Sustaining&building upon current NRL boom

[Steel Saints]

Fair point, without the war we wouldn't be in a position where News Ltd was 50% owner of the NRL for two decades.. and admittedly it's tough to think of a peace deal where they didn't have a major stake in the new competition... but the building blocks were there for a decent competition in late 1997 - the lightning speed & un-coordinated way it was done was particularly shoddy and short-sighted.

When two competitions became one, the newly formed NRL wanted 14 teams within two years. A shoddy criteria came into place, and the result was certain teams unnecessarily getting the flick, while all three mergers didn't make sense.

Northern Eagles was a disaster and didn't last long. Even though Wests Tigers and St.George Illawarra have won a premiership, neither are natural mergers and has represented many challenges. Balmain- Wests and St.George - Illawarra are not next door neighbours.

But hey it didn't matter. As long as teams were reduced to 14. Nowadays my eyes roll when people talk about relocating teams as a way of reducing teams again, particularly in Sydney.

If the mergers were outrageously successfully, then I would be in favour of either more mergers or relocations. Judging by history, I don't think relocations would work either.

 

[Wb1234]

The Giants and Suns crowds ,the latter in an area where many Victorians have moved are hardly an example of CROWDS.
As to the Swans and Lions ,if you don't understand the impact of the SL war(which even Swans admin have admitted assisted them greatly),then you ignore the reality of the RL split- in members, fans and even families.Most saw the impact Souths getting the flick and and the Bears.

It is only now in the latter years that the NRL has got its sh*t together and it is now showing with membership, crowds,TV ratings and the guts to expand that we don't need excuses ,but at the same time we cannot ignore what transpired in 1995 and the impact it had for decades.

He wasn’t around then he doesn’t understand it

 

[flippikat]

When two competitions became one, the newly formed NRL wanted 14 teams within two years. A shoddy criteria came into place, and the result was certain teams unnecessarily getting the flick, while all three mergers didn't make sense.

Northern Eagles was a disaster and didn't last long. Even though Wests Tigers and St.George Illawarra have won a premiership, neither are natural mergers and has represented many challenges. Balmain- Wests and St.George - Illawarra are not next door neighbours.

But hey it didn't matter. As long as teams were reduced to 14. Nowadays my eyes roll when people talk about relocating teams as a way of reducing teams again, particularly in Sydney.

If the mergers were outrageously successfully, then I would be in favour of either more mergers or relocations. Judging by history, I don't think relocations would work either.

I think relocations *could* have worked better than mergers, as you could avoid the tension between two factions that comes from a joint venture - which we've seen play-out to varying degrees across all 3 joint ventures.. and aside from the "lightning in a bottle" premiership seasons of the Tigers & Dragons this century, I think the tension there has prevented the Tigers & Dragons achieving the sort of dynasty that fans hoped for when the JVs were formed.

 

[Pneuma]

Further evidence of the boom in rugby league is rugby league participation in Brisbane. Last year there were 891 teams and 16000 players. This year a manual count by clubs shows an increase to 972 teams. That’s an increase of 10%. Extrapolating that out it will see about 17500 players. The game is on a roll girls and boys.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

1. Introduce Perth as the 18th team, 9th game, a new TV timeslot and the top 5 Aus / NZ markets represented.

2. Get the damn 2028 TV negotiations right FFS, no NRL administrator has ever managed to capitalise property on the fact that we are the number 1 TV game in the country. Use the money to market aggressively around Aus & NZ and flood the grass roots with money until our game has 'H' shaped goal posts in parks in every city and town in Aus & NZ.

3. Introduce the Western Corridor bid in SEQ. As St Peter says, our game is built on tribalism and we are just now getting a glimpse with the Dolphins/Broncos what real SEQ rivalry looks like. SEQ is a massive market and growing and we are the undisputed number 1 sport and the only one in a position to capitalise on the growth of the region and bonus, we can reconnect with a bit of our history through the Dolphins and Jets to do it.

4. Scheduling a match of the round that is either at a packed Allianz, Suncorp or Commbank every Friday night on TV. It looks amazing and makes people want to get involved and attend games to experience the atmosphere. NRL to do whatever it takes to achieve this. Negotiate with TV to pick the games, pay clubs to move games, do an AFL and flog off cheap tickets to get to the desired crowd figure, do whatever it takes to have a packed stadium once a week for that game, for me the goal should be min 40k

5. Leverage the international game. As much as we don't want to admit it, SOO will be reaching it's expiry date in the coming two decades as more and more of the top players come from New Zealand, England, PNG, Fiji and some from Tonga and Samoa. We have the ingredients there right now to build a compelling and commercially successful international tournament every year that has all the passion, colour and intensity of SOO. Aus, NZ, Tonga, Samoa, England, Fiji, PNG, France.... get it right and the game can cash in big time and really grow internationally which has flow on benefits to the NRL, the best club Rugby competition in the world.

6. Once the Kiwis, Tonga and Samoa are regularly filling stadiums for afore mentioned annual international tournament in NZ, introduce NZ 2 just as RL interest is at fever pitch.

