USA to host Premiership games

[davejohnston]

It's looking more and more like this might be the H-Cup, and now the PRL are looking to America to try and boost their income. Smells of desperation to me, not to mention do the top flight English teams want to replace the quality of the H Cup with a few friendlies in the sunshine. I'd love to know what the AP fans think of all this.

http://m.espnscrum.com/s/3498/96?countr ... inOne=true

Leicester Tigers chairman Peter Tom has confirmed discussions have taken place between Premiership Rugby (PRL) and four American franchises over the possibility of taking the English domestic game to the USA.

With the future of the Heineken Cup still uncertain, PRL is looking at alternative options. The English and French clubs have served notice to leave both the Heineken Cup and the second tier Amlin Challenge Cup after this season unless the tournament structure and commercial arrangements are re-vamped. The PRO12 sides have so far refused to concede any ground on either issue.

Premiership Rugby, the umbrella body representing English rugby's top clubs, and their French counterparts Ligue Nationale de Rugby want the Heineken Cup reduced to a 20-team tournament - from the current 24-team format - and a change to the qualification system that they believe favours the PRO12 teams by guaranteeing places regardless of league position at the end of the season.

Adding further fuel to the dispute is a row over the TV rights to European club rugby's premier competition. ERC has a deal in place with current broadcast partner Sky Sports while Premiership Rugby have sold the rights to those games played by their club to BT Vision.

The ERC is adamant that a compromise can be reached but Tom has revealed that trans-Atlantic discussions have occurred as English clubs look for other potential options. The four franchises chosen by PRL, according to the Rugby Paper, are: Washington Red Skins, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns and the Boston Patriots.

"I can confirm that we have had quite serious discussions with a number of American football owners," Tom told the Rugby Paper. "We are keen to look into the practicality of playing some rugby matches in their stadia.

"Can we create interest in the game in another continent? For example, could London Irish play a St. Patrick's Day fixture in Boston? Some people are looking at the creation of a world club championship. I'm not saying that Leicester will be playing Harlequins at the Washington Red Skins but anything's possible.

"How much of this is for real, how much is pie in the sky, who knows? All sorts of options are being explored. The discussions with the American football owners will go on.

[Jackie Brown]

Smacks of utter desperation to me

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[Scranner]

It would be interesting to hear the reaction of the average fan who cannot afford to go to USA to see games. I know I'd be mightily pi$$ed if Ulster decided to play their rugby in America.

[BaggyTrousers]

Clownshoes for Mr Toms

ClownShoes.jpg (7.56 KiB) Viewed 3228 times

[tigerburnie]

The Saffacens have already been playing league games abroad, so this doesn't come as a surprise, potentially it looks like four games a season. If it spreads interest in the sport to the cash rich USA, I dare sare those needing the money that have small home gates will leap at the chance.

[Rooster]

There will be some laugh in the ERC meeting if the Premiership clubs say we will play USA teams instead if they don't get their way, talk about chucking toys out of prams.

[mikerob]

The Saffacens have already been playing league games abroad, so this doesn't come as a surprise, potentially it looks like four games a season. If it spreads interest in the sport to the cash rich USA, I dare sare those needing the money that have small home gates will leap at the chance.

Rugby isn't cash rich in the USA. The USA v Ireland game back in June got 20k people and AFAIK this was the best attended rugby game in the US to date (and a good proportion of the crowd were Irish exiles...) I can't see a game with AP teams getting anything near this - some of the US public may have heard of Man U and Barcelona... London Irish or Leicester wouldn't even register.

There's nothing wrong with helping rugby in the US but it looks like the AP are scraping the bottom of the barrel if they think this will provide them with money to replace the HEC.

[Jackie Brown]

Instead of his helping rugby in the states why don't the PRL help rugby in Italy and Scotland?

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[BR]

It strikes me that the only thing the average avid English 1st division club supporter is interested in is what it is worth (in Lsd) to their club.

