We need a world cup every Single Year

[bender]

I know the heading of this will have people jumping up and down, but i think that the RLIF needs to run a world cup every year. ONe of the problems with the international game is the perception that no one plays the game. The world cup always changes this but it is forgotten in 12 months time. I think that the best way to improve and promote the world cup is to run it every single year. With Qualifying and all.

Now, the catch is that year one should be an under 16s world cup. This would encourage countries to promote the game at under 16 level, which countries like Wales and others seem to be slowly moving towards. If this tournament was run by the RLIF and World cup monies were used to help subsidise travel fees it could be a resounding success. In fact, it is not totally inconcievable (given the success of the Toyota Youth cup) that the tournament could get some sponsors and Tv Coverage and actually break even, eventually. Year 2 should simply be an u18 World Cup, year 3 an u21 or amateur World cup and the last year a full blown world cup.

The establishing of these junior tournaments has many advantages. Firstly, the tournaments wont cost too much to run and with the help of billeting and other arrangments they will be cheap, but will have massive impact on games in the developing nations (like the senior world cup did). Secondly they will raise awareness of the competiveness of other nations in the general public i can recall France, England and even Russia having varying levels of success much greater than their senior teams in this form of football. If we had an RLIF organised World cup, using their connections and experience (okay i know people will say they couldnt run a chook raffle etc) i think that this would make a huge impact on the development of international rugby league.

 

[Chook Norris]

i see your point.. but that would be denigrating the 'world cup' .. way too costly too

 

[dogz08]

It would get kinda boring every year. We got the 4 nations and other things on as well..

 

[babyg]

I like the idea of getting the minnows involved every year and not every 4-5 years, but I wouldn't call it a world cup. World Challenge, or some sort of knockout comp. Even if it's a comp just to get into the 4 nations. Makes sense. For people to believe they need repetition so every year is a good thing.

 

[druzik]

I know the heading of this will have people jumping up and down, but i think that the RLIF needs to run a world cup every year. ONe of the problems with the international game is the perception that no one plays the game. The world cup always changes this but it is forgotten in 12 months time. I think that the best way to improve and promote the world cup is to run it every single year. With Qualifying and all.

Now, the catch is that year one should be an under 16s world cup. This would encourage countries to promote the game at under 16 level, which countries like Wales and others seem to be slowly moving towards. If this tournament was run by the RLIF and World cup monies were used to help subsidise travel fees it could be a resounding success. In fact, it is not totally inconcievable (given the success of the Toyota Youth cup) that the tournament could get some sponsors and Tv Coverage and actually break even, eventually. Year 2 should simply be an u18 World Cup, year 3 an u21 or amateur World cup and the last year a full blown world cup.

The establishing of these junior tournaments has many advantages. Firstly, the tournaments wont cost too much to run and with the help of billeting and other arrangments they will be cheap, but will have massive impact on games in the developing nations (like the senior world cup did). Secondly they will raise awareness of the competiveness of other nations in the general public i can recall France, England and even Russia having varying levels of success much greater than their senior teams in this form of football. If we had an RLIF organised World cup, using their connections and experience (okay i know people will say they couldnt run a chook raffle etc) i think that this would make a huge impact on the development of international rugby league.

NO! The WC needs to be a once every 4 year eent, it needs to be special. If its done every year then it will be de values.

Its time for me to bring this out again I think.

So if we want to show that the sport is bigger than the big 4 we need to have regional tournaments that lead upto the WC.

Soccer does this, they have the Euro Cup and Asia cup etc... then the WC. But the important thing is that with these tournaments the top nations need to be involved. Like this year Pacific cup for mine is useless, it should have involved Australia and New Zealand.

We need something like this:
Year 0: WC
Year 1: Regional Championship qualifiers (European, Pacific and Atlantic cups)
Year 2: Regional Championship finals (European, pacific and Atlantic cups) The top 2 of the European and Pacific cups go through to a 6N the next year, while the 3rd placed teams and the winner of the Atlantic cup then have a play off to see who makes up the last two spots. The remaining team from that play off and the 2 4th places Euro and Pac teams and the 2nd places Atlantic team then go into a "lower tier" 4 nations.
Year 3: 6N and 4N and WC qualifiers for all other teams that want in. The 6N and top two of the 4N automatically qualify through to a 12 team WC.
Year 4: World Cup (12), RLIF (Emerging nations) Cup (8)

repeat thet 4 year cycle (from 1-4).

Now this also leaves room for all those who love their tours. In Year 1 when there are the regional qualifiers for the loer temas the top 4/5 nations can do tours.

What this does is it brings in basically 4 distinct individual tournaments with their own prestiege every 4 years that teams can target. Countries with aspirations to hold a WC can show that first they can hold a regional tournament, then the 6 and 4N and then a WC. Each tournament has an incentive... do well and you will get the ultimate prize in WC qualification. If not they still have chances to make it through the WC qualifiers.

If things go on form, you know that basically you will always have Engalnd, Aus, NZ, France, PNG there somewhere... but this way the lower teams also get tio prove and earn their chance at playing against the big boys on a REGULAR basis, this is the key. That is what teams want, regular game sgainst the big teams, and this provides it.

For example a team like fiji they may get a chance to play Aus or NZ in the Pacific cup in year 2, then if they do well enough and qualify through to the 6N get to play with france and England as well as Aus and NZ again in year 3, and then in the WC year they again may have a shot at some stage with at least one of the top teams.

