Read an article about how Castleford have said they are applying for planning permission to upgrade Their stadium because of the new criteria. That is so funny as that was a criteria when the first licensing was introduced. They never did anything to Wheldon Road and constantly told the RFL licnecing body they had plans in place. 15years later they have started saying the same. It will all end in tears. (Or the professional game of Rugby League going to the wall)

Our announcement on the subject is almost as bad as the decision to support it....

One of the issues I have is transparency of information both from img and our board , I’m still non the wiser where we’re at with it has a club . I appreciate the sport needs to be modernised but I don’t think this is the way to go . Even though I wasn’t following rugby during our glory years ( infact my first year was when we were relegated) the 80s seemed to be really competitive where different teams we’re winning the leagues and challenge cup etc in front of hungry crowds, even when fax we’re in the second division we beat saints in the semis of the regal trophy and gave a good account in the final against Wigan , that type of competitiveness is almost dead and super league is becoming as boring as the Scottish premier league. Rugby league is a working class sport predominantly for townsfolk who prefer an alternative from football, trying to constantly sell it in uninterested areas as ruined it for me .

Exactly !

Unfortunately very true.

I did start watching in the 80's and yes in lots of ways it was a much more satisfying product to watch, mainly because it was a fairly level playing field with only Wigan full time and good second division teams like Halifax able on their day to beat a 1st division team. Because the gap between 1st and 2nd division was so much smaller promotion was something to be chased with a realistic chance of staying up afterwards. Unfortunately now unless we get more parity in the way all clubs are funded, whilst promotion and relegation seems what sport should be about, it is totally unrealistic, for any team without a multi millionaire backer. So while I think IMG haven't suggested anything that would increase desperately needed revenue for the game, frustratingly at the moment I can see some logic in saying if you haven't a chance of being able to put together a competitive team in Superleague what's the point in being promoted. I realise this view will be very unpopular with a lot of people- but say Halifax by some miracle got promoted this year I can't believe they could afford to put together a team that wouldn't get thumped every game - having witnessed that first hand in the early 2000's it not something I'd like to see again. It's a pity IMG's brief wasn't to increase revenue for the game and apply a fairer distribution of it as a way of improving both the product and the game as a whole.

Is part of the problem central funding? Are we the only sport that’s gives its top teams a large sum of money every season? May be the solution is that the top financially better off clubs get less central funding and more
Money goes to championship and champ 1 clubs so they can attract better players. At the end of the day people go to watch a team to see them win. Irrelevant of what’s going on in and around the club community etc. If St Helens didn’t have a woman’s team didnt do community engagement they would still attract big crowds because they win games and afford the best players because of an owner who can afford it. So why should they get a bigger piece of central funding when the have a millionaire backer. Lower clubs will never ever (no matter how hard they try) get to the top because financially it can not be done.

I agree to some extent that the central funding should be more equally divided - but where is the incentive then for the lower league clubs to develop if they can survive on increased central funding and their current levels of commercial and match day income? It's a double edged sword. By working for the central funding by engaging with the local community interest may just increase. What needs to happen as well is the RFL and IMG need to look to grow the 'size of the pie' they can distribute, as well as clubs looking to increase their own revenue

A lot of words without really saying a lot. It would have been nice to know some of the finer details as to why we voted for it.

Either way with promotion or the new system, we are a million miles away from been a SL club so nothing really changes for us and although I woud love to keep P & R its not viable in a game where the second tier is part time. Like everything in RL there will like be a new new system along in 2 or 3 years anyway.

I've just read the statement by the board of Halifax RLFC and I can't believe how they have got it so wrong. It's quite obvious that the decision to vote for the proposals comes from a position of us being one of the clubs without a wealthy benefactor, I understand that. I also get the great work that they've done and continue to do to keep this famous club afloat. The thing is the supporters have lived on the hope of jam tomorrow for 20 odd years and it's wearing thin to say the least. Whatever the financial state of the game or the club, to put our name to a system which effectively sees us playing friendlies for the next four years at least is outrageous. Sit in any pub or workplace and almost everyone will tell you their number one reason for not attending Fax games is the lack of promotion/relegation, i.e. nowt to play for. That's a fact and that is what this BOD have voted for. Regardless of anything else we should not have voted for that. Never, ever.

I will play Devils Advocate.

So many sensible thoughts are being put on paper here ( paper? Showing my age there). Ever since RFL went to two and then three divisions there have been clubs who would Yo Yo up and down . Fax were one of these apart from the Brook years and when we spent the money from the sale of Thrum Hall.
I realise that without promotion the lower divisions will have lost fans appeal but what is the alternative, the slow death of pro League.
As i see it IMG were brought in to maximise the potential of the sport and particularly Super League. To be fair I have not read their submission but think this meant making it more attractive to advertisers and by definition to broadcasters.
The way to do this i feel is to make the games more competitive. How do you do this: salary cap. However very few clubs can afford to pay anywhere near the cap so central funding has to increase to each club. The problem is now Sky want to reduce what they pay. Will IMG`s ideas improve funding and the game overall? The Fax board and most of the others seem to think so.
What is the alternative, we may find out the next time someone is brought in to advise on how the game can survive.
I said to a group of friends in 1995 that i doubted professional rugby league would survive for ten years after union going pro. I was wrong but the lack of converts particularly from Wales has meant that the wow factor those quality players is no longer in the British game. I am glad I was wrong can still watch Fax nearly 30 years on all be it without a Freeman,Dixon, James ,Michael, Willicombe or Renilson in the side.

I would have to disagree all out why people don’t come and watch the like they used to and it isn’t promotion/relegation (might be for a few folk) one factor is we aren’t in the top league. The top teams didn’t suffer loss of spectators when licensing was introduced. In fact in May have increased. When we went out of SL many people, including people I know, stopped going simple as that. Clearly they didn’t want to pay to watch championship rugby and also went that much of a dedicated supporter or went up the hill to Bradford because they wanted to watch SL and feel part of a winning team. Numbers have been down for us for years since Sunday training was brought in so shops, pubs restaurants etc are all Open on Sundays. So many folk have other things to attrac them.
Most SL teams SL teams play on a Friday when not on TV simply because of what Sky demands for its broadcast. Do people on here think if we (or the championship)started playing the games On a Friday night this would improve attendances?