Foxsports talks expansion

[RoosTah]

IMO Adelaide will be easier to expand into than Melbourne, by far. The Rams had 20K ST holders with what, 1 or two years buildup? That's more than the Suns or Giants have and it's more than the QLD-based Lions fans despite the hundreds of millions the AFL has spent trying to buy a fanbase.

If the NRL brought back the Rams they'd have Hindmarsh stadium (great little stadium) to themselves almost all of winter. The only other teams they'd be competing with for airtime and newspaper coverage are the two AFL teams.

It'd also be the only contact sport available to follow in SA since they don't even have a S15 team like the other capitals.

But would they support the NRL now? I've been there, and there is honestly a fair bit of hostility to the Rugby League from a lot of people there that I've come across...

For me the problem with them is that the SARL aren't even talking about an NRL side like Perth or parts of NZ, and to me that suggests they're a very long way from ready.

 

[adamkungl]

IMO Adelaide will be easier to expand into than Melbourne, by far. The Rams had 20K ST holders with what, 1 or two years buildup? That's more than the Suns or Giants have and it's more than the QLD-based Lions fans despite the hundreds of millions the AFL has spent trying to buy a fanbase.

If the NRL brought back the Rams they'd have Hindmarsh stadium (great little stadium) to themselves almost all of winter. The only other teams they'd be competing with for airtime and newspaper coverage are the two AFL teams.

It'd also be the only contact sport available to follow in SA since they don't even have a S15 team like the other capitals.

The lack of any word or movement or ANYTHING out of there is the main obstacle. You'd just be plonking a team there and hoping people show up.... like GWS

 

[FlameThrower]

Surely, getting games screened FTA on Ch9 would be 1st step, then followed by taking some games there a couple times a year. I agree I don't think SA will see a team in 15 years or more...

 

[Perth Red]

Well Perth has been at it for over 8 years and if we can't get a team with all the boxes we tick Adelaide hasn't a cat in hells chance anytime this next 30 years!

 

[elbusto]

Adelaide - no chance

 

[CC_Roosters]

Adelaide - no chance

Wouldnt bother even thinking about an nrl side their, the arlc should focus on its grassroots and a potential 2nd tier club as a feasible goal in SA.

20 teams, 2 divisions of 10 with promotion amd relegation, full home and away x 18 games, plus a champions league style format cup with all 20 teams to make up the short coming in games. Allows every team to find their comfort level and aspire to be better and introudces significant unkowns each season with P&R and a cup with knockout stages. Only a top 4 finals system still leading to a GF while div 2 league winner is promoted for l div 1 last place. Also have a playoff sytem for a second promotion berth including 11th in div 1 and 2nd to 4th in div 2. Teams to add- south Qld, Nz mk2, west coast, central coast bears. Thats my solution and structure for expansion anyway, i just think the current 16 team structure is boring and rewards mediocracy with the top 8 system. Oh and no salary cap with full free market transfers but football sepnding governed by a percentage of revenue like the recent UEFA finacial fair play.

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

I lived in Adelaide for 3 years. I played first grade rugby league down there because first grade is the only grade for adults.

There is a lot of work needed down there.

Out of all the Adelaide clubs there are some really good players, maybe even enough to form a nsw cup team (which would probably get hammered).

As has been said, I think the first step is getting the game into free to air down there. Get some marketing into Adelaide, inject some cash into their local comps and help them develop to the stage where they could field a nsw cup team. You could probably achieve this goal in 5 years. Also wouldn't hurt to take a few games there every year, which shouldn't be a big ask as Perth will have a team so at least Souths might go there instead of Perth for a game.

After 5 years of work, hopefully all this new exposure attracts some kind of bid for an nrl team. Then we can go from there.

 

[Lockyer4President!]

The lack of any word or movement or ANYTHING out of there is the main obstacle. You'd just be plonking a team there and hoping people show up.... like GWS

Wow, seems people forgot the Pandas very quickly.


Not suggesting they get a team in the next couple of years but at the same time I don't understand why some people are just writing off ADL for decades or even entirely.

Like CH said, just give SA live FTA coverage & play one or two games there regularly. After a while they'll start campaigning for a team just like Perth.

It's not like the NRL is trying to sell oil to Russia. As a product RL is a fast, attractive game and it's easy to pick-up the basics. Adelaide is a market of a million+ people with little competition from other sports.

I think some people can be a bit gun-shy about expansion because of the Storm. IMO they shouldn't be comparing expansion in WA/SA to Vic, Melbourne's situation is unique. We should be looking at the expansion into Auckland and trying to improve on that.

 

[VictoryFC]

Adelaide first season average: 15,330
Second season: 7,472

As for adelaide not having competition.... Lol

Theyd be competing directly against two afl teams, one averaging 45k the other 43k. Just because you dont have 10 afl teams in adelaide, doesnt mean theres more space for other things. In winter afl would suck the life out of anything else.

 

[Nerd]

If nothing else the NRL should be putting some money into juniors in Adelaide. It may not lead to an NRL team but it may also lead to an increased interest in League from the people of Adelaide.

