With Rugby League in Australia now predicted to generate an average of $270 million dollars per year the game administrators have an opportunity to do something they have not been able to even think about for a very long time.
Building a legacy.
While clubs grants will be raised along with the salary cap, Rugby League will now be able to invest money in junior development as well as look to give funding to areas of the game that have been neglected for well over a decade.
There is so much more that could be done though…
Expansion is the obvious choice for the game. When you consider that it would cost just $14 million per year to fund two extra teams in the NRL, the price seems fairly low. Perth is desperate for a team and are perfect to cover the new Sunday night time slot. Meanwhile the game can look to the likes of New Zealand or even Central Queensland in an effort to build upon the games very strong base.
I wonder if anyone within the game is thinking about investing money in building a new Rugby League stadium in Sydney. With the NSW Government looking to rationalize sporting facilities in Sydney, and with ANZ Stadium less than ideal for Rugby League games, there is an opportunity for Rugby League to build the perfect Rugby League stadium in Sydney.
Base it in Sydneys west and you could look to have the Canterbury Bulldogs, West Tigers, Parramatta Eelse and South Sydney Rabbitohs playing regular games there. If you threw in the occasional Test match, and depending on its size, State Of Origin game, and it would get plenty of use.
You can also be sure that Soccer and Rugby Union would be more than willing to play games at such a stadium.
International Rugby League has been an afterthought since the mid 1990’s, but now that the game has money it can now spend, that should no longer be the case.
How much would it really cost to fund a fully independent international administration? One that could coordinate international football, rule on eligibility and even help smaller Rugby League nations with sponsorship and broadcasting deals?
Why can’t we look at bringing in a Rugby League 9’s competition during the off season with a reasonable amount of prize money on offer for the winner? NRL clubs competing against international teams in what would become a stepping stone to full international competition. Hey, it would also allow smaller nations to give their elite players a chance to represent them!
Can we now fund a fully fledged Aboriginal international team that can play representative football in the off season against the likes of Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji?
Surely it is time to have an Under 20’s World Cup at the very least. Play it in Australia every two years during the off season. Allow it to become another stepping stone towards test football and also guide players to play for their country of birth rather than have the current eligibility mess we have right now.
Why can’t we start to look at playing clubs games in different countries to try and show the world what a great game Rugby League is?
Is there a reason we couldn’t kick off the NRL season with a split first round and with a double header at Wembley Stadium?
There are so many idea that Rugby League can finally embrace, but it is up to the games administrators to show some initiative, to ignore the naysayers and have faith that Rugby League can once again make things happen.
It is a very exciting time to be a Rugby League fan. Personally, I’ve grown up watching the game get to great heights, only to see it tear itself apart. Over the next decade I watched as Rugby League survived, slowly repairing itself only to reach new heights on the strictest of budgets.
Those days are now over. Sure, we don’t want to see money being wasted, but Rugby League can afford to once again dream big.
I just hope I’m not the only one thinking like this.
Some good ideas there but will this be a period of conservatism and building on the games strengths? I reckon no expansion will happen to NRL, unless the clubs come in off their own back. I think improving international rugby league should be a big aim and ensuring we put a structure in place to allow at least another couple of nations to build up to a level where they can compete with the big 3. That can be built on by having a proper international board who are strict on eligibility rules, with this money we should invest more in the pacific nations and PNG. Bringing back GB Tours every 4 years would help, as well as playing Australia and NZ these nations should also have tour games. With more British players likely to go down under with higher wages on offer I think we will see a better more competitive Test team. Already the best forwards we have in GB are in the NRL and Burgess, Ellis and Graham would be among any World 13. If only we had the backs!
I honestly don’t know which way the ARL are going to fall on how they use the money. I think they are looking to spend more money on the grass roots for sure, and they salary cap wont rise dramatically straight away.
It is going to be really interesting to see what happens because they play their cards close to their chest!