NZ v Poms in US

[latingringo101]

Just a few things the article is saying

1. Altitude of Denver

The altitude of Denver is only 1700 metres above sea level (Less than the highest mountain in Australia) so I highly doubt players will suffer altitude sickness.

2. Insurance

How would the insurance of international duty and care be any different if the fixture would be in NZ or the UK? BOTH the NZRL and RFL are more than covered to take care of both teams.

3. Jet lag

Poms flew most of their team around the world last year to play Samoa and even have 3 SL teams playing here in Oz (while domestic competition is on). Yes it might affect a clubs performance for a round or two with players absent overseas, but hey state of origin ring a bell?

Heat of Denver

Average June/July weather in Denver is 33 degrees Celcius.

How is it any different than playing in Townsville, Cairns or PNG? Plus if it's that much of a problem, play it at night.

 

[deluded pom?]

Just a few things the article is saying

1. Altitude of Denver

The altitude of Denver is only 1700 metres above sea level (Less than the highest mountain in Australia) so I highly doubt players will suffer altitude sickness.

2. Insurance

How would the insurance of international duty and care be any different if the fixture would be in NZ or the UK? BOTH the NZRL and RFL are more than covered to take care of both teams.

3. Jet lag

Poms flew most of their team around the world last year to play Samoa and even have 3 SL teams playing here in Oz (while domestic competition is on). Yes it might affect a clubs performance for a round or two with players absent overseas, but hey state of origin ring a bell?

Heat of Denver

Average June/July weather in Denver is 33 degrees Celcius.

How is it any different than playing in Townsville, Cairns or PNG? Plus if it's that much of a problem, play it at night.

That’s too much like common sense lg. Or are the RLPA just looking for any excuse.

 

[Evil Homer]

1. Altitude of Denver

The altitude of Denver is only 1700 metres above sea level (Less than the highest mountain in Australia) so I highly doubt players will suffer altitude sickness.

To be fair NFL players have suffered some issues from time to time with the altitude in Denver, and RL is much more cardio-intensive. The rest of your post is spot on, also pretty poor to see this stuff coming from a former USA international in Newton.

 

[langpark]

The guy promoting this is backing his judgement over yours to the tune of at least $1,000,000 US.

Rugby League has strong, established teams in the following cities:

Atlanta, Tampa, Jacksonville, NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Providence.

How/why Denver got chosen and what benefit it will bring to RL in the USA is beyond me.

 

[latingringo101]

To be fair NFL players have suffered some issues from time to time with the altitude in Denver, and RL is much more cardio-intensive. The rest of your post is spot on, also pretty poor to see this stuff coming from a former USA international in Newton.

It generally takes about a week to climatise to altitude. Soccer teams in Latin America play at 3-4000 feet in WC qualifiers and prepare for a week.

If both teams arrived 7-10 days before the match in Denver then that should be enough time to get use to the conditions.

 

[Evil Homer]

Rugby League has strong, established teams in the following cities:

Atlanta, Tampa, Jacksonville, NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Providence.

How/why Denver got chosen and what benefit it will bring to RL in the USA is beyond me.

The established RL base is clearly not the target market, and TBH I doubt the established RL bases in all of those places combined would be enough to make a difference in terms of where we stage this match, only Jacksonville has any sort of history of hosting events or attracting crowds for RL matches. The benefit is that we're (hopefully) going to have the RLWC there in 2025.

 

[Jankuloski]

All I read from this is:
“Give us more $$$”

 

[batley]

The established RL base is clearly not the target market, and TBH I doubt the established RL bases in all of those places combined would be enough to make a difference in terms of where we stage this match, only Jacksonville has any sort of history of hosting events or attracting crowds for RL matches. The benefit is that we're (hopefully) going to have the RLWC there in 2025.

We don't know what's behind the idea of holding it in Denver.I would guess it's a better financial risk than say holding it in Aussie after the WC fiasco and the latest Hull v Wigan game.

 

[adamkungl]

Rugby League has strong, established teams in the following cities:

Atlanta, Tampa, Jacksonville, NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Providence.

How/why Denver got chosen and what benefit it will bring to RL in the USA is beyond me.

Strong, established, and known by probably nobody in America anyway. Irrelevant to top level professional sport.

The RLPA questioning how to play a game overseas the very week 2 Super League teams have come overseas to play a game is a good laugh

 

[Coastbloke]

Just on Denver's temperature, Perpignan has a record high in July of 40 and a average of 29.2c. ESL teams have to play there and Kiwis in the NRL have had to play in Townsville, Cairns and Darwin and Brisbane in March..

Are the RLPA keeping a straight face when stating their concerns of fatigue and injury, when SOO is 'supposed' to be the toughest of the toughest and that is OK?

It honestly just sounds like excuse after excuse. I do agree the only concern is the choice of venue, but at least there's a fully funded plan..

