New Zealand 2 will deal a massive blow to NZ rugby

[MugaB]

I would have to say that the current popularity of the NZ Warriors probably makes a case against adding another NZ team to the NRL

It seems that RL fans in NZ are happy to support the Warriors when they are doing well.
Is there a big number of RL fans in NZ who just don't like the Warriors and are looking for another local team?

So the rise in the warriors popularity is skyrocketing,
Quick lets dilute that and add another one

 

[Wb1234]

So the rise in the warriors popularity is skyrocketing,
Quick lets dilute that and add another one

Dolphins say hello

 

[Wb1234]

Total crowds set to top half a million for first time

One New Zealand Warriors to top 500,000 barrier for total crowds for first time in club's history.

www.warriors.kiwi

Warriors' Winning Strategy: The Commercial Playbook Behind Their NRL Uprising - Ministry of Sport

This time last year, the Warriors were limping towards the end of their third straight NRL season in COVID limbo, jettisoned in Australia.

ministryofsport.com

“Not since the Winfield Cup boom of the early-1990s – when former Kiwis coach Graham Lowe was in charge of Manly Sea Eagles and the Queensland State of Origin team, and a torrent of All Blacks defected from the then-amateur code to the professional 13-a-side game – has union’s status as the kingpin of New Zealand sports been subjected to such an ambush.”

“Formerly rusted-on union fans are dedicating a bigger chunk of their sports-viewing time to the NRL.”

“This season the Warriors have fielded teams in the NSWRL-run SG Ball (under-19s) and NSW Cup (reserve grade) competitions. In 2024, the club will add teams to the Harold Matthews Cup (under-17) and Jersey Flegg Cup (under-21), while it will apply for reinstatement to the NRLW premiership for 2025”

match day merchandise revenue of up to 140k is excellent.”

 

[Wb1234]

‘Mind-blowing’: New Zealand swept up in league fever as rugby union falters

As the Warriors mark one of their best seasons, rugby league finds new crowds and loyal fans delight in a rare run of victory

www.theguardian.com

 

[Wb1234]

Sign of the times: Warriors fandom at an all-time high

The Warriors are the hottest ticket in town right now, and they've got the crowds and signs to prove it.

www.nrl.com

“Through their opening seven home fixtures they've generated the highest game-day revenues for merchandise in the club's 28-year history, while ahead of the 2024 season there are already 45 businesses on the waitlist for corporate hospitality packages. “

perhaps they should move a couple of games to Eden park next year since all the corporates are sold out at my smart and they have such a long wait list

 

[The Great Dane]

NZ is in a cultural moment right now where RU happens to be struggling a bit just as the Warriors have returned home with an attractive brand of winning footy ready made to fill the niche.

IDK how long that state of affairs will last, frankly I think it could all fall apart within a season if RU figures some of it's shit out and the Warriors results slide, but it's unlikely that there'll ever be a more favourable time to capitalise on the sport's popularity in NZ than now.

If the NRL are serious about the market they should announce their intent to grant NZ the 18th license within the next 6 or so months, and keep that hype train chugging along.

 

[The Great Dane]

Not at all, I’ve no problem if nz2 gets club 18, it’s proper expansion which I’m all for. Just can’t see it given a) no one at arlc has mentioned them as an option and b) no one is backing a bid opportunity,

The same nonsense was said when the APL announced their intent to expand the A-league to Auckland without any active bidders in NZ.

Now 6 months later there're at least two, and they're supposedly further along than Canberra whom was heavily favoured by fans and did have active bidders and multiple expressions of interest-
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/footb...i5uF2B_A7fidVjD-RtnXaSk6r4cMgOkR3XfNwm3no1kWY

https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/09/07/former-all-black-confirmed-as-bidder-for-auckland-a-league-team/

The NRL would have little trouble finding investors for a second NRL side in NZ if they made their intent to expand in NZ clear and went looking for them.

 

[Perth Red]

The same nonsense was said when the APL announced their intent to expand the A-league to Auckland without any active bidders in NZ.

Now 6 months later there're at least two, and they're supposedly further along than Canberra whom was heavily favoured by fans and did have active bidders and multiple expressions of interest-
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/footb...i5uF2B_A7fidVjD-RtnXaSk6r4cMgOkR3XfNwm3no1kWY

https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/09/07/former-all-black-confirmed-as-bidder-for-auckland-a-league-team/

The NRL would have little trouble finding investors for a second NRL side in NZ if they made their intent to expand in NZ clear and went looking for them.

Why aren’t they there now given everyone knows there will be def a club 18 announced soonish? What are they waiting for?

 

[The Great Dane]

Why aren’t they there now given everyone knows there will be def a club 18 announced soonish? What are they waiting for?

Why weren't there expressions of interest in an A-league license from Auckland before the APL made their intent to expand there clear? Because you have to know that there's an opportunity before you can look to invest in it, and nobody thought that the A-league would add another team in NZ any time soon until the APL made it clear that that was precisely what they intended to do.

What kind of investor wastes thousands, potentially millions, on a bid for a license without being reasonably certain that they're going to see a return for that investment anyway?
When was the last time that such an unsolicited long term bid (ala Bombers, Pirates, CC, CQ, Western Corridor, Brothers, etc, etc) was actually successful anyway?

