OK.....Wakey are saved, Fax feel shafted and Crusaders are to drop down.

I would hope that after the various experiments in the ESL, such as PSG, Sheffield, My own club in London (yes roofs...I said experiment) and the Welsh lot, the RFL will now see that the only true way to expand the game is to follow the example set by the NRL in 'stralia.

When faced with the realisation that their TV deal was always going to be dwarfed by the AFL, they accepted that they had to expand into another state....they chose Victoria, an AFL heartland and the team, The Melbourne Storm were owned by the 50% owner of the NRL and the media partner, News Corp.

David Hughes has pretty much ensured that the London ESL team has never had to go down the route that the welsh now find themselves in, but it is unfair of the RFL to expect him to continue to shoulder the financial burden. For many years, RL Fans in the north have suspected that the RFL have been bankrolling the London outfit, but in reality, if it were not for some fanatical fans in the capital and DH, there would now be an ESL with Catalans and the M62 Mafia.

I would suggest that [sizeIF [/sizethe SKY TV deal is conditional on there being a London team, that the RFL take 10% of each clubs money from the new deal and plough it into the London Club. If each club gets 1.2 million a year, this would mean that the London Club would receive an additional 1.5 million a year....removing the main burden from David Hughes and providing much needed revenue for marketing, promotion and the continued developpment of the game in the South East.

Before the fans of "traditional" clubs spit their dummies out, I only suggest that the RFL do what these fans have been saying is already happening. The game does need to expand....it, in all probability ,would die out as a professional sport without the TV revenue and [sizeIF[/size london is key to this then the SPORT has to take responsibility for it.

10 years of ESL teams getting about 100k less in TV money.....if London can't stand on their own after that, then it will be time to cut the cord.........I make no apologies for suggesting either the 10 year of less money for the "traditional" clubs or for saying that London should be gone in 2022 if they can't stand on their own, but something has to change.

If it was done as with Melbourne , then there could be no arguing

Yes there could, you know full well that supporters would be up in arms claiming preferential treatment.

Only one way to find out

Yes there would be moaning at the start , but if all out in the open and specific to marketing , I really don't see any great problem

I agree....and I would add that some ESL Chairmen wouldn't be too chuffed either, but as I said,[size IF[/size the London Club is part of the SKY TV deal, then it is the best way forward IMO.
If the RFL do nothing, then the London Club will go the same way as the welsh have in 3 years time. DH has said he is not prepared to continue funding, what essentially is RFL expansion and development in the south East......he has ploughed, at a guess, 7 million into London RL since IL went to Wigan....that's not a small amount of money and why should he continue to do so.....it is the responsibility of the RFL....[sizeIF[/size the London Club is key to the TV money that is

That club needs to be comprehensively reviewed from top to bottom in order to make it more viable. Having the RFL ploughing money into it in its current state would just be flogging a dead horse.

You are slightly wrong Gutters , it isn't just the RFL s responsibility , it is RL s responsibility , and that includes all the clubs , but primarily the SL clubs , as if as we are led to believe , they only get theirs if the London club exists

It's a no brainer really

Yay.

Oh and I'd have swopped you for Fax on principle.

WTF?! Jesus GF, don't your think your failed Experiment has had enough cash already?!

I couldn't agree more. I am sure most rational Rugby Leaague fans and administrators would also back this IF the following conditions were met:

1. This was open and transparent
2. Having a London team is necessary in order to maintain or increase the TV revenue.

It makes no sense to me that we have an expansion area, yet we don't ensure its success at the top level, which is the area that most non league fans see anyway.

I am a Hull KR fan and I love Rugby League. I just want the game to reach its potential, but we continually shoot ourselves in the foot. I know that most people consider union to be our main threat, I disagree. We are.

To me, it looks like Crusaders aren't going to drop down a league, they're going to drop out of existence. Samuels and now Moss and Roberts have completely shafted them - total incompetence, I doubt Moss and Roberts even give a toss. Concerns over players getting paid, not telling them of a huge decision that impacts upon club employees' future... the whole thing is a disgraceful mess. It's cruel to the coaching staff, players and fans.

Now the euphoria of my team getting a reprieve has had time to sink in, I'm realising more and more how much damage has been done by pushing Crusaders too far much too soon. They just weren't ready, fell into the wrong hands, couldn't sustain themselves at this level... and that's absolutely gutting. The credibility of RL in Wales (and as a whole) takes a huge hit for this.

Let's get it right with Scorpions and Valley Cougars... development at a natural pace!!

Great post!

This is the right way to expand, follow the same model as the NRL and make it a success.

I would like to think that most RL fans in the UK want to see the game grow. If you do accept that the game needs to grow beyond the M62 then agreeing with the above post shouldnt be too much of a problem. Yeah it is a bit unfair on the heartland clubs but you just have to accept that for the game to grow it has to be done this way.

Are there any fans who wanna see an M62 exclusive competition?

No of course not.*

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