Koukash in bid to introduce English team into NRL Read more: http://www.zerotackle.c

[Vlasnik]

Im sorry but rugby league is nothing in Europe. Billions of dollars and is spent around football over there and nobody gives a shit about rugby league. Rugby league will never be anything major in Europe, Football is 100's of years ahead of League. Like i said, if the NRL wants to grow the game, they first need to strengthen the current domestic leagues as they are all on the decline in terms of player talent and spectacle.

Rugby League is a sport. The NRL is the jewel in the crown of Rugby league and a governing body onto itself but the fact remains Marley the NRL is a competition one of many around the world and as much as you would like to think that it does it does not govern Rugby League world wide. The Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) is the world governing body of rugby league football. The RLIF is responsible for the Laws of the Game, the development, organization and governance rugby league internationally, and for the sport's major international tournaments, most notably the Rugby League World Cup and the Four Nations.

As for you labeling rugby league nothing in Europe think again pal. It's been growing steadily for the last ten years in Eastern Europe and the Soviet block!!! Only a moron would try to compare football in Europe to Rugby League. One has been around for centuries while the other is just setting up roots. If the game is failing to grow here in Australia it is the NRL's fault and not Rugby Leagues.

 

[LFC Bulldogs]

Rugby league has been around in Europe also for over 100 years also. Didnt it branch off from union? And the fact is its still unknown Europe. Use the word Rugby in Europe and the 1st thing that comes to mind is Union. The fact is all of Europe went on to embrace soccer for whatever reasons and a few embraced Union .
Claiming RL is growing Europe when most of the "competitions outside of the UK are played in local parks with a limited spectators is stretching I think .

 

[uk_bulldog]

Up to the second world war rugby league was massive in Europe,especially France,during the occupation the Vichy government saw rugby league as a threat to rugby union,all rugby league assets were stripped and given to union,only now is league beginning to grow again in France,league is becoming bigger in Europe,a British amateur team travels to Serbia on tour in a couple of months,Norway,Spain and Greece have new teams entering competitions every year,the rlif super league Europe and the nrl have to be more open minded to ideas to enable the game to grow,I don't think nrl teams traveling to the UK is the answer or an nrl based UK team,but something needs to be done to boost the game

 

[Pom_81]

Has anyone here quoting expertise on the growth of the game in Europe every actually been to a game in Europe?!

The Super League last year had an attendance of 1,002. That's pathetic. Not coincidentally, it wasn't anything to do with established, heartland powers (Wigan, St Helens, Leeds, Warrington). No - it was London vs Catalans, two "if you build it they will come" schemes, which have shown mixed results at best. The Catalan team is a relative success as well...

The fact that there's now "international Rugby League" played between countries like Greece and Morocco is a positive for the game, but playing in front of gates of 100 or so spectators does not mean the game is thriving. It means it's taking babysteps, if any at all.

If you want to know the scale of the problem the game faces, many countries do not even acknowledge Rugby League as a sport. The South African Rugby Union has fought for years to deny League the official designation of an actual sport, which means it's cut off from much state support. http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...ican-rugby-leagues-status-20131020-2vuqz.html Several other countries do too.

 

[Pom_81]

Up to the second world war rugby league was massive in Europe,especially France,during the occupation the Vichy government saw rugby league as a threat to rugby union,all rugby league assets were stripped and given to union,only now is league beginning to grow again in France,league is becoming bigger in Europe,a British amateur team travels to Serbia on tour in a couple of months,Norway,Spain and Greece have new teams entering competitions every year,the rlif super league Europe and the nrl have to be more open minded to ideas to enable the game to grow,I don't think nrl teams traveling to the UK is the answer or an nrl based UK team,but something needs to be done to boost the game

Thank you. Common sense.

 

[Vlasnik]

Rugby league has been around in Europe also for over 100 years also. Didnt it branch off from union? And the fact is its still unknown Europe. Use the word Rugby in Europe and the 1st thing that comes to mind is Union. The fact is all of Europe went on to embrace soccer for whatever reasons and a few embraced Union .
Claiming RL is growing Europe when most of the "competitions outside of the UK are played in local parks with a limited spectators is stretching I think .

