Quote: JB Down Under "Perception, plain and simple. Hatchett jobs like this weeks BBC effort create a national perception as a game on its knees, watched by a dwindling crowd of northerners with no money. Would you want your company alligned with that image? Reality is very different but A) the RFL are crap at shouting from the rooftops how well the game is going and B) the historic Nth/Sth divide will forever create major problems for our code that we will always have to work harder to overcome than any other sport in the country. Throw in the RU chip on their shoulder and the influence the old school tie network has in england and it isn't hard to see why Rl struggles for corporate support at the top end.'"
I don't think a BBC investigation into club debts shows RL to be a sport watched by Northerners with no money.
The constant complaining on forums like this at ticket prices for Challenge Cup, play-off and international matches and demands fir various freebies / discounts does that pretty effectively.
I said earlier in the thread - how can we expect premium sponsors when the sport is watched by a fan base that is outraged by £18 to see a play-off semi-final?