Atomic, I see your point that Rovers task is easier due to the work done by Leigh. However, I think the changes have only worked for Leigh so far as without changes to the cap I do not think you would have been promoted and therefore Rovers would still be in Super League.

Talk of expansion, mergers and growing crowds always makes me smile. Advertising and promotion will help grow an existing team if done correctly, there will be some buy in from people who can identify with this and will maybe go along and support it.

The problem with expanding past those boundaries is that unless it’s a sport people have grown up with, played at school and as a child it will be impossible to spread into an area outside of an established one.

There seems to be a view that there are millions of people just queueing up to go and watch RL, there aren’t. The people who are already bought in tend to go out of a sense of loyalty rather than enjoyment most of the time.

Building and selling a sport from nothing is unprecedented to my knowledge, darts and snooker could maybe claim they have done it but they are one off sports not a habitual attendance sport. RU was already played heavily at schools and league was used purely as a way of making money doing something similar. We missed the boat in the 80’s / 90’s to expand when RU was at its lowest ebb, since that boat has sailed we are now the Betamax to RU’s VHS, a better product but unfortunately no one wants it.

Using franchising in the NFL and NRL as an example are wide of the mark, these are both major sports in their country we unfortunately are not, what is being suggested is tantamount to claiming ice hockey can become the biggest sport in the uk.

The current RFL are reaping the failure of what has gone before and I’m afraid their only option now is to prop up what they have and not break whats left.

I think that the championship is a much undervalued competition, sadly neglected by the hierarchy at Red Hall.

A complete re think is required below super league.

Marketing is the key to success, a lesson which I am sure Toronto will excel at this year.
I for one would not begrudge a RL executive earning more than Nigel Wood's salary instead
of trying to recruit top performers on the cheap.

All level's of RL suffer from a lack of media exposure and that should be the number one priority.

I would move mountains to persuade the ITV companies Yorkshire/Border/Granada? to take our product, even if it meant giving it away. Who knows, the Welsh, London and Midlands television companies might follow. A weekly highlights and a grass root section should have widespread appeal.

Similarly could not the big regional newspapers Manchester Evening News/Yorkshire Post be approached to sponsor the league or a cup competition. We need to get more column inches in those papers.

We need to get the game in the media more often in order to keep the fans talking and looking forward to watching their local heroes again.

I actually like that post ricardo,well said.

So,you don't support a level playing field then?

Spot on. I find it hilarious to read all the posts about expanding to all 4 corners of the UK when we can't even expand particularly successfully to Sheffield or even, as it would seem, maintain a presence in Bradford.

Agreed. But some fantasists would call that a "flat cap" mentality

Sheffield have had a decent championship team for a number of years.

Bradford have gone bust spending too much money chasing promotion at all costs.

Bradford have gone bust twice in SL under no threat of relegation , it's not even bad management either really , bottom line is playing out of Odsal just isn't viable any more

Problem is the RFLs attempt at saving the Bulls has just made the situation worse

You are describing making the game comfortable as it dies because the cure might kill it.

To echo Cokey, this post makes a lot of sense (to me, at least). Historically, RL is a local, working man's game, and although it's good to expand, surely we need to keep those foundations solid?