Quote: Donnyman "Not sure the "Heartlands" were ever any where but along the M62 apart from the west Cumbria coast. One things for sure the M62 "works" just about, Hence the SKY deal.
Even player and fan numbers have been dropping here along the M62 which supports that deal. You don't sail off to rescue another ship when your own is slowly sinking.
You certainly don't go off helping the game in places where people like Gausch and Argyle can't be even bothered themselves except to our players.'"
The question raised by the op was "how" we help the French game and not "whether" we should help them.
Cumbria is part of the hotbed of RL. However, due to all those hills and lakes, a Cumbrian super club, which has been muted so many times, is never going to happen.
However, Barrow used to be a top flight and Whitehaen possibly should've been given a go in SL but, the ships have now sailed.
You use a decent analogy about sinking ships and looking after ourselves first. However, it IS possible to do both things here and they could be mutually beneficial.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, why on earth were Toulouse not promoted along with Toronto at the last re structure and move to a 14 club top flight - this still remains a huge opportunity missed and it could have given the French game a huge boost - alas, we shall never know what could have been.
Certainly as far as TV is concerned, they could have alternated between the 2 clubs, depending who was at home AND helped broaden the appeal of the game, both in France and to the wider world and THE most disappointing aspect of this would be that, either Super League didn't think the product was strong enough to hold out their hand and ask for "more" or, that they did ask but, were rejected by Sky - neither scenario is a good one.
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