The reason for the fall of the Worlds Most Exciting Sport : Rugby League In direct response to Qamar Ayaz I have decided to write an article on why Rugby Leagues popularity and commercial success is falling in comparison to Rugby Union even though the product is, in my opinion much better. Before I start I feel I am qualified in making many of the statements I will precede in making because I am a fan, player and lover (emotional not physical) of both sports. Having played rugby union to a high standard and having extensive experience both playing and watching league my opinion holds some weight. Please note my article only touches on the English/British aspect of both sports. Over the last 15 years Rugby Union has been on the rise in all aspects and League has been on a irreversible slump. Below are the three major reasons why: Geography: Rugby League has large followings in very selected communities across the world. Its popularity in Europe is focused primarily in Yorkshire and Lancashire. Whereas Union touches peoples across the country - London, Bristol, Newcastle and Leeds this has meant it has many more followers, which in turn brings in an increased amount of revenue to the game. Having teams up and down the country also increases the levels participating at the grassroots level. Competition: the Super League and League in general has 15 teams with decent followings. However most of these teams are based in small towns such as Castleford, Widnes, Wigan and St Helens and the potential for expansion isnt there. On the contrary union has strongholds in South England, Wales, Ireland, France and Scotland therefore the opportunity to expand is endless. Coupled with this, League only has the Super League to satisfy English viewers. Union has the Premiership, Heineken cup (or future equivalent), Anglo-welsh cup, Celtic league and a very healthy 6 nations international tournament. Therefore the level of exposure is nearly 10 fold in Union in comparison to League. The issue is structural here and no amount of marketing will fix this. That is the unfortunate nature of the Sport. International Game: In League this is virtually non-existent because there are only 2, possibly 3, teams who can win anything. This lack of competition means apart from playing Australia and New Zealand there is no one for England to play regularly to give them a good game. The lack of competition means viewers arent interested when England play anyone not named Australia or New Zealand and because there is a limit on the amount of times these teams can play each other without getting boring it means only a handful of die hards tune in to watch England play the majority of their games. In contrast union has the 6 Nations in which regularly 4 different teams can win and this is one of most successful annual competitions in all international sports. Having a strong international game brings in the punters and for League that is unfortunately missing in abundance. Even the World Cup this year has been a massive let down in terms of marketing because so few people could watch the most exciting games between the lesser nations as they were not on terrestrial tv. Hopefully League will have learned from this. All of the above leads to money and revenue and great viewing figures which in turns brings in better sponsors. The cycle continues and with each passing year League is further thrown in the shadows of Union. Better to watch yes, but sadly that is not enough in this ever increasingly commercial world. Views welcomed.
Posted on: Wed, 27 Nov 2013 18:44:25 +0000
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