Coronovirus and RLWC 2021

-
This century, the Rugby League World Cup had been played on an ad-hoc basis. After the disaster that was the 2000 World Cup, it took a hiatus until 2008. After a moderate success, the World Cup returned to the schedule of a more permanent basis.

Whilst the tournament was initially planned to take place in 2012, it was delayed a year until 2013. That was because of the London Olympics that year. The idea being that it would overshadow our showpiece.

In addition to the Olympics and Paralympics, 2012 saw football's European Championships take place. When considering all factors, it was decided to host the Rugby League World Cup the following year, to avoid major sporting events and attempt to gain maximum exposure.

This was a logical approach and we continued on a four-year cycle, avoiding the cycles of other major sporting events. This allowed for Jon Dutton to state ambitions that the 2021 Rugby League World Cup would be the most digitally connected tournament of that year. Now that the Olympics and football's European Championships will take place, that ambition has become a lot more difficult!



You would imaging that when our current crisis ends, the message from the team tasked with delivering our World Cup will change. Whereas the marketing line was that we would host the biggest international sporting tournament in 2021, it will now pivot to Rugby League forming part of an incredible year of sport. So, what might be on that year?

- The Olympics
- The Paralympics
- World Athletics Championships
- Football's European Championships
- Cricket's ODI Women's World Cup
- Cricket's 20/20 Men's World Cup
- Ryder Cup

The sporting calendar in 2021 will be a crowded one. A pessimist would worry that our sport's largest ever event will be buried, and not even scratch the surface of the public psyche.

 An optimist would say that we could ride the crest of a wave, giving a sports-crazed nation and world even more, after a packed summer.

The team who are organising the Rugby League World Cup have a tougher task now due to the rescheduling of other sporting events and possible cancellation of the Kangaroos Tour.

Despite that, the opportunities that this tournament provides will remain after the Covid-19 crisis, but may need a redoubling of efforts to ensure they are realised. 

A big tournament (and England success) will give us a chance to raise the profile of our sport significantly. This is even more important as our club sides may struggle to balance the books due to the indefinite loss of matchday income.

Rugby League fans are a loyal, partisan and fiercely proud bunch. We may criticise it internally, but defend it with venom when an outsider sneers. Over the next couple of years, your sport needs you more than ever. With our support, we will overcome the current crisis and come out of the other side not just surviving, but thriving!

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Read:

The Toxicity of the Match Officials Department

-
This morning, it was confirmed by the RFL that Head of Match Officials since 2016, Steve Ganson, has been suspended pending investigation. Under Ganson's tenure, James Child, Ian Smith, Matt Thomason, George Stokes, Sam Ansell, Phil Bentham, Richard Silverwood, Joe Cobb, Chris Campbell, Steve Presley and Mike Burnett have all left the RFL. Meanwhile, Robert Hicks has stepped down as a full-time referee, moving to a compliance role, Jack Smith stepped down as a full-time referee before returning and Ben Thaler was suspended and later reinstated in mysterious circumstances. Such a high turnover of staff in a department with relatively few staff should raise cause for concern. Especially when many departing staff have commented on their departures in such damning terms. Here are what some have said: James Child The most recently departed match official, James Child, has spoken to Forty-20 Magazine. " What I've always found difficult about refereeing are not the external press...
View full blog

Have London Broncos Broken IMG?

-
I am sorry but I am about to drop the C bomb. Christmas. I know, I know, it's only October but it's coming! The time of year that products are rushed out for consumers. Some of you may find a game under your Christmas tree this year. Let's take a moment to think how it got there. Before any game hits the shelves and is played by a consumer, it is extensively 'play-tested'. This means that developers play these games repeatedly, trying all sorts of different techniques, with the intention of 'breaking' the game; finding an error that renders it flawed. When they do, it is back to the drawing board, the flaw is ironed out and you play test again. A lot of work goes in to games to ensure, to the best extent possible, they are unbreakable. This is a Rugby League blog. So what does this have to do with anything? Well, the sport is set to introduce a new licensing system from 2025 and I wondered whether IMG and the RFL have done the equivalent of play-testing the ...
View full blog

Silence is the loudest noise of all

-
In August 2019, Batley Bulldogs hooker Archie Bruce made his debut for the club in an away defeat against Toulouse. He never returned home. Archie died from asphyxiation (suffocation) after a team night out.  A post-mortem report revealed Archie had consumed alcohol, cocaine and had 'toxic' levels of Tramadol (a strong painkiller) in his system at the time of his death. The levels of Tramadol (a medication only available on prescription), according to an expert at Archie's inquest, was in fact double the level considered toxic and potentially fatal. Archie's inquest was told that Batley Bulldogs players used Tramadol regularly, and illegal drugs including cocaine. One member of the Batley squad told the inquest " Everyone knows [about cocaine use in the squad], you just have to keep it under wraps" . After the inquest, Archie's family called for the RFL and its member clubs to implement a robust code of conduct to ensure a similar tragedy did not occur. Th...
View full blog