Maybe, but doubtful.

Good to see Toronto giving it a go. I still think overseas clubs playing in SL is a novelty, but if they can be successful, you can't really knock them for it.

I wonder if Canoeman, sorry, Pandamonium will be welcome a new Liverpool team as much as he expects us to welcome Toronto?

Seriously what happens if in 2-5 years time there is a GF or CCF containing Toronto V Catalans, Catalans V New York, New York V Toronto? It is not entirely implausible and 15,000 (non-plussed free-ticketed) fans at OT will be great for the game.

This one is easily solved.
If they (the overseas club) dont stump up £10000000) their place in the final will go to the 3rd or 4th placed club

Or we let them join the league but on the condition that they dont actually make it to a major final.

Disclaimer: I have no inside knowledge or crystal ball.

We also understand that Wolfpack paying the freight for visiting teams ends if they reach Super League. Do not know details of the NY and Ottawa bids regarding travel & accommodation, but Virgin is named as a sponsor for NY. Doubtless this will be a big part of the bid discussions and due diligence.

My personal opinion - the N American adventure has great potential, especially if NYC and Ottawa teams are invited in together. Wolfpack have done the hard yards and taken ridiculous amounts of stick (*cough this forum for one cough*), but three NA teams become too hard to ignore or dismiss as outliers. The challenges for the start-ups are to engage new fans - first, to a new entertainment experience, second, to the sport itself - and to monetize it through sponsorships and tv/broadcast deals. From what we know, the NYC deal claims to have heavy hitters as sponsors. Money for pro sports can always be found, if there's an appealing product.

Wolfpack have already shown that new fans can be created from almost nothing, even in a city with a team in each of the top-tier pro sports. That tells me NYC and Ottawa can be as successful or better. How any potential new money is distributed is between teams and the RFL - doubtless these discussions are happening.

Wolfpack to date have taken nothing, been stiffed for the Challenge Cup, and yet paid for its 2019 Championship games to be shown on Sky. I'd bet all the NA teams are or will be working on broadcast deals.

I'm an optimist by nature. In a few years, if the RFL accept Ottawa and NYC and the teams take hold locally, I'd see a few more NA teams shaping up. That would be a good basis for a North American league, with perhaps a number of fixtures v English & French teams every year. Rugby league is only an emerging sport here, but it fits all the criteria for a sport North Americans can fall in love with. It will take time for local NA players to develop to a high enough standard, but pro sports don't care about birthplace and neither do fans. Pro athletes go where the work and the money are.

So, in 20 years, with a pinch of pixie dust, it's possible we'll have two completely stand-alone sports leagues. As for the future of the game in England & France in 20 years, I wouldn't dream of making any predictions. But the NA experience will continue to provide the more outward-looking clubs with marketing ideas they can apply.

For the record, I am not Canoeman. And being originally from Liverpool, I would be delighted to see a new Liverpool team.

There is an event coming up that has every single super league club taking part that has only sold 13k tickets, so id say 15k between Toronto and New York would be a success!

You are correct I do not travel into Hull for night games as it is a long day by the time I get home, but what’s your point? I don’t wish any harm to Toronto or anyone else who play or watch the game & I don’t get the vitriol from others that is thrown at them.

It was meant as a joke me also have nothing against Toronto

My guess is that if you can develop 5 vibrant, viable sides that draw crowds, and the right TV offers are there, you might well find five this side of the Atlantic decide to join forces. Just a hunch.

Would that synopsis allow the 5 from the UK to share the Sky deal between themselves or, would you be expecting a new joint TV deal.
It would be interesting to know whether there are many TV viewers for RL in N. America (or America) and what kind of forecast there is for having 1, 2 or 3 N. American sides in the comp. ??

They're pretty hot on that kind of stuff over there.

No idea on whether Sky would even be involved, or indeed there'll ever be more than the 1 team over there. But if it ever got to that scenario I'd guess it would involve a new TV deal. For the record, I'm not hugely in favour of things heading that way though I think they might - if enough teams got off the ground.

Wrong.
Toronto have done nothing....ARGYLE and his other money men have given away shed loads of tickets, run beer festivals and totally given up on the idea of developing players in exchange for piggy-backing on the Union set up.......
.....I'll repeat this until it sinks in. The London Monarchs averaged 40k in year one, delivered not a lot else and vanished up their own 'arrises pretty quickly....the only difference is that they were owned by the sport and the sport soon tired of investing.

Argyle won't get 2 mill next year from SKY, will not pay to fly wigan/leeds et al out to Toronto, won't get the 8 "home" games on the trot at the seasons start.....SL owners will expect a TV deal and US TV execs won't pay to film a 9k attended beer festival....Argyle pays for the TV coverage now and that ain't going to change, even with NYC/Hamilton/Boston/Florida etc.......
....look at the history of soccer in the USA. The 2 main things that have got it to where it is now are a/ The hispanic audience making USA 94 a success and b/ Mums not wanting their kids to play contact sports.....Rugby League/Rugby Union....both are doomed to fail in North America because neither are TV friendly or soccer mom friendly.

I would love London, Toronto, Toulouse, Belgrade......or any other pin-drop location to be in SL, but the only way it'll happen is if the broadcast partner pays for it.....like Melbourne Storm.

Never gonna happen

Here's a thought!
Anyone remember how the Auckland 9's were going to save the game?

2014......rammed stadium, rock'n'roll rugby........2019.....er........the what?

Long term solutions. One's where I'll be long dead before they pay dividends.......that's what clever sports do.
rlhttps://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/48063021rl

Agree it's unlikely. But if it did then I think a breakaway would happen.
Can probably file under "worry about that when it happens".