Seeding would go something like this for the WC, say a 12 team WC:
Group A: 6N(1), 6N(5), Euro qualifier (1)
Group B: 6N(2), 6N(6), Pacific/Atlantic Qualifier
Group C: 6N(3), 4N(1), Euro Qualifier (2)
Group D: 6N(4), 4N(2), Repechage Qualifier

The RLIF cup would have 2 groups of 4

Now, the top 2 teams from each WC group go through to a 1/4 final, semi final and finals format. The bottom 4 WC teams and top 4 RLIF cup teams also form a 1/4 finals, semi finals and finals for the RLIF cup. What this second format does is two things. It allows each venue to host 2 games, and emergin nations game and the WC game. It also allows teams in the RLIF cup who maybe just missed out on WC qulaigication to prove that they are better against the lower teams and actually go onto play for something worthwhile.

... And yes I have thought this out and have done simulations and have it up on the web... if you are interested, PM me and I will give you the link to where it is.

 

[druzik]

I like the idea of getting the minnows involved every year and not every 4-5 years, but I wouldn't call it a world cup. World Challenge, or some sort of knockout comp. Even if it's a comp just to get into the 4 nations. Makes sense. For people to believe they need repetition so every year is a good thing.

You know I really hate that term... I find it derogatory in many ways to teams. Lower tier teams is my prefered term.

 

[hutch]

i am a fan of having an under 20's world cup every year, as it wont be the same players playing in it every year due to the obvious age restrictions, but the real world cup should be once every 4 years from 2013, which is what the original poster was saying to all you people who are jumping all over him without actually reading his post.

by having an under 20's world cup, players are given the oppurtunity to declare their allegiance to a particular nation at an early age, and perhaps encourage countries to develop their own players. i would have the minimum domestic player rule in every team (4 per 17, 7 per squad of 25). the domestic players dont necessarily have to be currently playing rugby league in that country, but they have had to have played there at some stage as a junior.

 

[langpark]

it loses it's prestige if you have it every year.

 

[hutch]

it loses it's prestige if you have it every year.

if people read benders entire post they would realise he is not saying that the full world cup should be every year, but some form of world cup should be every year. u/16's, u/18's, amateur etc.

our world cup will be every 4 years from 2013, but we need to get working on world cups for juniors, under 20's etc.

 

[kiwileaguefan]

Should be U16's, then U18's then Student World Cup before the RLWC.

 

[langpark]

if people read benders entire post they would realise he is not saying that the full world cup should be every year, but some form of world cup should be every year. u/16's, u/18's, amateur etc.

our world cup will be every 4 years from 2013, but we need to get working on world cups for juniors, under 20's etc.

But they're such non-events, you'd be lucky to get 100 people turn up for an U16 WC game. Regional tournaments are a better idea, like Europe have their own and then the Pacific also.

 

[bender]

But they're such non-events, you'd be lucky to get 100 people turn up for an U16 WC game. Regional tournaments are a better idea, like Europe have their own and then the Pacific also.

They are not non events for the people who play in them. or the people who organise and arrange them. Also, if a player comes up representing Wales in under 18, 21 etc by the time they make their Wales senior debut, the Media and other usual suspects will have no right to question their "credibility". It will help keep players in the game in the outpost areas.


Slowly but surely, these tournaments would be given some coverage and slowly but surely recognition of these countries would grow. Samoa are criticised for doing nothing in the game until a wc rolls on. Under this plan, they would have a WC every year so the game could grow there each year instead of stagnating for 3 years. Also, with the worlds best young talent in the one place at the one time, you would expect that slowly but surely many of the youngsters could pick up NRL trials or contracts, which is something it is near impossible to do at the moment.

At youth level, i think that sides like France, Russia, Wales, PNG, samoa, tonga, fiji or South AFrica would unearth some talented youngsters. If these sides play more often at this level, it is more realistic that they will eventually be competive at this level, as opposed to professional level where the big 3 have just too big an advantage. I agrre that they would not get large crowds (although the soccer u16 world cup got massive crowds when it was played in australia, so if promoted properly they could get decent crowds), but i dont think that this was the point that i was trying to get at with the annual world cups.

 

[teamGB]

when i first read the title i had the same ideas as most- overkill, reduce the prestige etc. when reading the post however i agree with the principle- these tournaments should run alongside other tournaments eg under 16s WC games as pregames to Quad nations etc. i would love to watch this before a quad nations game!

only issue i see is-

for example

2009 under 16s wc. i am a 14 yr old rugby player. i am in a youth set up etc and pretty good, but not good enough for u16s yet....

i then turn 15. but this year its the u18s, and im not good enough still etc. im 16 when under 20s, im still too young etc. 17 in "full" WC, broke into reserves/first team but not ready for this.
under 16s starts again and im too old.

i know that was abit drawn out but we end up with players going through the system not playing an international etc. we need this to be adressed too.

 

[teamGB]

i also agree with druziks int schedual, but i think we need internationals all through the youth set up. this woul then hopefully give the young lads more pride in there shirt and help stop nation swapping.

Could for example in the under 18s WC the player have to play for the nation they wish to represent for the rest of there career?

 

[Evil Homer]

I'm happy enough with the junior tournaments in Europe - the u16s cup in Czech Republic/Serbia or wherever has been great.

 

[Parramatta_Power]

Honestly, as long as there is some form of Test footy alive in League I will be pleased.