Toronto and potential for an NRL replica

[jim_57]

News in the Northern hemisphere that Montreal and possibly New York are looking to join Toronto in the English system very soon.

From an NRL point of view, how should the sport be looking at this and any potential similar ambitious consortiums located within striking distance of Australia? If the right group and offer came along could this could break the stalemate of expansion or would any potential investors be strung along before inevitablely trying their luck elsewhere?

I post this as I would be genuinely interested in how the game here would handle such an 'out of the box' concept. I fear self interest would get in the way but if the bid was very hard to resist it may force the NRL to act on expansion. As a fan how would you feel about strongly backed upstarts from Tokyo/Beijing/Hawaii/Singapore/Other pipedream etc approaching the NRL and what would be the best way to accomodate them?

Toronto for me has proven that strange things can happen. You can't rely on it, but doesn't mean it won't ever happen or the NRL shouldn't be prepared for it, or dare I say even encouraging it behind closed doors.

 

[Perth Red]

It has one, png hunters.

IF any team outside uk makes it SL and is sustained will be amazing. Paris, Sheffield, London, Wales and now Catalans looking shaky. There isn't a good history of non m62 clubs surviving in SL!

 

[Emu01]

It has one, png hunters.

IF any team outside uk makes it SL and is sustained will be amazing. Paris, Sheffield, London, Wales and now Catalans looking shaky. There isn't a good history of non m62 clubs surviving in SL!

I know what your saying Perth but I saw an interview with Eric perez and he is talking about another team from Canada.

He has a multi millionaire backer with deep pockets. I think he has touched on something in Canada which is working well.
He said 95 percent of the Toronto spectators are first time Canadians.

With stats like that and big money not to mention the national airline has sponsored the team covering all the flying costs.. I really believe Toronto won't fail anytime soon..

With the right set up. Right backer I think anything is possible..

I reckon Eric Perez should replace Todd Greenberg and run the NRL.

 

[jim_57]

It has one, png hunters.

IF any team outside uk makes it SL and is sustained will be amazing. Paris, Sheffield, London, Wales and now Catalans looking shaky. There isn't a good history of non m62 clubs surviving in SL!

PNG is not really comparable to Toronto Wolfpack. 1 has strong RL presence but limted commercial appeal, the other is the complete opposite. A consortium popping up tomorrow in Asia with wealthy backers would be the only similar equivalent.

 

[Stormwarrior82]

What the Nrl has finally done is make the clubs accountable. The clubs know that now is the most beneficial time for a club. 130% funding to give them a helping hand they fought so hard for. And on top of that the introduction of a football department cap. Any new bids that come into the comp need to benefit the Nrl beyond the cost of them to fund.

Criteria for a successful club is a center of excellence, 15/20k membership base, feeder teams and grassroots plans and a impressive income streamer or backer.

What the Nrl needs to be careful of is heading the way of the Aru and getting away from our supporters. Like Richardson expansion review said it makes sense to use the 2 state comps (conferences) as stepping stones to the Nrl. adding a twiggy inspired indo pacific conference/comp isnt such a bad idea for the future.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Asia is our new market (huge cities and a middle-class only now emerging, so popular sports arent cemented)...

Our obvious problem is complacency. For 100 Years, the mantra for RL comps has been "expand or die"; cities devoured the country comps, states devoured each other and NewsLtd devoured everything. Our problem is that, now NRL is the undisputed supreme comp, we have become lazy.

I want the North Amerocan clubs to succeed, SL sign a big TV deal and clubs there to start stealing Aussie players.

The NRL has no idea how to be the big boys (for me, thats why we stagnated after the big tv deal in 2012), we need to be the underdog fighting greater powers. The ambition of the past will only come back when we are scared for our survival...

 

[davi]

Frankly speaking I really don't care about Toronto, New York, or Tokyo. I would rather the NRL focus its energies on Perth, Adelaide, and a second team in Brisbane. You need to crawl before you can walk, and frankly if you get a true national rugby league competition then you are walking. The only international expansion the NRL should be interested in is Wellington, the rest is pie in the sky stuff really.

 

[Travitoh]

If it's true that more Nth American cities are looking to join SL, then how long until they start up their own comp?

 

[Foreign Legion]

NRL should have a B-League comp (clubs that have the potential for future NRL status)

For example

3 NZ teams (Wellington and Christchurch and a Maori side , 1 PNG Hunters, 1 Fiji, 2 from Qld 2 from NSw, 1 WA, 1 SA

 

[Perth Red]

PNG is not really comparable to Toronto Wolfpack. 1 has strong RL presence but limted commercial appeal, the other is the complete opposite. A consortium popping up tomorrow in Asia with wealthy backers would be the only similar equivalent.

point of difference is there is a promotion pathway in SL. If you was a wealthy backer here you wouldn't bother with setting up a rl club as there is no way your investment would see the club proceed to nrl level.

