Irish to consider bid for Super League club
By Chris O'Brien
March 3 2009
Andy Kelly wants to see an Irish team competing in the Super League. The head coach of the Republic of Ireland national side believes that a team from the Emerald Isle could compete in rugby league’s elite competition and hinted that a bid could come from across the water when the next wave of applications come forward in 2011.
Speaking to the BBC's Super League show, Kelly said: "The feeling in Ireland for that to happen is very strong.
"If we can get the finances in place, there is a chance a bid would be made by us."
Rugby League has always been something of a minority sport in Ireland - with Gaelic football, hurling, football and rugby union dominating proceedings.
However, Kelly is confident that a professional rugby league club could be sustained in Ireland, whilst the sport has enjoyed a boost in popularity following the country's competitive showing at the recent World Cup in Australia.
Kelly's men lost narrowly to Tonga but claimed a credible win over Samoa which saw them qualify for the knock-out phase. Ireland then lost out to Fiji in the quarter-finals but received praised for their display in a 30-14 defeat.
The Celtic Crusaders' rise to Super League has reportedly inspired an Irish bid, whilst French outfit Catalan Dragons have managed to quickly establish themselves. Toulouse Olympique XIII, meanwhile, are making their debut in the Championship this season as the sport's profile continues to grow across Europe.
Ironically, Ireland's current rugby league champions are named the Carlow Crusaders.
Any such bid would come in 2011 when Super League officials ponder new bids for promotion and consider restructuring the league. It's all very early to speculate - and hopefully John Dixon's Celtic Crusaders will have established themselves enough by them to maintain their presence in Europe's top rugby league division.
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It strikes me that in such a small nation then RL would come a long way behind the more established contact sports of RU and Gaelic Games (in all their forms) to say nothing of the enormous appetite there for the Premier League/SPL.
There are enough people in Widnes and Cumbria who already "hate" Wales for taking "their" place in Super League so I cannot see the RL putting Ireland into the same bracket in a hurry, never mind the logistics issue above.
If in three years time the Crusarers are playing in front of two men and a jack russell I'll cede the point. But the game needs to expand and an Irish based team would be marvellous.
Expansion outside the M62 corridor is required.
Dan, Bridgend
You are 100% correct...