RL in the USA has been mainly based along the eastern seaboard. The AMNRL was the competition's initial name and from 1998 to 2010 was without a rival. It was reasonably well run and by 2010 there were eleven sides involved.
In 2011 the USARL was set up and challenged the AMNRL that it could do things in a better way. So how did that pan out? For three years two competitions ran alongside each other, both of a similar size but then the AMNRL folded.
For the 2014 season, the USARL was now the sole competition and things looked rosy. However, 2015 was the season with a peak number of teams and thereafter the numbers started to decline.
The sport would either stay as it was and risk gradual decline or try and go to another level. In 2021 the North American Rugby League was established to do just that.
It took many teams from the USARL but unfortunately, they have been unable to get anything going. All that has been achieved is to disrupt what was in place. It's all very well having grand plans but the first rule of change is to do no harm.
There are other initiatives underway in North America but they are yet to prove they are sustainable. With the US being such a large country, it's difficult to establish a sport successfully unless there is substantial financial backing.
Any competition needs to be solidly based, with age group setups established to raise the standard and integrated into the community. A sport for a few adults willing to give the game a go isn't the best foundation for long-term success.
Please note: The chart shows the number of teams involved each year. Green shows an increase on the previous year, brown no change and yellow decrease.
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