My thoughts as well , that is why with the utmost respect there is only Widnes that are a viable SL club at the moment outside the top flight

Your fan base has been so badly damaged by your last couple of years in SL that it will take a long term period of success to get it back where it needs to be

Unfortunatley the timing of this is paramount , get it wrong and you could end up missing the boat

Agree but funny thing is Salford are like Widnes, Barrow and Huddersfield in that they rely heavily on a RICH CHAIRMAN.
So why are they so bad, yer its their first year up after promotion but they were odds on to go up so should have been better prepared.
Puzzled.

It also makes me wonder why the RFL allow clubs to be so dependent on rich chairmen, its a risky game to play.
Makes a mockery of their own criteria rules really.

They actively encourage it , Bramley will never get back into the ' big time ' because they are run by the supporters of the club

The RFL want ' sugar daddies '

More time spent on trying to get more fans to all our clubs would be better

Its a bit of a common untuth this is. The crowds started dropping when we were still at Thrum Hall and by the time we got down the Shay they dropped even more. When we finished 3rd in 98 i think someone posted on here the average was little over 5500.

Where is your proof that we rely heavily on a rich chairman? We've hardly bought our way to success this year.

We need the books to be balanced and there was never a problem with this in Super League. We only went bust trying to get back into Super League and over-spending in the process.

In Super League we would have crowds of around 7000 whereas yours would likely be nearer 5000. Therefore it would be Halifax who would need cash from elsewhere to be able to be competitive.

5 super league loan players to win the NRC might just answer that question.

rlhoperl these rlhelprl. Both Cockneys and Both capped by England.

Two, wow after how many years having a SL team???
One appearance for England in a game against Wales is hardly that good.
Yer come back at me if they make the team against the Aussies and Kiwis this Autumn.

14 years of Superleague.......making them 9 and 10 years old when SL started. Not converted Union players, but League players. Not sure what was expected in 1996? Like, let's put a team in the Capital and they will IMMEDIATELY produce cockney RL internationals?
Not having a pop, just responding to someone who said he hadn't seen any Londoners make the grade? We had 5 cockneys on the pitch when we plaid the French 2 weeks ago. There are another 9 in the reserves.......Rome wasn't built in a day........kind of like that stand at your place

People wouldnt be so bothered if the 14 seasons hadnt been propped up with money that should have been used on heartland clubs. What sort of system lets its roots fall apart while branching out into a futile and pointless quest for RL in the capital just to appease Sky. There is nothing wrong with RL in London but it should be done the right way. Bramley went to the wall while the RL watched on and pumped money into clubs that IMO are not gonna work long term. I personally think that teams should start at the bottom and work their way up. Quins and Celtic are in an entirely false position...thats what gets people IMO. Not knocking you for supporting your team its just that it always appears to be concession after concession, year in year out.

Am i the only one who thinks judging teams on average attendance is just stupid? we are the only sport who do this. I find it annoying and disturbing that any team in the champs could every game they play in for the nxt 2 yrs and not be allowed in because they don't get as many fans as some other teams. Does the criteria take into account the size of the town i.e. london has about 9million ppl where as Fax/Leigh/Widnes/Fev have less than 10% of that figure. I agree clubs should do all they can to increase att but its all relative, the average away support at the shay with the exception of widnes is about 100. If we were playing leeds/bulls/wigan/both hulls they would bring more than 1000 at least in the case of leeds/bradford prob more like 3000 + about 1000 fairweahter fax fans all of a sudden the average has rocketed.

at the end of the day as long as your facilities and finances are in order if you win the Co-op champs u deserve a place in super league above every other champs team. If we win the league this year/next year and widnes get in sl in front of us it will be just plain wrong!!!

Not saying we didn't get a leg up...we did. The point is, before Sky, the professional game was on its backside and wigan, winning everything every year did more damage to the game than putting a team in London or Wales ever will. The idea is for the game to get a broader audience and it is...just not quickly. We had an extended quota for years, but now have to abide by the rules and are developing our own players. When we went tits up in 2005, we weren't bailed out financially by the RFL...we found a benefactor with the funds to get us back on our feet. Sky want to sell dishes and pub subscriptions and to do that, they decided a London team was required. Therefore, we got the nod over Keighly and they are the only team who should have any problems with us. We never finished in a relegation position, so therefore, we are still in SL on merit. We have finished 2nd, made 2 other play-offs and reached a CC final.
London RL does make a contribution to the game and whilst the "team full of Auzzies" tag was well deserved in the past, we are now a genuine RL team, with a development team that wins awards and 2 current England internationals that we produced. It used to be the way that northern players wouldn't come down to play for us and now....we are considered a good option when players are looking for somewhere to play.
I am not saying that the bitterness of some fans in the heartlands is undeserved...just that those fans who think we don't deserve to be in SL need to get a reality check. Without London RL, SKY would possibly walk away and then where would the game be?
I like clubs like Halifax. Clubs with a proud history and great fans, but in reality, if SL was purely based along the M62, then the game, in my opinion, would never appeal to anyone north of potters bar....and that wouldn't be a substainable business model.

I'd have Fax in above Quins and Celtic anyday of the week. I'd also give the French their own 'Super League', get rid of Catalans and replace them with Keighley.

Mmmm. A well thought out and brilliantly constructed 40th Post. What, pray tell, do you believe that Halifax would bring to the table in place of Harlequins RL?
Fans? Doubt it. 2003 you averaged 500 less per game than London Broncos.
Development? maybe, but very debatable. London has a massive talent pool and england internationals at different age levels.
Exposure? Nah....sorry, but London, regardless of what people think is vital to the development of RL as a truly national and international sport.
A RL stadium? Nope, you share with a soccer team, we share with the other lot.

I will say it again. I like clubs like yours, but you had your chance in SL and you blew it. You went down in 2003 with 2 points which we gave you but the RFL took back because you didn't read the small print of the salary cap regulations. Given you have had a 100+ year head start on us, I find it strange that London are the problem and the reason you're not in SL and not your teams underperformance over the years.

I hope that Halifax get back into SL, but not at the expense of an expansionist team. If you submit an application in 2011 and have won either a GF or RW cup, your ground is up to it and the finances are in place, then you will get in.

Well said!....agree totally