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!

NRL to buy share of Super League

BODISGOD

Bench
Messages
3,652
They didn't really make a profit. Beaumont and Ellis have just left more money in the club's bank account than the other owners.

Every Super League club has effectively been trading while insolvent for years now, and most of the owners who are public are quite open about that fact. The only thing keeping them alive are their owners tipping ever increasing amounts of their own money into the clubs, and their costs are continuing to rise annually.

The current situation isn't sustainable and sooner or later something is gonna give. They need radical change yesterday or things are going to get bad, whether that change is the NRL coming in or some other plan doesn't really matter, but they have to cut costs and increase revenue streams or clubs are going to start falling over and there's a genuine chance of dropping out of professionalism.

If Sky slashes the next TV deal, which is likely as things stand, then they're screwed.
I'm of the view that Super League should exit the Sky arrangement and either go it alone, or join up with a broadcaster like Premier to basically own & sell their own rights.

Sky is useful for promotion but the value has been reducing for 30 years since Super League was launched (some rights cycles it's gone up but it has yo yo'd as the market has changed before declining again the last decade). When SL was launched the rights value differential of the Super League to the Premier League football was 1 : 3.5 (£17m per annum £61m) vs. Now it is 1:80 (£21m per annum vs. £1.7bn). In real terms the Super League rights are nearly down by half in absolute terms and in reality it is worse as the value of sport on tv has only gone up in real terms.

People regularly say "what would happen if the EPL went it alone" but that's an empty threat. What happens at the moment is that the EPL is subsidised by people with broader interests whose Sky (full tv package), TNT and Prime subscriptions are eaten up by Premier League rights fees. It's massively popular but they basically have enjoyed all of the growth in fees over the last few decades and nibbling away at other sports. Sky basically pay out 1 out 10 pounds they generate across tv, broadband and other to the Premier League & many of the divisions in Sky are low real world margin and in no way tied to sport (broadband for example).

This all happens because when they ask the customer what sports they watch, 9/10 they'll say football so that's the one event they can't lose. That doesn't mean they don't like the Super League or Tennis or whatever, just that Sky will prioritise their monthly fee to renew football.

Even if you look at Women's Football, they are now sucking up money when it does not generate significant views. The football authorities push it and Sky are duty bound to pay for it to keep the big piece.

This is the same for basically every sport's bread and butter domestic leagues but other sports have more events to sell. So for Sky they'll pay big money for the big ticket Golf events. English rugby league unfortunately doesn't really have that.

If I'm Super League, I take it back and look to generate cash centrally & look to sell more piecemeal games to wider broadcasters.
 

BODISGOD

Bench
Messages
3,652
could be with NRL investment.
Is that realistic? It's very easy to underestimate the real costs of running a sports team.

The return for the NRL would obviously be a more vibrant international game that could command higher broadcast revenues (in Australia and Internationally), but is that really going to provide the payback needed?
 
Messages
15,390
Surely a NRL club needs to link up with London Broncos to develop juniors, as with a population of around 9 million, in that population there would be some very good young athletes who would make very good Rugby League players given a chance, and underpin the junior development that's already going on in Australia, and rich pickings for that NRL club who would be spoilt for choice, and a positive for them and the London Broncos with an increased junior playing pool.
 
Messages
12,304
Surely a NRL club needs to link up with London Broncos to develop juniors, as with a population of around 9 million, in that population there would be some very good young athletes who would make very good Rugby League players given a chance, and underpin the junior development that's already going on in Australia, and rich pickings for that NRL club who would be spoilt for choice, and a positive for them and the London Broncos with an increased junior playing pool.
You'd think so.
 

Jonty

Juniors
Messages
897
Surely a NRL club needs to link up with London Broncos to develop juniors, as with a population of around 9 million, in that population there would be some very good young athletes who would make very good Rugby League players given a chance, and underpin the junior development that's already going on in Australia, and rich pickings for that NRL club who would be spoilt for choice, and a positive for them and the London Broncos with an increased junior playing pool.
The NRL/NRL clubs not only need to link up with the London broncos but also the midlands hurricanes who are based in Birmingham the 2nd largest city in the UK with a population of 1.2 million and 6 million for the West Midlands region.

the entire population of the midlands region with both the west&east combined is just over 10 million with the largest most northern city Nottingham(pop of 330k) and largest most southern city Coventry(pop of 350k) only being separated by 50 miles or just under a 1 hour drive.
 

Vlad59

First Grade
Messages
5,335
The NRL/NRL clubs not only need to link up with the London broncos but also the midlands hurricanes who are based in Birmingham the 2nd largest city in the UK with a population of 1.2 million and 6 million for the West Midlands region.

the entire population of the midlands region with both the west&east combined is just over 10 million with the largest most northern city Nottingham(pop of 330k) and largest most southern city Coventry(pop of 350k) only being separated by 50 miles or just under a 1 hour drive.
Gee how enlightening. Did you use google to find out these ever so interesting facts?
 

Vlad59

First Grade
Messages
5,335
Firstly yes i did use google to be precise about population sizes and distances.

secondly what’s wrong with this?

and thirdly why are you constantly stalking me?
People responding to your posts isn’t stalking. If that is the case this is a forum of stalkers. Now stop being silly Captain Google!
 

Vlad59

First Grade
Messages
5,335
Surely a NRL club needs to link up with London Broncos to develop juniors, as with a population of around 9 million, in that population there would be some very good young athletes who would make very good Rugby League players given a chance, and underpin the junior development that's already going on in Australia, and rich pickings for that NRL club who would be spoilt for choice, and a positive for them and the London Broncos with an increased junior playing pool.
NRL clubs are only interested in the bottom line. Investing money time and resources in an English Club will have to be based on a financial return otherwise why bother. Altruism doesn’t pay the bills
 
Messages
15,390
NRL clubs are only interested in the bottom line. Investing money time and resources in an English Club will have to be based on a financial return otherwise why bother. Altruism doesn’t pay the bills
There would be a financial return with all the young athletes they would find in a population of 9 million.
 

Latest posts

Top