New York and Ottawa

[ParraEelsNRL]

Cheers for the link. bookmarked. Was a good listen.

 

[Pommy]

Looks great (from an Australian's perspective - on his phone, over an espresso in sunny Western Sydney).
If the USARL and Elite 1 leagues could get themselves up to a standard near the Championship, you'd have P&R directly traversing between the Super League and the regional Championships. That would be something completely unique in world sport (the closest thing being, perhaps, the Champions League) and, you would imagine, would be a real boost to the Championship-level leagues.

The champions league does have anything like P&R it’s just purely done on league positions every year.

 

[deluded pom?]

The champions league does have anything like P&R

It it is something they are looking into apparently.

 

[Pommy]

It it is something they are looking into apparently.

Apparently EPL clubs have recently voted against any changes to the European structure

 

[deluded pom?]

Apparently EPL clubs have recently voted against any changes to the European structure

I was reading that it’s still ongoing after a meeting in Malta recently. Not that I think it will change format anyway.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Cheers for the link. bookmarked. Was a good listen.

I wonder what Perez was referring to when he said that there are some very big things in the pipeline for Rugby League in the coming years that would thrust the sport into the mainstream spotlight?

 

[Walter sobchak]

I wonder what Perez was referring to when he said that there are some very big things in the pipeline for Rugby League in the coming years that would thrust the sport into the mainstream spotlight?

More money men looking to get involved in the game with franchises all over North America I believe.

A North American conference perhaps? International super league conference with French teams and London even?

 

[titoelcolombiano]

More money men looking to get involved in the game with franchises all over North America I believe.

A North American conference perhaps? International super league conference with French teams and London even?

I hope for all of that and more

 

[Walter sobchak]

I hope for all of that and more

If this does happen I think we’d need the mind of somebody like Stephen Hawkins to figure out a structure and fixtures format!!!

 

[titoelcolombiano]

If this does happen I think we’d need the mind of somebody like Stephen Hawkins to figure out a structure and fixtures format!!!

North America is starting to make France's efforts look poor in terms of getting a professional setup off the ground. I know France is much more developed at the domestic level but you would think we could have expected more from them by now.

 

[deluded pom?]

If this does happen I think we’d need the mind of somebody like Stephen Hawkins to figure out a structure and fixtures format!!!

Nah. I personally think Stephen Hawking would be the man for that job.

 

[Pommy]

I know it’s greta to think there will be a conference of NA teams but wheee do the players for that come from?
You can only take so many from super league before real damage is done there.
I’m not sure NSW and QLD Cup players (outside of the PNG team) would be eligible for UK work visas.

 

[Deeecoreturns]

I know it’s greta to think there will be a conference of NA teams but wheee do the players for that come from?
You can only take so many from super league before real damage is done there.
I’m not sure NSW and QLD Cup players (outside of the PNG team) would be eligible for UK work visas.

The damage is already being done tbh not that I'm against these expansion efforts but super league reduced to 12 teams but in reality there's no difference between the bottom sides of sl and the top of the championship. Effectively the player pool is being divided between 16 teams really. Clubs coming in MUST establish player development pathways

 

[Walter sobchak]

North America is starting to make France's efforts look poor in terms of getting a professional setup off the ground. I know France is much more developed at the domestic level but you would think we could have expected more from them by now.

France seriously do my head in. They’ve got everything going for them to become a world force in RL but just don’t seem to be making any significant progress.

France is a rich and developed country with a large population. It’s also a very rich and ethnically diverse country which produces world class athletes at various sports and yet RL just can’t seem to gain any traction in terms of media exposure, increasing the player pool and attracting investment.

Sadly the only route of growth and serious development for RL in France domestically is outside of France. Namely in the U.K. league structure and super league to be more precise but realistically how many French teams can the U.K. leagues take??

 

[titoelcolombiano]

France seriously do my head in. They’ve got everything going for them to become a world force in RL but just don’t seem to be making any significant progress.

France is a rich and developed country with a large population. It’s also a very rich and ethnically diverse country which produces world class athletes at various sports and yet RL just can’t seem to gain any traction in terms of media exposure, increasing the player pool and attracting investment.

Sadly the only route of growth and serious development for RL in France domestically is outside of France. Namely in the U.K. league structure and super league to be more precise but realistically how many French teams can the U.K. leagues take??

I agree completely 'doing my head it' is the unofficial slogan of French RL.

Look at the will and drive behind the North American push with just one club and two on the horizon. France have had Catalans and Toulouse in the system for years in a country with a Rugby, in general and Rugby League specific history.