 

[East Coast Tiger]

RL doesn't have strong clubs in any city in America. They're tiny amateur clubs that could fall over at any time if they lose one key person or a handful of players. The test isn't about propping up the small amateur league that exists. It's more likely about finding backers and interest in pro franchises. Denver has been a focal point for union for some time and Moore might have designs on a pro team there. Maybe even a backer there.

 

[Robert B]

I remember reading that Moore said that the denver broncos would help promote the game, so denver might be a safer first up choice.

 

[deluded pom?]

I remember reading that Moore said that the denver broncos would help promote the game, so denver might be a safer first up choice.

You’d like to think the promoters of this match have done a bit of homework other than throwing a dart at a map of the USA.

 

[adamkungl]

Denver is fine.
Hawaii is fine.
Both is great.
Stop shooting things down because they don't fit your exact plan for Rugby League which you'll never do anything about.

 

[DC_fan]

Is this the same Jason Moore?

The operation to bring Major League Baseball to Sydney this weekend is costing about $15 million, but the deal almost didn’t happen for promoter Jason Moore .

The Los Angeles Dodgers will take on rivals Arizona Diamondbacks at a revamped Sydney Cricket Ground in two games on Saturday and Sunday.

More than 70,000 tickets have been sold and hundreds of millions of viewers will watch the matches live on television across Asia and the United States.

Yet just before the contracts were signed last June to bring the sport known as “America’s pastime" to Sydney, Moore thought almost a decade of hard work was about to go to waste.


“About three months before the official announcement I thought it wasn’t going to happen," Moore told the AFR Weekend. “There were some dark days and I threw the toys around the office a few times.


“I was thinking I’ve wasted the past seven years and a lot of money but in the end we got through."

Such was the complexity of hosting the matches, including the specifics of the field – clay had to be imported to make the pitcher’s mound, for example – that the deal almost collapsed.

Moore says he has effectively bought two home games from the Diamondbacks, who will be compensated. The team will receive a payment based on the average financial return it would usually get from hosting two Dodgers matches at its stadium in Phoenix.

His boutique sports promotion company Moore Sports will also make money from merchandise sales across the weekend. Moore Sports company also sells sponsorship at the SCG and the adjacent Allianz Stadium.


He says the costly exercise has been worth the effort – which has included paying $2 million to reconfigure the SCG – but quips it won’t be a huge moneyspinner. “l will make a profit but . . . while I won’t have to sell my home I won’t be moving into a deep water frontage either."

Moore, who was keen to make a splash by organising a big event, had been in ultimately fruitless talks to take a Bledisloe Cup rugby union match to Denver in the United States between Australia and New Zealand before turning his attention to baseball.

Part of the reason for the time it has taken to get this up and running is that the MLB [Major League Baseball] decide which teams are going to come," he says. “All the negotiations are through their New York headquarters ."

Moore was insistent the matches had to be regular season events and not practice games.

Baseball authorities then stipulated the teams involved had to be from the west coast of the United States and be in spring training in Arizona, minimising as much as possible the gruelling travel to Australia.

Negotiations eventually led to the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, with Moore, MLB and the NSW government covering all costs for the teams.

“It doesn’t cost us anything but it brings our brand to Australia and also to Asia," says Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall.

“Baseball is very big in those markets, particularly Japan and Korea",

NSW Sports minister Gabrielle Upton said the event will deliver more than $16 million to the state economy, though Moore believes the figure could be even higher. Upton says: “More importantly, this event will be a two-day advertisement for Sydney to the more than 170 million Americans tuning in from across the Pacific."

Moore’s next big challenge involves searching for investors for franchises for a fledgling professional rugby union competition.



Read more: http://www.afr.com/lifestyle/the-nu...astime-to-sydney-20140321-ixbxb#ixzz56nIiryE7
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Take note of the last paragraph.

 

[Robert B]

Same Jason Moore. I wonder why rugby plans never eventuated? Is rugby league his sloppy seconds???

 

[DC_fan]

Same Jason Moore. I wonder why rugby plans never eventuated? Is rugby league his sloppy seconds???

I wonder if he is someone who promises a lot, but delivers little

 

[Robert B]

I wonder if he is someone who promises a lot, but delivers little

If it wasn't for the Sydney baseball game, I think we all would be thinking the same thing. Got to give him some credit for pulling off the Sydney baseball game.

 

[DC_fan]

If it wasn't for the Sydney baseball game, I think we all would be thinking the same thing. Got to give him some credit for pulling off the Sydney baseball game.

That is true. I hope he has the same kind of success with the game in Denver

 

[adamkungl]

That is true. I hope he has the same kind of success with the game in Denver

Selling Australian sport in the US is certainly a bigger task than selling American sport in Aus.
We've grown up with the big 4 American sports in movies, TV shows, cartoons.