US Professional Rugby League Coming Soon!!

[deluded pom?]

Wasn't there a rumour doing the rounds that Vin Diesel was going to star in a film with a rugby league based storyline? When he was asked if he meant "rugby" apparently he confirmed that it was rugby LEAGUE.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

There was a rumour to that effect, yes. Clearly only a rumour. He might still be a fan though, you never know.

 

[Big Picture]

Those stadiums are a good size for rugby league, will the American soccer rent them to the AMNRL?

The soccer teams don't own these stadiums, they're tenants. Most likely the stadium management would welcome other tenants to bring in more money.

 

[druzik]

This comp is looking better each day. I'd love to see the tomahawkes tour Australia one day.

Actually the tomohawks tour australia quite regularly, every few years I think, its just that they never get a look in with the australian rep teams, they end up playing internationals agianst Fiji A or club teams like the Newtown Jets.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Actually the tomohawks tour australia quite regularly, every few years I think, its just that they never get a look in with the australian rep teams, they end up playing internationals agianst Fiji A or club teams like the Newtown Jets.

They came for Orara and they'd play a few games in the weeks afterwards, but the last time was 2005. They haven't been back since. I think it was too costly and they didn't see any great benefit in it. 2004 they played the Roos and that was much better than a tour here. If only we could have another one of those games. Maybe after the 4N next year, although that will be here so it might have to wait till the Roos go to the NH again.

 

[Poul]

What do you think is the likely fate for the AMNRL competition once the USNRL competition gets underway? Is it likely that the competition will go backwards (as has happened elswhere, e.g., Brisbane competition post Broncos), as its' profile is overwhelmed by that of the USNRL? The AMNRL is essentially a fully amateur competition involving teams from along the eastern seaboard, now from Boston in the north to Jacksonville in the south. Do you think that it may be more viable for the AMNRL to become regionalised with conferences set up along geographical lines? It must be costly for the Axemen to play their away games in the north east. Regionalisation may be a way of expanding the game at the amateur level. Perhaps a "Florida League" could be established under the guidance of the Axemen, who could perhaps "farm out" some of their players to other potential Florida teams. This would provide a bigger pool of players who might potentially be able to step up to the pro level with the "Axemen" USNRL team.
What effect on "crowds" is the pro comp likely to have? For most teams I wouldn't think it would be significant one way or the other, as most teams get only a handful (from what I understand) of paying? spectators anyway. The exception though is the Axemen, whom I believe got a number of crowds over 1,000 last season. Will the pro comp increase the overall profile of the Axemen "brand", and have a postive affect, or will the pro comp pull all the fans away to that comp? What is the likelihood that players will be able to step up from the AMNRL to the USNRL? Currently the AMNRL start in early June and finishes mid/late? August. The USNRL will be starting in mid March and finish in early July. That doesn't look like a lot of overlap. Would USNRL players continue and play the AMNRL season? Is it likely that the AMNRL season may be shifted (how might this affect "dual code" players?) to coincide with the USNRL? Might the AMNRL competition act like a defacto "reserve grade"? Will this improve the overall standard of the AMNRL and produce more players who have the potential to become Tomahawks? There's lots of questions to be answered, so hopefully these will come to light in the not too distant future.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

What do you think is the likely fate for the AMNRL competition once the USNRL competition gets underway? Is it likely that the competition will go backwards (as has happened elswhere, e.g., Brisbane competition post Broncos), as its' profile is overwhelmed by that of the USNRL? The AMNRL is essentially a fully amateur competition involving teams from along the eastern seaboard, now from Boston in the north to Jacksonville in the south. Do you think that it may be more viable for the AMNRL to become regionalised with conferences set up along geographical lines? It must be costly for the Axemen to play their away games in the north east. Regionalisation may be a way of expanding the game at the amateur level. Perhaps a "Florida League" could be established under the guidance of the Axemen, who could perhaps "farm out" some of their players to other potential Florida teams. This would provide a bigger pool of players who might potentially be able to step up to the pro level with the "Axemen" USNRL team.
What effect on "crowds" is the pro comp likely to have? For most teams I wouldn't think it would be significant one way or the other, as most teams get only a handful (from what I understand) of paying? spectators anyway. The exception though is the Axemen, whom I believe got a number of crowds over 1,000 last season. Will the pro comp increase the overall profile of the Axemen "brand", and have a postive affect, or will the pro comp pull all the fans away to that comp? What is the likelihood that players will be able to step up from the AMNRL to the USNRL? Currently the AMNRL start in early June and finishes mid/late? August. The USNRL will be starting in mid March and finish in early July. That doesn't look like a lot of overlap. Would USNRL players continue and play the AMNRL season? Is it likely that the AMNRL season may be shifted (how might this affect "dual code" players?) to coincide with the USNRL? Might the AMNRL competition act like a defacto "reserve grade"? Will this improve the overall standard of the AMNRL and produce more players who have the potential to become Tomahawks? There's lots of questions to be answered, so hopefully these will come to light in the not too distant future.

