There is concern that there is not really enough matches in a season for the Champsionship / Championship 1 sides at the moment. We found out when all the semi-pro clubs were in one Northern Ford Premiership that the mismatches hurt the progress of the struggling clubs, hence the split to 2 leagues in the first place. People are talking of the addition of clubs to Superleague, even a new Paris franchise, but where are the new Championship sides going to come from?

The Scottish RL website had talked about a club in NL2 from 2010. The background to this was that Edinburgh Eagles were unbeaten in the Scottish Conference and looking to play at higher level. However this doesn't seem to have progressed and is looking unlikely for next year.

When I lived in the Midlands I enjoyed watching Telford. The new Bucks Head would make a great Championship ground and their web-site shows off some of the youth development work; however they are probably at least a decade away from being able to put a realistic bid together to join the Championship.

Then theres Hemel. Always close to joining but requiring a ground to make the step up.

So who do you want to see make the step up to Championship1 standard and who do you think would realistically be able to make the step up.

you did!

...or have i got the wrong end of the stick?

O/T I know and I'm also late replying but I just had to say that this post really did make me laugh out loud.

Cheers, littlerich

There are rumours that there will be a Bridgend based club entering C1 in the next couple of years called South Wales Thunder, though not sure how much substance there is in it.

I'm not sure how the financing will work but given that reserve grade is changing to U20s there will be a lot of good Welsh 21-25 year olds having to play RU due to not having RL as an option, unless a club like this is set up. Plus with Crusaders appearing destined for Wrexham (or at least anywhere but Bridgend) there will be a market there

Thunder?! I thought we already had a Thunder?! Maybe they should be the South Wales Blues, and play a game against the New South Wales Blues one day!