Latest news with #MarcusAshcroft
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
NRL goes for gold, kicks off 2032 Games inclusion bid
Footy fever may reach Olympic levels in Australia by 2032 after the NRL officially kicked off talks for Brisbane Games inclusion. NRL powerbrokers have gone for gold, pushing for a form of rugby league to feature in the 2032 Olympic sport program. Brisbane 2032 boss Andrew Liveris on Thursday confirmed he had met with NRL heavyweights, indicating they had pitched a compelling case. "It's a staggering set of statistics what the NRL is achieving in terms of global viewership and global participation," he said on the Gold Coast. The NRL is still weighing up whether to lobby for touch, tag or tackle footy at the Games. But touch footy is backing itself to feature in 2032, with a non-contact version of American football already confirmed for the Los Angeles Games. Flag football will feature in the 2028 sports program after being signed off by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Touch Football Australia CEO Marcus Ashcroft said the sport's diversity provided an edge over other formats. "Our game's very unique in that we have mixed teams - that's a real attraction, potentially as an Olympic sport," he told AAP. "I think that that's where touch can have some advantages in that space. "It (Games inclusion) would be incredible for our sport and for our community." Touch footy has about 700,000 participants in Australia and has been a springboard to the NRL with the likes of Kalyn Ponga, Benji Marshall, Scott Prince and Matt Bowen making the transition. Any submission for rugby league's 2032 inclusion, no matter the format, would need to be made through the International Rugby League. The NRL has been vying for Games inclusion as it looks to further expand its appeal after successfully launching a Las Vegas opening round and a Pacific push. "We are motivated and excited to showcase rugby league, the No.1 sport in Australia and the Pacific, at the Olympic Games in 2032," NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said. "And why wouldn't we be? "With the eyes of the world on Brisbane in 2032, we have a unique opportunity to globally platform a sport that is the heart and soul of Queensland, Australia and the Pacific." Mr Abdo said the NRL had plenty of work to do after meeting with Brisbane organisers on Wednesday but backed the sport to feature in 2032. "Andrew Liveris is a visionary chair and his team have been clear on the process for inclusion," he said. "We are busily working with the International Rugby League on a business case that will turn this dream into reality." The IOC usually determines the sport line-up for a Games seven years ahead of the opening ceremony, with Brisbane initially set for a 2025 reveal. But the Olympic body decided to postpone it until 2026 to give Brisbane organisers more time to review infrastructure projects, following a venue plan delay. The Queensland government finally unveiled its 2032 blueprint in March, almost four years after Brisbane was named host city. "Additional sports, we have a bunch of them in the queue. We're meeting with all the federations interested," Mr Liveris said. "We're open to all the submissions fitting the criteria. The next 12 months is all of that." All sports included must comply with the Olympic charter, the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Movement Code. Mr Liveris said the NRL ticked a lot of boxes for 2032, with both metropolitan and regional appeal. "They have a strong value proposition, but, as I said to them yesterday, get in the queue - we're popular, we know it and we like it," he said. Footy fever may reach Olympic levels in Australia by 2032 after the NRL officially kicked off talks for Brisbane Games inclusion. NRL powerbrokers have gone for gold, pushing for a form of rugby league to feature in the 2032 Olympic sport program. Brisbane 2032 boss Andrew Liveris on Thursday confirmed he had met with NRL heavyweights, indicating they had pitched a compelling case. "It's a staggering set of statistics what the NRL is achieving in terms of global viewership and global participation," he said on the Gold Coast. The NRL is still weighing up whether to lobby for touch, tag or tackle footy at the Games. But touch footy is backing itself to feature in 2032, with a non-contact version of American football already confirmed for the Los Angeles Games. Flag football will feature in the 2028 sports program after being signed off by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Touch Football Australia CEO Marcus Ashcroft said the sport's diversity provided an edge over other formats. "Our game's very unique in that we have mixed teams - that's a real attraction, potentially