I think the pro league will be huge for the AMNRL comp. If the pro league works I can see the level below growing exponentially. I fully expect that there will be at least a few regional leagues spring up on the back of the pro set-ups. A western league and a Florida league probably aren't a million miles away as is. The Axemen have alreay said they will remain in the AMNRL as well as the pro league so their AMNRL team will be a feeder to the first grade side. I don't see why other franchises won't have a similar set-up. The NRLUS site already mentions that players are encouraged to play AMNRL this year to improve their chances of being drafted. If players see the AMNRL as a pathway to the pro league I can see there being a high demand for games in the lower league. As long as there are people willing to set up clubs I think the player numbers could explode as a result. I expect, and hope, franchises will support this. The structure of the AMNRL is anyone's guess but it could involve regional leagues feeding into a national playoff structure or it might remain more localised. Effectively the pro league will become the national championship. The lower leagues might not even play at the same time as each other. Hopefully there might be even more tiers in some places. We could end up with longer seasons and/or reserve grade or merit leagues below the AMNRL first grade. Anything is possible, but at this stage I can only see growth. It's not as if the present comp is pulling big crowds like the old BRL did before the Broncos so the only way is up.

 

[deluded pom?]

NRL USA Team Locations [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]As the interest continues to build around the NRL 2010 kickoff, a tremendous amount of inquiries have been directed to where the potential team locations are going to be developed. A number of options are available, with existing AMNRL club regions being ideal locations given the established presence of rugby league in those communities.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]As the NRL USA manage discussions with interested team operators, a number of factors will influence the final determination regarding team location. [/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Among these will be:[/FONT]

• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Team Operator preference[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Venue/Facilities - existing Major League Soccer Stadiums with capacity of 10- 25,000 are ideal[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Support of City - the support of local government is fundamental to NRL USA team location plans[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Community outreach[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Existing rugby demographic[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Local college communities[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Local Sponsorship/Advertising[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Local Media[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Currently the NRL USA have identified a number of team locations and operators in these cities across America, that meet the basic criteria to host an NRL franchise:[/FONT]

• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Philadelphia, PA[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]New York, NY[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Hartford, CT[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Boston, MA[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Jacksonville, FL[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Los Angeles, CA[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Denver, CO[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Chicago, IL[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Pittsburgh, PA[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]San Francisco, CA[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]San Diego, CA[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Washington DC[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Dallas, TX[/FONT]
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Las Vegas, NV[/FONT]

 

[krudmonk]

The soccer teams don't own these stadiums, they're tenants.

Wrong, most are built by the MLS owners specifically because paying rent is not a sustainable model. They used to dish out way too much for huge gridiron stadia. One team still does and two others have ownership in common with the local NFL franchises. I would think eventually this new comp needs a similarly close relationship.

 

[stevet]

hello guys we are going to talk with tampa bucs,about the new developments in for the pro league,have the powers to be already decided were they want teams ,and if a team puts forward a solid business plan, surely they will get a kick at it, i dont want to blow smoke up backers behind if its already set in stone, as usual the noise is deafening, bradenton bulldogs

 

[Big Picture]

Wrong, most are built by the MLS owners specifically because paying rent is not a sustainable model. They used to dish out way too much for huge gridiron stadia. One team still does and two others have ownership in common with the local NFL franchises. I would think eventually this new comp needs a similarly close relationship.

Can you back that up? I've checked into the three that were linked further up, two owned by municpal governments the third by its' developer with the soccer teams listed as tenants.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

That narrows it down a bit.

• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Philadelphia, PA[/FONT] A definite
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]New York, NY[/FONT] Ditto
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Hartford, CT[/FONT] Makes sense considering the Connecticut teams
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Boston, MA[/FONT] Seems to be a certainty
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Jacksonville, FL[/FONT] Same
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Los Angeles, CA[/FONT] Has been mentioned before so it seems to be a done deal
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Denver, CO[/FONT] Was also mentioned as a starter
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Chicago, IL[/FONT] One of the biggest cities and would open up the mid-west
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Pittsburgh, PA[/FONT] Also more a mid-west city and one with a great football culture
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]San Francisco, CA[/FONT] Ian Roberts could be coach
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]San Diego, CA[/FONT] Another California alternative
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Washington DC[/FONT] National capital, big city and has a team
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Dallas, TX[/FONT] The big Texan hope
• [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Las Vegas, NV[/FONT] Surely not a good idea

 

[krudmonk]

Can you back that up? I've checked into the three that were linked further up, two owned by municpal governments the third by its' developer with the soccer teams listed as tenants.

Some are built/owned by the municipalities but the clubs act as operators, not tenants.

 

[Big Picture]

Some are built/owned by the municipalities but the clubs act as operators, not tenants.

