The only place AFL is in front is in attendances. With the News Ltd shackles now cast off the transformation of RL in Australia is underway. Already the ARLC has more than DOUBLED the income of the game and has laid out a strategic plan that will see the game prosper like never before. A new management structure and at long last decent staffing has the NRL with undreamed of resources to drive the game. Expansion at NRL level will be next and with the bringing of touch footy back into the RL fold the game has a participation rate never before seen. Record growth of tackle players in expansion states and the phenomina that is SOO of origin just keeps growing nationally every year. These are very exciting times for RL.

In Australia.

The great thing about the NRL finally waking from its ~20yr SL War slumber in Australia is that it's going to have a huge flow-on effect on NZ and the pacific nations.

Just looking at the totally unassisted-by-ARL growth in NZ, PNG and Fiji in particular in the last few years and knowing that the ARLC has said that growing the game in these regions is a priority gives me a real sense of excitement.

Yes and having the ex NZrl CEO in the arlc snr management team can only help with the ARL giving them more support.

Some of the stats from the 2012 RFL annual report on the Touch programme run by them
5000new regular players in 2012
13,350 people tried touch in 2012
120 sites ran touch games
21 Lucozade power sites set up playing 5 a side indoor or 6 a side outdoor touch

How many of all the touch footy players are Union players?

As I said, strategically it's good, because it's great for speed work and ball skills. All forms of footy play it. Now they can all fall under the umbrella of Rugby League. Including the people who play other sports etc etc.

As of now they are all RL players



Comment from WARL chairman
WARL Chairman Richard Campbell believes it will be big for Western Australia.
“Participation in our sport is very important and the partnership will give us better representation in developing facilities for the game. Local government support is critical in our ability to deliver for the community. It could not have come at a better time for the growth of the game in WA.

The RFL have missed a trick with this, but the clubs are also to blame. Hull FC and Hull KR have and continue to run touch rugby tournaments, with participation made up mainly of local amateur players. 2 years ago, HKR had a large tournament played in a round robin format over 12 weeks with large participation, the following year the turn-out was far less because it simply wasn't publicised.
Hull continue to do touch rugby sessions, but because of the times they are run, it's difficult for many people to get to.

Touch rugby is a fantastic way for people of all ages, abilities, genders and fitness levels to get a rugby ball in their hands and express themselves. There's far less chance of injury in comparison to contact too. Contact rugby isnt for everyone, and touch gives an opportunity for people who are new to the game to experience it without fear of being wiped out. It also provides an opportunity for guys like me, who's body's simply cannot take anymore impacts. Most of all, its great fun.

In contrast, the RFU run a touch rugby tournamnet on the hull university fields every summer, for free (both hull clubs charge participants), at a reasonable time with good facilities. They even set up a touch rugby tournament in the city centre to encourage participation. They advertise in my gym, giving details of local clubs and events too.

Some of the skills of the youngsters coming through touch rugby are fantastic, its a game that encourages running, passing, expansive rugby, and I fear that a lot of these players will choose a path of RU rather than RL.

Why, so they can stop running, passing and playing expansive rugby?

I'd argue that point!

The Rugby Union was split in 1895 and went in two separate directions but the history of the game pre 1895 belongs to both Rugby Unioon and Rugby League

The game before the split, of the modern games which one is more representative of the original?

What's more closely related to the Model T Ford? A Mazda3 or a Holden Commodore?