[Moiraman]

Didn't Harlequins play Saracens in a Premiership fixture abroad a season or two ago?

[davejohnston]

I'm not sure it's been fully thought out, I mean Boston on St Pats is all very well, but as the 6 nations is on then, all the internationals will be away, so even if some ex pats wanted to see watch the game, it might not be big names they would usually expect to see.

On the flip side, I've heard a number of post HC ideas for the English and French teams, but I haven't heard any contingency plans for the pro 12 teams. It'd be a shame to have our shiny new stadium but no big European games to play in it.

[rumncoke]

The problem the ERC have is that they live in the shadow of the Premiership thus fail to attract the big money owners willing to sink and lose money supporting the club ,neither do they have the footfall through the gates to be able to finance the teams. They rely on Television rights to finance the game but don't have the sole right to HC Television rights.

The second fault is they have the arrogance to believe they have a similar appeal as International rugby and have a product to sell to a public who have no interest in them.

To think that the American Public who fail to support their International team in meaning full numbers will turn up to watch a mix of Internationals playing for two English ? Club sides in sufficient numbers to fill an NFL or AFC ground is lunacy and no American TV company will be interest in buying the rights to Televise a game in an empty Stadium, and BT will lose interest in the sport quickly if they continue to pursue silly daydreams without consulting their TV sponsors.

ERC need to quickly get their heads out of their ar$3s and face reality.

[Scranner]

Not sure who you're having a pop at, Rum. Is it the ERC for failing to put any contingency in place if the English drop out of the HEC or the premiership clubs for their arrogance at thinking they can replace HEC with games in the USA?

[BaggyTrousers]

The problem the ERC have is that they live in the shadow of the Premiership thus fail to attract the big money owners willing to sink and lose money supporting the club ,neither do they have the footfall through the gates to be able to finance the teams. They rely on Television rights to finance the game but don't have the sole right to HC Television rights.

The second fault is they have the arrogance to believe they have a similar appeal as International rugby and have a product to sell to a public who have no interest in them.

To think that the American Public who fail to support their International team in meaning full numbers will turn up to watch a mix of Internationals playing for two English ? Club sides in sufficient numbers to fill an NFL or AFC ground is lunacy and no American TV company will be interest in buying the rights to Televise a game in an empty Stadium, and BT will lose interest in the sport quickly if they continue to pursue silly daydreams without consulting their TV sponsors.

ERC need to quickly get their heads out of their ar$3s and face reality.

Rum'n, pretty sure I know what you are driving at but you name ERC & then discuss the problems that are facing PR & BT if they are intent on embarrassing themselves with the USA venture.

Care to clarify? Dispel my confusion?

Edit: Ah, I see I'm not alone.

[BaggyTrousers]

Think that all parties involved will eventually face the fact that they are killing the best competition in the NH & what are they going to replace it with?

For Pro 12 teams, who knows, possibly the only option may be a re-enactment of the Celtic Cup or maybe I am just short on imagination.

For the French & English, well the French may well be happy to play with themselves , seems what they are happiest with. The English? Who knows, they always bring SA into discussions but would the Saffers have any interest? Surely they have a very full calendar with Currie Cup, Super Rugby & the Rugby Championship, none of which they will jeopardise to play a few games with Les Rosbifs.

The USA thing is a complete nonsense, the notion of Boston on St Paddys might sound a runner but even in the unlikely scenario that it brought in 20000, does that really defray the costs involved? Then name another similar day in the calendar with similar likelihood of chiming with the supposed audience? I suspect most would struggle to make too many links that might fly with the would be audience.

It is a waiting game with some bizarre attempts from Les Rostbifs to crank up supposed pressure on the Pro 12 but a compromise of some sort will have to happen, at present standing firm is absolutely the right course for Pro12. Let Mr Clownshoes of Leicester prattle away. It was probably the Machiavellian Mr Wheeler who wrote that script anyway.