Which stadiums are those? If the municipality owns the stadium, how is the club not a tenant?

 

[deluded pom?]

hello guys we are going to talk with tampa bucs,about the new developments in for the pro league,have the powers to be already decided were they want teams ,and if a team puts forward a solid business plan, surely they will get a kick at it, i dont want to blow smoke up backers behind if its already set in stone, as usual the noise is deafening, bradenton bulldogs

If they already know who's in and who's not then they haven't revealed anything yet Steve.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

I would seem silly and uneccessary to release a list of potential cities if they know which ones are going to be given a franchise. But it also suggests that anywhere not mentioned is not being considered. They seemed to suggest six of them are decided the other day and if that's true the last couple might not be decided but are being picked from a handful of options, possibly dependent on the owners' choice.

 

[krudmonk]

Which stadiums are those? If the municipality owns the stadium, how is the club not a tenant?

Because the club is contracted to operate the venue with other sh*t like concerts and such. It's like managing an apartment building and getting free rent. Home Depot Center is one example. It's owned by CSU Dominguez Hills but AEG, owner of the Galaxy, is also primarily an entertainment company. They run many venues nationwide, including HDC.

 

[taipan]

What other Aussies would be useful?
Greg Norman? Hugh Jackman? some of the golfers? Any one else have a presence in the US?

Greg Norman played rugby league as a kid in Qld.
Hugh Jackman is a Manly choke choke rugby league fan.There are 2 for starters.
Rose Byrne's ( who appeared in Troy) opposite Mr Brad Jolie, boyfriend is Brendan Cowell a film writer and mad Shark's rl fan,both of whom reside in the Big Apple.

 

[CarlU]

The norm for new competitions like this are always expected to lose money within the first couple of seasons right? I'm thinking of the IPL here.

I can't see any teams averaging over 3,000 attendance unless they want to sell tickets for $5 or something. We're talking about getting large crowd numbers to a sport that most Americans don't know exists. It's going to be hard to build support behind a competition with stadiums which are almost vacant.

Back to the AMNRL I'd like to know what's going to happen to the Aston side which has won most of the premierships and has been the most succesful side. I don't expect them to be promoted to the NRLUS because Aston only has about 25,000 people, maybe that's why they are thinking about putting in a Pittsburgh team in instead.

 

[taipan]

Anyone else get the newsletter? Nothing terribly new to report but nice to get something after signing up. It seems a TV deal is definitely done though and franchise owners and cities are probably sorted too.

For anyone who didn't get it here it is.

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]NRL US - NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2009[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]BRINGING PROFESSIONAL
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]RUGBY LEAGUE TO AMERICA[/FONT][/FONT]

www.nrlus.com​

THE ROAD TO NRL 2010




​

• 2009 NATIONAL TRYOUTS

A series of tryouts open to all athletes, local and foreign, will be held in selected locations around the country. Registration information and locations will be announced soon. Players will be selected from each tryout to attend the NRL Pre-Draft Camp for final evaluation to enter the inaugural NRL Draft. 176 players will be selected for 8 professional teams with 22 man fulltime playing rosters.
​

• 2009 AMNRL DOMESTIC COMPETITION

The American National Rugby League (www.amnrl.com) competition will provide an ideal platform for new and existing players to hone their skills and prepare for selection to the NRL professional league.
​

• 2009 NRL PRE-DRAFT CAMP

Day 1 – Friday, October 9
​

Day 2 – Saturday, October 10
​

Day 3 – Sunday, October 11
​

• 2009 INAUGURAL NRL DRAFT

Friday, November 7
​

• 2010 NRL SEASON KICKOFF

Friday, March 12
​

• 2010 NRL REGULAR SEASON

March 12 through June 11
​

• 2010 NRL PLAYOFFS

June 18 and June 25
​

• 2010 NRL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

Sunday, July 4 – Philadelphia
​

NRL 2010 COMING ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• TELEVISION PARTNERSHIP

Stay tuned for exciting news regarding the television broadcast of NRL games.
​

• NRL TEAM OPERATOR/OWNERS

Who will be the brains behind each team off the field?
​

• NRL TEAM HEAD COACHES

Who will shape the teams on field performance and present a world class rugby league competition?
​

• NRL TEAM LOCATIONS

Where will the NRL teams be located? What cities? And what venues will they play in?
​

• NRL REALITY TV SERIES

What better way to introduce the great game of Rugby League and its rules to a vast national audience then via a unique reality/documentary series that will chronicle the development of the league, the assembly of the teams, and the recruitment of the players. Follow the journey of the characters and personalities trying to earn a professional contract, and the minds behind the task of building a new sports league in the USA.
​

I got on their mailing list.It is worthwhile,initially I thought when I signed up ,I would get zilch or maybe something in a couple of months.They delivered as promised.
Like the late Big Kev used to say in Queensland"I'm excited".