Grass roots football have you ever heard of it??? It has to start some where. Just like soccer did in Europe all those many years ago!!! Most European countries are just starting to cut their teeth on rugby league but because they're just babes learning to walk certain members of the public don't see that as growth even though it is as plain as the nose on their face. In the developing Rugby League domains Rugby League must learn to walk before it begins to run!!!

 

[Vlasnik]

Has anyone here quoting expertise on the growth of the game in Europe every actually been to a game in Europe?!

The Super League last year had an attendance of 1,002. That's pathetic. Not coincidentally, it wasn't anything to do with established, heartland powers (Wigan, St Helens, Leeds, Warrington). No - it was London vs Catalans, two "if you build it they will come" schemes, which have shown mixed results at best. The Catalan team is a relative success as well...

The fact that there's now "international Rugby League" played between countries like Greece and Morocco is a positive for the game, but playing in front of gates of 100 or so spectators does not mean the game is thriving. It means it's taking babysteps, if any at all.

If you want to know the scale of the problem the game faces, many countries do not even acknowledge Rugby League as a sport. The South African Rugby Union has fought for years to deny League the official designation of an actual sport, which means it's cut off from much state support. http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...ican-rugby-leagues-status-20131020-2vuqz.html Several other countries do too.

Rugby League is attracting crowds of up to 3000 spectators in Serbia which has prompted Red Star Belgrade a well known sporting organisation in Europe to form their own Rugby League team. There have also been reports within Serbia of players leaving Rugby Union to play Rugby League. The Game is growing.

 

[Pom_81]

Rugby League is attracting crowds of up to 3000 spectators in Serbia which has prompted Red Star Belgrade a well known sporting organisation in Europe to form their own Rugby League team. There have also been reports within Serbia of players leaving Rugby Union to play Rugby League. The Game is growing.

Red Star's youtube footage doesn't look to have 30 people at it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB_v3TT6hms (That said, you never know if there is one grandstand where the camera and all supporters are, so you can never be too sure)

I can find crowd data for the 2014 Balkan Cup:

Serbia-Greece: 650 (Belgrade)
Bosnia-Hungary: 150 (Belgrade)
Serbia-Hungary: 200 (Belgrade)

The fact they're all reported as round figures doesn't inspire confidence either.

Yes, the game may be growing but the worst thing the sport could do would be to get ahead of itself and mistake this tiny growth for being the platform for mass expansion.

 

[Vlasnik]

Red Star's youtube footage doesn't look to have 30 people at it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB_v3TT6hms (That said, you never know if there is one grandstand where the camera and all supporters are, so you can never be too sure)

I can find crowd data for the 2014 Balkan Cup:

Serbia-Greece: 650 (Belgrade)
Bosnia-Hungary: 150 (Belgrade)
Serbia-Hungary: 200 (Belgrade)

The fact they're all reported as round figures doesn't inspire confidence either.

Yes, the game may be growing but the worst thing the sport could do would be to get ahead of itself and mistake this tiny growth for being the platform for mass expansion.

As I said in 1 of my previous posts it's going to take baby steps and you can't hit the ground running in a soccer orientated country. It will take time but the seeds have been planted and rugby League will grow and has been growing ever since. Last year I was in Serbia and was pleased to see people warming up to rugby league especially the kids. I was also happy to hear that Stefan Nedeljković, and his fellow Serbian and Dorcol Spiders teammate Stevan Stevanović were selected to train with English Super League club, the Warrington Wolves. Like I said the game is growing.

 

[Ahecee]

Seems like a huge stretch, there are only 5 teams not based in NSW right now, even saying the game is mostly NSW based is a stretch..... it is mostly Sydney based.

Until there is at least one team in every city in Australia, this plan just sounds like a real big leap.

The guy wants into the NRL, and he has the money to do it....... NRL should offer him Perth, form a team there, and if you really want, loosely tie it to England..... play a end of season game there each year or something, he owns Salford Red Devils.... bring them here for a pre-season friendly match too, he could even transfer juniors for experience between both, but actually doing something like that would require baby steps, can't just decide to do it, then do it in one hit.