Peter Williams: League taking fans seriously

Don't scoff but there actually may be a sports organisation prepared to put the interests of its fans ahead of the TV executives - even if it costs up to $50 million.

Currently the NRL, under the terms of a A$600 million contract that lasts until the end of the 2012 season, publishes its week-by-week draw before the season starts. But the TV networks decide what time and day during the four day cycle - Friday night to Monday night - each match will be played.

The in-form teams and the clashes with the most public interest are snapped up by Channel Nine for prime time free-to-air broadcasts. The rest get relegated to Fox.

But NRL chief executive David Gallop told this week's club members' forum that the league wants the uncertainty about when a team's playing during any particular weekend to end. So come 2013, the full schedule of who's playing who, where, on what day and at what time, should be set in stone before the season starts.

He knows the idea won't appeal to the TV schedulers. They couldn't put a juicy mid-season top-of-the-table clash on Friday night's prime time schedule unless it had previously been listed there.

Gallop realises rugby league fans, especially those in Sydney, are tribal and like to make plans in advance to watch their team live.

You'd think the idea will help the Warriors' crowds too, especially with out of town fans who could plan well in advance what weekends they'll come to the big smoke.

Gallop says the advantages of a fixed schedule for fans and clubs outweigh the probable loss of TV rights money.

He says the ability of clubs to plan well in advance on matters like local promotion of a match and staffing at the ground are deemed more important.

If the money is as much as $50 million, then Gallop admits he has a commercial decision to make, but he's confident that, with the solid backing the NRL has in New South Wales and Queensland, the loss of income won't be that much.

The NRL boss is also showing commendable restraint by cutting his cloth in terms of the number of teams in the league. The current number of 16 won't be reviewed for at least two years.

Gallop's thinking is sound. He reckons the best product the NRL can provide is one where the playing talent is not spread too thinly, where most matches each week are genuinely competitive and where, because of the influence of the salary cap, every team can start a season with real hopes of winning the grand final.

All this may not go down well with the prima donnas of the game who reckon they should be paid a whole lot more but, as we've quickly found out, the NRL is very capable of surviving without Sonny Bill and Silly Willie.

The NRL learned back in the 1990s what a mess can be caused by ambitious expansion. Remember the Western Reds and the South Queensland Crushers? South Sydney made it into the 16 only after concerted lobbying. Now there's a sound look and feel about the current set-up.

In comparison to what's happening in other football codes, the NRL is adopting a conservative and responsible attitude to its core supporters. It has a straightforward, easy to understand, and successful product, on and off the field. Come September, it actually leaves you wanting more. Perhaps other codes will learn these lessons one day.