Quote Joff="Joff"But by that logic then there should never be expansion because it is a great fear to take any risks?
You are forgetting that the great pioneers who started off this great game took a huge risk when they broke away from the establishment.
Any success is often built on a series of failure, but the success comes from the determination to keep trying!
Yes, there hace been many failed clubs, but look at the pattern. Those failed clubs were often rushed attempts.'"
The difference between the pioneering changes of the past and the sort of expansion being touted here, is that the fan base was never at risk.
Removing line-outs and 2 players, the various league structures, the move to summer, Super League, play-offs - none of this affected the fact that families who had watched their club for generations kept that tradition and would still go to watch their team, rain, wind or shine.
These areas have junior and open age amateur teams, many of the schools play RL, it's in the local press almost every day, there are local and historical rivalries. Many of the players are locals. There is loyalty, tradition and heritage. The club is part of the community. Catalans actually have that longstanding heritage and tradition having been formed via the merger of XIII Catalan and St Esteve XIII, teams formed in 1934 and 1965 respectively. They aren't an 'expansion' team in the manner of Toronto.
However, as we've repeatedly seen, engaging locals enough to go to games in brand new expansion areas is massively difficult. They will have their own interests - football, RU, cricket, cycling, fishing, gaming, etc. Whatever support base you do manage to create is enormously fickle. There may be a small hardcore but the majority will drift in & out, and if the club fails on the pitch they will lose interest and eventually the whole thing collapses. All of this has been demonstrated repeatedly. So build slowly, build success off and on the field, build a loyal following and we might see different results.
Let's say Widnes is thrown out for Toronto. They survive but lose fans and interest. 2 years later Wakefield is dropped for Toulouse and go bust after 18 months. Straight away the decreasing pool of RL fans and engagement in the UK is suddenly smaller, and we've killed off generations of loyalty and tradition. RL in the UK is weaker. How on earth is this a positive development?
2 years later Toronto's owner pulls the plug. Toulouse struggle to win and drop out of SL...and the the pool of traditional RL in the UK they replaced has already been lost. We are all significantly weaker for the irrational drive for expansion at any cost.
RL in the UK simply cannot afford to take those gambles. I love what's going on in Toronto and a North American league would be fantastic, but we cannot weaken the game in the UK under any circumstances.