 

[Last Week]

Adelaide first season average: 15,330
Second season: 7,472

As for adelaide not having competition.... Lol

Theyd be competing directly against two afl teams, one averaging 45k the other 43k. Just because you dont have 10 afl teams in adelaide, doesnt mean theres more space for other things. In winter afl would suck the life out of anything else.

First year was obviously ballooned because of a brand new sporting team in town. But playing at the Adelaide Oval was a terrible decision.

 

[Last Week]

Wouldnt bother even thinking about an nrl side their, the arlc should focus on its grassroots and a potential 2nd tier club as a feasible goal in SA.

20 teams, 2 divisions of 10 with promotion amd relegation, full home and away x 18 games, plus a champions league style format cup with all 20 teams to make up the short coming in games. Allows every team to find their comfort level and aspire to be better and introudces significant unkowns each season with P&R and a cup with knockout stages. Only a top 4 finals system still leading to a GF while div 2 league winner is promoted for l div 1 last place. Also have a playoff sytem for a second promotion berth including 11th in div 1 and 2nd to 4th in div 2. Teams to add- south Qld, Nz mk2, west coast, central coast bears. Thats my solution and structure for expansion anyway, i just think the current 16 team structure is boring and rewards mediocracy with the top 8 system. Oh and no salary cap with full free market transfers but football sepnding governed by a percentage of revenue like the recent UEFA finacial fair play.

It's a nice idea in theory, but it's going to lose alot of excitement for alot of fans of those teams in the teams that are in the second division.

We're nothing like Soccer in Europe. We can't just have a couple of professional teams die and know that there will be another semi professional team that can take it's place.

Promotion and relegation will never happen in Australian Rugby League.

 

[CC_Roosters]

It's a nice idea in theory, but it's going to lose alot of excitement for alot of fans of those teams in the teams that are in the second division.

We're nothing like Soccer in Europe. We can't just have a couple of professional teams die and know that there will be another semi professional team that can take it's place.

Promotion and relegation will never happen in Australian Rugby League.

I realise it is a very different concept for most league fans here but it wouldn't and couldn't be an opened ended pyramid like in Europe, rather "NRL2" is the bottom, so having P&R between 2 divisions isn't that big a stretch.

 

[RoosTah]

I realise it is a very different concept for most league fans here but it wouldn't and couldn't be an opened ended pyramid like in Europe, rather "NRL2" is the bottom, so having P&R between 2 divisions isn't that big a stretch.

That sort of system could work if we were like Europe and had a simplistic one-code environment, but our sports market is brutally competitive compared to the Europeans, which really only have soccer as their only truly tribal sport.

To put it another way, I doubt the Germans would have a promotion and relegation system for soccer if there was an indigenous German Football code unique to Germany with a market value larger than soccer and had teams in all the key markets. The risk to the Bundesliga (thank you google) market value would be too great a risk if there was a chance you could lose teams from critical markets to second division.

 

[alien]

Come oonnnn Bears and Perth

central coast bears and brisbane bombers

relocate roosters to perth!

 

[alien]

afl took risks in spreading their game around the country. they committed time and money to that cause. the nrl should do the same thing. if you were to start a national rugby league competition from scratch, there is no way you would have 9 teams based in sydney

 

[Miller was a legend]

Parra to relocate to Levi's stadium

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Ironic fox want Perth when they killed them in the first place.

 

[LESStar58]

We need Perth and Brisbane II to make 18 clubs. Then Wellington and PNG HUnters to make an even 20 clubs. Then a few years later we add Adelaide and Christchurch, to go to 22 clubs. Finally we add Fiji and a fifth Queensland team ( I am not sure which part of Queensland) to make the perfect 24.

Thus the NRL would become the South Pacific Rugby League (SPRL) instead of NRL, which is already misleading.

The 24 team SPRL would comprise:

North Queensland Cowboys
Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Bombers
Gold Coast Titans
South Queensland Crushers/Central Queensland Barbas

Sydney Roosters
South Sydney Rabbitohs
St George-Illawarra Dragons
Cronulla Sutherland Sharks
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs
Wests Tigers
Parramatta Eels
Penrith Panthers
Manly-Warringah

Newcastle Knights

Canberra Raiders

Melbourne Storm

Adelaide Rams

Perth Pioneers

Auckland Warriors
Wellington Orcas
Christchurch Thunder

PNG Hunters

Fiji Bati

Total TV and digital rights deal: $3 billion

how can NZ support 3 teams? I'm all for a 2nd NZ team but how would that even work when the warriors are such a rabble?

 

[RoosTah]

how can NZ support 3 teams? I'm all for a 2nd NZ team but how would that even work when the warriors are such a rabble?

NZ currently contributes more players to the NRL than Queensland - the notion that just because the Warriors are a rabble that NZ couldn't sustain another team is nonsense. If Parramatta were the only side in Sydney, you could apply a similar logic for having no more Sydney teams.

The Warriors are one franchise and one administration, and we just don't know how well another franchise under a different administration would go.

I'd also point out that Auckland have been a basket case in Super Rugby for about 10 years too, but sides from the rest of the country continue to dominate, so maybe it's simply a matter of looking further afield. I personally like the idea of giving a team to Christchurch - growth area with strong footy credentials and they have gained financial backers for a team in the NSW comp.