Seasons 2019 and 2020 to start in America

[DC_fan]

NRL confirm plans to play an opening round game in US, possibly in 2019
David Riccio, The Daily Telegraph
March 1, 2018 8:00pm

RUGBY League is coming to America. And it’s not for just a one-off Test match.

The NRL’s long-held plan to launch their season proper in the US is on the verge of becoming a reality — as soon as this time next year.

NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg has confirmed that planning and discussions with TV broadcasters Fox Sports and Nine is in full swing to launch a history-making opening-round clash in 2019 and 2020.

Greenberg said the code’s long-term strategy to grow the game in North America ahead of the 2025 World Cup was behind the motivation to host an NRL match on US soil.

A proposed one-off mid-year Test match between England and New Zealand in Denver later this year is a part of that strategy.

Next year we could have teams playing for points in America,’’ Greenberg said. “We’re actively working on that now for 2019 and 2020.”

“What the clubs are looking for and why they are finding this hard to deal with and why we won’t come out and announce a single game, is that they are looking for a broader plan.

“They’re looking for the strategy of what international football looks like and for us how do we plug into that, helping with some domestic games from our competition.

“I think a broader plan is what people are looking for.

“If we’re going to grow the game, what does that look like ... over a longer period of time.’’

“We’re in discussions about that now.’’

The Sunday Telegraph first revealed last March of the NRL’s intent to launch the upcoming season in the US with South Sydney playing Parramatta on the west coast of America.

Greenberg explained why the proposal needed to be delayed.

“We couldn’t get the right scheduling that suited the broadcasters and didn’t impact player workload,’’ Greenberg said.

“So those are both very big components for us to be able to fix. We’re in conversations with both the broadcast partners now.

“This is more than a year away but we will start the 2019 draw discussions in about a month or two.

“We start planning our 2019 draw in April. The ball is in our court in regards to scheduling and player workload.”

Head of Fox Sports Steve Crawley said he would support the NRL’s expedition to the US.

“We’re partners of the NRL and as such, would support them if it meant more fans and more viewers are exposed to rugby league,’’ Crawley said.

Nine director of sport Tom Malone added his backing to the concept.

“We’ll be guided by the leadership of the NRL — they’re putting in a lot of work to make this happen and we’d like to support them as a broadcast partner,’’ Malone said.

There are two scheduling possibilities being proposed within the halls of League Central.

The first option is that the US fixture kicks-off the season on a stand-alone weekend of footy in early March, on the Sunday afternoon prior to the remaining round one matches being played, from the following Thursday night.

Thttps://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...tory/f1a713a2f31f9d13a175d104e909d811?login=1he other option is that the match to played on US soil is staged on the same weekend as the remaining round one fixtures, with the two teams chosen to showcase rugby league in America, then provided with the longest possible time to return home and recover for their round two matches.

If the first option was chosen, the NRL have also discussed hosting their annual season launch back in Australia to coincide with the US-fixture.

Similar to the successful season launch held among fans and members at Circular Quay on Thursday, live sites and food stalls would be provided for fans to watch the American-based clash on jumbo screens.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...tory/f1a713a2f31f9d13a175d104e909d811?login=1

 

[DC_fan]

Sounds promising. I like option one. Outside of the NBA and college basketball not much sporting wise happens in America at this time of the year.

 

[The Vaulting Violinist]

Can they play the game on USS enterprise and have Cher signing the national anthem pre game?

xoxo

 

[DC_fan]

Can they play the game on USS enterprise and have Cher signing the national anthem pre game?

xoxo

Cher and the USS Enterprise have boTh seen better days.

 

[Glenn]

Sounds promising. I like option one. Outside of the NBA and college basketball not much sporting wise happens in America at this time of the year.

NHL as well, MLB Spring Training all which would get more coverage than the NRL.

 

[taipan]

Can they play the game on USS enterprise and have Cher signing the national anthem pre game?

xoxo

Wearing the same outfit, but looking 20years younger.No wonder Sonny used to have a bono .

About time the NRL got out offtheir deep sleep and made some progressive announcements, such as this.
Greenberg for all his faults,(and he has his share) at least shows to the public ,the code is getting off it's backside, and trying to promote the game.
OK it may not actually come off, that happens in our game, but at least for now it looks promising.And who woulda thought ,we'd be playing SOO in Adelaide?
Imagine Gallop ,um agh, gee it's really really hard, but we might if the stars align, and Uranus isn't sore ,take a trip to Cooper Pedy ,to expose ourselves to a different culture.

 

[DC_fan]

NHL as well, MLB Spring Training all which would get more coverage than the NRL.

NHL as well, MLB Spring Training all which would get more coverage than the NRL.

I don’t rate the NHL highly. It would rank #6 in American team sports, just in front of Soccer. Yes MLB spring training does draw some attention.

I am not expecting miracles for the NRL, but March is the perfect time of the year for them to play a game there. It will require a lot of work and money spent on advertising for it even to be a minor success. They have to do something to draw some, any interest in the game before RLWC2025.

 

[emesssea]

Sounds promising. I like option one. Outside of the NBA and college basketball not much sporting wise happens in America at this time of the year.

by 'not much' you mean probably the biggest sporting event in the US outside of the Super Bowl taking place where even non-basketball/sport fans are paying attention

 

[Vee]

Sounds like the Anzac Test at Gallipoli and the Canberra/Manly game in China.

 

[King hit]

The time difference would be an issue but it's great how they are promoting the game.

 

[wittyfan]

I'd like to see half of Round 1 next year in the USA with the other half in Canada.

