Global Game : Sun Feb 25, 2018 9:54 am  

Is it just me or does anyone else find the recent games played in Australia a little alarming. Its been a good money spinner for the clubs involved but as it really promoted the game in the uk, I for one doubt it. Wigan are asking other clubs to look in to playing games in other countries. Wigan have no plans for next season but appear to be interested in developing links to play more games. The so called magic weekend was originally introduced to promote the game and hopefully attract fans from outside the traditional areas, it hasn't worked so how many on lookers for the Australian games are likely to seek more information on attending a game back in the UK.
Im not sure how the the game in general will benefit from the recent games but it certainly coild open the doors for a spin off compatition short term and a global game long term.

Re: Global Game : Sun Feb 25, 2018 10:20 am  

lampyboy wrote:

Is it just me or does anyone else find the recent games played in Australia a little alarming. Its been a good money spinner for the clubs involved but as it really promoted the game in the uk, I for one doubt it. Wigan are asking other clubs to look in to playing games in other countries. Wigan have no plans for next season but appear to be interested in developing links to play more games. The so called magic weekend was originally introduced to promote the game and hopefully attract fans from outside the traditional areas, it hasn't worked so how many on lookers for the Australian games are likely to seek more information on attending a game back in the UK.
Im not sure how the the game in general will benefit from the recent games but it certainly coild open the doors for a spin off compatition short term and a global game long term.

The fact is, Rugby League was established as a game quite a few years before the first ever pro soccer club was formed outside of the UK. Its been on the go for 120 years and I am sure if people in other parts of the UK or the world wanted to embrace it, they would have done long before now.

We talk about expanding the game and yet in my lifetime I would say there is even less interest than ever. OK we have a handful of SL clubs doing OK but there are many other areas in the North of England where the game was once strong, where it is barely hanging on.
People may wish to dream but I have come to the conclusion that we should enjoy what we have and accept the game for what it is.

[PopTart]

Re: Global Game : Sun Feb 25, 2018 10:30 am  

I guess I have some questions:

1) Why do you say the Magic Weekend hasn't worked? Seems to me local people like it, the local businesses certainly like it, and plenty of fans like watching it. You can't just 'magic' a team up in Newcastle on the back of it. That takes a long time. Could it be marketed better to the world at large. Yes of course it could. Same as everything else in Super League

2) Not sure why the trip to Australia is alarming if it was successful for the individual clubs? What is it you don't like? Extending the reach of Super League is not about suddenly getting lots of Aussie fans wanting to watch Super League and I would have thought only a fringe benefit of the experiment. It earned money for the clubs. That alone is worth it in my opinion. It's also I guess about fans outside the heartlands of Sydney picking a team, buying a shirt maybe, even just letting them know that the league in Australia isn't the only successful one.

3) What spin off competition do you see coming? We already have the WCC which the Aussies are happy with as a one off game but have no appetite for as a multi team competition. That's party why Wigan and Hull decided to go in the first place and do their own thing. If it takes something away from Super League I wouldn't like it but it seems like Wigan and Hull are ok with it so far.

If Wakefield had the chance to go, it's unlikely I'd be able to hop on a plane to see them, but I would watch on Sky and would love every minute of the experience. For those that could go it would be an historic event.

So I agree we need to be careful that the 'visionaries' of the game don't mess it all up with some way out idea but I'm not worried right now.

Re: Global Game : Sun Feb 25, 2018 10:53 am  

Hi Pop Tart
1 originally the magic weekend was supposed to introduce new fans from outside the traditional areas to the game. I must admit I have never been a fan and for me adds 1 extra game to the season and ends up playing one club 3 times.
2 I did say the trip to Australia was successful and profitable for the clubs concerned . Those clubs seem more than happy with the results but the S L games after are likely to suffer . I would have been more than happy had Wakefield played either Hull or Wigan this week.
3We all know how teams from across the globe seem to be waiting in the wings when you add the 2 teams playing in France it could be possible to have a separate competition based on Canada, America france and so called bigger clubs from the uk. Remember how SL was introduced it was only supposed to be the marketing arm of the RL

In general we are part of an organisation that's hell bent on expansion and now globalisation.

Re: Global Game : Sun Feb 25, 2018 11:06 am  

If done right I think spreading the game both nationally and globally, but it would take time and need thinking through practically and correctly, which, unfortunately, our governing body hasn't been very good at doing in recent years.

