many people born outside of NSW or QLD woill go that effort?

Why is this so hard for rugby league administrators to understand? This should be the number one issue with expansion. I love this game like so many others but this is ongoing frustration especially now we are in the age of digital TV.

put the effort into WA, give them a team, you will see better coverage and much better viewing figures

 

[rednblack]

There are actually people employed by the League to concentrate on nothing but expansion but I believe it is a waste of time and money. I honestly thought this would be the year common sense would come into play and games on Fridays and Sundays would played at the same time around the country. Again we see in WA, SA, TAS and Victoria delayed telecasts of these games. Having these games shown at midnight where the league is trying to expand is a joke.

If you are selling the rights to your product is it rocket science to think that the league would demand this? Foxtel get it perfect but the free air thing has been a joke for many years. Australia continues to be the worst place in the world to watch Australian sports whilst administrators are making millions running the sports. To watch these games at a realistic time I have plug my computer into the TV and watch UK TV. How many people born outside of NSW or QLD woill go that effort?

Why is this so hard for rugby league administrators to understand? This should be the number one issue with expansion. I love this game like so many others but this is ongoing frustration especially now we are in the age of digital TV.

I completely agree with most of what you say, but how do your thoughts equate to expansion being a waste? They're two different arguments (one of which I think you'll find has almost unanimous agreeance within this forum).

 

[quitpot]

OK that is a good start someone taking the time and responding and saying by having an NRL team there will be greater exposure on TV But it is not true. Look at Melbourne 2 premierships and still midnight games so everyone can catch up on repeats of garbage. This on a network that does not show AFL. The mind boggles.

If you think Victoria is an AFL town go and spend a week in SA and WA. If we had officers in the Australian Army from SA and WA they would have nrl supporters in another unit and basketball supporters in another.

Nobody cares in NSW or QLD what code you follow but in WA, SA and Vic we are second class citizens if you follow league and most likely your kids will be beaten up at school. Only wish I was exaggerating.

On foxtel they have an afl channel and live games on main event in blacked out area's. Why cant the NRL or whatever it is called these days get this right? Sell it to SBS.

Until this is addressed they can put a team on the moon it will never work.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

quitpot.

 

[bobmar28]

Yes, sell it to SBS for $5. Seriously though this whole issue will be addressed with the new TV contract. And I am sure the ARL commission is taking notes about channel Nines reluctance to show the games at a reasonable hour in the southern states.

 

[Loudstrat]

Not a bad point OP. The trouble is, using TV to convert people to a new sport rarely works, all you do is get lounge lizards to change channels.

For many reasons, Game day fans and TV watchers are different breeds. Example - I am in the latter, mainly because of distance. A quick check of the Sydney Swans crowds vs viewing audiences will tell you that.

On my TV I get access to all sorts of sports, doesnt mean I am going to go to their games. If Perth is admitted, it's crowds will be drawn from expats from League areas, and if they grow it will come mainly from people somehow connected through family or frisndships of those people.

Expansion is never a waste of time. They key to expansion is to create a strong, well supported club, and not just a dot on the map because it is a long way from somewhere else.

 

[Perth Red]

I'd disagree, American Football was launched in the UK very succesfully (relatively speaking) during the 80's on the back of TV coverage, it got people playing it and going to games. I used to go to Wembley to watch the London Monarchs with 60k other people and the amateur team I played in would regularly get crowds over 500.

I do agree that without decent media coverage (and by that I mean radio, FTA and print) expansion is always going to be stunted. Only Ch9 really know why they don;t show NRL into these growth states, it has nothing to do with viewing figures so you can make your own conspiracies up as to what is motivating them to give RL such a poor deal.

Finally the NRL has to expand. It is not a question of if but when and where. That is unless you are happy continuing to play second fiddle to AFL and keep your fingers crossed that soccer or RU don't ever get their acts togther.

 

[Loudstrat]

I'm not obsessed with AFL TBH. I dont care if they suddenly get every soccer player in the world playing that stupid sport. I watch Rugby League. End of story.

