Where I want the game to be when the World Cup is held in Australia in 2017

[AlbertRosenfeld]

RLIF

Executive Board: Richard Lewis, David Gallop, NZ rep, French rep, PNG rep.

World Cup Final Participating nations (16 --4 pools x 4 nations):

Australia, New Zealand, Papua-New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa

England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland

France,

Five places from (best current development prospects in bold) :

Lebanon, Morocco,
Spain, Germany, Netherlands,
Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia,
Greece, Italy
USA, South Africa


Format: Pools. Quarter finals, Semi finals, Final.
____________________________________________________________

NRL 20 clubs

Melbourne

Canberra

Perth

Newcastle

Central Coast

Sydney
South Sydney
Cronullla
St George-Illawarra
Canterbury-Bankstown
Wests Tigers
Parramatta
Penrith
Manly

Brisbane Broncos
South Queensland (Ipswich-West Brisbane)
Gold Coast
North Queensland

Auckland
Wellington


[Planned future franchises:

Adelaide, Christchurch
Port Moresby, Mount Hagen]

______________________________________________________

EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE (18)
(Three games per week televised)

Liverpool-St Helens
Wigan
Warrington
Manchester United
Leeds
Bradford
Hull FC
Castleford
Huddersfield

Harlequins -Southwest London
North London
Southeast London

Birmingham/Coventry/Leicester

Celtic Crusaders

Les Catalans
Toulouse
Paris
Lyon

[Planned future SL franchises:

Marseille, Bordeaux, Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh]
_________________________________________________________________

European LER (20) (Semi-Pro)
(One game oer week televised)

Paris I
Paris II
Nantes
Lille

Lyon
Avignon
Marseille
Carpentras


Carcassonne
Lezignan
Limoux
St Gaudens

Toulouse
Villeneuve
Bordeaux
Albi

Montpellier
UTC
Pia
Barcelona


________________________________________________
BRITISH NATIONAL LEAGUE ONE (Semi-Pro) (16)
(One game per week televised)

Widnes
Wakefield
Leigh
Whitehaven
Hull KR
Halifax
Barrow
Workington

Gateshead
York
Sheffield
Doncaster
Birmingham
Leicester


London
Oxford

____________________________________________________

 

[Nook]

I'd like to think that the 10 years between now and then will be long enough to get countries like Serbia and Spain up to scratch but I can't see it.

I'd like to see France with 2 or 3 successful pro teams, PNG with the cash and the nous to start making a bit of a dent and lot's of work to support the comps in the pacific and europe (as a question of grassroots support rather than building up top rung teams in a short space of time). I think that a strong Aus, England, NZ, France, PNG provides a great base to work from, and that getting the last two up towards the higher level is the priority. Quality not quantity, in my view. Getting the domestic structures in place in the likes of Tonga, Samoa, Fiji would be nice to see to augment the strength of the 'grandparent' connection. Europe is the big question mark I suppose - if by 2016 we've seen steady support for the emerging comps in places like Serbia and Lebanon, plenty of dedicated development work in others and preliminary attempts to extend the game into regions like northern Spain, that will be a good result IMO.

 

[Poul]

In 10 years time, I would like to see at least a 12 team World Cup, if not a 16 team one, divided into 4 pools as per Albert's initial post. What I think is more important than the number of teams participating in the World Cup, will be the number of teams which take part in the qualifying rounds. It would be nice to see all the teams mentioned being given the opportunity to qualify for the World Cup.

I don't really expect the staus quo to change much in my lifetime, with the "Big Three" as they currently are. I would hope that France are able to be competitive enough to at least pull off the occasional "upset" against one of the big boys. It's in the 2nd tier where there will hopefully be big improvements, with PNG, Russia, USA, Serbia, Lebanon, Wales, Ireland, Tonga, Fiji, and Samoa, being able to provide stiff oppostion for each other, and no longer be the whipping boys for the Big Three.

As for the NRL, I think we need at least 3 more teams, and realistically a 4th to make it an even 20 team competition. Perth, Wellington, and the Central Coast are the obvious 3 teams. I'm not sure where the 4th team should be located. I'm not a big fan of Adelaide, or Darwin, so maybe the 4th Queensland team could be the way to go, Ipswich?

