Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont hopes Hull KR’s Netherlands venture proves successful, but has admitted he’d rather put his own focus on exhausting everything a little closer to home. The Robins will head to Amsterdam next year for a pre-season friendly against York Knights as part of a venture they hope will expand their brand across Europe.
Beaumont does a regular question and answer session on the club’s YouTube channel, and following the announcement of Rovers’ overseas trip, he was asked whether the Leopards club would be interested in a similar trip. In his response, Beaumont revealed the club had received offers themselves.
“We’ve been approached actually,” he said. “We were approached by Perth to do something with them. We’ve been approached by a rugby league team in New York that we were discussing things with.
“What Hull KR is doing is a great tale. Though I’m a bit of a realist, I believe that everything has to start somewhere. Channel your energy and consider whether or not it will gain traction and support in Holland. With luck. Sure, anything that increases the scope of the game and the number of players is welcome.
“In my opinion, I would prefer to focus on our joint efforts with other clubs via Suiper League+ in certain areas. It reminds me of the first time we worked with AB Sundecks in France, dedicating a lot of time and resources to a project that was so distant from us while we neglected to take advantage of opportunities that were closer to home. If we’ve exhausted all of our options here, in, and around the
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