Sunday, 23 June 2013

Club or Country in Rugby League?

It’s the age old question, club or country?  Do you just want the rugby league club you support to be successful or do you also want your country to be successful also?

Do you wince when your club players are picked for a mid season international and hope that they don’t get injured for the business end of the season?  Are you club over country?

Or are you happy when your club players get picked for international duty?  Isn't playing for your country the pinnacle of sporting achievement for players?  Doesn’t everybody wants to see their club players playing for their respective countries?

I understand that the clubs pay the players their wages and of course they don’t want to see their players out injured but players can also get injured playing for their club week in, week out.  

I’m all for international rugby league as I believe for the sport to grow in this country, and world wide, then of course we need the sport to be played on the biggest stage.  Growth in international rugby league is more important than growth in club rugby.  After the international game has grown and been promoted to a wider audience then I believe club rugby and the game in general will grow more as a result.  It’s the whole chicken and egg argument though, some people will argue club rugby needs to grow before the international game.

Supporters need to take off their blinkers and see the bigger picture.  The club you support isn’t the be all and end all of rugby league.  There are other games out there being played, other competitions than just the ones your club are involved in.  International games are the prime example of how to promote the game to a wider audience.  

TV viewers that have never sat down to watch a rugby league game before are more likely to watch England v Australia than say the likes of Castleford Tigers v Hull KR.  After they have an interest in the sport then they may watch the mediocre games on TV and then attend games themselves.  This would increase attendance and money coming into the sport, for which we are in dire need of.

I believe we should all be behind international rugby league more than ever this year as, I’m sure you already know, the Rugby League World Cup is being held on these shores in October.  For England Rugby League and for the World Cup to be a success in this country then I believe that we have to win the thing, or at the very least get to the final, nothing else will do.  I’d give up Wigan Warriors winning anything this year for England to win the World Cup!

We must raise the profile of the rugby league game in England and get much more exposure, and money, otherwise I fear that rugby league will be a semi-professional dying sport in less than 15 years time.  As you can see by my comments above it’s my point of view that rugby league needs international games to grow.

Come October I’ll be pulling on my England Rugby League shirt and roaring the lads to success.  In 2025 there may not be a World Cup, there may not be international games, there may not be rugby league .......

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