Opinion: Take World Club Challenge on the road
The World Club Challenge needs a boost to its profile. Seemingly viewed largely as a distraction in Australia, the game, although it excites British fans, does not seem to make much of a mark on the wider sporting consciousness of the UK.
This year’s game between Leeds Rhinos and Manly Sea Eagles will undoubtedly be an entertaining game, a great advert for our sport.
Having the NRL champions over here is a real boon for the sport, but something which never seems to be properly exploited to create more of a national and even international profile for rugby league. Surely a game like this, a one-off world title bout as it were, is a concept fans of other sports could understand easily enough?
Perhaps this could the the gateway game for thousands of new fans. Think with a little imagination and it could become really big. It doesn’t have to be too exotic either. So here are some suggestions.
Firstly, one low risk option would be Bramall Lane in Sheffield. Easily reached from all over the country and easily accessible from the heartlands, this would be an ideal venue, especially for Yorkshire teams. The Lane can have a real atmosphere, especially under floodlights, and it could open up a few eyes as to the possibilities of rugby league in well-populated South Yorkshire.
Moving up the risk factor slightly, perhaps taking it to the East Midlands, for example, might work. Pride Park Stadium in Derby is a fine stadium which has held England Under-21 soccer internationals successfully, and is highly accessible. Perhaps even into the heart of he ‘enemy’ and in Leicester, either at the football club’s ground or even where the union outfit turn out.
Taking it to Wales might be a logical step too. There is always an appetite for rugby in South Wales, so perhaps somewhere like Llanelli or Swansea would appreciate a trip. Maybe even Ireland, where TV coverage of the NRL is increasing interest in our sport.
A personal opinion would be to be really bold and take it to Cape Town. South Africa has a big population and an interest in rugby generally. Cape Town is much more accessible these days for travelling fans from both Britain and Australia. It shares an approximate timezone with the UK, adding to the ease of selling the TV rights to the game. It might also interest a few more of the game’s great and good in Australia to back the idea more enthusiastically. An airline would be an ideal sponsor, in a similar situation to that which saw Warrington Wolves fly out to Australia as part of their pre-season preparations.
With international rugby league a bit of a one-horse race currently, this game might be the best chance of allowing to branch out a little. The sport should take it.
Obviously, there would be issues to be overcome with all the locations referred to, but it would be interesting to hear some thoughts on the issue…