Also what person who looked at the situation from an objective and economic perspective genuinely thought that NZ was a realistic chance of getting the 17th or 18th license over larger Australian markets like (e.g.) Brisbane and Perth that offered obvious commercial advantages over another NZ side?
Nobody but dreamers is the answer to that one, at least not until the current boom the sport is benefiting from in NZ made itself apparent.

Allowing the presence of bids to dictate the sport's future expansion plans is stupid on face value anyway. The NRL should have a good idea of where they want to go, why, and rough timeframe of when, then they should make it happen. Not allow the handful of loonies stupid enough to invest in an expensive bid for a sports franchise without any set timeframe for the next round of expansion, or reason to believe they have any chance of winning a license, influence decisions on the future growth of the sport.

 

[Gobsmacked]

Why aren’t they there now given everyone knows there will be def a club 18 announced soonish? What are they waiting for?

They're not going to pull attention away from the Dolphins in their first year and They're not going to take attention away from the finals series..
Any expansion announcement will be post season.

 

[Gobsmacked]

Why weren't there expressions of interest in an A-league license from Auckland before the APL made their intent to expand there clear? Because you have to know that there's an opportunity before you can look to invest in it, and nobody thought that the A-league would add another team in NZ any time soon until the APL made it clear that that was precisely what they intended to do.

What kind of investor wastes thousands, potentially millions, on a bid for a license without being reasonably certain that they're going to see a return for that investment anyway?
When was the last time that such an unsolicited long term bid (ala Bombers, Pirates, CC, CQ, Western Corridor, Brothers, etc, etc) was actually successful anyway?

Also what person who looked at the situation from an objective and economic perspective genuinely thought that NZ was a realistic chance of getting the 17th or 18th license over larger Australian markets like (e.g.) Brisbane and Perth that offered obvious commercial advantages over another NZ side?
Nobody but dreamers is the answer to that one, at least not until the current boom the sport is benefiting from in NZ made itself apparent.

Allowing the presence of bids to dictate the sport's future expansion plans is stupid on face value anyway. The NRL should have a good idea of where they want to go, why, and rough timeframe of when, then they should make it happen. Not allow the handful of loonies stupid enough to invest in an expensive bid for a sports franchise without any set timeframe for the next round of expansion, or reason to believe they have any chance of winning a license, influence decisions on the future growth of the sport.

Well said.
Those unsolicited bids do more harm than good putting unwanted pressure on the NRL.

 

[Wb1234]

They're not going to pull attention away from the Dolphins in their first year and They're not going to take attention away from the finals series..
Any expansion announcement will be post season.

Dealing with the cba put everything else on hold

now they’ve sorted out Vegas expansion is the next priority

also soon they will be announcing another major property purchase

vlanyds is In growth mode

 

[Gobsmacked]

Dealing with the cba put everything else on hold

now they’ve sorted out Vegas expansion is the next priority

also soon they will be announcing another major property purchase

vlanyds is In growth mode

I'm so glad we have him!
Vegas was a boss move!
The games going bonkers under his leadership!

 

[Dark Corner]

I'm sure plenty will get up early for the ABs, I'm just saying that in this circumstance the warriors out rating them is the expected result IMO. I'm not sure why you are pretending that away international fixtures in bad time zones in any sport draw lower TV ratings than home ones in good time zones. How do you think the Kangaroos rate on an ashes tour 6AM local compared to when they play here at 8PM?

On what planet is RL in France as popular as RL in NZ in the context of their overall populations? In NZ, it is at least in the national consciousness and I will defer to people actually from NZ here, but my feeling it is on the 2nd tier of popularity under union and cricket. In France, I doubt a good portion of the population even knows RL exists and it doesn't make any top 10 list of sports in France that I can find.

Yes but the All Blacks winning the World Cup in there own backyard in 2011 and then winning it again in England 4 years later didn;t make any diffrence to Super Rugby and NPC and both comps continue to fall.
The NRL need another team in NZ

 

[MugaB]

Dolphins say hello

Thats a dumb thing to say, broncos got the wooden spoon, when expansion was being floated for SEQ, certainly not the same thing

 

[Wb1234]

Thats a dumb thing to say, broncos hot the wooden spoon, when expansion was being floated for SEQ, certainly not the same thing

Titans and cows crowds up too

And dolphins are sharing brisbane

nz2 will have the whole rest of nz minus the bits close to Auckland

 

[mongoose]

NZ is in a cultural moment right now where RU happens to be struggling a bit just as the Warriors have returned home with an attractive brand of winning footy ready made to fill the niche.

IDK how long that state of affairs will last, frankly I think it could all fall apart within a season if RU figures some of it's shit out and the Warriors results slide, but it's unlikely that there'll ever be a more favourable time to capitalise on the sport's popularity in NZ than now.

If the NRL are serious about the market they should announce their intent to grant NZ the 18th license within the next 6 or so months, and keep that hype train chugging along.

good timing for either NZ2 or Perth. West Coast Eagles got the AFL wooden spoon - i think they were losing games by 100 points on a consistent basis this year. The NRL needs to take advantage..

 

[Wb1234]

TikTok - Make Your Day

Interesting choices

 

[MugaB]

Titans and cows crowds up too

And dolphins are sharing brisbane

nz2 will have the whole rest of nz minus the bits close to Auckland

Ok but its not the same comparison

 

[Wb1234]

Ok but its not the same comparison

How so?

the introduction of the dolphins helped caused a boom in qld rl

a second nz team won’t take away from the warriors unless it’s based on Auckland