Cross Border Co-Operation

A club game in Germany. Do they need more varied competition?

One of the problems facing emerging RL nations in the northern Hemisphere is getting enough teams to have a broad variety of opponents to play. Germany is about establish its fifth team, but that is still a small league to play in. Other countries cannot even muster up that many. One suggestion is a combine countries into conferences. The idea is their RL education will be enhanced with a greater variety of opponent.

Say for example, Belgium and the Netherlands formed a conference and Germany formed another. They play in their conferences and then have some cross conference matches that would lead to a Northern European club champoin. Extra travelling would be involved and that may be too much for some clubs. If a sponsor could assist, that would work.

Now looking at Scandinavia. The top teams from each nation could play off after their seasons to find a Scandinavian club champion. It would be good to see a top club found in Southern Europe and even Central Europe too.

North America is establishing teams to play in the UK while French clubs have done so with more wishing to join. Air travel has never been cheaper for longer distances, with time off work for amateur players the biggest hurdle. Still, cross border competition is an excellent way to maximise quality and variety of opponent. In the Southern Hemisphere PNG has a team in Queensland and Fiji are determined to get into NSW.

Whatever we think, it seems like it is a trend in RL that could be expanded. It needs to be cost effective and sustainable. It must benefit all nations involved, so planning and co-operation between federations is a must. If done well, the players and the fans have much to gain.

Picture source: RLEF.