The millionaire who could change face of British sport
Promotion for Toronto today will spark rush of transatlantic clubs in our domestic leagues
THE man who wants to transform sport in this country is not a Russian oligarch, a billionaire sheik or a brash barrow boy done good.
He is a 57-year-old Australian who sports a checked shirt, overgrown stubble, sunglasses and a club-branded hat. He appears l ess boardroom and more beer garden. His name is David Argyle.
But looks are deceiving. The mining tycoon means business. He is the owner of the rugby league side Toronto Wolfpack, the first transatlantic sports franchise.
A decade ago, you would have been laughed out of town if you suggested a team from another country — l et al one another continent — could exist in a British competition.
The Premier League could not get i ts 39th- game concept off the ground. The World League of American Football failed. But somehow Argyle’s team are not just existing, they are thriving. And tonight they have a chance to win a place in Super League after being in existence for just two years.
‘ Within 10 years there’ll be a couple more clubs from the US and elsewhere coming on board, too,’ he says. And that is why tonight, when Toronto play-off against London Broncos in the ‘ Million Pound Game’, administrators around the globe will be watching closely.
In an ever-increasing fight for global television revenues, sponsorship and fans, sports across the globe are trying to expand in search of greater riches. But no club or owner had been bold enough to enter into a competition in another continent. That was, until Argyle came along.
‘We have bolted onto an established competition, whereas other endeavours have tried to set up anew,’ he says. ‘The MLS took a long time to get to where it is. Remember the New York Cosmos? If one team in that structure fell over, it made the whole competition weak and that’s a risk. That’s eliminated with us.’
The Wolfpack play games in blocks, alternating on a monthly basis between bases in Manchester and Canada, with flights covered by airline sponsor Air Transat. With Paul Rowley as coach and former Bradford and Great Britain coach Brian Noble as director of rugby, Toronto have won two titles in as many years.
Their squad would not look out of place in the top flight, boasting maverick Scotland half-back Ryan Brierley, blockbuster prop Darcy Lussick and colourful forward Ashton Sims, whose flowing locks and ink-splattered arms make him look like a lost member of Hells Angels. But off the field, too, Toronto are going places where other teams have not. They have had their own reality TV show, signed record broadcast deals, while 10,000 fans are set to attend tonight’s game against London.
They even have, in what must be a first for rugby league, an official diamond sponsor. Argyle often declines requests for interviews but in an exclusive sit-down with The Mail On Sunday, he reveals that what his club have achieved so far is not enough. He wants more.
‘We want to be the best club on the field in Super League,’ he says. ‘As will attracting top names in both codes — we’re ambivalent about where they come from. We’re gonna go after them. If you were to name the 10 best players in union or league, it’d be a fair guess to say we’re speaking with their agents.’
Argyle does not mention specific players but his hitherto poker face lets out a wry smile when Sam Burgess, Sonny Bill Williams and Owen Farrell are mentioned.
‘A lot of players want to see the union World Cup out then make a decision,’ he says. ‘ We’d love to have Sonny Bill — he has a lot of choices. Having them [Burgess or Farrell] join the Wolfpack would be great for Super League. It’s like the David Beckham effect for the LA Galaxy, it helped raise the profile of soccer in North America.’
Argyle would like those faces to become even more familiar in North America. England played New Zealand in Denver this year. Ireland play a union international in Chicago next month. The sporting world is shrinking, especially if there is good money on the table. Toronto have begun discussions to stage a Test between Great Britain and Australia or Samoa at BMO Field next year. And it will not just be a one-off. As Sportsmail reported last year, teams from North America are making bids to join Super League, with New York, Boston and Philadelphia leading the way.
‘Introducing professional teams from North America will improve rugby league,’ Argyle says. ‘It’s a longer-term aim of getting more Canadian kids involved. We want more rugby balls in kids’ hands. We want a rugby revolution.’