as an Olympic sport," he told AAP. "I think that that's where touch can have some advantages in that space. "It (Games inclusion) would be incredible for our sport and for our community." Touch footy has about 700,000 participants in Australia and has been a springboard to the NRL with the likes of Kalyn Ponga, Benji Marshall, Scott Prince and Matt Bowen making the transition. Any submission for rugby league's 2032 inclusion, no matter the format, would need to be made through the International Rugby League. The NRL has been vying for Games inclusion as it looks to further expand its appeal after successfully launching a Las Vegas opening round and a Pacific push. "We are motivated and excited to showcase rugby league, the No.1 sport in Australia and the Pacific, at the Olympic Games in 2032," NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said. "And why wouldn't we be? "With the eyes of the world on Brisbane in 2032, we have a unique opportunity to globally platform a sport that is the heart and soul of Queensland, Australia and the Pacific." Mr Abdo said the NRL had plenty of work to do after meeting with Brisbane organisers on Wednesday but backed the sport to feature in 2032. "Andrew Liveris is a visionary chair and his team have been clear on the process for inclusion," he said. "We are busily working with the International Rugby League on a business case that will turn this dream into reality." The IOC usually determines the sport line-up for a Games seven years ahead of the opening ceremony, with Brisbane initially set for a 2025 reveal. But the Olympic body decided to postpone it until 2026 to give Brisbane organisers more time to review infrastructure projects, following a venue plan delay. The Queensland government finally unveiled its 2032 blueprint in March, almost four years after Brisbane was named host city. "Additional sports, we have a bunch of them in the queue. We're meeting with all the federations interested," Mr Liveris said. "We're open to all the submissions fitting the criteria. The next 12 months is all of that." All sports included must comply with the Olympic charter, the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Movement Code. Mr Liveris said the NRL ticked a lot of boxes for 2032, with both metropolitan and regional appeal. "They have a strong value proposition, but, as I said to them yesterday, get in the queue - we're popular, we know it and we like it," he said. Footy fever may reach Olympic levels in Australia by 2032 after the NRL officially kicked off talks for Brisbane Games inclusion. NRL powerbrokers have gone for gold, pushing for a form of rugby league to feature in the 2032 Olympic sport program. Brisbane 2032 boss Andrew Liveris on Thursday confirmed he had met with NRL heavyweights, indicating they had pitched a compelling case. "It's a staggering set of statistics what the NRL is achieving in terms of global viewership and global participation," he said on the Gold Coast. The NRL is still weighing up whether to lobby for touch, tag or tackle footy at the Games. But touch footy is backing itself to feature in 2032, with a non-contact version of American football already confirmed for the Los Angeles Games. Flag football will feature in the 2028 sports program after being signed off by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Touch Football Australia CEO Marcus Ashcroft said the sport's diversity provided an edge over other formats. "Our game's very unique in that we have mixed teams - that's a real attraction, potentially as an Olympic sport," he told AAP. "I think that that's where touch can have some advantages in that space. "It (Games inclusion) would be incredible for our sport and for our community." Touch footy has about 700,000 participants in Australia and has been a springboard to the NRL with the likes of Kalyn Ponga, Benji Marshall, Scott Prince and Matt Bowen making the transition. Any submission for rugby league's 2032 inclusion, no matter the format, would need to be made through the International Rugby League. The NRL has been vying for Games inclusion as it looks to further expand its appeal after successfully launching a Las Vegas opening round and a Pacific push. "We are motivated and excited to showcase rugby league, the No.1 sport in Australia and the Pacific, at the Olympic Games in 2032," NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said. "And why wouldn't we be? "With the eyes of the world on Brisbane in 2032, we have a unique opportunity to globally platform a sport that is the heart and soul of Queensland, Australia and the Pacific." Mr Abdo said the NRL had plenty of work to do after meeting with Brisbane organisers on Wednesday but backed the sport to feature in 2032. "Andrew Liveris