If you were CEO how would you handle expansion

[T-Boon]

The clip above is to show a game being played in Port Moresby. NRL could be playing here every weekend, how good will that be.

I cannot see why they wouldn't at least take a Broncos game there once a year.

 

[Perth Red]

I cannot see why they wouldn't at least take a Broncos game there once a year.

I'm amazed no nrl team has tried to claim png

 

[colly]

I'm amazed no nrl team has tried to claim png

I read you were over this side of the continent , holidaying in Cook Islands. If we move on the pacific and PNG we bring up to 10 million fans. This world is interconnected, I can see Fijians watching their teams on Tablets paying the applicable fee. If the NRL go down this road and with 2/3 team expansion in Australia, it will be the Juggernaut. With the World cup in Oct/Nov every year rugby league will be unstoppable. Sensible ideas like upgrading suburban grounds so as to have a boutique, or EPL feel, just watch then as world wide viewers tune in. Also this deeping the fans commitment to the game.

 

[CC_Roosters]

I would firstly put an end to the franchise American type league we rammed clubs into alongside one city franchises and forged mergers while disposing of some old teams and ignoring key regions. I would do so by immediately taking applications for a pro national second tier which would eventually form the 2nd division of the NRL with promotion and relegation. I want to see a structure which embraces clubs of all shapes and sizes and also gives as many areas as possible professional representation and pathways.

5 year plan

Year 1
Open license process for the NRL championship (a.ka 2nd tier), hopefully applicants- Redcliffe, Ipswich, Central qld, PNG, Christchurch, Wellington, Central coast. Successful applicants announced at end of NRL premiership season
Announce de-merging of Wests Tigers and St George-Illawarra. For year 2 Tigers relocate to Perth, Wests focus solely on the Macarthur, Illawarra and St. George to move on as separate entities at completion of season.
Year 2
NRL premiership operates with 18 teams for one year only after de-merging's.
2 bottom premiership sides to be relegated to championship at end of season.
Launch of NRL championship- 6 successful applicants to play introductory short season double round robin (10 games) (no promotion)
Year 3
NRL premiership back to 16 teams with bottom 2 being relegated
NRL championship now having 8 teams continues with double round robin, now 14 games
Year 4
NRL premiership 14 teams, double round robin for 26 games.
NRL championship 10 teams, double round robin for 18 games plus 4 centrally determined games for 22 total
2 promoted, 2 relegated from here on with promotion playoff series in the NRL championship
Year 5
Mission accomplished

-Hard salary cap would be phased out in favour of football department spend as a percentage of club revenue.
-State cups retained as reserves with elite youth structures operating beneath. Centrally funded teams from the bush included- New England, North coast, Riverina, Western rams.

 

[Teddyboy]

I would just buy out the Canadian Football League and then get them just to convert to Rugby League rules which more then likely the players and fans would enjoy and the clubs would save money not having massive squads of offensive/defensive and specialist teams alongside you got a new international team to play.

 

[Jimmy779]

Another club in NZ, QLD and Victoria, add two clubs in Perth/WA

 

[Marlins]

Expand to Perth & 2nd Nz
22 round competition

 

[Stormwarrior82]

Looks like they might be moving the Auckland 9s to Perth next year. Not a bad decision from the nrl boffins if it is the case.

 

[Perth Red]

It's a rothfield story, take it with a pinch of salt

 

[T to the T]

Expansion should be:

Perth & Bris 2 to make 18
Wellington & North Sydney-Central Coast to make 20
Adelaide & Bris 3 to make 22

 

[Spanner in the works]

My ideal scenario would be:

Next two years
Wellington
Perth

The establishment of Wellington and Perth would help secure a better TV deal through increased time slots, providing a revenue boost for expansion at the end of the next TV deal.​

End of next TV deal
Brisbane 2
Adelaide

I think shoring up existing heartlands should be done only once we've got teams in major centres that don't have teams, and that would directly combat our biggest rivals. Brisbane and Adelaide do just that. The longer we leave it, the more established AFL and Rugby becomes in these areas.
​

After that:

Around 2020-25 and commencement of relevant new TV deal
PNG
Fiji

Both options open up new international markets.

