Think about what you're saying there then. It could be paraphrased to "Rugby League cannot grow neither organically or by league promotion, neither in the heartlands or in new areas"
Is that how you feel about our sport?

I can see why you can't.
RL is a failure in Wales because one club moved 160 miles, but you don't feel it's been a case when a club moved a shorter distance. What's your limit for moves?
RL is a failure in Wales because one club went into admin. Why aren't you calling RL a failure everywhere else a club went into admin?

Look at what we had in Wales and what we have now.
It wasn't long ago that there was no pro and barely any amateur RL in Wales.
Now we have two pro clubs, and a thriving amateur scene.
And you call this failure?

Being allowed into... and being pushed into... are two different things. Fair play to Wakey, they managed to hoodwink the RFL into their SL spot once again highlighting the ineptness of the RFL.

Where did I say that a heartland club would fail if assisted by the RFL in the same way as the Welsh folly?

You're putting words in my mouth.

Lets get this straight i personally (and i think ls16 is the same) have not said that RL is a failure in Wales.
My points are purely aimed at the Crusaders franchise in SL and how it's failed to get established where it was intended to be based.
The thriving amateur scene is great but does'nt detract from the thus far farce of the Crusaders plight in SL imo.

But Crusaders finished 2nd in the season before SL expanded from 12 to 14. If the RFL had decided to simply increase the league by promotion, as had happened previously, then they'd have been in the league by rights. Of course they'd also have been relegated at the end of 2009.

I saw a bit of Sport Wales last night that had a brief feature on Crusaders. They were saying that the lease on the Brewery Field was still a millstone round the clubs neck, which made it sound like the previous owner wasn't exactly doing things by the book, seeing as he owned both the ground and the club.

SUPER LEAGUE

How many times must I say it?

or are you deliberately trying to confuse SL Rugby League with Rugby League to validate your point?

P.S Stanley is in Wakefield so moving from one location to anther in the same town is hardly the same as relocating the club to a different county.

a director of one SL club i know tells me when the inspectors visit he gets in half a dozen diggers and shifts soil around and digs holes/footings then fills them all in again when they leave. worked so far

You were quite specific in calling the expansion of the sport, rather than the expansion of Super League, a failure.

I think the lesson from this is that as part of any franchising agreement, the league need to take a harder look at what stadium facilities the club has.
I was thinking about how the NFL run their expansion. Granted, it's on a bigger scale with ten figure sums typically being in play. In that case, expansion typically requires a new stadium. That isn't going to be practical in rugby league, but perhaps putting the ground lease through the RFL would help. For example, how about the ground rent and rent contract is held by SLE, and the payments deducted from the Sky payment to the club.

They've got a reprieve. www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... tlead.html

They've got a reprieve. www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... tlead.html

So effectively Roberts and Moss have sold the club to themselves. Remind you of anyone?

it reminds me that santa is coming