Playing games abroad is an exciting prospect, as I, in the past have enjoyed trips to Perpignan.

However, going further afield there is a bit of a reality check.

I think I read somewhere that some Hull FC supporters have actually got themselves into debt for their recent trip over. Is it worth messing up your own personal finances which could have a long term effect in your life, for possibly one game per season. Some employers even credit check new employees nowadays. Some will be able to afford it and some wont.

You then get the impact it may have on a club with all the travelling expenses, and then, if there are only a few fans going over, you ask the same question again, is it worth it?

Re: Global Game : Sun Feb 25, 2018 11:13 am  

It could be that the Hull fans decided to go to Australia and not attend away SL games.
Its not all about attendances and Wigan in particular seem to be of the opinion its about sponsorship and going forward they expect to attract more.

Re: Global Game : Sun Feb 25, 2018 11:25 am  

I think the games played in Australia benefited those involved, but not the game here.
The 3 clubs that went benefited financially and as a branding exercise ??, the areas in which they were played received the economic benefit of the events and the broadcaster probably made some money ??, but the game here....FA
Certainly the Codheads and Pies should not have been buggering off to Oz to play games in season, if they want to do that out of season as an additional revenue stream or whatever, fine, but in season is not really cricket.
Its worrying in that they both come back and bomb their SL fixtures, the disappointment of that tempered by the idea that they had a nice time in Oz.
I'm glad they bombed and hope that come the end of the season that 2 points really costs them, 4 points in Hulls case.

[PopTart]

Re: Global Game : Sun Feb 25, 2018 11:29 am  

lampyboy wrote:

It could be that the Hull fans decided to go to Australia and not attend away SL games.
Its not all about attendances and Wigan in particular seem to be of the opinion its about sponsorship and going forward they expect to attract more.

I think that is the key to expansion though.
It's not about having a team in Newcastle or New York.

It's about making rugby league a watchable game across a wide area so that big companies will see an advantage in investing and sponsorship.
Sometimes that can be done with an expansion club but that's a slow and disruptive route.

Getting people excited about who wins the grand final or Ashes is more about tv rights, marketing and personalities in the game.

Re: Global Game : Sun Feb 25, 2018 11:48 am  

[*]

lampyboy wrote:

It could be that the Hull fans decided to go to Australia and not attend away SL games.
Its not all about attendances and Wigan in particular seem to be of the opinion its about sponsorship and going forward they expect to attract more.

For Wigan and Hull, playing the SL game down there fitted in well with having their "WCC" fixtures and it will have given both clubs some exposure and assuming that there is such a thing, it will have lifted their profile in the world market, mind you, it looks as though both of these clubs have lost 2 league points on the back of this venture and we have to see if Leeds suffer the same fete.

RL does need to do something to try and generate interest and whilst RU has embraced the professional era and they appear to be both expanding the popularity of their game and increase revenue on the back of this, RL has never got off the mark and although we have Catalan in SL and Toulouse and Toronto in The Championship, the game is still stagnant and maybe going backwards.

We keep on changing the structure of the professional game and despite initial hype, these things seem to fade quite quickly and so we make another change and never quite grasp how to actually grow the game.

Back to Wigan and Hull, the sound to have lined their pockets, which both clubs will be happy about and the "experiment" should dispel any prospect of Perth entering SL (which has been muted by some) as they would be permanently jet lagged.

I agree about the Magic weekend moving away from its original aims though and it has now become a day out in Manchester (or Newcastle) and no longer seems to be being used to expand the game to new areas.

IF we are to pursue the N. American experiment, these clubs need to be added to an expanded SL. We should not risk killing the British game to help anyone, although IF RL can take off in N America, this has to be good for the game.

Re: Global Game : Sun Feb 25, 2018 12:57 pm  

If sufficient interest can be generated elsewhere and lead to their own leagues being formed then I would think this has been a success but if the aim is to expand SL so we end up travelling across the globe to play and its just an extension of the British game then I don't think that's feasible.
Football is played everywhere with their own leagues which we know leads to other competitions and while this may be pie in the sky stuff at the moment surely that's the objective
I think the Australia experiment was just that an experiment and successful if its about finance but if Hull or Wigan are 2 points outside of the four will they feel the same then.