AMNRL slam RLIF about American split
The AMNRL has written an angrily worded letter to the RLIF, clarifying its decision to fold and allow the split within American rugby league to heal.
There has been a long-running split within the American game, which revolved mainly around the way in which the international team, the USA Tomahawks, were run.
The USARL is the governing body which was set up in opposition to the AMNRL in 2011. The split between the two groups became acute following last year’s Rugby League World Cup in the UK.
The decision of the AMNRL to select ‘heritage’ players to the exclusion of many domestcially based players angered the USARL.
Now the AMNRL has written to RLIF chairman Nigel Wood offering its point of view on the matter, as well as confirming its decision to dissolve itself.
Tellingly, it makes a pointed comment about the lack of support it received from the RLIF.
The letter, signed by AMNRL chairman Robert Balachandran reads:
“The AMNRL have, as we have said many times, no wish for the division of the game in the USA to continue. We have tried many times to find some common ground with the USARL but unfortunately to no avail.
“The AMNRL received little support from the RLIF in our attempts to unify the game domestically while the USARL maintained an active campaign to undermine the AMNRL in the media, particularly social media.
“The AMNRL last season selected the national team on a “best available eligible” player basis as a goodwill unification gesture and agreed to the creation of an independent commission this year (that the USARL was part of then reneged).
“The AMNRL put up a model to the RLIF this year which included the creation of a new National Governing Body and the granting of a licence to the USARL to conduct the domestic competition.
“The AMNRL model would have seen it continuing to fund and conduct the successful international and overseas development programs and work with the USARL on grass root development.
“The difficulty in the USA is, we see no indication from the USARL that it has any desire to be part of a shared undertaking moving forward. If we were to succeed with an application no doubt the USARL would still seek to conduct a competition away from us leaving us to either injunct them from playing or leave this gaping wound open and festering.
“In the end, the game and importantly the players will suffer.
“The six AMNRL Clubs (which arguably housed about 70% of the best domestic players in the USA) didn’t play competitively this season.
“They would have had the RLIF supported us.”
The letter goes on to bemoan the decision to compel the USA Tomahawks to qualify for the next World Cup, rather than awarding them an automatic spot.
“We are proud of all we have achieved from the day David Niu grabbed some mates and started to pass a ball around to now being a top-10 ranked nation,” it adds.
“We don’t want to see the game held back as it is now because of the differences of the two groups.
“We want to see the game grow domestically and for the USA Tomahawks to remain a force on the world stage.
“We don’t want to see petty jealousy impact on what we have achieved.
“We don’t want to see what just occurred in the Canadian match, where a very inexperienced Tomahawks team were cannon-fodder, be repeated.
“We played that game, a 52-14 loss, despite major reservations because of its financial importance to the Canadian Rugby League.
“If we were selfish we would have cancelled.
“If the RLIF valued our work and recognised the job we have done for the world game with the USA Tomahawks it would have supported our request in May for the AMNRL to restructure into the not for profit Rugby League Federation of America Limited with its ‘best governance’ model supported by advisory boards comprised of good rugby league people.
“As we detailed in the previous submission to you this model would have ensured the best from both groups:
-The ‘whole of game’ focussed AMNRL; and
-The ‘club focussed’ USARL
“If the RLIF respected us it would have also given us the pre-qualification for the World Cup we earned in 2013 instead of finding a way to take that honour from us as it did.
“This was our one shot at finally getting a valuable sponsor in the USA but our leads from our World Cup success weren’t interested without a guarantee of television at the next World Cup.
“As we obviously don’t have the confidence of the RLIF moving forward we think it best if we do not lodge an application.
“Through us declining to apply, the split is healed.”
The AMNRL do make certain requests about how the game continues to be administered in the United States.
These are:
“We ask that the RLIF at least encourages the USARL to repay this act of best faith by acting fairly in the future and not abandoning the successful international program.
“These are six requests we feel are fair for us deciding not to apply:
“1 All ‘AMNRL’ clubs will be afforded the opportunity to enter teams into the domestic competition in 2015 provided they meet the competition guidelines;
“2 The ‘AMNRL’ clubs applications will be treated fairly and no differently to any USARL club application;
“3 The USA Tomahawks program will be continued including the annual test to be played against Samoa in Hawaii. This test can be continue to funded and organised by the Hawaiian Rugby League and is tentatively set for June 20 next year;
“4 The USA Tomahawks will be selected on a ‘best available eligible player’ basis. In particular the ‘heritage’ players will not be specifically excluded from selection as has been suggested by the USARL.
“5 Joseph Paulo will remain captain of the USA Tomahawks (if fit and permitted by his club to play for the USA) and in his absence Michael Garvey (if fit and form warrants selection);
“6 Matthew Elliott will be given first offer to coach the USA Tomahawks in any matches including qualifiers for the 2017 RLWC.”
The letter concludes with a statement about how sad the situation has become:
“This is a sad day for those of us who have given 18 years of our lives to get the game to where it is today but one group has to step away for the good of the game.”
