New AMNRL team in CT

[deal.with.it]

CROC COUNTRY IN CT!

Date:
03.11.12

The AMNRL has announced yet further expansion with the formation of a new team in the Northeast.
The Fairfield County Crocs will join the expanding Atlantic Conference for the upcoming 2012 season.

Led by former USA Tomahawks Ben Kelly and Damien O’Malveney, the Crocs will add to the excitement of this years’ competition by bringing back to the American National Rugby League a number key personnel who have been integral members of the league for many years.

“The addition of the Crocs is great news for the AMNRL and supports our core mission of developing Rugby League in America!” said AMNRL President David Niu.

“Having Ben and Damien at the helm of a strong club in the Fairfield/New Haven, CT area, will go a long way towards helping strengthen our brand in this part of the country.”

Club founder Ben Kelly is extremely excited about his return the AMNRL, and is committed to building a strong team his first year in the competition.

“We are going to run a highly professional and disciplined organization with our objective being to build a powerhouse team within the American National Rugby League!” he said.

Damien O’Malveney, who will serve as the club’s first captain, is equally passionate about the prospects for the Crocs and will be hands on in the recruitment of a “highly regarded player/coach” in addition to “top rated domestic and foreign based players from around the world!”

The club has also signed some star recruits in Akarika Dawn, Keiki Misipeka, Kia Misipeka and Wes Haughton.

Like Kelly and O’Malveney, Dawn and Haughton are rejoining the AMNRL fold after leaving clubs that were part of a breakaway competition in 2011, while the Misipeka brothers are union converts who have been playing in the USA Rugby Super League.

''These four players have been handpicked by Percy and myself for the Crocs' entry into the 2012 AMNRL season,” added Kelly. “We have targeted big, mobile, fit humans that will gel well with our intended style of play.''


The addition of the Fairfield Crocs will grow the Atlantic Conference to an eight-team competition.

The Crocs join the reigning champs New York Knights along with Connecticut Wildcats, Aston Bulls, Bucks County Sharks, Northern Raiders and other new teams Atlanta Legion and NOVA Eagles.

 

[deal.with.it]

"insert ramble on how angry the AMNRL makes me"

 

[Evil Homer]

How do they expect to sign Akarika Dawn when he lives in Texas? Is he moving to Connecticut, will they be paying expenses to fly him there twice a week or is this like when Delaware Vipers 'signed' Apple Pope last year? Don't get me wrong, it's great news about a new team being formed, I just don't understand why they need to go that step further and add the extra bullshit. If Dawn actually turns out for the Crocs then great, I just wish the AMNRL would recognise that it's not a professional league and that they need to focus on developing the game rather than signing 'star players'. Hopefully the guys running this club will do that.

 

[league13]

Be interesting to see just how many teams will be playing when the AMNRL season gets underway.Be lucky if eight make it like they claim.

 

[billy2]

Every new team is a good thing.
A thriving AMNRL and a thriving USARL is a good thing.

 

[Bronco Rob]

Every new team is a good thing.
A thriving AMNRL and a thriving USARL is a good thing.

It's fantastic but I would also like to see some junior development to sustain the long term growth to go along with all the grand announcements that are being made. But I feel there isn't any prestige in development at grassroots.

 

[deluded pom?]

In your short posting career Rob it looks like you have too much common sense for this forum. ;-)

 

[Foreign Legion]

Is there any photos of the logo or whats they are going to use for there team colours?

 

[Fatwing15]

I hope the AMNRL has the means to help support 3 expansion teams. Being a new team in a league like this must be tough. Do regions like DC and Conn have the numbers to support multiple teams? Looks like Boston took a step back by trying to field multiple teams using the same player pool, I wonder if the expansion clubs this year will see similar difficulties.

 

[DaBears]

I hope the AMNRL has the means to help support 3 expansion teams. Being a new team in a league like this must be tough. Do regions like DC and Conn have the numbers to support multiple teams? Looks like Boston took a step back by trying to field multiple teams using the same player pool, I wonder if the expansion clubs this year will see similar difficulties.

