The people behind the New York bid have meet with the RFL to hand in there proposal for the team to begin for/in the 2019 season.



They will play out of the Red Bull stadium (cap 25,000). Which is actually based in Jersey.



Like Toronto they won't receive any central funding, and will pay for travel expenses of there opposition. And will also pay for hotels. No word on weather they would do the same with fans.



The one major change is that rather than starting in league 1, they want to start in the championship.

This would suggest that all the talk of a change in league structures, will be from 2019.



Personally it's hard to get excited about this, whilst not against expansion particularly. I have seen far to many come and go to be anything but warey. And the fact that rather then start a leaguest they'd rather just join ours does nothing to me about spreading RL.



Also given how so many of our traditional clubs (you know, the ones that kept RL going for 127 years), are struggling. We no longer have a strong based to covers these clubs, especially should they not work out.

Whilst I understand fans being wary on any expansion sides because of what we've seen previous, I believe the TWP business model is different to what we've seen, and should be supported rather than feared.



You have to think about the actual barriers to them "starting their own league", where would they magic 10/12 sides from, let alone find the player quality high enough to earn a tv rights deal. It's fantasy really. The French have a league, but whilst quality remains low, broadcasters aren't interested and the league remains stagnant. They're simply isn't the grassroots infrastructure to maintain a league, maybe in the future there will be.



weve seen TWP average over 7k this year, and field genuine North Americans, surely this is spreading RL? In 2019 we'll have two more countries which have pro RL clubs than we did in 2016.



Clubs have always struggled in RL. I'm not sure why the inclusion of NY or TWP is detrimental to them? They're not taking any central funds, it costs the clubs nothing to play there, TWP away games attracted very good attendances this season. The current structure means any club can rise to the top.

The right decision to start them in the Championship, as many of us said should happen with Toronto. However with Super League 2020 likely to contain Toronto, New York, Catalans and Toulouse for me promotion and relegation has to end.



Other than Paris which expansion clubs have come and gone?

That's the problem. The clubs have simply "kept it going". All the while, sports around us have expanded, developed, grown and thrived. Simply "keeping going" is not a sign of success and not something to aspire to.



The sports around us have done that by expanding their appeal, reaching new audiences and marketing themselves. The clubs that have "kept RL going" (with the odd exception) haven't done that.



New York and Toronto represent an opportunity to expand the sport, expand the audience and develop the sport. The 127 year old clubs have proven beyond doubt that they aren't that opportunity.

It's a local sport for local people, there's nothing for you here.



P!ss ant mining towns by plenty.

So they cost us no money, are going to forgo central funding (leaving it available for struggling clubs), are going to pay for travel expenses and provide an opportunity for fans and players alike, and this is a bad thing because they haven't started their own league (which club has ever had to start their own league?) and haven't offered to pay for fans to travel (who would pay for fans to travel to another country?!).



Seriously, have a think about some of the reasons you think this is bad and use that criteria against another club. See if it stacks up.

In my time following, Mansfield (which became Nottingham then left), Scarborough Runcorn, Blackpool, Chorley, Celtic Crusaders, South Wales 1st time (96 I think). They the ones I remember of the top of my head.

That’s none recently then. There is still a South Wales and North Wales team in League 1.



None of those teams have any revelance to Toronto or New York.

I think people are getting the wrong idea here. I never said I was against expansion or New York. I'm warey, if it woresearch fantastic, but more haven't for whatever reason.

And at the moment we seem to be relying on these teams. Which is a worry if they don't work.



USA does have a league, but it's amateur at the moment. And I would personally like them to push this league more and turn it more professional. It to do that means that New York have to be in our league fine, but if they don't and just rely on teams joining our league, I fail to see the benefit to our sport other than another nice away weekend.



Welsey, I wasn't complaining about themy not paying for fans to travel over, I was just commenting on there's no word on wether like Toronto they are, that's all. If they do or don't I don't have a problem either way with it.



Bramley, I don't disagree with your point. I just don't feel we have a strong enough based to cope if these sides don't work.

New York have said they are keen to talk to Jarryd Hayne.

Mick Potter, who has been touted as their likely first coach, is currently coaching Hayne in the Fiji side.

Hayne still has a high profile in the US and would be a great drawcard in their first year.

Having New York in Super League will be a huge boost for the game, especially if they can attract 7-10,000 fans in the first couple of years. If that happens I would foresee 20,000 New York fans within five years and a boom in the game.



Having Toronto already there will be a great help for New York. Should Montreal and perhaps Boston follow by 2023 then we will have the geographic foundation for a great and highly successful World Cup in 2025. The fans will also stream in to the club games, especially the local derbies, and the visit of prestige foreign teams like Leeds and Toulouse.



Eric Perez has turned out to be a godsend for rugby league.

First high profile player to make the RL > NFL switch, so makes sense to get him playing RL in the USA if they can.



Could be a huge pool of talent out there too - think of the American Football players that don't make to the NFL!



All those high school kids and college kids that play the game across the country, but only 240 odd get selected to play in the NFL each year, and not all of those actually end up on a team - so RL could be the perfect place for them to move into. They won't obviously get the financial benefits that the NFL offers, but if it's the physical/skill side of the game they are interested in, they have some amazing athletes that could fit right in to most positions on an RL field.



In that way, I'm surprised RL has never really hit American shores until now...

