Should NRL sponsor Touch footy?

[Perth Red]

Seems to be that it would be an ideal way to closely allign RL with Touch Footy and plant the seeds in kids heads that they are playing a version of RL (especially in affiliated states where RL isn;t so well seen). Even something simple like sponsoring balls and flags etc would be a start. AFL does very well with its auskick programme and seems to me we already have an equivalent just that we don't ride the coat tails of it like we should.

In Perth we have over 5K people playing touch footy and 1/2 that number registered as RL players. Maybe a closer allignment between TouchWest and WARL through the support of the NRL would help a pathway to kids playing the real thing?

 

[Thomas]

Why would Touch want to be sponsored by the NRL?

Touch, participation wise, is a lot larger than rugby league, rugby union and aussie rules combined. What do they gain out of NRL sponsorship?

 

[Loudstrat]

No. Maybe Group 3 or some other single comp should.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

Why would Touch want to be sponsored by the NRL?

Touch, participation wise, is a lot larger than rugby league, rugby union and aussie rules combined. What do they gain out of NRL sponsorship?

Wow Thomas, if I didn't think any better, I'd say you have an ulterior motive.

 

[Warrior@Heart]

Yes I think they should sponsor Touch footy, I play touch footy here in Perth and some of the young talent would be prime candidates for NRL but because the NRL doesn't have a presence in WA those kids end up playing other sports not realising how good they could be at rugby league.

 

[Roy80]

Why would Touch want to be sponsored by the NRL?

Yeah, why would an amateur sporting organisation want to receive possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars in sponsorship. :roll:

I agree here, every effort should be made to bring touch under the rugby league umbrella. AFL uses rubbery participation figures to get increased money from governments, sponsors etc. so i believe any sponsorship would pay itself back many times over.

Another thing though - are people seriously stupid enough to not realise touch is a modified non-contact version of rugby league? maybe in Perth, but everybody in NSW & Qld knows this. Six tackles (touches), play the balls etc etc ??

 

[Miller was a legend]

I think the mines in WA should sponsor touch footy, but not the Reds. Waste of cash

 

[cleary89]

Should have taken Oztag when they had the chance. Oztag is much bigger than touch.

 

[JB]

Another thing though - are people seriously stupid enough to not realise touch is a modified non-contact version of rugby league? maybe in Perth, but everybody in NSW & Qld knows this. Six tackles (touches), play the balls etc etc ??

Some probably. In the same way people are unaware (or in denial) Rugby League is a modified version of Union. Like League though Touch has evolved into it's own separate entity. As far as League sponsoring Touch to bring it under the League umbrella. Sure. However given the struggle League has to fund country and development footy, I'd say it's unlikely. Needs to sort it's own house out first.

 

[Danish]

Why would Touch want to be sponsored by the NRL?

Touch, participation wise, is a lot larger than rugby league, rugby union and aussie rules combined. What do they gain out of NRL sponsorship?

Yes... What POSSIBLE gain could a competition get from a financial sponsorship????

:-k

 

[choisir]

Touch is a good game and i can appreciate the skill levels of the elite participants of the sport .But it has become a lot less like Rugby League in the last decade or so and evolved into its own code as such.A good knock'em down footy player does not always translate into a good touch player and vice versa.The NRL will gain nothing from an association with touch other than another mouth to feed with minimal return

 

[joshreading]

I think the NRL should sponsor OZTag or even create it's own version of OZtag backed by Rugby League Clubs around the country. OZTag is closer to Rugby League than Touch. Doing so would enable RL clubs to put OZtag directly into the development and promotional stream of RL.

For OZtag, it would help raise it's profile significantly. I would argue that OZtag coming under the auspices of the Independant Commission and thus the funding and profile of the NRL would help OZtag to potentially take out Touch footy as the primary non-tackle version of RL.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Rugby league already has its own version of Oztag. The CRL has LeagueTag and if the NRL IC or whatever it wants to call itself has any idea it will expand this right across the country. ARL development also uses it. Not only is it even closer to RL, but it conforms with and expands the development system already in place. If it was rolled out correctly it could usurp Oztag, which is essentially little more than a franchised business. A subsidised LeagueTag competition would be able to offer the same game, roughly, for a cheaper price and that would attract people from touch and esspecially oztag. The beauty of LeagueTag as it has been used with women and girls in the CRL is that it is linked to local senior clubs so women and girls are able to be part of the local club, play in its colours, on the same day as the men and pool resources. Every senior men's club in the country should have or aim to have a women's LeagueTag side run alongside it. And that's just for starters.

 

[babyg]

Every rugby league club should have it's own touch/tag comp. Gives everyone a change to be part of the club.

 

[WAPAU]

Touch > OZTAG

 

[NRL-TGG]

Why would Touch want to be sponsored by the NRL?

Touch, participation wise, is a lot larger than rugby league, rugby union and aussie rules combined. What do they gain out of NRL sponsorship?

Money ... obviously.

 

[Teddyboy]

Touch is a good game and i can appreciate the skill levels of the elite participants of the sport .But it has become a lot less like Rugby League in the last decade or so and evolved into its own code as such.A good knock'em down footy player does not always translate into a good touch player and vice versa.The NRL will gain nothing from an association with touch other than another mouth to feed with minimal return

One handed Touch is crap anyway as it's all about skinny whippets trying get the fat or slower opposite player's off side and rarely does passing the ball around happen.

 

[Teddyboy]

Every rugby league club should have it's own touch/tag comp. Gives everyone a change to be part of the club.

Agreed it bring's more bar takings.

 

[Warrior@Heart]

Benji Marshall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UewTmI4qo3I
Shaun Johnson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSCCWEHfePE&feature=related

So much more talent where that came from but unfortunately IRB are the only ones who see the potential.

 

[Canard]

Id recommend sponsoring Union 7's, thats where the real athletes are ...........