I blame panini

I can't speak for Manchester, but as an Everton (as well as Saints) season ticket holder, if you mention our game to any Scousers I've known over the years or any of the locals at Everton matches, rugby league is often dismissed as a 'woolyback sport'. (for those from outside the North West, 'woolyback' is a Liverpool expression for anyone coming from close to the city without being Scouse, generally people from Warrington, Wigan, St Helens, Widnes, Runcorn etc).

While I wouldn't say their is zero interest in RL in Liverpool, football will always be king, followed by Boxing and Cricket (always very good crowds when Lancashire play home games in Liverpool).

There is interest in RL in Manchester and Liverpool, There are 9 ostensibly professional clubs within an hours drive of Liverpool. That Liverpool and Manchester arent looked at as RL cities highlights how the yoke of parochialism has kept these clubs from expanding outside their own little fiefdoms.

Something tells me you didn't quite get that marketing diploma?

FC United's newish ground would be a good Sized RL ground.

Surely whether or not it's played in local schools is a big factor?

No it doesn't, the only thing that it highlights is that there is not enough interest in either of these cities

Hence there being 9 professional RL clubs in those areas.

So RL has succeeded in Manchester and Liverpool , just that no club has ever taken their name , bit like London football

If all london football clubs were beset by problems brought on by their parochial inability to expand outside of their own small areas, yes.

I work in a big office in Stockport twhich is JUST outside Manchester: over 300 work here and all know of my RL love. Two (yes, two) other occasionally attend matches. Most could not name any RL teams apart from Wigan. Yet the constant conversation is of soccer.
The train from Rochdale to Manchester is similar: endless chat about the football game on last night and odd snide comments about the egg-chaser (me).

Most common question: what's the difference between Union and League.

Simply, at the moment, the interest is not here.

All this historical stuff and talks of "soccer cities" is very interesting an' all, but the fact is simple: nobody with a desire to run a RL club there rich enough to start one exists. It would fly, if you threw enough money at it, but at present there's no-one that will.

If the Toronto guy was based in Liverpool, for example, and not Toronto, he is the sort of guy (and his backers) who could do it. You just need the desire, vision, balls and resources.