Interesting thought coming out from this thread - and a scary one. Just suppose we did get the nod in July. How the hell in God's name will we compete in SL? Unless we're backed up financially to some tune all we're ever going to do from day one is struggle to compete. It's not that I lack ambition and fortune does favour the brave but I'm not sure I want to see teams despatching us into oblivion like they did in 2003.

It will only work if we get some backing. A "Steve O'Connor" is not just a desirable commodity - it's a must!!!

This is all speculation, if we did get the nod then the whole club would have to change, at the minute we are Championship outfit with aspirations of getting to the promised land as a result we have to cut our cloth accordingly. I do not think a major backer is the answer and as a club we should be aiming to be self sufficient as a Major Backer cannot guarantee the long term security of the club.

All the noises coming out of the club are very encouraging and surely how we would compete in SL would be a nice problem to have, I just hope the RL give us a fair crack of the whip and take our bid seriously.

Never understood this whole biting thing... someone posts something surely it invites comment.

Halifax are now there or thereabouts off the field (which as we all know is really where it counts this time around). However these developments are all recent. Three years commitment to these areas of improvement will count them in good stead for 2015 as it has for us since our initial knock back.

I think whilst the ink is still wet from announcing the launch of these associations, the creation of this/these youth team(s) etc etc the RFL will act cautiously.

Widnes fans cry more than my 6 week old Baby daughter. And Des wont be happy that Barrow are being ignored.

You have a 6 week old daughter Neil? I never knew, you should have mentioned it on some of your comments mate.

Every single SL club relies on one or a few. A major backer is the only route to a [icompetitive[/i stint in SL.

I may be wrong here, but don't the SL teams pull £1 million a season from the RFL/sky? (perhaps someone can confirm this?)

If that is the case and the salary cap is £1.6 million in SL like last year, then surely you only need to find £600k to be up to the max?

I would imagine you were near top of the salary cap last season (either 300k or 400k I can't quite remember) in the Championship, with only £100k funding by the RFL. So you found either £2-300k to operate with much poorer gates than you would in SL. Even the most conservative of estimates would double your gate numbers from what? 2500 in the championship, to approx 5000 average in SL, just because of the proximity, travelling support would easily get you over that figure.

13 home games in SL excluding cup @ again a very conservative average of £10 (probably more) per person x the extra 2500 fans each week = £325,000 if my maths is right.
Not to mention the the extra sponsorship and merchandise sales.

So you can't be that far off being competitive, surely????

Iv'e read somewere SL clubs need a turnover of about 3 million to compete, and
The HKR chairman is on record for saying you need to average 10 thousand gates to break even.

JESUS! DIDNT MEAN TO START WORLD WAR 3!

ALL THIS SPECUALATION IS FANTASTIC.

JUST THINK IF BIG NIGE AND HIS PALS READ ALL THIS, THEN THINK,

"THIER RIGHT YOU KNOW THEM BLUE AND WHITES! THERE ISNT THAT MUCH BETWEEN FAX AND WIDNES' BIDS.......

...SO WHAT WE'LL DO IS, WHICHEVER TEAM BETWEEN FAX AND WIDNES HAVE SCORED MORE TRIES BY FEBRUARY 28TH WE SHALL ELECT AS THE CHOSEN FRANCHISE...SEE YA WAKEY"

CRYSTAL BALL I TELL YA