is a visionary chair and his team have been clear on the process for inclusion," he said. "We are busily working with the International Rugby League on a business case that will turn this dream into reality." The IOC usually determines the sport line-up for a Games seven years ahead of the opening ceremony, with Brisbane initially set for a 2025 reveal. But the Olympic body decided to postpone it until 2026 to give Brisbane organisers more time to review infrastructure projects, following a venue plan delay. The Queensland government finally unveiled its 2032 blueprint in March, almost four years after Brisbane was named host city. "Additional sports, we have a bunch of them in the queue. We're meeting with all the federations interested," Mr Liveris said. "We're open to all the submissions fitting the criteria. The next 12 months is all of that." All sports included must comply with the Olympic charter, the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Movement Code. Mr Liveris said the NRL ticked a lot of boxes for 2032, with both metropolitan and regional appeal. "They have a strong value proposition, but, as I said to them yesterday, get in the queue - we're popular, we know it and we like it," he said. Footy fever may reach Olympic levels in Australia by 2032 after the NRL officially kicked off talks for Brisbane Games inclusion. NRL powerbrokers have gone for gold, pushing for a form of rugby league to feature in the 2032 Olympic sport program. Brisbane 2032 boss Andrew Liveris on Thursday confirmed he had met with NRL heavyweights, indicating they had pitched a compelling case. "It's a staggering set of statistics what the NRL is achieving in terms of global viewership and global participation," he said on the Gold Coast. The NRL is still weighing up whether to lobby for touch, tag or tackle footy at the Games. But touch footy is backing itself to feature in 2032, with a non-contact version of American football already confirmed for the Los Angeles Games. Flag football will feature in the 2028 sports program after being signed off by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Touch Football Australia CEO Marcus Ashcroft said the sport's diversity provided an edge over other formats. "Our game's very unique in that we have mixed teams - that's a real attraction, potentially as an Olympic sport," he told AAP. "I think that that's where touch can have some advantages in that space. "It (Games inclusion) would be incredible for our sport and for our community." Touch footy has about 700,000 participants in Australia and has been a springboard to the NRL with the likes of Kalyn Ponga, Benji Marshall, Scott Prince and Matt Bowen making the transition. Any submission for rugby league's 2032 inclusion, no matter the format, would need to be made through the International Rugby League. The NRL has been vying for Games inclusion as it looks to further expand its appeal after successfully launching a Las Vegas opening round and a Pacific push. "We are motivated and excited to showcase rugby league, the No.1 sport in Australia and the Pacific, at the Olympic Games in 2032," NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said. "And why wouldn't we be? "With the eyes of the world on Brisbane in 2032, we have a unique opportunity to globally platform a sport that is the heart and soul of Queensland, Australia and the Pacific." Mr Abdo said the NRL had plenty of work to do after meeting with Brisbane organisers on Wednesday but backed the sport to feature in 2032. "Andrew Liveris is a visionary chair and his team have been clear on the process for inclusion," he said. "We are busily working with the International Rugby League on a business case that will turn this dream into reality." The IOC usually determines the sport line-up for a Games seven years ahead of the opening ceremony, with Brisbane initially set for a 2025 reveal. But the Olympic body decided to postpone it until 2026 to give Brisbane organisers more time to review infrastructure projects, following a venue plan delay. The Queensland government finally unveiled its 2032 blueprint in March, almost four years after Brisbane was named host city. "Additional sports, we have a bunch of them in the queue. We're meeting with all the federations interested," Mr Liveris said. "We're open to all the submissions fitting the criteria. The next 12 months is all of that." All sports included must comply with the Olympic charter, the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Movement Code. Mr Liveris said the NRL ticked a lot of boxes for 2032, with both metropolitan and regional appeal. "They have a strong value proposition, but, as I said to them yesterday, get in the queue - we're popular, we know it and we like it," he said.
