How to Economically Bolster the NRL
The world of top-level sports is increasingly about money and unfortunately, rugby league here in Australia and New Zealand is no exception to that rule. Fans want to see the best players and the best action and in order to provide that, clubs and leagues need to be able to offer the best wages.
In order to offer the best wages, clubs have to seek out sponsorship deals and marketing opportunities everywhere. This has at times though, put clubs at odds with their fans, who feel that the team they support shouldn’t be selling their souls and compromising their morals just to boost revenues.
So, what can be done?
There are concerns about how to grow the NRL organically, as playing the season openers in Vegas wasn’t a raging success although the initiative is expected to expand in 2025.
There was some opposition from regular match-going fans as they were disappointed about not being able to attend the opening game, they made the point that not even the Premier League, a sports league with clubs owned by authoritarian regimes, has sold off its crown jewels and moved games overseas. The NRL then, has clearly drank the Kool-Aid and should embrace it, so that the ends can justify the means.
Why stop at selling games to Las Vegas? The sight of Australian rugby league teams playing in front of a half-empty Allegiant Stadium isn’t going to grow the game in the United States as much as the league hopes it will. Americans love only one thing more than spectacle and that’s the feeling of being important, so why not appeal to that?
(The Roosters faced the Broncos at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas earlier this year.)
Play more games abroad
The NRL shouldn’t just be holding regular league games out in the USA. They should be selling off the showpiece events, the Grand Final should be in New York. Exhibition games against NFL teams should be organised, more games against Super League clubs should be organised. The more fans the league can attract from around the world, the bigger the sponsorship deals will be.
Embrace large sponsorship deals
The NRL and all the teams involved already attract lucrative sponsorship deals, but is there is there any more they can be doing and are there any areas left untapped? Online casino regulation in New Zealand is just beginning to open up. The New Zealand Warriors should be all over this, an online casino available in New Zealand could provide plenty of financial backing as it has done for other sports teams around the world. Manchester City, one of the richest sports clubs in the world, have benefited from the sponsorship of a well-known online casino, enabling them to compete with the very best.
Documentaries
Netflix documentaries, Amazon Prime documentaries, behind-the-scenes YouTube channels. They’ve all proved to be extremely successful for other sports teams across the planet and if done correctly, help to grow the status of the league as a whole.
If the Super League could do it, they would. The NRL is uniquely placed in that it is not only more entertaining and of a higher quality than its British counterpart, but that it is played in countries that excel on the world stage.
Australia and New Zealand are rugby superpowers, Great Britain and England aren’t. So not only does the NRL have the quality, the entertainment and the existing appeal, but it also has the authority to go into the American market and say we are the best of the best, watch us!
(That said, Super League Wigan Warriors pulled off a shock to win this year’s World Club Challenge Cup.)
If the NRL wants to expand as aggressively as competitions like the premier league, they need to start exploring sponsorship opportunities with gambling companies; they also need to get used to selling every single aspect of their existence to raise revenues to the highest bidder.
This is something clubs and federations all over the world wrestle with. We have already seen football start initiatives similar to this, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United travelling to the US for their preseason games.
This isn’t just for show but is seen as a way to internationalise the sport and bring on new fans. We’ve seen Manchester United gain fans from all around the globe over the last 20 years, which has helped them hugely since, both nationally and internationally.
Whether rugby will follow the same path remains to be seen. However, if we do see them pursue the same intents as other sports, we will have to wait with bated breath to see the future effects.
