The England team that got within a gnats pube of lifting the RLWC was developed during licencing....and London shifted LMS to Saints and Clubb to Wigan...if anything, Licensing delivered development of payers.....

Yes it did...we had fewer overseas imports and we started to export players....

6 Years of Licencing delivered 9,276 across the board with a 5 digit average in 2012.....crowds are on the decline again under the middle 8's......down 15% this year compared to 2015!

No argument from me here other than the clubs have always been at marketing themselves.....

That's down to the RFL......nothing to do with licensing.

No it didn't........but dropping "names" like Bradford and HKR back into them has definitely given the 2nd tier a shot in the arm......but I suspect once Toronto (and maybe NYC) pass through we'll be back to park footie crowds....

Yes there is.....there's new money on the table and the owners of this new money will not stand for any of the flat capped bullcrap of woods et al......binning licencing was a mistake, but sometimes mistakes can produce a better outcome and if done properly with an independent management of the licensing system, it could make the sport more stable, more noticeable and more attractive to both sponsors and spectators......and I'm sorry if that means that clubs like Barrow or Hunslet miss out on the big time, but this is the reality of 21st Century sport.

The maths are simple...to be a viable RL club in the professional ranks of SL you need a 10,000 average gate and if you are "renting" a stadium, then 11k is the target.
Wire, Saints, FC, Leeds and the pies are the clubs that deliver at present.....Castleford and Catalans are close, but the rest aren't delivering. Well meaning owners like O'Neill, Hudgell, Davy, Hughes and Beaumont are good to have, but the reality is they back "yoyo" clubs who dwell at the bottom half of the table or in the 2nd tier and with the return to relegation any chances of "building" both on and off the park are again gone and it's all about avoiding the drop....I wonder what will happen once toronto get up......will they close the door behind them.

Even though Toronto have had some help from the RFL (extending the league 1 salary cap, changing the way league 1 promotion etc). The way they started in the lowest league gives them a solid base. It's helped them build the brand. And show people in the city the game and club.
I don't think that the way the fixture list been done this year helps them. But if they go up no one can really argue against them as they would have done it the right way.
Funny enough to see where Toronto are, we need them to have a bad season where they really struggle. Then we'll see if crowds are going to stick with them etc.

I've said all along, to build a strong RL it's not about expansion v heartlands. It's about both moving together. Growing together, same rules for everyone. Accepting each other. Both need each other,