Doncaster were never serious SL contenders, other than in the eyes of Dally Messenger and one complete loon who bankrupted your club.

Sheffield are not serious contenders for SL at this moment in time either. In five years, who knows, but I personally doubt it - and I'm Eagles through ad through.

I know the club are doing a lot of things right - along with Widnes and Fev, they have an Academy team in the comp starting next summer, they have a scholarship, they're working on press, PR and marketing etc - and Bramall Lane is a great stadium. Plus, the Eagles finances are in order.

It's a pipe dream at present, but one that the Eagles are working on. Good on 'em. Whether or not they ever get back to SL, they're one of the better run clubs in British pro RL.

Rubbish. Leigh fans have told us countless times that that's not allowed.

Haha.

It is allowed, you just have to agree to do it in EXACTLY the same was as Super League clubs - and that means finding the money to afford it.

Leigh could have done it, but they decided they couldn't find the cash - probably because all their income was going on Basil's salary.

I've written an article on how the new Academy structure works for a monthly RL mag who will remain nameless. All the details are in there.

Not sure about that, but there's 2 other Sheffield teams in the British leagues as well.


I went up to Bramhall Lane for the cup game against Wigan, and the Sheffield attendance was quite poor to be honest, it was about 75% Wigan fans in there, if not more. People around the city were wondering what on earth was going on when they saw a few thousand Wiganers burst out of the train station.

Does it still require 60 % of the squad to be paid a minimum wage for all the time they play,train and travel to matches ?

The other 40 % you dont have to pay anything ?

I think so, yes.

It's a lot for Championship clubs to afford, but Fev and Sheffield have decided that it's of vital importance to them so the money will be found from somewhere, even if it means having a slightly weaker first team squad.

They should be applauded for that IMHO.

Only if they play at Bramhall Lane and not the "Don Valley Athletics Stadium."

Shame it never worked out for them, potential was there but just couldn;t get the back room stuff right (stadium didn;t help!) and financial backing they needed. Only time I got to see Perth play was in Sheffield, and they lost!

If they could increase there core home following then Yes Sheffield would be a massive asset to SL. Big City, Good Ground, good youth policy VERY well run club which always lives within it's means. They could be a real asset.

They could bring something to super league if they could get some bigger crowds and increase awareness and participation in Sheffield. I just think there is not enough room for a big super league club in Sheffield. They already have two huge football clubs with lots of history, the rivalry between them means pretty much everyone in the city is one or the other, like in Liverpool. They also have a hockey team who get higher crowds than RL and even take pretty big away support.

Sheffield did well as a Superleague side given what teams in established rugby league areas achieved such as Oldham and Workington during a similar period. The fact that they are not trying to bankrupt themselves to try and get into Superleague the quick 'n' dirty way shows that they are a well run club.

Mark Aston is a great clubman.

They are a very well run club, no doubt about that. And despite some aspects, Aston is a great coach and knows how to use his players well. The major fault is the attendance, when we visited Brammall Lane this year the attendance was at least 2/3 Fax. That really shouldn't be the case with a club playing at home. If they could increase their home support, which would take a heck of a long time, then I believe they would be in a great position for Super League. And city wise, it would be a great addition.

And... they'd have to sort that bloomin' ticket system out!!!

Home crowds did improve with the move to Bramall Lane but were still only 1000 -1200 average. The eagles used to get 3500 -4000 home crowds when they were in SL. Since then the profile of SL has raised dramatically. I'd love to see Sheffield in SL in a few years time.

The thing is there was a good support of 3/4000 and most were lost when the club was mergered. will take a lot of work to get these people back.

but if they want to go for Super League then yes Bramall lane will be the best option and for the first game of next season i would throw the doors open and see how many people turn up. Get the local media to back the club with plenty of interviews.

Is Ice hockey not dying in Sheffield?

I went to a Steelers game a few weeks back, doesn't seem to be dying.