China's Global Ambitions Is The Opportunity To Grow Rugby League In PNG And Market PNG's Brand Of Footy Globally

The three-horizons-framework for strategy suggests that organisations should think of themselves as comprising three types of business or activity defined by their horizons in terms of years.

Strategy is the long term direction of an organisation. The Australian NRL is a business organisation and its core business is in the administrating the sport of rugby league in Australia and delivering rugby league as a professional game as its product with economic spin offs and benefits. The Australian NRL has been competing with other sports in Australia, for both market and government funds, and constantly working to strengthen its market in Australia now and into the future. Business organisations often seek to grow and for the Australian NRL, as a business, its administrators will be expected to be on the look out to strategically grow the game locally in Australia and pushing out into new frontier markets to sell their product. Expansion into PNG represents such new frontier markets to test. The talk of expansion into PNG has been on the table for almost 10+ years now and according to the three-horizons-strategy for businesses, this endeavour represents 'Horizon 3' where businesses push boundaries to create viable options. The timing for this could not have been better with China's global ambition and increase interest in the Pacific Region where both the Australian NRL administrators and especially PNG are looking to seize on this opportunity.

Opportunities come to different organisations differently and the Australian Government is seizing on the opportunity presented in rugby league and its popularity in PNG to counter China's influence in its 'soft' diplomacy maneuverings. The Australian NRL is expected to get funding from the Australian Government and should not shy away from this opportunity to grow the game in our region as well as add diversity to its product by giving the Australians fans and followers of the Australian NRL a different flavour that comes in the form of 'PNG Football Brand' and redefine fanatic supporters that should get the Australian fans and Australian NRL followers excited.

While the excitement builds up for a possible expansion to include a PNG team as the Australian NRL's 18th team, there will be critics especially on 'safety and security' concerns. This unfortunately is the image PNG has created in Australia and most of it is from bad press publicity. Those who have overcome this fearful image and came to live in PNG will often held a different view. If we want to globally grow the game we all love, especially in the Australian Eastern Seaboard states and PNG, we must transcend these fears and treat our sport as a 'movement' and step outside of our comfort zone to bring a different experience to our game.

The Sport Of Rugby League As A 'Movement'

In order to give prominence to this sport, we (as those in a position of power in GoPNG) have to change our view of Rugby League as a sport and to treat it as a 'movement'. Only then we can invest on it on home soil.

In the words of perhaps the greatest Melanesian philosopher of our time, the late Bernard Narokobi and I quote "Everywhere in Melanesia, the people are yearning for the good life the Utopia. Spontaneous movements have emerged and will continue to emerge. These movements are called prophetic, synchronistic, political, religious, economic or civic, depending on the name caller. Still every one of these movements is searching for the ideal way, in terms of human association. These movements are seeking to know who we are in our new human situation."

These movements happen in the PESTEL (political economical social technological environmental and legal) environment. The sport of Rugby League and its growth aspirations exists in the 'social' context of PESTEL and can be leverage off as a force for propagating positive influence to achieve a 'good life.'

Those in GoPNG especially in the Sport Ministry need to come to this understanding and change our perspective of this sport of Rugby League not just as a sport but as a 'business' and movement and the strategic benefits to PNG of growing the game both locally and globally.

The 'Game' Of RL Aims To Grow Globally & Not Confined In Oz

Growing the game and expanding into PNG will have its challenges and the critics abound. One commentator commented that "The last thing the game needs is another floundering franchise. We don't just want to grab the cash and then no marque players want to go there." We don't need such patronizing comments! But they feel entitled to give such comments when we try to live up to standards set by them for us to follow where we will always emerge second rated! Australia should not claim monopoly over rugby league as a sport. This commentator's comment is narrow minded 'short term' about rugby league in Australia and not growing the 'game' globally.

PNG should do the honorable thing to grow the game by just getting China to fund our local league and raise our own brand and standards. When we started attracting 'marque' players to come play in our league then we can say we did it for rugby league as a 'movement'!

In the grander scheme of things, PNG must endeavour to bring our difference to the world and which may learn one or two things from us. In rugby league we must bring our style and version of footy to the world stage (just like Fiji does in rugby union) to make rugby league exciting. Remember, it is not about winning the RL World Cup but rather growing the game of RL throughout the world with various brands of footy and turning it into a professional sport where players can make a living out of entertaining the fans.

What Brand Of Footy Can PNG Bring To The Australian NRL And The World?

Needs, wants, demands, target markets, positioning, segmentation, offerings and brands are core marketing concepts. So 'what brand of footy should PNG aim to bring to the Australian NRL (and the world) if named as the 18th Australian NRL team?' is the next obvious question. In marketing a 'brand' is an offering from a well known or trusted source. In the Australian fan 'market' PNG already had a brand and you will note this from Australian commentators when they comment about PNG Kumuls and the style we play our rugby league. This is the appeal we must understand and develop in our team and position in the minds of the rugby league fans, not just in Australia but around the world.

Concluding Remarks

China's global ambitions presents an opportunity to grow and strengthen the game of rugby league in PNG and to bring PNG's brand of footy to the world stage. We will not know unless we try but the good thing is that we have not yet proven that it won't work. So just don't overthink this. Let's follow Nike's motto and 'Just Do It'! Yes, it sounds like a crazy proposition and this is what Steve Jobs said about being crazy "The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do."