 

[mongoose]

Sydney surfer(body) here and been so for yonks. There are stacks of Westies who come to Cronulla beach via wait for it a railway line whose station is about 500m from the beach.
There are kids in the nippers who parents bring them from non beachside suburbs.And I dare say Manly
Warringah has the same.
A fellow by the name of Mick Fanning(world champ) the guy who surfs with and judo chops white pointers is from around Penrith.
I'd put up Sydney metro and Wollongong beaches up against what Melbourne has to offer any time of the day..
I spent 2 days at a sales seminar some years back in Melbourne night time at pubs, and the most enjoyable experience was taxiing on Tullamarine to head North.
Sydney killed off Kings Cross agreed ,but it was hardly a place you'd take your girlfriend or wife at times.There are plenty of entertainment outlets throughout the suburbs.
Plus I repeat you have a media that sucks up to their code ,that promotes their code as opposed to the poor media offering in Sydney.And you never as a city experienced the joy(LOL) of Super league.At least you confirmed the transport infrastructure as being sh&thouse.

A

Just have to look at the surfing hall of fame to see the large majority of inductees are from NSW and QLD. Torquay might be the home of surfing in Australia but VIC does not have the same surf culture as NSW or QLD.

 

[Perth Red]

yep, stupid that it was agreed to in the first place, but should of been ready to go in 2015 as soon as it was allowed to

We should have got perth in 2013 and brisbane2 in 2015 when that deal ran out and had a mega 2018 tv deal! Our game administrators have been sht since 1994.

 

[greenBV4]

Just have to look at the surfing hall of fame to see the large majority of inductees are from NSW and QLD. Torquay might be the home of surfing in Australia but VIC does not have the same surf culture as NSW or QLD.

For sure it doesn't have the pro surfing culture but honestly after growing up surfing the northern rivers and gold coast it's a much more "pure" surf culture, more what surfing should be IMO, less look at me and more appreciative of what surfing is

Places like torquay and Phillip Island live and breath old school surfing, without all the showboating of places like the Goldie

You just need to get used to a good wetsuit in winter lol

And f**k me it seems everyone and their dog in melbourne decided they were gonna pick up surfing in lockdown

But imma stop before I go all surfer hippy on an nrl expansion forum lol

 

[Perth Red]

He wasn’t around then he doesn’t understand it

Arent suns only around 10% lower crowd avg than the titans Over life of the two Gold Coast clubs?

 

[Perth Red]

In terms of the op

1. announce an aggressive three team ten year expansion plan now
2. Take the gf on the road
3. make sure every major city has at least three nrl games a year in it
4. bring back pre season nines
5. set out an 8 year international calendar for both parts of the world
6. negotiate a $550mill tv deal and commit 15% of it to grass roots funding
7. every fta game to be hosted in a new stadium with big crowds
8. get a fta game on a Saturday night

that’d do it.

 

[Wb1234]

Arent suns only around 10% lower crowd avg than the titans Over life of the two Gold Coast clubs?

For double the grant the titans get

wonder why the giants didn’t just let fans in for free

 

[taipan]

Just have to look at the surfing hall of fame to see the large majority of inductees are from NSW and QLD. Torquay might be the home of surfing in Australia but VIC does not have the same surf culture as NSW or QLD.

Yep wouldn't argue that point.

 

[footyfan4life]

Then stop writing rubbish

So we are in-denial now? hahaha this is quite pathetic

 

[footyfan4life]

Fumbler got triggered so he opened an account to stick up for his favourite sport

already on ignore lol

So I said a couple of things positive about AFL and you're butthurt about it so you start calling me names?

Just because you don't something doesn't mean it is not true

 

[Brian potter]

In terms of the op

1. announce an aggressive three team ten year expansion plan now

starting from either 2025 or 2027 at the latest.

2. Take the gf on the road

100%. take it to Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Auckland As well as Sydney.

3. make sure every major city has at least three nrl games a year in it

including wellington and Christchurch.

4. bring back pre season nines

to be played in NZ.

5. set out an 8 year international calendar for both parts of the world

Another one

6. negotiate a $550mill tv deal and commit 15% of it to grass roots funding

This.

7. every fta game to be hosted in a new stadium with big crowds

dont know anything about TV scheduling in Australia but what difference does a new stadium make?

8. get a fta game on a Saturday night

whats so special about Saturday night?

that’d do it.

sounds like a plan

 

[Pneuma]

Rugby league celebrates club participation growth across the nation

Club rugby league is enjoying strong growth with the national club rugby league participation rate up 13 percent on this time last year and just 6.5 percent off passing last year’s national total.

www.nrl.com

Queensland participants on the up. The good news continues

 

[Gobsmacked]

We should have got perth in 2013 and brisbane2 in 2015 when that deal ran out and had a mega 2018 tv deal! Our game administrators have been sht since 1994.

That's right, 95 they let Perth in ffs

 

[Perth Red]

That's right, 95 they let Perth in ffs

That decision was made in 1992 lol

 

[Stormy weather]

Honest question here but why is that?

are AFL tickets cheaper and packaged more family friendly?

Just a different culture. The AFL is over priced food and drinks there are absolutely ridiculous.

AFL clubs have always relied more heavily on gate takings to generate a profit so they have always done more to encourage fans to go and to buy memberships

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Annual “event” matches for every club, each played on the same day each year, ideally a holiday or day of local significance, like the two Anzac Day matches that we already have.