The problem with the current system is the gulf in the salary cap between the Super League teams and the Championship teams that will be competing in the Middle 8s. It's a very tough ask to expect a team on a much lower salary budget to compete with a team on a much higher one. It's going to make promotion extremely difficult and the odds are stacked in the Super League teams' favour. All eight teams in the Middle 8s should be on a level playing field, salary wise, in order to give everyone a fair shot at promotion. With the current system, promotion isn't a certainty for any of the Championship teams.

The benefit of having a franchise system is that it allows teams in the Super League to run themselves as businesses, safe in the knowledge that their status in the division is secure as long as their clubs are run properly. The downside of this of course is that the teams in the league below aren't really playing for anything apart from hoping that come the next round of licence application that they'll meet more criteria than one of the Super League teams.

With promotion and relegation, in a one up, one down format for example, the teams in the league below are playing for the chance to get into the league above and establish themselves in that division. It makes for competitive games in the Super League, with teams knowing that if they lose too many games they'll be dropped into the league below, rather than just ending the season without a play-off spot for another year. It also makes games in the Championship more exciting too, with teams knowing they are actually playing for promotion, rather than just being champions of their own division and then staying there again the next season, which happens in a franchise system. Quite simply, the stakes are higher.

I'd have promotion and relegation in a pure format, with the team that finishes top of the Championship earning promotion and replacing the team that finishes bottom of the Super League for the start of the next season.

As for the current system, I'd have an even salary cap across the Super League, Championship and Championship One, to allow teams the best possible chance to earn promotion and even the odds. It will also allow teams like us and Leigh, who are more than likely to be competing in the Middle 8s, to start planning for next season in terms of signing players, as we know what salary cap we'd be operating under.

Our first signing for the 2016 season will be announced tomorrow morning to season ticket holders.

Or re-signing perhaps more accurately!

Sidlow gets another 2 years with Bradford. Very good news for a Wednesday

Notice the article says we are looking to make more signings before the middles 8's, wonder if it's another prop???

Great news. I'll be amazed if Sidlow isn't captain next year.

[iSHURELY[/i, you're not suggesting Chev will hang up his boots?

I like how the club made a song and dance about how season ticket holders will get to know first, before even the media, and yet the T&A article went up very quickly! Either that statement was testicles or the T&A journo has some very quick fingers.

It also sounds like other contract extensions have been arranged for next year.

Well, my mail was timed at 06could[/i have known before buying the T&A....

Announcement at midnight, new signing?

For club members first via e-mail...

Any ideas??

I think it will be more staff in the touchdown bar while the beer is cheap

Either that or a new half back

Well, provided that they signed up and we go the paperwork over to the RFL before lunchtime today, if it's a new player they could turn out for us against Sheffield.
But I'd imagine it's more likely a re-signing

I'm gonna take a guess on Sammut for next season