2025 onwards (and end of relevant TV deal)
Depends on the game's growth. Options could include a second Melbourne or Perth side, a Darwin side or a Central Queensland side. I'm less and less inclined to see a Central Coast side each day that passes.
​

I'd also like to see from now (with a view to future expansion):

• At least one game per round taken interstate or overseas (within the region), with a view to potential expansion 20-25 years down the track (or beyond). Options could include Tasmania, Indonesia (massive potential market with a huge economy and population base), Darwin, and others.
• The establishment of on-ground NRL offices in PNG, Fiji, Samoa, Indonesia and other locations to help promote the code overseas. This could be through the provision of grant money, arranging current and former stars to meet with local teams and business owners, arranging attendance for senior executives to attend games in Australia, etc.
• An open opportunity for expansion sides to join the u20s comp, as long as they can prove they are viable. This would be good exposure for clubs.
• The creation of a national reserve grade competition.

 

[RL The greatest game]

Expansion is a great thing if done properly.
It opens up new markets for the game which = more money coming into the game.
Its a shame some NRL clubs can't see the benefits of it along with international Rugby League.

 

[ALX25]

Perth Warriors?

 

[The Mad Hatter]

If Adelaide came in, I'd like to see them employ a kit a bit like this one.

It's the Fairfield Bulls (they played my kids' soccer teams a couple of weeks ago).

Adding a V of yellow in the blue V would top it off I reckon. A bit like the Adelaide Crows SA tribute guernsey.

 

[ed313909]

Id be working 100% on PNG......
PNG is a country of 7.6 million.
They are obsessed with League.
If i was the NRL CEO i would have had a team in the State Cup years ago. Its good they are there now but this could have happened 7 years ago.
Then i would be meeting between the Govt of PNG (in moderation) and the multiple Australian owned Gold mines/Oil etc that are based in PNG absolutely raping the country and giving nothing back.
Between the NRL/PNG Govt/Gold mining companies surely they can work out a deal.Too many to list but someone like Newcrest Mining would gain huge exposure having there name across the png jersey in Australia (not that they would care) while at the same time maybe giving the sense to the PNG people of actually giving something back instead of just take take take.
The Govt should force them to help with junior funding (which is where its all going wrong in PNG), a stadium and all other activities.
The standard issue here though and the weak link is the corrupt PNG Govt.
Either way if handled well i think it would be successful and it would add WAY more interest than Perth/Adelaide/NZ2/Queensland 4 and would add millions more viewers to the NRL.
More upfront work required but the Gains are HUGE in comparison to the other options.

 

[FlameThrower]

Expansion is a great thing if done properly.
It opens up new markets for the game which = more money coming into the game.
Its a shame some NRL clubs can't see the benefits of it along with international Rugby League.

Most NRL clubs are struggling financially..

 

[Perth Red]

Most NRL clubs are struggling financially..

AFL reckon a ninth game was worth $57million in their last TV deal. Expansion would cost about $30million. The sums seem to add up that expansion brings in more money than it costs, especially in the NRL where it would be no where near as expensive as AFL.

 

[RL The greatest game]

Most NRL clubs are struggling financially..

Crowds are down. Sponsorship deals are down. Office staff are up and so are players wages.
I seriously do wonder with the TV deal we have why most teams struggle to to break even.
We do need to freshen up the comp to get fans and sponsors back and expansion would do that.
The first rule of business is "You can't have more money going out than coming in"

 

[Marlins]

AFL reckon a ninth game was worth $57million in their last TV deal. Expansion would cost about $30million. The sums seem to add up that expansion brings in more money than it costs, especially in the NRL where it would be no where near as expensive as AFL.

And quality of the game has gone down because of the expansion. Most afl nuts will say they have the player talent for a 14 team comp. if the Nrl expand can we produce the same quality as we do now?

 

[Perth Red]

So the answer is to wait until there are two squads of top first graders running around in the second tier? It's a furphy to say the quality isn't there so can't expand, build it and they will come. Expansion has to be at the top and supported in better new pathways in places like NZ, png, Fiji and affiliated states. Expansion in Melbourne has been a failure at the grass roots developing new Victorian talent level. Hopefully WA would be more successful.

Besides aren't one of the afl's expansion teams faves for the comp this year?