Agreed... That makes 3 teams now in CT that are not that far from each other geographically.

I did hear that a bunch of guys from the Warriors will be suiting up for the crocs. Not exactly sure how many though.

 

[FortyTwenty]

2011 was indeed an arduous year for the Boston 13s RLFC as they directly aided the resurrection of Oneida FC [the oldest organized "football" team in USA sports history; est. 1862]. Oneida FC, LLC [as a modern corporate sports entity, located (not in Boston, but) across the Charles River in the city of Cambridge, MA] runs two football teams: Rugby League and Soccer.
Inasmuch, the two RLFC's partnership yielded critical lessons that were learnt by both, and paving the way for the successes to come in 2012. Not least of which includes wholly separate management personnel, organizational structures, corporate strategies, and (possibly most importantly) team operations.
Nonetheless, we need appreciate that the overarching successes in the business of sports, and specially (all) our foci within the global / North American Rugby League Football industry, needs to be appraised in developments that aren't solely measured in the visible/manifest on-field team successes (or even player, youth, coaching and/or match officials development programs), but also decisively in the unobserved, behind-the-scenes, back-office leadership and management.
Saying as much, the underlying feasibility study and business plan behind both the B-13s and OFC was to capitalize on individual markets within the "Greater Boston Area". Greater Boston is tenth in population among U.S. metropolitan statistical areas in the United States, home to over 4.6 million people as of the 2010 U.S. Census and is ranked fifth among CSA's [combined statistical areas], having over 7.6 million people. Thus, Greater Boston's market size fundamentally is able to substantiate two successful, viable and competitive Rugby League teams.
Antithetically, even the entire State of Connecticut only has a total population of 3.5 million [let alone Fairfield County, where the Crocs are being established, which only has a population of less than 900,000]. So, my question is twofold:
(1) Can the (relatively) small Connecticut market support three RLFCs? [Especially when two-of-three (67%) are in the same competition!]
(2) Genuinely, does the AMNRL have any expansion strategy whatsoever [let alone a feasible one]? Or are they simply attempting to (proverbially) sweep the carpet from under the feet of the well-established and respected, pre-existing RLFCs in Connecticut. [NB: Which, ironically, could potentially do direct harm to one of their own premier / flagship clubs.]

Just to end on a side-note, I, personally, am a stickler for identity and brand. Not only the visible logo and colours, which is important yet a secondary or tertiary concern. But more so for the cultural relevance of a sports team's identity. In all fairness, what does the name "Crocs" have to do with "Fairfield County in Connecticut"? I just don't get it! The 13s were so named because Boston was one of the original thirteen colonies that constituted America, because it was the thirteenth ever RLFC in USA history, and because there are 13 players per team on the field in a game of Rugby League. Similarly, the Rhode Island Rebellion … Rhode Island being the first state to secede from Britain, and I think their alliteration ["R – I – R"] is, frankly, brilliant. Identity is so key to generating the initial public interest and buy-in to a sports team, wherein it can then develop it's own club culture and and harbor an intrinsic sense of ownership within the hearts' and minds' of the fans and general populace. But "Crocs"?! I mean … honestly!

 

[Rhode Island Rebellion]

It's fantastic but I would also like to see some junior development to sustain the long term growth to go along with all the grand announcements that are being made. But I feel there isn't any prestige in development at grassroots.

Check out this link. Rob - honestly prestige in my mind is looking at the 100 kids faces that we have been honored to introduce to the sport thus far and getting a smile back in return. Now that my friend is Prestige -- Check out the blog here
http://bit.ly/AjIZv9

 

[juro]

Crocs huh? Really?? You know what comes to mind when I think croc?

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=croc'o shit

 

[Dakink]

Check out this link. Rob - honestly prestige in my mind is looking at the 100 kids faces that we have been honored to introduce to the sport thus far and getting a smile back in return. Now that my friend is Prestige -- Check out the blog here
http://bit.ly/AjIZv9

Interesting little blog, but also interesting to see the Storm Membership advertising at the bottom.