Gateshead! Or as they are now known Hull FC

Hayne has a high profile in the US?? I seriously doubt that.



Wouldn't be surprised to see him go though.

Hayne has had a high profile at the San Francisco 49ers. They probably still remember him. The rest of the USA probably doesn't.

Hayne was a national news story in the US.

Football fans remember him, and those are the people who might take an interest in League.

No other League player has that going for them.

NFL fans in America know names and stats like cricket fans in India - they know every player.

Quote g_balls="g_balls"Gateshead! Or as they are now known Hull FC'" typical east hull response, last time i checked, gateshead, now newcastle are alive and well in league 1 have read if you want news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/rugby_ ... 523145.stm

Quote g_balls="g_balls"Gateshead! Or as they are now known Hull FC'" typical east hull response, last time i checked, gateshead, now newcastle are alive and well in league 1 have read if you want news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/rugby_ ... 523145.stm

Gateshead is a different case, the why's and wherefores of what happened and why they went to Hull is in my opinion completely different to them failing (it was more about the money the rfl were offering).



Celtic Crusaders you could argue sort of wored with there now being to teams.



If New York work than fantastic, but like I said it has to work in terms of forwarding the league over there.



Which raises the question, what do we expect/want from expansion teams? Big crowds? Money? Or establishing the sport in areas. Getting kids etc into the sport. If it the last one, you could say London have been a success.

Quote number 6="number 6"typical east hull response, last time i checked, gateshead, now newcastle are alive and well in league 1 have read if you want news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/rugby_ ... 523145.stm'" To be fair, maybe Heartland clubs shouldn't be threatened by this. Because if they are struggling they could always take an expansion clubs assets, players, coaching staff and relocate them to the city/town they currently play, rename them after their own name and pretend it never happened. Have a read if you want www.independent.co.uk/sport/gene ... 41473.html

Quote number 6="number 6"typical east hull response, last time i checked, gateshead, now newcastle are alive and well in league 1 have read if you want news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/rugby_ ... 523145.stm'" To be fair, maybe Heartland clubs shouldn't be threatened by this. Because if they are struggling they could always take an expansion clubs assets, players, coaching staff and relocate them to the city/town they currently play, rename them after their own name and pretend it never happened. Have a read if you want www.independent.co.uk/sport/gene ... 41473.html

Its getting up the nose of the Aussie press so it has to be a good thing....



[urlhttps://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/opinion/matthew-hall-why-new-york-rugby-league-team-is-doomed-to-fail-with-or-without-jarryd-hayne/news-story/35cff4ed9ea21807e3d30c8d30c85b78[/url



what an absolutely dreadfully negative and pretty staggeringly uneducated piece of Aussie garbage....



they seem to think if the New York Red bulls ( this is a football club i believe) can only pull 20 odd thousand what makes a RL team think they can get half that in its first year ???



not once do they reference the Toronto wolfpack and the fact that in a third tier league in the worst stadium I've seen since owlerton stadium they managed to pull almost half the crowd of the hugely successful Toronto FC soccer club.



in true Aussie style they also fail to note that the Yanks have a general disdain for football almost as much as league fans have for union....



For the Aussies to have a pop at a club not yet formed they would do well to look at their own back yard and see how many empty seats they currently show to the world every weekend.



try and get Perth or even Adeladie in the NRL before you have a pop at New York....

It was........it's now chip paper.



2 Things here. Firstly, NFL players rarely remember anyone other than the top 15% who are generally the make up of the Fantasy leagues. Hayne was a gimmick that didn't work out....ask UK sports fans about what sport Dwain Chambers tried out for.....

Secondly. NFL fans take an interest in NFL......if they want more violence they look at MMA. RL is as insignificant in the USA now as it was before Hayne joined the 49ers



Nope....NO RL PLAYER has that going for them....and if you think a failed trialist with the SF49ers will "ignite a frenzy of interest" in NYC (or Jersey) then you reall are of the belief that "seeing one games makes you an addict"











No...as I said, they know the top 15% and that's because of fantasy football.....A few "NERDS" will remember Hayne, but not a friggin soul in NYC/Jersey....



I called my best mate who has lived in NYC and now Jersey since 1994 and he reckons it would take 10+ years of steady investment and free tickets etc to establish a new NFL/NBA/NHL side in the region and whilst we might get all gooey over 5k gates.......they will need to fill all 25,000 seats for every game year 1 to stand any chance

True. The crowds in the NRL are dismal except Brisbane and Melbourne. 11/16 clubs have a sub-15k average attendance and last year was the worst since 2004 in the league.

Rugby Union trolls always get so insecure around League world cup time.

If the league expands to include 2 french and 2 north american teams (with a possibility for others to join) and Leigh (and possibly London) being worthy of a SL spot I wonder if the SL will split into 2/3 conferences, say a Yorkshire conference, a NW conference, and a non-'heartlands' conference



Yo could run it a bit like the Super Rugby, where you play teams in your conference home and away, but maybe only play the other teams once, then make up a top 8 playoffs with the conference winners and the 5 highest runners up



Or alternatively you take 18 full time teams and split the league into SL1 and SL2 with promotion and relegation between the 2 and then make part-time clubs compete in their own separate league system (only meeting in the CC), sort of a mix between licensing and promotio relegation



Just a though

So make SL a 9 team league, rename the Championship and hope Sky don't notice?



Good plan.