Wellsy13 wrote:
Really what?
Reading through this thread and some of the bile from so called fans of the game makes it clear what is holding the game back -and it's not a club from the other side of the Atlantic, or wanting a particular club to succeed; it's fans who spread hate within their own sport.
While there is always rivalry between fans of different clubs and there are some genuine and serious reservations about the Toronto experiment (and I use "experiment" quite deliberately), you cant seriously blame the existing RL fans holding back the sport.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Toronto have been superb in the way that they have sold RL to virgin RL fans and even allowing for "inflation" on their attendance numbers, someone over there has done a great job of selling the sport and for me, it is the ability to market and promote our sport which is lacking and very little to do with the fans that already watch the game over her.
If anything, our sport has relied to heavily on extracting more and more from the "same" group of fans and has abjectly failed to generate sufficient new interest in the game.
If you go back to the last world cup, where England performed pretty well.
The first international game following this was a mid week game v France at Leigh.
In just about any other sport, this fixture would have been sold out weeks in advance.
However, in RL, you have to be searching like hell to even know that these fixtures are taking place.
Myself and a group of lads were there from Wakefield but the attendance, for a full international was around 5000, which is just pitiful and the tickets were about £15 (I cant remember the exact figure).
The next international was at the Hull FC ground (KC/K Com) and again the crowd was poor.
Until "we" can promote these fixtures (and others) to new fans, the game will remain on it's booty, it's got absolutely zip to do with "bile form some so called fans".
You dont seem able to accept that not everyone buys into having N.American sides in SL, which is your prerogative.
I just dont agree with you.
NOBODY has "sold" the idea very well or, explained what the medium long term strategy is for developing the game over there.
If the "plan" is to, at some point, have a SL of, say 4, N. American sides, plus 2 French sides and only 6 UK sides in SL, I think that the game in the UK will die and despite having watched RL seriously for 30+ years, I would certainly walk away as a Trans Atlantic competition, with Leeds, Hull, Warrington, Wigan, Saints +1 has absolutely no appeal.
Sorry if that makes me bitter or full of bile but, that is MY opinion.
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