 

[Rampart66]

May as well post my two cents.

Another team is great news for the AMNRL. I wish the Crocs best of luck with the upcoming season.

But, I do have to wonder with the available markets that don't currently have clubs, why the AMNRL wants a second Connecticut team.

Selling the game to fans and gaing media buzz will depend on putting teams in major markets. Although some AMNRL teams don't actually play in the city limits of the market city, at least use the city name to promote the teams, league and the sport overall. I recall that Aston was going to change their name to the Philadelphia Bulls. I don't know why this didn't happen, but I though it was a good idea at the time.

Going by the city names, only two (New York and Atlanta) have at least one of the big 4 (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) sports teams.

Are travel costs such a problem that it hurts expansion (for both leagues)? Chicago is a great market to have in the AMNRL. But the fact that they aren't in the same conference as New York (and probably won't play them) is a missed opportunity.

Both leagues have teams in cities that make a coast to coast league a good possibility. But I'll assume travel costs are preventing this.

FortyTwenty, I understand your point about a team identity; especially for a new team. It's one of the things that we are cognizant of in Pittsburgh. We created an identity that reflects the city with a blue collar image and black & gold color scheme. So many people have asked about merchandise already...however, we'd like to put a team on the field, not open up a t-shirt shop.

Personally, I like the Crocs name and if the logo is designed like some of the other AMNRL logos, it should be a winner. Sure, it won't have anything to do with the city of New Haven, but neither does a polynesian mask (from the New Zealand NRL club) and the name "Warriors". The New Haven Warriors are a great team (in the finals in the last two seasons), but do you keep the identity that's borrowed from the NZ Warriors or do you roll out a new identity that captures the city and it's people (that may help to draw people to the games and sell merchandise)?

 

[Bronco Rob]

Check out this link. Rob - honestly prestige in my mind is looking at the 100 kids faces that we have been honored to introduce to the sport thus far and getting a smile back in return. Now that my friend is Prestige -- Check out the blog here

Lawrence, my cynical comment was actually aimed at a certain administrator who it seems loves the notoriety of the national team and loves the use of smoke and mirrors rather than actaully building the game from the ground up to sustain the future of the game.

I actually work in development for an NRL club so I know that you have to nurture the game at grassroots level to get results at the top. I have followed what you have done since it's inception and I absolutely commend you in what you have achieved in such a short time and you will get a fantastic buzz when you see these kids develop into decent, upright men who will gain discipline, maturity and confidence from the great game of Rugby League.

 

[amnrlfan]

So how many teams in CT now 3 ?

Wilcats
Crocs
Warriors

 

[Fatwing15]

So how many teams in CT now 3 ?

Wilcats
Crocs
Warriors

Plus 2 in Boston and 1 in Rhode Island. If the leagues ever come back together that is a nice little northern division. How far is the drive from Boston down to CT where these teams will play?

 

[Craigo]

Every new team is a good thing.
A thriving AMNRL and a thriving USARL is a good thing.

I'm not sure if I would exactly call both comps "thriving" as I think there were a few forfeits last year. Like Bronco Rob, I think the grassroots development needs to happen with the RIR as the current benchmark. Also, rather than bring in a completely new team, perhaps copying the Jax boys with their feeder league may have been the way to go. You can introduce new players at a lower level and gradually build their skill set up. The AMNRL just seem to be rolling out a new team every week but at what expense?

 

[Steve Davy]

I'm not sure if I would exactly call both comps "thriving" as I think there were a few forfeits last year. Like Bronco Rob, I think the grassroots development needs to happen with the RIR as the current benchmark. Also, rather than bring in a completely new team, perhaps copying the Jax boys with their feeder league may have been the way to go. You can introduce new players at a lower level and gradually build their skill set up. The AMNRL just seem to be rolling out a new team every week but at what expense?

I was not aware of forfeits in the USARL?