United States - Rugby League's final frontier

By RLP 7/1/2008

Rugby League in the United States can be traced back to 1953 when the American All Stars toured Australia. Since then there has been many attempts by rugby league administrators to get a foothold in the American sporting landscape.

In 1987 the Australian Rugby League organised for a 4th State of Origin game to be played in California. The aim of the game was to promote rugby league in America. As it turned out the first American rugby league competition licked off that same year.

After winning the 2004 Tri-Nations in the UK, the Australian Rugby League team stopped in the US for a one off international against the Tomahawks. In what was almost the biggest upset in international rugby league history, The Tomahawks lead the Kangaroos for most of the game only to fall short losing 36 -24. The Tomahawks had made a noise and the rest of the international rugby league community had listened.

Today the United States have 10 teams on the east coast competing in the American National Rugby League (AMNRL) competition. The AMNRL is in its tenth year and is slowing starting to make a mark on the American sporting landscape.

In November 2007 the United States rugby league team "Tomahawks" took part in the repechage rounds of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup qualifiers. They surprised many by being very competitive against a Samoan side filled with ex New Zealand internationals. What made this more remarkable was that the US team had players mainly from the domestic AMNRL. The US lost to Samoa but once again had made a statement that Rugby League in America was real and here to stay.

Russell Crowe has recently been involved in promoting a match between the South Sydney Rabbittohs and the Leeds Rhinos in Jacksonville, Florida. Rugby League has been getting unprecedented exposure on US prime time TV and Radio due to Crowe's passion for the Rabbittohs and rugby league.

If given the opportunity Rugby League can provide another option for college students that want to play a tough contact sport. If the AMNRL were to secure some ongoing TV exposure the opportunities could be endless in such a big market. Professional rugby league competitions are thriving in the congested sporting landscapes of Australia and England. If the AMNRL can obtain some outside assistance from the NRL, Super League or even a passionate supporter like Crowe anything is possible.