 

[jim_57]

The way I see it is if Toronto stand the test of time it will open some eyes and some doors. If Toronto, who realistically were a massive pipe dream 3 years ago can be a success then why can't Montreal or New York be a success in SL or Hong Kong or Manilla be a success in NRL?

Very early days and lot's of speculating and not much else at this stage. But if Eric Perez 2.0 is Japanese and finds himself being able to fund his dream of a pro Rugby League club then how does the NRL handle it?

Of course there has to be room for local expansion but if an oppurtunity to expand in to Asia was handed to you on a platter surely it would be worth a look, maybe even a proof of concpet trial in QLD Cup for a year?

 

[j5o6hn]

The biggest problem with the NRL is they are scared of their own shadows & the ill disciplined hopelessly run clubs

 

[jim_57]

Frankly speaking I really don't care about Toronto, New York, or Tokyo. I would rather the NRL focus its energies on Perth, Adelaide, and a second team in Brisbane. You need to crawl before you can walk, and frankly if you get a true national rugby league competition then you are walking. The only international expansion the NRL should be interested in is Wellington, the rest is pie in the sky stuff really.

The thing is, this attitude is fair enough but the RFL weren't ever focusing on Toronto. Toronto was the result of a group of men who made it all a reality and the RFL had nothing to lose. If a similar offer came along to the NRL with an airline sponsor and TV partners etc then it doesn't matter where they've been "focusing" (if anywhere) an oppurtunity to open new markets must surely be looked at.

 

[Billythekid]

Asia is our new market (huge cities and a middle-class only now emerging, so popular sports arent cemented)...

Our obvious problem is complacency. For 100 Years, the mantra for RL comps has been "expand or die"; cities devoured the country comps, states devoured each other and NewsLtd devoured everything. Our problem is that, now NRL is the undisputed supreme comp, we have become lazy.

I want the North Amerocan clubs to succeed, SL sign a big TV deal and clubs there to start stealing Aussie players.

The NRL has no idea how to be the big boys (for me, thats why we stagnated after the big tv deal in 2012), we need to be the underdog fighting greater powers. The ambition of the past will only come back when we are scared for our survival...

We have the AFL still aggressively trying to take over our main markets and doing everything they can to dominate the sporting market in Australia. They are even interfering with what stadium funding we can get (even if ultimately not that successfully). The threat of the AFL should be enough to light a fire under the NRLs arse.

I do wish the SL would finally see some growth. I think if it ever reach a comparable size to the NRL it would do wonders for the game internationally.

 

[Perth Red]

SL will never be as big as nrl mostly due to lack of pokie den funding, soccer soaking up sports media, money and fan interest, rl strongholds being in small northern outposts. Imagine if afl was as big in every city as it is in Melbourne and that is what rl in uk is battling with soccer but one hundred times bigger!

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

If it's true that more Nth American cities are looking to join SL, then how long until they start up their own comp?

Best situation i could see would be a US division/conference to keep travel costs low with some mixing during rhe season (to affirm that it as one unites comp) and a big combined finals series.

 

[Diesel]

NRL should have a B-League comp (clubs that have the potential for future NRL status)

For example

3 NZ teams (Wellington and Christchurch and a Maori side , 1 PNG Hunters, 1 Fiji, 2 from Qld 2 from NSw, 1 WA, 1 SA

Was this the thinking behind the scrapped Platinum League?

 

[Diesel]

Best situation i could see would be a US division/conference to keep travel costs low with some mixing during rhe season (to affirm that it as one unites comp) and a big combined finals series.

Timing is critical too. Seems like the northern Americas are putting in some ground work before the 2025 WC

 

[RL The greatest game]

What the Nrl has finally done is make the clubs accountable. The clubs know that now is the most beneficial time for a club. 130% funding to give them a helping hand they fought so hard for. And on top of that the introduction of a football department cap. Any new bids that come into the comp need to benefit the Nrl beyond the cost of them to fund.

Criteria for a successful club is a center of excellence, 15/20k membership base, feeder teams and grassroots plans and a impressive income streamer or backer.

What the Nrl needs to be careful of is heading the way of the Aru and getting away from our supporters. Like Richardson expansion review said it makes sense to use the 2 state comps (conferences) as stepping stones to the Nrl. adding a twiggy inspired indo pacific conference/comp isnt such a bad idea for the future.

You could give some NRL clubs $1 million bucks a day and some would still make a loss and want more money

 

[Stormwarrior82]

You could give some NRL clubs $1 million bucks a day and some would still make a loss and want more money

Absolutely agree.

What the Nrl has done is streamline the clubs costs and put caps on them. Which over the long term will help current clubs and then future bid clubs in sorting out there financials. The only part of the football business that doesn't have any cap is the COE, admin and more importantly marketing and events roles. Which is great to see