But that kind of thing doesn't work here. No one calls it the EPL, AP or ESL (other than as shorthand internet use). They call it the Premier League, Rugby or Aviva Premiership and Super League.

Hear what you're saying, Him, but it's snappy and people might actually ask what the R stands for

Aye, NFL NBA NHL MLS MLB NRL AFL SPL EPL BBL...all brand names.

We are actually already known as ESL on Aussie message baords and in some Aussie media. And if we invite Toulouse over there's even more scope for that.

But [iwe[/i don't actually call our sports any of those names (edit, just seen someone else say that above too!)

Aye, cos 'Superleague' reminds them of some War or other...

that's not funny, dare you to go and write that on LU

and 'speedball'? no thanks. keep it as rugby then.

I say EPL. But I admit it's more about making people's pi55 boil than being understood.

Real Rugby?

We do have a problem with identity: inner city Rochdale pub: a regular, who runs a sports club in the town, asked me last week what "is" the difference between the two.
She shops in Morrisons which is on the old Athletic Ground and has pictures of the old ground.

Speedball? Isn't that what Gaz Hock has before a game?

LOL, the op talked about changing the name of our sport to something else, and we then seem to have moved on to suggesting calling it the ESL. That's the name of the top league in our game, not the name of the sport itself!

Soccer is still called soccer, or footie as a colloquial name, with Premier League or EPL relating to the single competition at the top of a 12 level pyramid of the sport.

Smash ball

This is easy just get h other lot to re-name Union as "kick and clap"

unless both codes agree to rebranding, and call themselves League and Union, I dont see the point

No, we should demand that RU products are branded as 'Rugby Union' not just 'Rugby'.

EXACTLY. "Rugby Union" or "Rugby Football" whatever they want. But not just "Rugby" or, legally, they should get done for trying to pass themselves off as Rugby League.

In the meantime, when I'm talking to non RL people, I always tell them, eg. "I'm going to the Rugby .. at Wigan" or whatever. Then if they are interested, I tell them about the match....

I prefer to keep Rugby League but would accept "Rugby Super League"

If the sport has the words super league in it what would you call the highest division? The rugby super league super league?

Maybe the Extreme Rugby Super League League

No but Union should be made to use "Union" in their name.

A lot of people have said that, but how can they be 'made'?

A near relentless campaign of the RFL writing to all sports editors at the BBC and national newspapers until they are so desperate for us to leave them alone they comply?

Surely any campaign aimed at the media would have to be worldwide, rather than just by the RFL here in England?

And how about getting Union to use the word 'Union', how could that be done?

Let's go back in time and call it "Northern Union"

The thought of a change of name has never crossed my mind. The title of the thread made me laugh and I came on here for a bit of a laugh and to see what rubbish had been put.

Reading it I've totally changed my thoughts on it and you've convinced me that a name change should be taken quite seriously. It's a cracking idea in fact.
It can't harm our sport.. If anything the publicity and media attention it'd get would be excellent.

Congrats, I'm now going to try and think of a name all night!

It wouldn't be a media campaign. We'd need to sue to IRB in the International Court of Arbitration for Sport or the High Court in London for brand infringement.

While also making it very clear (through a media campaign) that we don't want money or compensation for their trying to screw us for a century, but that we just want the name of our game to have equal parity with theirs.