Manly suggests GCC nation as World Club Challenge host

Manly Sea Eagles, the newly-crowned National Rugby League (NRL) premiers, have suggested that rugby league's 2012 World Club Challenge could be staged in a GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) nation.
The match, which is staged between the champions of the NRL and the English Super League, has been staged in England for the past 11 years. However, having conceded home advantage to Leeds Rhinos for the World Club Challenge, Manly Chairman Scott Penn has proposed the Middle East as a neutral venue in the future.
Penn believes staging the contest in GCC nation would provide a platform for the sport in a new market, telling the Sydney Morning Herald that "there's no reason why we can't play the game in Dubai or somewhere in the Middle East.
"(GCC nations) are always looking for major sporting events and it could really benefit the game."
NRL Manager of Football Operations, Nathan McGuirk, confirmed the proposal would be discussed if all parties could agree on the idea, adding "we would look at any types of proposals to take a game of that nature to another country (but) there are big expenses associated with taking the game to somewhere like that."
McGuirk added "we'd need to explore commercial partners and offers and the Rugby Football League (in England) would feel similar to us. But if that type of offer did come around we would definitely look at that."