I don't know enough about the ESL to make much of a comment, but I like the idea of a 14 team competition, including Toulouse and the Celtic Crusaders.

If I get to see all of this occur in my lifetime, I should be able to die a happy man !

 

[langpark]

Albert Rosenfeld is the king of pie in the sky posts, usually starting a topic like this once a week.

You've mentioned nations that don't even currently play, or are even close to starting up, like Ukraine and Croatia. You could have at least mentioned more established nations like Cook Islands or even the West Indies. Being a Frenchie I'm surprised you didn't give New Caledonia a mention.

 

[roopy]

I think the most important thing is that we must have at least one or hopefully two or three new professional competitions.

All of the players who will make international league a going concern will come through clubs where they are able to train as full time professionals.

Bartercard cup, England second division, Russian comp, AMNRL, queensland cup, the new premier league starting in Sydney next season, the Lebanon comp, any or all of these need to go pro.

 

[langpark]

I think realistically in two WC's time the most we can hope for is for France to be a genuine threat and for PNG, Wales, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga to be genuine Semi Final hopefuls.

It would be great if by then Ireland and Scotland had some representation in NL2 or something too.

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

Albert Rosenfeld is the king of pie in the sky posts, usually starting a topic like this once a week.

You've mentioned nations that don't even currently play, or are even close to starting up, like Ukraine and Croatia. You could have at least mentioned more established nations like Cook Islands or even the West Indies. Being a Frenchie I'm surprised you didn't give New Caledonia a mention.

I am trying to get people to think about development in a systematic way because the managers of the game don't do so. They are very cautious, piecemeal and reactive. There is no strategic plan that has ever been published by the RLIF.

The Cook Islands is too small in terms of population, to ever be an international rugby league competitor. There is nothing serious happening in the West Indies, and I predict that there never will be because of the equatorial climate. It is too hot to play rugby league there. Ditto Southeast Asia. At least you can have cool evenings in the South Pacific islands. Rugby league is meant for temperate climates like southern Australia, NZ, South Africa, England and France. It can also be played in most of northern and eastern Europe in their summer.

I am hoping that Ukraine, located next to Russia, can start rugby league in the next few years. The southeast of the Ukraine is much closer to rugby league playing Rostov-on-Don than Moscow is to Rostov-on-Don. The latter Russian city needs RLIF help, because it is being discriminated against by the Moscow based clubs, especially by the boss of Moskow Lokomotiv, Klebanov. If we help the game in Rostov we can very easily start up something in southeast Ukraine.

Croatia, located next to rugby league playing Serbia, is a source of as many immigrants to Australia as Serbia. The nationalist rivalry could be used to grow the game there, with the help of ex rugby league playing Aussies of Croat background..

New Caledonia is not an independent nation. It is a self governing part of France. That is why one of its athletically talented sons, Dimitri Pelo, can qualify to play for France and also not be part of the foreign quota for Les Catalans Super League team. However there will be referenda conducted by France between 2013 and 2018 to determine if the people want full independence. So by the time of the 2021 World Cup in Britain and France Nouvelle Caledonie could be an independent rugby league nation.

I say France is our first priority, followed by PNG, northern Spain (via Les Catalans), Russia, Eastern Europe and Lebanon.

Then after we have strong footholds there we can help the USA and western Europe more.

 

[langpark]

What about Wales, they've already got the Celtic Crusaders in place, who by 2017 could well be a SL team

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

What about Wales, they've already got the Celtic Crusaders in place, who by 2017 could well be a SL team

What about Wales?

Wales has an amateur league up and running, and a semi-pro team, Celtic Crusaders, who by 2009 could well be a SL team. Once Celtic Crusaders join SL, Welsh rugby league will be in great shape and developing fast. It won't need much help to flourish.

