I'd disagree, obviously there was anger ( not from me ) at Catalans inclusion in SL, but 9-10 years ago there was much more optimism in the lower tiers, much of that changed when the Celtic Crusaders came along and were blatantly fast tracked into SL , despite being completely unprepared, since then there is without doubt a slow decline in enthusiasm for the sport in general at all levels from Championship fans

I meant more the general dissatisfaction and apathy with the play off system and the International game displayed by many SL fans, and the teams finishing near the bottom

RL's strength was, and could be again, its strong and passionate local roots in Cumbria, Lancs and Yorks, a population greater than Wales, Ireland or Scotland. Parts of that population migrates for work but generally maintains its passions and roots. We simply maximise the opportunities from this low hanging fruit, anything else being a bonus.

A good example was the Utilities opportunity, something I firmly believe can generate significant income with a conversion creating up to £100 for Gas and Electric. Don't stop there, think about what your community uses - broadband/Phone packages, TV packages, supermarkets, mobile phones, cars, petrol/diesel, holidays, hotels, banks, credit cards etc

Lets say we have 150,000 families who watch local RL live, lets say they each sell the concept to 4 close family members/friends. 600,000 Utility conversions is £60 million for a start - now thats a far bigger goal than a Sky deal or a SL sponsorship at present.

The key to this success is: 1.unity - we don't have it 2.vision and passion from the top - we don't have it. Yet we have both available to us if we open our eyes.

In conclusion I wish these small world keyboard warriors would stop restricting our game via exclusion and that we understand the power and potential we have from our traditional core strenths before randomly pishing in the wind on the next hair brained scheme we think up.