Te super games in the pacific islands was a fail. cost of entry was too high for the locals. if it was viable it would have been done already.
Te super games in the pacific islands was a fail. cost of entry was too high for the locals. if it was viable it would have been done already.
Hmmm. Thoughts? Where does Twiggy Forrest do business?
Who plans to launch a pro league with foreign players in 2018?
Click scmp
… Alisports – the sports division of e-commerce giant Alibaba , owner of the South China Morning Post –[/B] will host the tournament and is leading the charge as far as popularising rugby in China.
Last October, the company invested US$100 million over 10 years with the aim of attracting a million new players within five years.
… The ultimate goal for China is to host a Rugby World Cup and plans are in place to launch a professional 15-a-side league featuring foreign players as soon as next year.
While China has less than 2,000 rugby players, Wei believes the sport will catch on and knows it is important to capitalise on the interest created by the 2019 World Cup and the 2020 Olympics, both to be held in Japan …
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Shanghai set to host richest sevens
GOING BY THE ABOVE LITTLE MONEY WILL BE NEEDED
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This is how I would do it.
Welcome to the Pacific Rugby Championship
1. Invite Teams from Australia and New Zealand.
If they want in - its a $5 Million Dollar buy-in, plus $1 Million a year. This rules out Brumbies and Rebels automatically. NSW and Queensland wont go against The EARU. But - we just might get some Shute Shield Interest.
2. Bring in the Pacific Islands.
Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. It’s time that they are recognised as the birthplace of great rugby players. Give them the chance to be seen by a large television audience. Allow players of Islander heritage to play for the homelands without punishment from Australia or New Zealand if they want to.
3. Allow teams from Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Hawaii and South Korea in as a Second Division.
During the Finals the top 2 teams from Division 2 playoff against the bottom 2 teams of Division 1 to see what teams are in Division 1 for the next season.
4. All Australian, New Zealand and Asian teams contribute money to ensure that the Pacific Island teams can participate for the full season without going into debt or costing their home unions money.
5. Teams
The opportunity is also available for a Northern Territory, South Australia and Tasmanian team. If the talent base can handle it. New Zealand Teams can be as many as New Zealand Rugby wish to enter. Fiji, Samoa and Tonga can enter one or more teams. Lesser known or established teams can enter Division 2 if they wish.
6. All tickets to matches must be affordable for everyone.
Its time we brought Rugby back to the people. All kids under the age of 15 are free and all people involved in “grassroots rugby” get in for free.
7. TV Rights. All matches are available to watch buy purchasing RugbyPass. $10 per month for matches to be streamed live to your home. Northern Hemisphere Sporting Networks can bid as per normal.
Let the Tahs in, get their $6m....they will get relegated at end of first season into div 2 after losing to Wake Island
I like the idea of sides based in Hong Kong and Hawaii - gets the Chinese and Americans into the sport. However, you'd have to arrange it such that they can't use their TV revenue to throw their weight around like South Africa did to Super Rugby.
F$&k the Tahs! Let em come begging in 3 years time. Same with the Shute Shield. Anyone with allegiances to the FUARU can be pushed aside as well. One thing that sticks out though is if we shore up the pacific nations now it'd make it damn hard for SANZAAR to negotiate a new comp when the existing one is done.
Add a rule that 50% of the squad must have been developed within your catchment.
I'm getting excited by the idea of this. I'm not a big follower of European football. But you could eventually (say 10yrs time) have a premier league and 2 or 3 lower comps where the bottom team gets relegated and the top team promoted. It would give player and clubs a pathway to bigger things.
Relegation also keeps interest in the games of lower placed teams towards end of season.
China would have a competitive team in 5 years.
You would want to have potential for a couple of marque players per team to develop the competition and destroy SANZAR in the process. In 2021 South African teams will be playing in Europe. We will be part of a long term international comp and the ARU will come begging.
Whatever happens - in or out - I say we should head into Asia. Play in 3 comps if we can - Super Rugby, NRC and some form of Asian league. We can go past the ARU and become the behemoth of Australian rugby if we do this right ...and they will come begging.
Yeah, I think even if we win our place back in the competition, it would still be a good idea to get our secondary rep team into some other competition, be it Japan, Brisbane or Sydney. I know people shit-bag the Shute Shield on this forum, but the I like the things that Nick Fordham and John Murray have done for that competition.