Irish to play St Patricks day game in New York maybe!!

[Irish boy]

Us and the prem are in talks it is also to help broadbroadcasters that they should have a professional league there.

 

[ncurd]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/32886128

Was just about to post this.

Not sure if I'm good, bad or indifferent about this. The NFL international series has gone a long way to promote the NFL and by in large American Football within the UK.

However a team that is not based in London and is not Irish really going to draw in the fans? It'll be interesting to see how this one pans out. The NFL International Series got started due to a big name club (The Dolphins) playing but I'm unsure how much name recognition London Irish have...

Plus on another factor we have sports mad culture in the UK for just about anything whereas the American market is pretty much impenetrable MLS is still pretty small despite heightened appeal in recent years.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Plus on another factor we have sports mad culture in the UK for just about anything whereas the American market is pretty much impenetrable MLS is still pretty small despite heightened appeal in recent years.

You do realise that the MLS generates more than double the revenue and about 3 times the attendance of the Premiership?

 

[ncurd]

You do realise that the MLS generates more than double the revenue and about 3 times the attendance of the Premiership?

I meant in the grand scheme of American sports.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Yeah, to a degree, but there are only 4 leagues bigger that it...

 

[ncurd]

Yeah, to a degree, but there are only 4 leagues bigger that it...

It's 1.6% the size of those leagues combined(in terms of revenue).

It's also 14th in terms of revenue in Football League's the world largest sport.

So yeah it's bigger than rugby union leagues but in it's place in the world it's pretty damn small.

Just so people know I'm pulling numbers out of thin air (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_professional_sports_leagues_by_revenue).

 

[ratsapprentice]

Yes - combined.

It's the 5th largest league in the country, behind the biggest by a mile and it's still got double the revenue of our premier competition.

 

[ncurd]

Fair enough back on topic London Irish playing a premiership game in New York, good/bad?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Probably good.
The "Irish" part of their name should draw in some of plastic paddies, especially around St Patrick's day.
If they manage to get a decent opponent (i.e. one with a lot of RWC internationals - "USA EAGLES SUPERSTAR CHRIS WYLES TAKES ON THE MIGHT OF LONDON IRISH") then it could do pretty well.

 

[ncurd]

I did think well London Irish are about as Irish as St. Paddy's Day in New York

 

[InsaneAsylum]

They should play the game in Boston because 99.9% of people from Boston claim to be Irish

 

[Tony Manx]

As I understood it, they are aiming on playing a Premier League fixture not just an exhibition?

My views on this have always been totally against if only, and it is not, on basis that season ticket holders do not sign up only to lose one of the home games!

 

[Every Time Ref]

I'm against it just because it's a home game and New York isn't your home.

I'd quite like to be there, though, and just enjoy explaining to every Yank I could find how they're not Irish and they're not from London

 

[Car]

I'm not in favour of moving regular season games, but it should be good for rugby in the US.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Surely Boston would have been a better move?

 

[Bazinga]

I say Chicago, you got a 60,000 seater stadium, lots of Irish in and around the city (including me) Plus what other city dyes their river GREEN for Paddy's day?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

No other cities, which says a lot.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

No other cities, which says a lot.

Lol.

I don't know if it is something to be proud of TBH. It does get a bit OTT watching it.

Although London Irish is about as Irish as most of America anyway so it works.

 

[Irish boy]

It's definitely happening been confirmed so Saracens on the 12th of March I know it's our home game but Sarries might get more fans cause of Wyles. It's mid way through 6 nations so we might have a chance

 

[ratsapprentice]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ireland v Italy and England v Wales also on 12th March.</p>&mdash; Russ Petty (@rpetty80) <a href="https://twitter.com/rpetty80/status/658969266025340929">October 27, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>