with the recent article that has come out the last 48 hours about SANZAR "maybe" wanting to expand into the north American market in 2016 it has promote me to write a little something on this subject.
first, when i first read and heard something to this a year ago or so when the whole lions/southern kings debacle was happening my first reaction was, this is awesome a super rugby team here in the USA / west coast. but as time went by i had some thoughts on where the team may be located and how in the end it would be a failure and bad move for super rugby or even any of the euro leagues to expand into America. one being $$$ of course but two would be there just is not a market for those leagues to place a team here and deal with the head ache of traveling and schedule make up. what would make more sense for those leagues is to take the mls/soccer approach and have those owners of super rugby teams and euro clubs as well buy into a new American/North America base league and use teams here as a farm system and develop a partner ship with teams playing here.
some may say well why would we want that? again look at the MLS, they finally got it right and new that the only way to be considered the best and to give there own players better chance in making a impact on the soccer world is to invite big pocket international owners to take interests in the league and show that this is the best place to send the "almost there" player to get his legs and speed up to par. on top of that some mls clubs have partnered up with bigger clubs to help not just train there own players but also set up chances to expand there own team brand with those fans of the other club and exchange coaching,playing, ownership ideas.
the state of soccer is not just the making of the ussf but it has to do a lot of what the mls has done. they have been able to bring over big name clubs and have them come consistently and play exhibition matches against MLS clubs and each other's teams while touring around America. teams such as, Chelsae, Manchester city, real Madrid , club America, pueblo, Chivas. etc.. have all made this there preseason destination.
if we can get our own league going, and USA rugby and Canada rugby need to get going on this now in working things out (RugbyAmerica.net has a great article on a current group working on this very thing now, http://rugbyamerica.net/2012/12/20/north-american-pro-15s-competition-gunning-for-2015-launch/, 1st set of Q & A with potential start of leauge: http://www.thisisamericanrugby.com/2013/01/pro-rugby-q-with-aprcs-jason-moore.html) by year 4-5 once the league and owners have finally stabilized there money spending and clubs by that point have made there names known in there location, at that point the APRC should begin looking into convincing a team or two from both northern and southern hemisphere to play a 3-4 game tour, one on the east and the other on the west of north America. with the current Lions tour set up this year, it is a much needed and bold move by a Rugby team to do what they are doing. 1) it helps test the America's market for maybe future games for not just them self's but other big name clubs, if all four games can get 15k (+) people to show up then that is a very good thing for the state of rugby here and others who maybe on the fence to invest here. 2) it will help spread the Lions brand to America and last but not least help cast more eyes to the sport of Rugby in North America.
all in all the simplest thing i am trying to say is, is expansion of Super rugby into north America the GREATEST thing to happen to us here, no not really.
the best thing is for us to get our own league going and make sure its successful then it would be GREAT to have a Super rugby team tour and go head to head with True professional north American rugby players and organization.
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