Spot on.
In addition to the usual criteria of finance etc, I'd add that any side given a licence would need to run both academy and youth set ups or receive reduced funding and that penalty revenue was passed down to the clubs in the 2nd their trying...like Halifax for example. Expansion for the sake of putting a pin in a map to say "we play here" isn't expansion at all....it's short termism.

Getting a side to start producing it's own stars in say 15 or 20 years as London had begun to....that was expansion. It just wasn't given the right level of support from the RFL (after Lewis left) or some clubs.

London wasn't (AND TORONTO SHOULDN'T BE) just about producing the Clubbs or LMS's either.......this years man of steel wasn't wanted a while back so we took him and I think there are 12 current and 14 ex broncoquins at the world Cup this month......the club stopped signing pensioners in the early noughties and started signing talent like Moran, McLinden and Dorn with the first of these top try scorer twice and the other 2 becoming stars of SL.

Giving "fringe" players the chance to star on the main stage sometimes helps them develop. How many potential stars have we lost because we're limited to 28 sides globally?

This is why you are nothing but a poor troll. “No real success”?? They achieved promotion in their inaugural season and recorded an average attendance only bettered by rugby league heavyweights like St Helens, Wigan and Leeds. The likes of Huddersfield, Wakefield and Leigh would kill for, who by the way have achieved nothing and have been in existence for a hundred years

Regards

King James

Let's have a look at the "nothing credible" that Catalans have achieved, shall we?

- Average gates between 7-8k supporters.
- An extended reach of the league.
- A European television contract.
- Additional TV coverage in the UK that didn't exist before their TV contract.
- A portfolio of sponsors that, over their life, has included Nike and subsidaries of Renault and Air France-KLM.
- A significantly redeveloped stadium.
- A highly rated academy.
- An extension of the European talent pool.
- More French players playing FT professional rugby league than ever before.
- Five play-off apperances in 11 years of existance.
- A Challenge Cup final appearance.

If that's achieving "nothing credible", I'd love to see what you consider to be a success.

Oh, yes, I forgot. We can only consider clubs successful if they bring lots of "away fans" so that clubs don't have to go to the trouble of marketing themselves.

Fax have been a powerful force in the past (150 years is stretching it given the game only started off in 1895!), but it needs serious money men to make a club successful. When we were doing well (albeit 30 years ago for the most recent era) we did have decent financial backing to pay the bills for a strong team. Enthusiasts are great, but they don't make a successful team on their own. Ultimately, you need a combination of money, enthusiasm and great business skills to recruit the right team (management, coaching and players).

Your response here sums up everything that is good and bad about your posts. Expansion into North America, Canada or Outer Mongolia is potentially fantastic, but why oh why does it always have to be to the detriment of clubs like Halifax RLFC?

Toronto have done well, based on significant financial backing. They'll find it tougher next season in the Championship, but should make the top 4. If we still have the same 8's format, it would be interesting to see how support holds up if they don't make it into SL in 2019 though?

If you're going around calling others a poor troll, which is a few ranks higher than you, you might want to get some facts right. Stating Just shows you up for what you are, a boring WUM. Facts are that between just Wakey and Hudds there's been 9 Championships and 11 Challennge Cups, Leigh have won both twice as well. Maybe not as good as the Millionaire backed heavyweights like Leeds, Wigans and Saints but still you're wrong.