Post by Ryan N on May 10, 2009 13:45:55 GMT 10
NRL USA lights a fuse within the international Rugby community.
By Ryan Norman
April 27, 2009
www.rugbyleagueinternationalscores.com
The news of a professional (and televised) Rugby League competition in the United States has got the international Rugby League community jumping up and down with excitement.
News of this new competition to be played in 2010 was announced not too long ago. Since then fans and critics have expressed their opinions regarding the success of this venture.
To the naysayers it just won’t work. Why would American’s pay to see a sport they don’t know when there are plenty of others already competing for the lucrative US market? They don’t think the athletes are there. It’s the usual suspects, those that say Rugby League will never be played outside of New South Wales, Queensland, New Zealand, Northern England and Southern France. At times you would think they are working for the other side, Rugby Union.
What they don’t understand is the circumstances. The NRL USA is to be a spring and summer competition. By then the other football code in the US is over. The USNRL has a good chance of luring some of those fans to the sport. After all, the games are actually quite similar. The USA is so large that professional sports need only find a niche market to survive. Such is the situation with soccer in the States. Rugby League has a great chance to be more successful than soccer, and they had the money and support to sign Beckham.
As for athletes, there’s plenty. In the US the college football scene is massive. The support for it is tremendous. A lot of the stars finish college and have no place to go. There are nowhere near as many NFL teams as colleges in the US. And these players are stars. They are big, fast and talented. Give them the right training and they can switch to Rugby easily. Plus there is a base of players in the current US Rugby League and Union teams who can step up to the challenge. Back that up with some young players from Australia, New Zealand and England, as well as quality coaches and the rest of the Rugby League world should be worried.
In 2004 the USA played a top level Australian side with the likes of Bowen, Mason, Kimmorley, Matt Cooper and Darren Lockyer. The US had Australia’s measure, in fact they had a 24-6 lead at halftime. Australia won eventually 36-24 narrowly dodging what would have been the greatest upset of the game. Imagine Australia’s chances if the Americans were all pro’s.
The support for the NRL is there. The television deal (rumoured to be with NBC) is supposedly ‘with the lawyers’, Australian players such as Brett Kimmorley have thrown their support behind it. But most importantly, the fans have to support it.
Interesting times for Rugby League...
By Ryan Norman
April 27, 2009
www.rugbyleagueinternationalscores.com
The news of a professional (and televised) Rugby League competition in the United States has got the international Rugby League community jumping up and down with excitement.
News of this new competition to be played in 2010 was announced not too long ago. Since then fans and critics have expressed their opinions regarding the success of this venture.
To the naysayers it just won’t work. Why would American’s pay to see a sport they don’t know when there are plenty of others already competing for the lucrative US market? They don’t think the athletes are there. It’s the usual suspects, those that say Rugby League will never be played outside of New South Wales, Queensland, New Zealand, Northern England and Southern France. At times you would think they are working for the other side, Rugby Union.
What they don’t understand is the circumstances. The NRL USA is to be a spring and summer competition. By then the other football code in the US is over. The USNRL has a good chance of luring some of those fans to the sport. After all, the games are actually quite similar. The USA is so large that professional sports need only find a niche market to survive. Such is the situation with soccer in the States. Rugby League has a great chance to be more successful than soccer, and they had the money and support to sign Beckham.
As for athletes, there’s plenty. In the US the college football scene is massive. The support for it is tremendous. A lot of the stars finish college and have no place to go. There are nowhere near as many NFL teams as colleges in the US. And these players are stars. They are big, fast and talented. Give them the right training and they can switch to Rugby easily. Plus there is a base of players in the current US Rugby League and Union teams who can step up to the challenge. Back that up with some young players from Australia, New Zealand and England, as well as quality coaches and the rest of the Rugby League world should be worried.
In 2004 the USA played a top level Australian side with the likes of Bowen, Mason, Kimmorley, Matt Cooper and Darren Lockyer. The US had Australia’s measure, in fact they had a 24-6 lead at halftime. Australia won eventually 36-24 narrowly dodging what would have been the greatest upset of the game. Imagine Australia’s chances if the Americans were all pro’s.
The support for the NRL is there. The television deal (rumoured to be with NBC) is supposedly ‘with the lawyers’, Australian players such as Brett Kimmorley have thrown their support behind it. But most importantly, the fans have to support it.
Interesting times for Rugby League...