West Australian
5 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
NRL goes for gold, kicks off 2032 Games inclusion bid
Footy fever may reach Olympic levels in Australia by 2032 after the NRL officially kicked off talks for Brisbane Games inclusion. NRL powerbrokers have gone for gold, pushing for a form of rugby league to feature in the 2032 Olympic sport program. Brisbane 2032 boss Andrew Liveris on Thursday confirmed he had met with NRL heavyweights, indicating they had pitched a compelling case. "It's a staggering set of statistics what the NRL is achieving in terms of global viewership and global participation," he said on the Gold Coast. The NRL is still weighing up whether to lobby for touch, tag or tackle footy at the Games. But touch footy is backing itself to feature in 2032, with a non-contact version of American football already confirmed for the Los Angeles Games. Flag football will feature in the 2028 sports program after being signed off by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Touch Football Australia CEO Marcus Ashcroft said the sport's diversity provided an edge over other formats. "Our game's very unique in that we have mixed teams - that's a real attraction, potentially as an Olympic sport," he told AAP. "I think that that's where touch can have some advantages in that space. "It (Games inclusion) would be incredible for our sport and for our community." Touch footy has about 700,000 participants in Australia and has been a springboard to the NRL with the likes of Kalyn Ponga, Benji Marshall, Scott Prince and Matt Bowen making the transition. Any submission for rugby league's 2032 inclusion, no matter the format, would need to be made through the International Rugby League. The NRL has been vying for Games inclusion as it looks to further expand its appeal after successfully launching a Las Vegas opening round and a Pacific push. "We are motivated and excited to showcase rugby league, the No.1 sport in Australia and the Pacific, at the Olympic Games in 2032," NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said. "And why wouldn't we be? "With the eyes of the world on Brisbane in 2032, we have a unique opportunity to globally platform a sport that is the heart and soul of Queensland, Australia and the Pacific." Mr Abdo said the NRL had plenty of work to do after meeting with Brisbane organisers on Wednesday but backed the sport to feature in 2032. "Andrew Liveris is a visionary chair and his team have been clear on the process for inclusion," he said. "We are busily working with the International Rugby League on a business case that will turn this dream into reality." The IOC usually determines the sport line-up for a Games seven years ahead of the opening ceremony, with Brisbane initially set for a 2025 reveal. But the Olympic body decided to postpone it until 2026 to give Brisbane organisers more time to review infrastructure projects, following a venue plan delay. The Queensland government finally unveiled its 2032 blueprint in March, almost four years after Brisbane was named host city. "Additional sports, we have a bunch of them in the queue. We're meeting with all the federations interested," Mr Liveris said. "We're open to all the submissions fitting the criteria. The next 12 months is all of that." All sports included must comply with the Olympic charter, the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Movement Code. Mr Liveris said the NRL ticked a lot of boxes for 2032, with both metropolitan and regional appeal. "They have a strong value proposition, but, as I said to them yesterday, get in the queue - we're popular, we know it and we like it," he said.
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
NRL goes for gold, kicks off 2032 Games inclusion bid
Footy fever may reach Olympic levels in Australia by 2032 after the NRL officially kicked off talks for Brisbane Games inclusion. NRL powerbrokers have gone for gold, pushing for a form of rugby league to feature in the 2032 Olympic sport program. Brisbane 2032 boss Andrew Liveris on Thursday confirmed he had met with NRL heavyweights, indicating they had pitched a compelling case. "It's a staggering set of statistics what the NRL is achieving in terms of global viewership and global participation," he said on the Gold Coast. The NRL is still weighing up whether to lobby for touch, tag or tackle footy at the Games. But touch footy is backing itself to feature in 2032, with a non-contact version of American football already confirmed for the Los Angeles Games. Flag football will feature in the 2028 sports program after being signed off by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Touch Football Australia CEO Marcus Ashcroft said the sport's diversity provided an edge over other formats. "Our game's very unique in that we have mixed teams - that's a real attraction, potentially as an Olympic sport," he told AAP. "I think that that's where touch can have some advantages