Union has a league with clubs from Aus NZ and South Africa, so I think a Canadian club could be possible in super league, but not league 1. A load of league 1 teams lost to amateur clubs in the challenge cup a few weeks ago. It's hardly a league that's ready to go global.
If we are going down this silly they need to get promoted route, at least start them in championship, a year of winning easily and losing loads of money will achieve nothing.
Yeah and that union league is being expanded to have a team in Argentina and one in Japan as well.
I like the idea. Hopefully a US team will follow suit. I think I read a while ago that they had an airline on board to back it, or was that Koukash and one of his crazy ideas?
Play their games on a Saturday evening, get the part-timers back in time for work on a Monday. But who wouldn't want to spend a couple of days off their annual leave in Toronto anyway? The away sides will love it as much as the fans.
If the Canadians are funding the travel and accommodation for the existing clubs then what downside does it have? I'm struggling to see one.
I guess the biggest risk is the same situation as happened at Celtic Crusaders. The owner gets bored / runs out of money and pulls out leaving a load of contracts in place with players/coaches/airlines/hotels and the RFL having to bail out another club to the tune of a few millions.
I guess the biggest risk is the same situation as happened at Celtic Crusaders. The owner gets bored / runs out of money and pulls out leaving a load of contracts in place with players/coaches/airlines/hotels and the RFL having to bail out another club to the tune of a few millions.
Isn't there a similar risk at Saints with McManus? (and plenty of other SL clubs)
I agree with you by the way, but someone willing to invest in the sport and the potential this could have is worth the risk IMO.
If the Canadians are funding the travel and accommodation for the existing clubs then what downside does it have? I'm struggling to see one.
Ask the part time players trying to hold down a job and play rugby. 2 Transatlantic flights, a game of rugby when your body is 5 hours out of kilter and all over 3 or 4 days, then getting ready for another game a few days later
Ask the part time players trying to hold down a job and play rugby. 2 Transatlantic flights, a game of rugby when your body is 5 hours out of kilter and all over 3 or 4 days, then getting ready for another game a few days later
Then they miss out unfortunately.
Some will be in a position where they can't do it, but most would snap your hand off for the opportunity. It's once a year, with plenty of time to forward plan.
The fixture list could easily be worked to give them a free weekend afterwards, or work the fixtures so that they're playing on the Sunday, giving them 8 days in between.
A few responses in this thread are very typical of Rugby League fans in that they only see the negatives, which is a shame.
Ask the part time players trying to hold down a job and play rugby. 2 Transatlantic flights, a game of rugby when your body is 5 hours out of kilter and all over 3 or 4 days, then getting ready for another game a few days later
Or, book nighttime flights, get your 8 hours on the plane, fly back overnight at which point you are back in your normal time zone.
There's little difference between being "5 hours out of kilter" and the difference between a 3pm KO and an 8pm KO
If you fly from Toronto to Manchester and take off at 10 pm (3am UK) and go to sleep, if you wake up at landing, your watch will say 6 am before you adjust it. It will in fact be 10am. So I don't see a major issue.
If you fly from Manchester and take off at 10 am, you'll land in Toronto say 12 noon. Your watch will say 5pm, so your day will be stretched, but again, if you have an early night, I don't see a major issue.