What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

New York pro rugby league team

Messages
3,884
If you are to have a north American competition it needs to be binational, and at least 12 teams.

Toronto
Montreal
New York
Chicago
Los Angeles
Houston
Boston
Jacksonville
Philadelphia
Denver
Atlanta
San Francisco

But where would you find the players? There won't be enough surplus in the NRL or Super League. Recruitment of north American players for 12 clubs will take at least 10-15 years of hard work, starting in north American schools. So meanwhile start out gradually with Toronto, Montreal and New York part of the RFL transatlantic structure. Later when the number of north American teams in Super League has expanded to at least 6, with majority of each club north American players, think about forming a north American league.
 

titoelcolombiano

First Grade
Messages
6,624
If you are to have a north American competition it needs to be binational, and at least 12 teams.

Toronto
Montreal
New York
Chicago
Los Angeles
Houston
Boston
Jacksonville
Philadelphia
Denver
Atlanta
San Francisco

But where would you find the players? There won't be enough surplus in the NRL or Super League. Recruitment of north American players for 12 clubs will take at least 10-15 years of hard work, starting in north American schools. So meanwhile start out gradually with Toronto, Montreal and New York part of the RFL transatlantic structure. Later when the number of north American teams in Super League has expanded to at least 6, with majority of each club north American players, think about forming a north American league.

If this were to happen I would imagine they would target NSW Cup, QLD Cup, RFL Championship, RFL League 1 and amateur Union players in Canada and the U.S.
 

RoosTah

Juniors
Messages
2,257
Why would you have a 12 team comp straight off the bat? Impossible
Agree.
In a lot of ways this is a smart way to get going. If NY can work as well as Toronto have to date, then you might get more interest in the US and Canada and it could get self sustaining. If North America can get to a place where they have 6 fully pro teams competing in the English system, then at that point they may as well form a conference or even their own competition
 

Wellsy4HullFC

Juniors
Messages
178
If you are to have a north American competition it needs to be binational, and at least 12 teams.

Toronto
Montreal
New York
Chicago
Los Angeles
Houston
Boston
Jacksonville
Philadelphia
Denver
Atlanta
San Francisco

But where would you find the players? There won't be enough surplus in the NRL or Super League. Recruitment of north American players for 12 clubs will take at least 10-15 years of hard work, starting in north American schools. So meanwhile start out gradually with Toronto, Montreal and New York part of the RFL transatlantic structure. Later when the number of north American teams in Super League has expanded to at least 6, with majority of each club north American players, think about forming a north American league.

Or you could combine our efforts to expand in France with our efforts to expand in North America and create a conference to SL that way?

We have a small group of French clubs in the mix (Catalans and Toulouse already, with Avignon, Carcassonne/Aude and Villeneuve/Aquitaine looking to join).
We have Toronto in NA, with NYC, Montreal and Florida possibly interested.

Drip-feed some of them into the English game. Then, when there's near 6, invite enough to make a 6 team conference with no relegation and cross-conference matches against the English.

Catalans, Toulouse, Avignon, Toronto, New York, Montreal.

Add one French and North American team every few years until you can split it again into a French conference and North American conference.
 

latingringo101

Juniors
Messages
585
New York would be an interesting place for a pro team., it recieves flights directly from the UK and people are sport mad there. It's also where a lot of tourists go to for holidays.

A pro team taking off has the potential to be massive for RL in the USA
 

titoelcolombiano

First Grade
Messages
6,624
What I like most about Perez's adventures in North America is that if he has NY and Montreal up and running alongside Tononto by the time the North American WC comes around there will be pro clubs in existence for people to jump on the band wagon of. Yes, for most the novelty will wear off after a few months but those teams will be left with a net boost in support as a legacy of the world cup. Finally our game is spreading it's weeks.
 

titoelcolombiano

First Grade
Messages
6,624
Is anyone fussed about the same bloke running 2 or more teams in the same comp?

I'm ok with him providing the initial impotus, marketing and $$$ hunting and then stepping away to be run by someone capable but not running all of the clubs. Although if you look at it this way the NRL owned the Titans and Knights at the same time, he could start some sort of Pro RL Company that owns the NA franchises and negotiates on their behalf with the RFL and North American Broadcasters and sponsors.
 

Hello, I'm The Doctor

First Grade
Messages
9,124
Personally I hope this is what leads to a higher level North American competition rather than an English comp with a sprinkling of American teams.

Short term, SL offers more legitimacy than a local comp ever could. SL is an important and high-level competition, which makes the clubs participating, by extension, important and high-level.

Rather than a separate comp, a local division with a loose overlap would be better.

Long term, RLs best chance of gaining ground in the American market would be to take advantage of the brain-injury problem American Football has and offer RL as a safer alternative (they use their heads as weapon, so there are mini-concussions every play. Hardly a sustainable model. Without the forward passing and blocking, American Football becomes RL and becomes a whole lot safer)

I not suggesting a coup, but a loose alliance and an introduction for RL into American colleges and juniors...
 

Sjrugby

Juniors
Messages
69
My opinion for USA teams would be, Jacksonville, NY (you got options in and around NYC) Chicago, Atlanta, definitely a Texas based team, San Francisco, Denver and definitely a NW team, Seattle or Portland. If your gonna have a Canadian team in Vancouver then you can tap into the NW rivalry. And also Sacramento. Far enough where if there is a SF area team you can also have a rivalry between the two markets which there already is in sports and with economy.

I would stay away from LA. The market is to saturated with pro and semipro teams and franchise trying to stake there claim as LA team that it's pretty much a dead idea to even bother. Why do you think USA Rugby (union) doesn't even bother playing test matches there anymore.
 

Teddyboy

First Grade
Messages
6,573
Maybe some NFL corp can see the beauty of TGG and buy into a North American conference and hell even buy out the NRL.
 

Hello, I'm The Doctor

First Grade
Messages
9,124
Maybe some NFL corp can see the beauty of TGG and buy into a North American conference and hell even buy out the NRL.

If North American Gridiron people ever want an international presence, all they need to to is align with the RLIF/RFL/ARLC and incorporate RL under the Gridiron banner ("Gridiron" its already used fairly broadly). It would be a way for them into the olympics, a way into foreign markets, etc.

American Football is absolutely not expansion friendly (for such a famous sport, it is amazing how few people play it outside of North America. I put that down to the difficult, dangerous and prejudicial rules). RL would be the perfect way to get their brands and a for of their sports into new markets with a far more user-friendly form of their sport...
 

Latest posts

Top