 

[roughyedspud]

BRITISH NATIONAL LEAGUE ONE (Semi-Pro) (16)
(One game per week televised)

Widnes
Wakefield
Leigh
Whitehaven
Hull KR
Halifax
Barrow
Workington
Gateshead
York
Sheffield
Doncaster
Birmingham
Leicester


London
Oxford

i notice no OLDHAM ROUGYEDS RLFC in there????

considering we have a new,fairly wealthy chairman and are in talk with the local council to build a new stadium...

why albert why????????:crazy:

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

i notice no OLDHAM ROUGYEDS RLFC in there????

considering we have a new,fairly wealthy chairman and are in talk with the local council to build a new stadium...

why albert why????????:crazy:

I didn't know that you had a wealthy chairman.

If the local council would build a new stadium, then that would make a strong case for inclusion -- at the expense of Birmingham or Leicester I guess. After all Oldham, once the world's greatest cotton mill town, has an old rugby league tradition and has produced many famous players -- Iestyn Harris, Paul Sculthorpe, Kevin Sinfield and Barrie McDermott for example --- and has retained a population of 103,000 (though largely through non rugby playing Asian migration) which makes it more eligible than most NL2 clubs.

 

[roughyedspud]

103,000??........you can double that mate...nearly 220,000 people live in the oldham

http://www.oldham.gov.uk/oldham-key-statistics.pdf

though largely through non rugby playing Asian migration

i have no idea what thats ment to mean?? ethnic minorities account for around 10% of the general population of oldham

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

103,000??........you can double that mate...nearly 220,000 people live in the oldham

http://www.oldham.gov.uk/oldham-key-statistics.pdf

The figures I read must have referred to a more limited municipality, perhaps the city proper.

I was pleased to read that the number of households without their own shower or toilet (208) was proportionately lower in Oldham than in the rest of England. That suggest that I can probably be safe not wearing my Japanese hygenic face mask when I visit Oldham.

i have no idea what thats ment to mean?? ethnic minorities account for around 10% of the general population of oldham

13% according to the census material you kindly provided us with. The ethnic minority immigrants (mostly Pakistanis and Bangladeshis) are the reason the population has not declined drastically in the last 15 years, as it had for most of the 20th century. Unfortunately most of the immigrants are unlikely to be interested in rugby league.

 

[obelix]

... Unfortunately most of the immigrants are unlikely to be interested in rugby league.

Slightly o/t, but is it that they're unlikely to be interested, or not given the opportunity? And the bulk of the Asian heritage population are hardly immigrants, having been born here.

It is a shame on our sport given our heritage of welcoming players from different ethnic backgrounds that no club has done enough to reach out to the Asian communities. If you'd seen anyone play Kabbadi - a huge game amongst the Pakistani population - you'd realise that pretty much all you have to do is add a rugby ball and you'd be away.

The junior club I'm involved with has done development work with British Asian kids in the past and they love playing the game. You just need to make the extra effort to keep them involved.

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

Slightly o/t, but is it that they're unlikely to be interested, or not given the opportunity? And the bulk of the Asian heritage population are hardly immigrants, having been born here.

It is a shame on our sport given our heritage of welcoming players from different ethnic backgrounds that no club has done enough to reach out to the Asian communities. If you'd seen anyone play Kabbadi - a huge game amongst the Pakistani population - you'd realise that pretty much all you have to do is add a rugby ball and you'd be away.

The junior club I'm involved with has done development work with British Asian kids in the past and they love playing the game. You just need to make the extra effort to keep them involved.

Do you mind me asking which junior club in what part of England, you are involved with?

 

[obelix]

Do you mind me asking which junior club in what part of England, you are involved with?

PM'd you - sensitive subject!

 

[Redsfan]

Polish people aren't even aware there are two kinds of rugby. Union is the only code known there.

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

Polish people aren't even aware there are two kinds of rugby. Union is the only code known there.

We can change all of that once we get the barnacles of Colin Love and Geoff Carr off the hull of the Good Ship International Rugby League.

 

[Redsfan]

I wish you luck. You'll need it.

 

[bowes]

I think the most important thing is that we must have at least one or hopefully two or three new professional competitions.

All of the players who will make international league a going concern will come through clubs where they are able to train as full time professionals.

Bartercard cup, England second division, Russian comp, AMNRL, queensland cup, the new premier league starting in Sydney next season, the Lebanon comp, any or all of these need to go pro.

Good luck with that one, it doesn't even exist