in that space. "It (Games inclusion) would be incredible for our sport and for our community." Touch footy has about 700,000 participants in Australia and has been a springboard to the NRL with the likes of Kalyn Ponga, Benji Marshall, Scott Prince and Matt Bowen making the transition. Any submission for rugby league's 2032 inclusion, no matter the format, would need to be made through the International Rugby League. The NRL has been vying for Games inclusion as it looks to further expand its appeal after successfully launching a Las Vegas opening round and a Pacific push. "We are motivated and excited to showcase rugby league, the No.1 sport in Australia and the Pacific, at the Olympic Games in 2032," NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said. "And why wouldn't we be? "With the eyes of the world on Brisbane in 2032, we have a unique opportunity to globally platform a sport that is the heart and soul of Queensland, Australia and the Pacific." Mr Abdo said the NRL had plenty of work to do after meeting with Brisbane organisers on Wednesday but backed the sport to feature in 2032. "Andrew Liveris is a visionary chair and his team have been clear on the process for inclusion," he said. "We are busily working with the International Rugby League on a business case that will turn this dream into reality." The IOC usually determines the sport line-up for a Games seven years ahead of the opening ceremony, with Brisbane initially set for a 2025 reveal. But the Olympic body decided to postpone it until 2026 to give Brisbane organisers more time to review infrastructure projects, following a venue plan delay. The Queensland government finally unveiled its 2032 blueprint in March, almost four years after Brisbane was named host city. "Additional sports, we have a bunch of them in the queue. We're meeting with all the federations interested," Mr Liveris said. "We're open to all the submissions fitting the criteria. The next 12 months is all of that." All sports included must comply with the Olympic charter, the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Movement Code. Mr Liveris said the NRL ticked a lot of boxes for 2032, with both metropolitan and regional appeal. "They have a strong value proposition, but, as I said to them yesterday, get in the queue - we're popular, we know it and we like it," he said.
7NEWS
06-05-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Calls come for Marcus Ashcroft and Brett Kirk Medals to be renamed amid ‘unfair advantage'
The Agenda Setters host Craig Hutchison has called for the Marcus Ashcroft Medal with an 'unfair advantage' given to Brisbane. The medal is given to the best player on the ground in the QClash between the Lions and Suns. It is named after Marcus Ashcroft, who grew up on the Gold Coast before going on to play 318 games for Brisbane, including three premierships. Post-AFL career, Ashcroft spent close to 10 years at the Suns, first as an assistant coach in 2008 before being promoted to football manager the following year ahead of the Suns' first season in 2011. Ashcroft now has two sons, Will and Levi, who play for the Lions. The brothers were among the Lions' best in Sunday night's win over the Suns, racking up a staggering 63 possessions between them. Will won the medal named after his dad, but Hutchison believes the siblings have extra motivation to perform well. He also noted that best on ground in the Sydney derby gets a medal named after Brett Kirk, who is currently an assistant coach at the Swans. 'Marcus Ashcroft, great respect in the game, but in reality he's got two sons who shared 63 possession who will fight to try to win the dad's medal in their name. It is bordering on an unfair advantage for Brisbane, the extra motivation it drives,' he said on The Agenda Setters. 'Brett Kirk is an assistant coach (at Sydney) giving out this one in the Swans-Giants game. Is it time that both clubs moved to a broader narrative.' Fellow panellist Kane Cornes agreed. 'That might be one of your great takes. That is a good take. They have got to change the name, you can't have that as the Ashcroft and Kirk medal. He's an assistant coach handing over the medal to one of his players. That's a good pickup,' he said. Caroline Wilson pointed out that Ashcroft was a three-time premiership player at Brisbane, but also held a key role at the Suns during their formative years. Hutchison also noted how they changed the name of the medal in Western Australia from Ross Glendinning Medal to Glendinning-Allan to acknowledge Fremantle. 'If you're the Suns, you say 'now the two kids have arrived, it is time for a reset'. It happened in Western Australia. A motivational factor for one team and not the other on game day,' he said. Cornes made a comparison to the Showdown Medal, which doesn't carry the name of any former player. 'It's like calling the Showdown Medal the (Mark) Ricciuto Medal. Why would a Port player want to win that medal?' He said.
