I've been trying to write about it for weeks. But every single 'solution' just gives rise to another problem or obstacle. I've come to the conclusion it's impossible for those in charge at the top to have a clear answer on what to do right now. So how can an opinionated fan like me provide an answer? So, I'm giving up thinking of short term answers for how we get the game going again in 2020.
Medium term, the Rugby League World Cup has to be preserved. The NRL might not agree, but the game is bigger than the NRL, and the World Cup is essential for the global game. Domestic seasons in 2021 need to be worked with this in mind. If that means a shortened off season for the NRL players, it means a shortened off season for the NRL. If that means a fewer games for the Super League clubs, it means fewer games for the Super League.
But long term, we have to see this as an opportunity to re-solidify the house of Rugby League. An opportunity to reset our focus, define a clear plan and put in place a way to execute it. I would argue it needs a two-pronged approach, and it won't be victimless, sadly.
Prong One is the focus on grassroots, both in the heartlands and in our thinking on expansion. Effectively, fixing up the foundations on the house.
Prong Two is our main external asset, the top tier of the game, our full-time professional clubs. Keeping the house analogy going, we're re-tiling the roof, re-pointing the brickwork, getting new windows - this top tier is what the outside world sees and ultimately it's what stops the house from crumbling around us.
The semi-pro game - jobs like landscaping the garden, redecorating the hall and stairs, that sort of stuff - is just going to have to wait, unfortunately. We can't put focus on everything, especially right now. Outside of the governing body providing refs and regulatory support, any clubs who want to run at that level may have to fend even more for themselves I'm afraid.
Prong One - Grassroots
I'm no expert on the grassroots of our game. One thing I do know is that without the grassroots, we've got no kids playing the game they watch and fall in love with. We have to find a way to bring back a network of development officers.
The heartlands will always be able to rely somewhat on the army of wonderful volunteers and natural links with the professional clubs. Whilst that undoubtedly involves and deserves central governing body support, we also need to deploy long-term development officers to our targeted expansion areas.
This can be the areas where semi-pro clubs have already set up their roots - Newcastle, Coventry, North London, for example. This can also be geographic expansion targets - Canada, USA, Serbia, Spain, maybe (hopefully) places like Edinburgh, Belfast, Bristol too. It would be expansion and development with a structured plan.
The RFL should identify areas with existing rugby league presence, including heartland/heartland-adjacent towns and cities too, and areas with untapped appetite for the sport. Talk to the key stakeholders in those areas - the existing rugby league clubs, local education authorities, local councils. Do some analysis of the gaps and opportunities, then distribute resources accordingly.
The plan would have to involve some visibility from the full-time game in these expansion/development areas. Regular 'on-the-road' top tier games staged in these areas, half-term training camps featuring full-time players, for example. The professional game would have to fully support and cooperate with this to make it work.
Prong One - Grassroots
I'm no expert on the grassroots of our game. One thing I do know is that without the grassroots, we've got no kids playing the game they watch and fall in love with. We have to find a way to bring back a network of development officers.
The heartlands will always be able to rely somewhat on the army of wonderful volunteers and natural links with the professional clubs. Whilst that undoubtedly involves and deserves central governing body support, we also need to deploy long-term development officers to our targeted expansion areas.
This can be the areas where semi-pro clubs have already set up their roots - Newcastle, Coventry, North London, for example. This can also be geographic expansion targets - Canada, USA, Serbia, Spain, maybe (hopefully) places like Edinburgh, Belfast, Bristol too. It would be expansion and development with a structured plan.
The RFL should identify areas with existing rugby league presence, including heartland/heartland-adjacent towns and cities too, and areas with untapped appetite for the sport. Talk to the key stakeholders in those areas - the existing rugby league clubs, local education authorities, local councils. Do some analysis of the gaps and opportunities, then distribute resources accordingly.
The plan would have to involve some visibility from the full-time game in these expansion/development areas. Regular 'on-the-road' top tier games staged in these areas, half-term training camps featuring full-time players, for example. The professional game would have to fully support and cooperate with this to make it work.
Prong Two - Top tier
It's time to separate the full-time clubs from the part-time clubs and create a proper elite top tier competition. This wouldn't be a locking of the door to potential new full-time clubs joining the top-tier. It doesn't even need to mean a removal of promotion and relegation from the competition structure. But, it would be a fundamental shift away from the current destabilising position we have.
The league would be far more centrally managed, with much more revenue sharing and best practice cooperation between clubs. Think NFL more so than Premier League. Even down to kit manufacturers, sponsorship and of course gate revenues, more cooperation and sharing has to exist than now to have a truly robust competition.
We would need a criteria to be part of this elite league, not all clubs can or want to be full-time. Only teams with a proven record of running as a successful full-time club would get automatic entry. E.g. a current ownership supporting a full-time operation for 10 years or more, league or cup trophy success in the last 5 years, regular production of Super League & international calibre players.
Otherwise, business plans would need to be submitted and assessed. It doesn't mean having the same business model for all, but clubs need to show how they can operate as full-time and where their finances will come from. This would be especially crucial for any 'new entrants', those clubs not currently operating full-time but with an ambition to be at the top table.
Once we know how many full-time teams we have, we can put our new league structure together. I would strongly recommend rugby league looks to the conference based structure we see in US sports. It even works in US grassroots Rugby League.
I've written a number of times about this being my favoured structure, so won't go into detail here. See instead:
Whilst some of the pieces have moved and some of my peripheral opinions have changed, this for me is still the way to go - for the NRL as well as the northern hemisphere game. An end game could be that the global club game all operates under the same competition structure. Again, this model would allow for expansion within a structured plan.
It's time to separate the full-time clubs from the part-time clubs and create a proper elite top tier competition. This wouldn't be a locking of the door to potential new full-time clubs joining the top-tier. It doesn't even need to mean a removal of promotion and relegation from the competition structure. But, it would be a fundamental shift away from the current destabilising position we have.
The league would be far more centrally managed, with much more revenue sharing and best practice cooperation between clubs. Think NFL more so than Premier League. Even down to kit manufacturers, sponsorship and of course gate revenues, more cooperation and sharing has to exist than now to have a truly robust competition.
We would need a criteria to be part of this elite league, not all clubs can or want to be full-time. Only teams with a proven record of running as a successful full-time club would get automatic entry. E.g. a current ownership supporting a full-time operation for 10 years or more, league or cup trophy success in the last 5 years, regular production of Super League & international calibre players.
Otherwise, business plans would need to be submitted and assessed. It doesn't mean having the same business model for all, but clubs need to show how they can operate as full-time and where their finances will come from. This would be especially crucial for any 'new entrants', those clubs not currently operating full-time but with an ambition to be at the top table.
Once we know how many full-time teams we have, we can put our new league structure together. I would strongly recommend rugby league looks to the conference based structure we see in US sports. It even works in US grassroots Rugby League.
I've written a number of times about this being my favoured structure, so won't go into detail here. See instead:
Whilst some of the pieces have moved and some of my peripheral opinions have changed, this for me is still the way to go - for the NRL as well as the northern hemisphere game. An end game could be that the global club game all operates under the same competition structure. Again, this model would allow for expansion within a structured plan.
Fundamentally, for the sport to prosper going forward, we need stronger leadership, with a more coordinated plan, working in a more cooperative environment. Hopefully, if any good comes to rugby league from this global crisis, it will be this.
Thanks for reading. Please check out our weekly posts and listen to our podcast episodes.
Mark
SLP
Thanks for reading. Please check out our weekly posts and listen to our podcast episodes.
Mark
SLP
