A recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald revealed claims from the American National Rugby League (AMNRL) that they are supposedly going to bid on the 2017 Rugby League World Cup. 

Read the article here. 

I think those who think that is a good idea are wearing rose-tinted glasses with lenses about six inches thick.

While it could be argued that now that the United States is a perfect candidate since the United States Soccer Federation lost on their chance to host either the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup, the idea of the United States hosting rugby league’s premier event is laughable for a variety of reasons:

1.  Most American sports fans have never heard of rugby league.  This alone disqualifies us. 

2.  The NRL and SuperLeague does nothing to get the game on American television.  The game has to be seen for American sports fans to understand it.  Part of the reason for the Americans supporting the English Premier League is that they have seen matches on Fox Soccer Channel.  A few of us got interested in rugby league in the past when the channel was “Fox Sports World” and featured both codes of rugby. 

Just having matches on Internet pay-per-view is “preaching to the converted” and is not the same.  Both NRL and SuperLeague should get on major American channels (Versus, Spike, etc.) even if they have to give the broadcasting rights away for free for the first couple of years.  Use the broadcasts to promote each individual team.  For example, when South Sydney plays, show banner ads during the game telling fans to go to “SouthSydneyUSA.com” or whatever to buy Rabbitoh merchandise.  But that leads to our next problem.

3.  There’s no real distribution in the United States for rugby league equipment and merchandise.   Steeden is considered the “official” ball of rugby league.  I can’t find a real American distributor and if the game grew that’s a problem that has to be addressed.  Also, if a pro league took off people would want jerseys.  Developing a distribution network is just as important as the actual league. 

This is where a Vince McMahon could have been useful.  People forget that besides the professional wrestling on television McMahon has built a very good distribution network for merchandising.  I still think if McMahon had scaled down the XFL and kept it on cable television only, perhaps it could have worked.  Unfortunately, maybe Mr. McMahon’s ego would prevent him from ever being in pro sports again.  But clearly one has to think of distribution of merchandise and equipment as a very important factor in growing any sport.

4.  The game itself is not workable in most football stadiums in current form.  I need to disclose now that I am President of United Rugby League LLC and Gridiron Rugby League.  URL is a proposed 11-a-side rugby league competition that would modify rugby league rules (called "gridiron rugby") to fit American gridiron football fields ( www.unitedrugbyleague.com ).  GRL is the non-profit group designed to get the game in American high schools and colleges ( www.gridironrugby.org ). 

By tweaking the rules to make the game fit the field, the game is far more palatable to recruit football players to play in the spring.  If the league ever took off, I think it would spread like wildfire.  Maybe even play in NFL venues since no change is needed in linings, or even the goalposts. 

While I do not advocate changing international rules for international matches, and a Rugby League World Cup would itself not be affected, to get any serious professional competition simply means getting the “foot in the door" and tweak the rules to fit American football fields not unlike indoor soccer, indoor football, and indoor lacrosse has to fit a hockey rink.

5.  The current leadership of American rugby league is not serious.   Granted, the Jacksonville Axeman is by far the most professional team in the current AMNRL, but the AMNRL’s management is lacking.  How can a league that cannot update a website (www.amnrl.com) tell us they can host the most important tournament in rugby league?  Sorry, they can’t. 

Can you tell from that website who won the last AMNRL title?  (Hint:  It was Jacksonville, you wouldn’t know from the website.)  And loving a sport or even playing a sport is not a lifetime immunity shield from justified criticism.

6.  The AMNRL was caught not giving truthful information about American rugby league.  According to rugbyleague.com, the management of the AMNRL misrepresented the growth of rugby league in America.  When making a presentation to NBC to try to get a professional league shown on NBC Universal, they presented numbers that combined participation for rugby league and rugby union, and was called out on it by rugby union supporters:

http://www.rugbyleague.com/blog/stevemascord/114

To get the United States to host the Rugby League World Cup requires some sort of blueprint for a professional league, and only after the NRL and/or SuperLeague has been seen on American televisions for a few years.  The current leadership has a serious issue of veracity if they think they can walk into the same television networks with such a plan given how they were caught with not-completely-true information in the past.

Also, if there ever is a serious professional league, it can NOT be considered Australia’s or England’s minor league.  Americans will not accept it.  There should be limits on how many players from a SuperLeague and/or NRL team can play on an American pro team.  For example, a team can have a player from each NRL team if they want in a loan deal, but not more than one.  No formal player or marketing affiliations with individual teams.

And absolutely no NRL or SuperLeague owners can own part of an American professional team.  It’s a conflict of interest.   NRL and SuperLeague can help in other ways, especially marketing, distribution, and building training materials for American coaches to support the growth of the game.

7.  There is no blueprint to grow the game in high schools if we win the Rugby League World Cup.  Rugby union was only recognized as a high school varsity sport in two states (California and Vermont), and now apparently that may not even be the case anymore (nfhs.org).  Rugby league is recognized as a varsity sport in zero states.  Neither code play at varsity level in colleges. 

The main problem is the field is too wide.  Again, “gridiron rugby” gets around that by making the game fit the American football field, play 11-a-side in the spring and you can recruit football players.  It even works for women since it is a cheap alternative to having women play football and help with Title IX compliance in colleges and high schools.  This especially works with companies like GeoTurfUSA and Mondo, who are coming out with artificial turf technologies that produce cooler fields.

Rugby league was born as the game that is willing to adapt, to change.  In fact, they had to change to survive a hundred years ago.  While international games have to be played under international rules, we are never going to get the game in high schools without making the game fit the field.  Don't expect high school students to suddenly play rugby league if they have to play in parks.  They would want to play at their high school stadium and who can blame them?  And they aren't painting lines in meters instead of yards, tearing out tracks for wider and longer fields, and putting goalposts on the try lines just for rugby league.

The AMNRL does not share this vision.  That alone disqualifies the United States for hosting the Rugby League World Cup.  They can’t adapt. 

8.  Ultimately, the biggest problems are from Rugby League International Federation and the rugby league establishment.  RLIF still has qualification rules for the Rugby League World Cup that are unfair for developing rugby league countries.  Every team but the host and maybe the defending champion should have to actually qualify.  Don’t just give the final eight teams automatic entry because it limits opportunities to grow the sport.  Half the fun of the FIFA World Cup is the qualification process.  And NRL seems more interested to keeping the sport big in Australia and New Zealand and not focused really on growing the sport internationally.  This narrow thinking needs to change.

Can the United States eventually host the Rugby League World Cup?  Sure it can.  But not with the current management and not in 2017.  (Give that World Cup to South Africa or France.)  2021 actually makes more sense for the United States.  That is, if there's a serious effort to grow interest in the game first.

If a serious plan utilizing the ideas above was implemented, there will be plenty of time to get American interest built up to having a smashing 2021 World Cup, especially since soccer won’t have their World Cup here.  That is primarily dependent not on any group here, however, it depends on the NRL, SuperLeague, and RLIF to be willing to help address some of the problems of growing rugby league in the United States.

Does rugby league want the game bigger in the world?  Make it bigger in America.  But present a real plan to grow the game first, not just fancy an idea from a group that can’t update a website.

For more information about Gridiron Rugby and the United Rugby League, please visit www.gridironrugby.org and www.unitedrugbyleague.com.