In terms of how many can it take. I can really see the SuperLeague and Championship becoming an international comp over the coming decade with P&R (Eric Perez seems to think this too) and England having their own separate domestic comp for the teams that don't play in SL or the Championship.

This would open things up and allow the league to include Toronto, Ottowa, New York, Vancouver, Montreal, Hamilton (the latter three are all in Perez's plans), Toulouse, Catalan, two or three more French clubs, the two Welsh clubs, the two London clubs, Red Star Belgrad and the best / strongest eight or so English clubs.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

I know it’s greta to think there will be a conference of NA teams but wheee do the players for that come from?
You can only take so many from super league before real damage is done there.
I’m not sure NSW and QLD Cup players (outside of the PNG team) would be eligible for UK work visas.

Perez spoke this week on the Howlin' Hour podcast about Ottowa pushing hard for Canadian talent in the squad. He spoke a fair bit about CFL teams cutting 56-odd players each pre-season and these guys are teir 1 athletes that have trained in skill-sets that suit RL. He also said that if Hayne and Holmes can even get near an NFL squad, the same can be done in reverse with the right coaching / training.I was excited to hear him talking that way and gives me hope that a new player pool could open up in North America.

I think the other good one too that is under-utilised by RL is the Pacific Islands. I know it is technically NRL territory but there is nothing stopping SL setting up an academy in Tonga, Samoa and Fiji also (Euro RU clubs do it). It will seriously help those countries with their domestic setup (i.e. producing players that are only eligible for those nations, produce a production line of talent that is still untapped from a RL perspective and strengthen the international game.

 

[Pommy]

Perez spoke this week on the Howlin' Hour podcast about Ottowa pushing hard for Canadian talent in the squad. He spoke a fair bit about CFL teams cutting 56-odd players each pre-season and these guys are teir 1 athletes that have trained in skill-sets that suit RL. He also said that if Hayne and Holmes can even get near an NFL squad, the same can be done in reverse with the right coaching / training.I was excited to hear him talking that way and gives me hope that a new player pool could open up in North America.

I think the other good one too that is under-utilised by RL is the Pacific Islands. I know it is technically NRL territory but there is nothing stopping SL setting up an academy in Tonga, Samoa and Fiji also (Euro RU clubs do it). It will seriously help those countries with their domestic setup (i.e. producing players that are only eligible for those nations, produce a production line of talent that is still untapped from a RL perspective and strengthen the international game.

I’m really hoping he will get some Canadian talent to come over but I’m sceptical that number will be substantial. I mean he did single out Hayne but how many minutes did he actually play?
The Pacific Islanders and Canadians will have real issues getting a work visa for the UK i believe as athletes need to play for their national side in x% of games over a certain number of years. I’m sure a good number of Canadian athletes will have access to EU passports so depending on the what happens with Brexit that could be an option for them. With most of the island teams stacked with Aussies and kiwis I don’t think that’s a source you will tap in to very easily. PNG is the exception there.

 

[Deeecoreturns]

I’m really hoping he will get some Canadian talent to come over but I’m sceptical that number will be substantial. I mean he did single out Hayne but how many minutes did he actually play?
The Pacific Islanders and Canadians will have real issues getting a work visa for the UK i believe as athletes need to play for their national side in x% of games over a certain number of years. I’m sure a good number of Canadian athletes will have access to EU passports so depending on the what happens with Brexit that could be an option for them. With most of the island teams stacked with Aussies and kiwis I don’t think that’s a source you will tap in to very easily. PNG is the exception there.

That's the issue with being based here. If Ottawa are actually based in Ottawa though it becomes a non issue. These clubs need to be based out of the places in which they play

 

[Pommy]

That's the issue with being based here. If Ottawa are actually based in Ottawa though it becomes a non issue. These clubs need to be based out of the places in which they play

Well maybe in ten years when global warming kicks in that will be an option.
As it’s stands it’s a frozen hellscape for about 7 months of the year.

 

[Deeecoreturns]

Well maybe in ten years when global warming kicks in that will be an option.
As it’s stands it’s a frozen hellscape for about 7 months of the year.

Overplayed that line tbh the reason Toronto start so late in the year there isn't the weather. It's because the ground is already being used by other sports at that time. Don't get me wrong, it does get minus a million there but the CFL plays during the winter and that's the same as American Football. Soccer is also played in March there. Both of those sports have no issues and that's off the top of my head. They'd realistically have to play their first five games away PERHAPS but that's the excuse trotted out but it isn't the truth