 

[Rabbit toes]

Cher and the USS Enterprise have boTh seen better days.

Dead heat as to who’s had more seaman

 

[The Vaulting Violinist]

Sounds like the Anzac Test at Gallipoli and the Canberra/Manly game in China.

And city v country in Moscow

 

[Diesel]

I'd like to see half of Round 1 next year in the USA with the other half in Canada.

Perhaps the round before, or after the England/NZ test in Denver would help with concerns over travel. Spread the round trip over 2 weeks instead of one

 

[Captain Apollo]

Perhaps the round before, or after the England/NZ test in Denver would help with concerns over travel. Spread the round trip over 2 weeks instead of one

The proposal is to play a Round 1 game there, so how can you instead play the Round before? There is no Round 0.

 

[carcharias]

Better than Perth

 

[The Great Dane]

Well if the NRL take it seriously (and I'm not convinced that this isn't just another media friendly thought bubble) then they can muster quite a large presence of star power and media support as plenty of big name Australians are RL fans to some extent and all of them have their own contacts as well.

All they have to do for a start is get the Rabbits involved and convince Rusty to do a publicity tour of some big shows in the US and RL will have got the most exposure that it has ever had in the states, get a few others to support it and the sky is the limit when it comes to publicity.

 

[Captain Apollo]

Well if the NRL take it seriously (and I'm not convinced that this isn't just another media friendly thought bubble) then they can muster quite a large presence of star power and media support as plenty of big name Australians are RL fans to some extent and all of them have their own contacts as well.

All they have to do for a start is get the Rabbits involved and convince Rusty to do a publicity tour of some big shows in the US and RL will have got the most exposure that it has ever had in the states, get a few others to support it and the sky is the limit when it comes to publicity.

That's what the story which was published by the Sydney Morning Herald (reproduced following) says -

NRL games could be taken to United States next season
By Adrian Proszenko
1 March 2018 — 4:11pm

NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg has revealed plans to take premiership matches to the US, declaring: "Next year we could have teams playing for points in America.”

The governing body has begun the process of planning its schedule for 2019 and the prospect of taking NRL games overseas is high on the agenda. Rugby League Central had explored the prospect of taking a competition game as soon as this season, but decided to put the bold project on the backburner for a year to work through the logistical challenges.

There is a desire to provide the US with premium rugby league content before the nation hosts the 2025 World Cup. That process will begin with this year’s England-New Zealand Test in Denver. While there are concerns about the toll the international will take on the game’s elite - particularly from the clubs - all stakeholders are hopeful the issues will be satisfactorily addressed before the June 23 fixture.

If that game is a success, it will increase the chances of the NRL pushing ahead with plans to take a series of competition games to America in a move that would expose rugby league to a new market.

"We're in discussions about that now,” Greenberg said. "It’s a big landing process on a number of fronts. You need to work with the broadcasters, you've also got to work through travel, recovery. But it's certainly on our radar.

"The destinations in North America are available in a good broadcast timeslot, so that's what we're looking at. The ball is in our court in regards to scheduling and player workload. We're actively working on that now for 2019 and 2020. Next year we could have teams playing for points in America.”

South Sydney and Parramatta were earmarked as ideal teams to take to the US when the initiative was first floated. The star power of Rabbitohs co-owner Russell Crowe makes Souths a good choice, while Jarryd Hayne is a name that could resonate with American sports fans after his NFL stint.

It’s unlikely the Eels would give up a home game next year given they are about to return to a rebuilt Parramatta Stadium, but are likely to consider being the away side for an American fixture. The blue and golds are also a logical choice given their CEO, Bernie Gurr, has an intimate understanding of the American sporting landscape after living and working in the US prior to joining the club.

Greenberg said there was not enough time to make the American dream a reality this year, but believed 2019 was a realistic ambition.

“We couldn’t get the right scheduling that suited the broadcasters and didn’t impact player workload,” Greenberg said.

“So those are both very big components for us to be able to fix. So we’re in conversations with both the broadcast partners now. This is more than a year away but we will start the 2019 draw discussions in about a month or two.

“Effectively we ran out of time last year. Hopefully, with more time, we can make that happen.

“I would say this - and the clubs would concur - what the clubs are looking for and why they are finding this hard to deal with - and why we won’t come out and announce a single game - is that they are looking for a broader plan.

"They’re looking for the strategy of what international football looks like and, for us, how do we plug into that, helping with some domestic games from our competition. I think a broader plan is what people are looking for. If we’re going to grow the game, what does that look like ... over a longer period of time.”

The promoter behind the Denver Test, Jason Moore, is hopeful the clubs will see the big picture and release all their players for the event. Some clubs are concerned about the toll that playing in high altitude, in the middle of summer, will take on players, particularly those involved in short turnarounds.

"Clubs are going to have to manage this, it's not going to be easy,” Greenberg said. "There's a number of hurdles still to get through as far as the information goes, but international footy is important.”

 

[PARRA_FAN]

Taking NRL games to the USA makes sense considering it'll be 6 years from the World Cup there and the game is basically unknown.

Rusty will no doubt spread the word to his celebrity mates like he did with the Leeds game years ago. And if theyre playing us I can see them mention Hayne being a former 49ers player.

 

[emesssea]

The time difference would be an issue but it's great how they are promoting the game.

Not really, you could have a 6pm start time here in LA on a Saturday, and it would be on at 1pm on Sunday in Sydney I believe.

I think this would only be worth it, if the NRL can convince Fox to broadcast it nationally on Fox, FS1, or even FX. Otherwise it will be not that much better then the infamout State of Origin match back in the 80s.