NFLize the NRL in Team Numbers

[IowaRL]

Alright, I know this is unlikely to happen, but I feel it fits under discussion of Expansion. The NRL, NBA and many of the US Pro Sports have between 30-32 teams in the top tier. I understand Australia is a smaller market, but if we got to the point of getting to this number of teams, where would they be? We've got a good case for I say 22 teams at the moment, what areas could support a team outside these?

16 existing teams
Central Coast
Perth
NZ 2 and 3
Western Corridor
Central QLD

Plus other options of:
Adelaide
Wagga Wagga
Brisbane 2

 

[Perth Red]

And the money would come from where to feed all these mouths?

I think a 22 club competition is the biggest we will ever see the NRL, and even that is probably not in my lifetime given the rate of expansion in the NRL so far!

 

[IowaRL]

And the money would come from where to feed all these mouths?

I think a 22 club competition is the biggest we will ever see the NRL, and even that is probably not in my lifetime given the rate of expansion in the NRL so far!

Less about how we feed them, we assume we already are. Discussion is for where our next 16 teams (if there are this many in the next 100 years). And Rate of expansion is terrible at the moment for the NRL, but not for the sport which is nice.

 

[Perth Red]

There isnt 16 population centres in Australia or NZ without a team that could sustain one.

At best the places without a team that could possibly host a club would be:

Gosford
Perth
Brisbane x 2
Wellington
Sth Island (ChChurch/Dunedin)
Rockhampton
Adelaide
Melbourne2
Port Moresby
Darwin

That's it and even then half of them would be very very long shots at being sustainable

 

[IowaRL]

Perhaps one day we'd see a team in Geelong (maybe instead of Melbourne 2). Albury-Wodonga is another large population center, Hobart is a long shot, but it's still a capital city. Is there another WA city that you could put a team in (either WA 2 or Broome perhaps)?

 

[Perth Red]

No, nothing with a population size close to being big enough. You need 300k plus to draw upon at least. If the game was more popular and better run you could see two teams in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne in the same way AFL has two teams in every major city but it isnt and wont be in the next 50 years.

 

[pHyR3]

I think on top of the 16 teams already existing, potential (some will take 100 years to even become a possibility) areas include, in order of likliehood at the moment:

Bris 2
Perth
NZ 2
QLD 5
CC Bears
Adelaide
Melb 2/Geelong
PNG
Fiji
Samoa
Tasmania
Tonga

To see all that happen, youd probably have to have RL become extremely popular throughout all of Australia, NZ and the pacific islands (and a lot of development here).

 

[IowaRL]

Pacific islands would make for an interesting league. 4 groups of 8 to cut down travel, having a NZ+ PI group, south lands group, Sydney Group and Qld group.

 

[BuffaloRules]

I think the game can NFLize in team numbers at about the same time that they can NFLize the TV deals, crowds and revenue.

So by around the year 2375 then...

 

[siv]

The only way you can entertain more teams is to tidy up NSW Cup and then have have a promotion relegation system

Like they are trying to setup in England

 

[Perth Tiger]

The only way to get to 30 plus teams in the NRL would be if they started placing teams in Asian like Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta etc and we are a long way from that happening

 

[Ourimbah Magpies]

No, nothing with a population size close to being big enough. You need 300k plus to draw upon at least. If the game was more popular and better run you could see two teams in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne in the same way AFL has two teams in every major city but it isnt and wont be in the next 50 years.

Yes but America has NFL and only NFL, Australia is dominated by AFL and NRL thats the difference and why NRL will never be like NFL.

 

[alien]

sunshine coast would be a better place for an nrl team than some of the places being mentioned

 

[DC_fan]

If you are going to dream then dream big.

I believe the NRL should be looking outside of Australia for new teams. Yes we should not forget Perth, who does deserve a team. But I would be looking at expanding the NRL up through Asia. With teams playing out of Singapore, Philippines, China and Japan.

Obviously its not going to happen in the next 10 years. But we should be looking at it in about 20 years from now.

 

[Perth Red]

North Korea! They're mad leaders can insist everyone buys a jersey and attends a game, would be massive lol.

 

[DC_fan]

North Korea! They're mad leaders can insist everyone buys a jersey and attends a game, would be massive lol.

But when the team keeps on losing then Kim Jong-un will have the players shot.

 

[alien]

According to the North Koreans, Kim Jong-un won the Rugby League World Cup against the Kangaroos all by himself.

 

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Best option for me would be to merge the SL and NRL (as separate conferences), put together groups of four and build the season around that.

Australasian Conference:
West Sydney Group: Wests Tigers, Parramatta Eels, Penrith Panthers, Canterbury Bulldogs.
East Sydney Group: Cronulla Sharks, Manly Sea Eagles, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sydney Roosters.
NSW Country Group: St George Illawarra Dragons, Canberra Raiders, Newcastle Knights, Central Coast Bears.
Queensland Group: Brisbane Broncos, Brisbane Brothers, North Queensland Cowboys, Gold Coast Titans.
Pacific Group: Melbourne Storm, West Coast Pirates, Auckland Warriors, Wellington Orcas.

European Conference:
West: St Helens, Warrington Wolves, Widnes Vikings, Wigan Warriors.
Central: Salford Red Devils, Huddersfield Giants, Bradford Bulls, Leeds Rhinos.
East: Wakefield Wildcats, Castleford Tigers, Hull FC, Hull KR.
France: Catalan Dragons, Toulouse Olympique, Aude Cathare, Avignon Bisons.

Play everyone in your conference once (Aus: 19 games; Euro: 15 games)
Play everyone in your group a second time (3 games)
Play one team from every group in the other conference (Aus: 4 games; Euro: 5 games)
Play one team from every group a second time (Euro only: 3 games)

Each team playing 26 games in the season.
Straight knockout play-offs (top of each group plus highest points from the remainder).
Conference final followed by World Club Final.

In time, expand conferences by adding extra groups in new areas. Easier to add groups of four from new areas than new leagues. They may get sides at times, but they will only pay a few cross group games a season.

A World NRL. That's the future.

 

[Perth Red]

you've picked the two places furthest apart to be in the same conference group!

Not a bad idea but not sure it would draw crowds to the inter conference games in Oz sadly. If its not NSW or qland the interest is minimal it seems

 

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Perth are going to be far apart from everyone. It's hardly going to make much difference having then travel a little bit further for what is effectively only one fixture (as they'd still play everyone anyway regardless of which group they're in).

The cross conference games might not be a draw at first but you'd build them up over time. Hopefully that's what the World Club Series will do. It could also make NRL TV rights worth a lot more in Europe.