London

[russ13]

Not strictly in the International category, but worth a read:

http://www.bishopsstortfordcitizen.co.uk/display.var.871337.0.boosting_londons_rugby_league.php
Boosting London’s rugby league
By Guardian-series
HARLEQUINS rugby league club have teamed up with Redbridge Raiders rugby league team to spread the sport's popularity in the area with a new summer camp programme for young players.
The camp encourages local youngsters of all abilities aged from seven to 14, to take part this week in Gidea Park, Romford.
Despite its dominance in the north of England, rugby league is undergoing a massive transition, with popularity quickly spreading across London.

continued...

​

The camp is run by former Leicester Tigers captain John Wells, who will be working alongside Raiders manager and Harlequins academy associate John Keys.
The Raiders enjoyed recent success at two tournaments organised by Harlequins with the U11 team winning both.
They hope all six of their junior teams will enjoy similar success in the future with the new scheme looking to spark interest amongst London's youth.
Keys said: "The teams are in to their second season and have done well so far, but we are looking for more young players to come and take part in the camp."
It is also hoped visits from international stars like Henry Paul and New Zealand's young prospect Thomas Leulai will help encourage a broader participation in the sport throughout the area.
Paul Roberts, from Redbridge Council said: "This is a community based project which aims to introduce the sport to the whole of Redbridge.
"The camps will be extended into schools and other clubs in the borough over the next year, with professional players from Harlequins RL attending schools and promoting a better understanding of the sport."
8:40am today

 

[International RL]

Anyone have any idea what sort of progress the game is making there in the key indicators? (crowds, juniors, merchandise, tv, sponsorships, general interest etc)

 

[roughyed8]

Anyone have any idea what sort of progress the game is making there in the key indicators? (crowds, juniors, merchandise, tv, sponsorships, general interest etc)

London has had massive growth over the last few years with teams in the RL summer conference, all running junior teams, London Skolars in NL2 and the Quins/Broncos in SL.
Check out some of these:

www.skolars.com
www.greenwichrl.com
www.storm.com
www.kingstonwarriors.co.uk
www.westlondonsharks.com
www.quins.co.uk
rugbyleagueconferenc.co.uk.
most of the clubs are less than 10 years old and have done fantastic things in development of the game in London.

 

[bartman]

They're definitely chipping away, and I think the Harlequins joint venture allowed the RL club to shave some running costs and perhaps devote a bit more to development? And maybe the cross-promotion with RU operating in different seasons will also help grow the interest at Superleague level into the next few years.

When you visit London it's hard to find the rugby league papers and magazines stocked generally in the city, still a more localised or specialised market. They still don't get the Superleague Show on Sunday TV there, but the BBC have made it available on the web (for UK users only).

Home crowds for Harlequins have been 3-4000 all year, with 12,000 in R10 v Wiagn (a double header with an RU match), 8,213 for R1 v St Helens (not sure if this was a double header or some freebies for the first game?), and 5,208 for R7 v Leeds. http://www.leagueunlimited.com/team/season.asp?team=Harlequins&sport=ESL

 

[LeagueXIII]

The St.Helens match was not a double header.
The London amateur rugby league was founded in 1965 and celebrated their 40th anniversary last year. You will find more information on amateur league in London here:

http://www.geocities.com/londonrugbyleague/

 

[obelix]

Home crowds for Harlequins have been 3-4000 all year, with 12,000 in R10 v Wiagn (a double header with an RU match), 8,213 for R1 v St Helens (not sure if this was a double header or some freebies for the first game?), and 5,208 for R7 v Leeds. http://www.leagueunlimited.com/team/season.asp?team=Harlequins&sport=ESL

Player numbers are certainly doing well - London is the 5th biggest service area in the UK. Quins are certainly doing their bit for player development now, and are actually running a U21 side - which is more than the Broncos managed towards the end.

Attendance wise, it's not quite so good - I think the double header (vs Huddersfield) attracted just over 10,000 according to the attendance, but it was on TV and I'd be surprised if any Quins RU fans stayed to watch Quins :lol: - it looked nearer 3000 if that.

Likewise, attracting just over 3700 for a game against the Bulls at home, with a healthy away contingent, is not great. Some fans on other boards are suggesting they're giving attendance figures which include season ticket holders regardless of whether they attend (and they were selling the season tickets cheaply at the start of the season - it may be that some people have just given up on them) But, as with Quins RU a few years ago, there is a need to build the brand and awareness of the game in the local community - there is good anecdotal evidence of a handful of RU fans appreciating the RL games they've seen, but the real time to judge Quins will come in about three years.

As an aside, the record attendance (excluding the double header) for a club RL game in London was at the Stoop when the Broncos played Canberra in 1997... the international club game, once English clubs are closer in standard to the NRL clubs, would be a major boost to expansion clubs like Quins. Maybe in 10 years time, if the new franchises situation has bedded in, we can start to think seriously about this again. Super League is improving in consistency - witness the closeness at the bottom of the table this season - but we need to build player numbers before we can seriously think about this.

Blimey, wandered o/t there a bit :crazy: