Does anyone else have a link to this interview please. Thanks in advance.
Heres the link and the story.
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/201008/s2992568.htm
The head of Australia's National Rugby League will visit Papua New Guinea to examine the country's bid to have a team in the competition.
The NRL is followed fanatically in PNG and the national government is supporting a bid to have a local team in the competition by 2015.
The league's CEO David Gallop has accepted an invitation to visit Port Moresby early next year to appraise the bid firsthand. Mr Gallop says there are significant hurdles to clear before a team can enter the NRL.
Presenter: Liam Fox, PNG correspondent
Speaker: David Gallop, CEO of the NRL
GALLOP: Obviously they are very enthusiastic about the game in PNG and indeed their ultimate goal of having a team in the NRL. They are doing a lot of work in schools and around the development of junior rugby league. No-one could ever knock their enthusiasm and we want to keep monitoring the progress that they are making up there for something that is so important to the people in PNG.
FOX: And before I go into questions about what you think about the actual bid can I get you to outline for our audience what the NRL's expansion plans are in the next few years?
GALLOP: We don't have a set agenda, what we said is that in about 12 months time we will have another serious look at the question of expansion for our competition which is currently 16 teams. We've got opportunity to do new media rights deals in the next year or so and that will give us a clearer picture of the game's revenue and whether we should be looking at expansion.
FOX: Have you outlined any particular areas where possible expansion could take place, future teams?
GALLOP: Oh, there are a number of areas that have got their hand up and are working away at it and obviously PNG is one of them.
FOX: What does a potentially successful bid for a spot in the NRL need, what are you looking for?
GALLOP: Well, I guess it comes down to two things. You want a sustainable business model, a club that can keep its head above water and indeed be a profitable exercise and then you want to add something to the rest of the competition and enhance the competition, so that means that having the ability to play out of a good stadium which we know Moresby is going to have over the next few years and that will be part of what we will look at.
FOX: Overall, do you think from what you've seen so far, is a PNG-NRL bid realistic?
GALLOP: Oh, look I think it is not around the corner. It's probably still a few years off, but it's something that needs to be looked at seriously and you would never say never, because we know that the game is so popular up there.
FOX: But does it come back to what you said before one of the two criterias - a sustainable business model. Is that an area where you might have concerns?
GALLOP: Oh well, obviously the government has indicated a lot of support and we know that there's a lot of big companies up there that would also support the game. It's a matter of them continuing to work on that business model and also what work they can do to show that they would enhance the whole competition.
FOX: Do you think a PNG team would enhance the competition as far as that second criteria you mentioned, adding something to the game?
GALLOP: Yeah, it's a bit early to say at this stage, but obviously we look at things like the extent they can improve our media rights position and our areas where club sharing in revenue across the game.
FOX: So that wouldn't be particularly high then in PNG, would it?
GALLOP: No, but I think their conscience is out and they are considering how they could address that issue.
FOX: The PNG bid team here is attached to the time frame of 2015. Is that you've said it definitely is not a few years away. Is 2015 completely unrealistic?
GALLOP: Oh, I would not want to put a time frame on it. As I say, I think it's a few years off. Let's see how things progress over the next couple of years and we may be in a better position to form judgement then.
FOX: Given that, what's the purpose of them coming to PNG next year then, if it's a few years off?
GALLOP: Oh, because it is not only about whether they are ready to be admitted to the NRL. It is just to get a view of their development program. Obviously you've got the Kumuls playing in the Four Nations at the end of this year and we're interested in the game's development in PNG generally as well as their ultimate goal of having a team.
