Re: Toronto Fixtures : Sat Dec 16, 2017 12:27 am  

scrum wrote:

exactly right, new corporate facilities and new pitch

Will the new pitch contain grass?

Re: Toronto Fixtures : Sat Dec 16, 2017 4:43 am  

Not grass according to what I have seen/read.

Re: Toronto Fixtures : Sat Dec 16, 2017 9:34 am  

JackDiggle wrote:

Probably realised they have to minimise amount of time their english based players are away from their families plus there may be visa issues as I would think they are employed by a UK based subsidiary.

Sorry Jack, that's fekk all to do with sport. I am all for Toronto , NYC etc to expand our great sport into new markets that will benefit all, but they MUST play home games at home, especially when options are available to do so as I am certain at least one Canadian ground would be on that date

Re: Toronto Fixtures : Tue Dec 19, 2017 5:14 pm  

maurice wrote:

Sorry Jack, that's fekk all to do with sport. I am all for Toronto , NYC etc to expand our great sport into new markets that will benefit all, but they MUST play home games at home, especially when options are available to do so as I am certain at least one Canadian ground would be on that date

Do you believe these 'new' countries should field teams with players from their respective Cities etc..?
Unfortunately, there would soon be a dearth of players here in the UK if Toronto are an example! Last count I think they have 12/13 players who had playing contracts at Leigh in 2016 and some, as recent as 2017!!
Maybe I'm just a cynic and cant see the 'promised land' or, an old fart who is stuck in his ways?
We've tried every part of Wales North and South although, I don't think Angelsey has been tried yet
We have also been all over London, with the exception of the Tower and there is still no firm base there yet!
Harlem v Leigh, Niagra v Leigh umm perhaps it could work

Re: Toronto Fixtures : Wed Dec 20, 2017 12:18 am  

kirkhall wrote:

Do you believe these 'new' countries should field teams with players from their respective Cities etc..?
Unfortunately, there would soon be a dearth of players here in the UK if Toronto are an example! Last count I think they have 12/13 players who had playing contracts at Leigh in 2016 and some, as recent as 2017!!
Maybe I'm just a cynic and cant see the 'promised land' or, an old fart who is stuck in his ways?
We've tried every part of Wales North and South although, I don't think Angelsey has been tried yet
We have also been all over London, with the exception of the Tower and there is still no firm base there yet!
Harlem v Leigh, Niagra v Leigh umm perhaps it could work

Why does everyone always have to play Leigh?

Re: Toronto Fixtures : Wed Dec 20, 2017 8:03 am  

kirkhall wrote:

Do you believe these 'new' countries should field teams with players from their respective Cities etc..?
Unfortunately, there would soon be a dearth of players here in the UK if Toronto are an example! Last count I think they have 12/13 players who had playing contracts at Leigh in 2016 and some, as recent as 2017!!
Maybe I'm just a cynic and cant see the 'promised land' or, an old fart who is stuck in his ways?
We've tried every part of Wales North and South although, I don't think Angelsey has been tried yet
We have also been all over London, with the exception of the Tower and there is still no firm base there yet!
Harlem v Leigh, Niagra v Leigh umm perhaps it could work

I think we both know it will take a decade to produce your own players, anything less would be a bonus. The pool of AF players at colleges in the states is huge and an obvious source of potential to expand the playing pool of RL. The financial benefits of having SL clubs in N America will truly benefit the sport

Re: Toronto Fixtures : Wed Dec 20, 2017 10:03 am  

kirkhall wrote:

Do you believe these 'new' countries should field teams with players from their respective Cities etc..?
Unfortunately, there would soon be a dearth of players here in the UK if Toronto are an example! Last count I think they have 12/13 players who had playing contracts at Leigh in 2016 and some, as recent as 2017!!
Maybe I'm just a cynic and cant see the 'promised land' or, an old fart who is stuck in his ways?
We've tried every part of Wales North and South although, I don't think Angelsey has been tried yet
We have also been all over London, with the exception of the Tower and there is still no firm base there yet!
Harlem v Leigh, Niagra v Leigh umm perhaps it could work

Does it matter? Yes short term it’s a drain on the current playing pool but hopefully it could have long term benefits.

Plus we can hardly preach we’ve been playing for over hundred years and the only one of our own on the pitch next season is probably the cone carrier.

Re: Toronto Fixtures : Wed Dec 20, 2017 3:22 pm  

maurice wrote:

I think we both know it will take a decade to produce your own players, anything less would be a bonus. The pool of AF players at colleges in the states is huge and an obvious source of potential to expand the playing pool of RL. The financial benefits of having SL clubs in N America will truly benefit the sport

Will that be the target then to produce RL players in North America? Are you suggesting/hoping that these 'all American' hunks will lay down their Baseball Bats, throw away their Gridiron gear and break up their Ice Hockey Sticks? Optimism is a fine attribute but, I think your estimate of 10 years to provide a stream of players of SL standard is more wishful than optimistic!

Re: Toronto Fixtures : Wed Dec 20, 2017 3:36 pm  

glow wrote:

Does it matter? Yes short term it’s a drain on the current playing pool but hopefully it could have long term benefits.

Plus we can hardly preach we’ve been playing for over hundred years and the only one of our own on the pitch next season is probably the cone carrier.

Talk about 'seeing the light' ! where has this sudden yearning/desire come from to establish RL in North America ?
We have been around over a Hundred years your right however, we came into being as the Professional arm of the RFU !
The RFU is now Professional in its own right after dispensing with the 'Brown Envelope's' and is already played in North America without, reaching the heights of Superbowl! Whilst admitting that RL is a far better spectator sport than Union, convincing Uncle Sam to embrace us is some challenge!!

Re: Toronto Fixtures : Wed Dec 20, 2017 5:10 pm  

kirkhall wrote:

Talk about 'seeing the light' ! where has this sudden yearning/desire come from to establish RL in North America ?
We have been around over a Hundred years your right however, we came into being as the Professional arm of the RFU !
The RFU is now Professional in its own right after dispensing with the 'Brown Envelope's' and is already played in North America without, reaching the heights of Superbowl! Whilst admitting that RL is a far better spectator sport than Union, convincing Uncle Sam to embrace us is some challenge!!

Somehow the game needs to grow or it will die, and although I would love to see us grow outwards from the core base of the M62, in my time we have lost local teams like Liverpool Stanley/Huyton/Runcorn, Blackpool, god only knows how Swinton, Oldham have survived even ourselves and Salford at times, we can’t continue and it concerns me greatly to rely on the likes of DB, (where would/will we be if he walks?) which means clubs must get greater funding from elsewhere, increased crowds would be great but all avenues should be considered, so no yearning or desire as such but if we can get a foot hold in North America then hopefully TV revenue, sponsorship etc will boom and all clubs could cash in.

I don’t like franchising (well not the way the RFL did it) and we must have some form of P&R so for me new clubs must come in at the bottom regardless of where they are from and work their way up to the top, that’s why unlike some I have no great issue with Toronto, OK they nicked our coach and a few players but they come and go anyway, and we didn’t really suffer from it.