I do not believe our game should go on a wild goose chase just to "beat" AFL. I believe our games strength is in the passion of it's own people. It survived the best efforts of Aristocratic England, Nazi Germany and News Ltd for over 100 years. A pipsqueak like AFL should have no bearing on what it does.

Soccer, AFL and Union can do what they like. I believe League is rock solid - unlike you who constantly fret about what AFL is doing.

BTW, we got big crowds to a gridiron match here once too. I bet they never sold an extra helmet.

And I bet ratings is EXACTLY the reason they dont show RL FTA in the non RL states primetime. Everyone in Australia knows RL. Everyone up here knows AFL too. No one is interested, so no matter how many TV programs are AFL games doesnt matter if the population is against it.

 

[KiamaSaint]

I'm not obsessed with AFL TBH. I dont care if they suddenly get every soccer player in the world playing that stupid sport. I watch Rugby League. End of story.

I do not believe our game should go on a wild goose chase just to "beat" AFL. I believe our games strength is in the passion of it's own people. It survived the best efforts of Aristocratic England, Nazi Germany and News Ltd for over 100 years. A pipsqueak like AFL should have no bearing on what it does.

Soccer, AFL and Union can do what they like. I believe League is rock solid - unlike you who constantly fret about what AFL is doing.

BTW, we got big crowds to a gridiron match here once too. I bet they never sold an extra helmet.

And I bet ratings is EXACTLY the reason they dont show RL FTA in the non RL states primetime. Everyone in Australia knows RL. Everyone up here knows AFL too. No one is interested, so no matter how many TV programs are AFL games doesnt matter if the population is against it.

I hate AFL, but after the footy on Friday night when there is nothing else on I might flick it on (yes I will admit that). That's at around 10pm not 1am though. That's the issue, Nine refuses to play Rugby League at a reasonable hour when ratings mean little. Heck I reckon Melbourne Rugby League fans would accept 10pm as opposed to the crap they get dished out at the moment.

 

[quitpot]

To compound the stupidity channel 9 in their wisdom here in Adelaide are showing the NRL footy show before the replay of the game???

 

[Perth Red]

NRL on Sunday afternoon in Perth rates better than the cr4p they replaced it with, FACT! Don;t tell me this has anything to do with ratings. You honestly believe NRL live on a 9 digital channel wouldn't rate better than the current rubbish they have on during Friday evening and Sunday afternoon?

 

[quitpot]

I remember a few years ago 2008 they were showing games at 4pm in WA on a sunday it was awesome. Go the Tigers today!

 

[quitpot]

Well this is pretty good Tassie, SA and WA showing Sea eagles v Warriors live.

 

[Perth Red]

Great to be able to watch it live. I am hearing that there is more good news to come re NRL Covg into Perth.

 

[Perth Red]

OK that is a good start someone taking the time and responding and saying by having an NRL team there will be greater exposure on TV But it is not true. Look at Melbourne 2 premierships and still midnight games so everyone can catch up on repeats of garbage. This on a network that does not show AFL. The mind boggles.

If you think Victoria is an AFL town go and spend a week in SA and WA. If we had officers in the Australian Army from SA and WA they would have nrl supporters in another unit and basketball supporters in another.

Nobody cares in NSW or QLD what code you follow but in WA, SA and Vic we are second class citizens if you follow league and most likely your kids will be beaten up at school. Only wish I was exaggerating.

.

Do you live in Perth? This certainly isn't my experience. on the whole I find Perth people love sport and will get behind any team that represents the city. All of the cities teams have good supporter bases that compares favourably with bigger cities.

Yes AFL rules and always will but I find the conversation around the water cooler when SOO on is very positive about RL with most of the blokes admiring how tough it is and lamenting how soft AFL has become.

 

[quitpot]

from Balmain live in SA half the year and Darwin in their dry season. Darwin gets awesome coverage.

 

[quitpot]

It did not take long for things to go back to normal. In Victoria, Tas and SA we get the 1950 classic Montana rather than sunday football. This is a joke and it needs to be addressed with the new TV rights.

 

[Perth Red]

Perth had the game at 1pm today, yipppee!