Why I wouldnt sponsor RL is that the sport (RL Fans, and more importantly, RL media) don't actually support the sponsors we have.

If you're a major sponsor andare looking for brand association and promotion and you hear Stobarts referred to as 'that truck lot' on a leading rugby league programme then you kind of question whether it's worth putting your money in...

The 6 Nations is never referred to as 'the 6 nations' by the RU media but as the "RBS 6 Nations". the sposnor gets value from all the secondary promotion...

if our sport (and our media) remain so negative of the sponsors we do get, we won't get others wanting to get involved...

I don't know why our refs are running round with cameras strapped to their heads like lemmings. It makes the game look cheap. If our fans are technologically minded you'd expected there would be an opportunity there for better kit, one way or the other.

You just know that if the NBA or NFL or somebody introduced ref cam that they'd manage to line up something with Google to promote their new glasses.

Compare ours refs to the refs in some female basketball comp in America that I've never heard of



They both look a little bit daft but one looks reflective of a competition that's in-line with modern technology, where as the other (the other being ours) looks like what would happen if you went in your shed and crudely taped a camera to your head

Microsoft are a main sponsor for the current Lions tour of Aus. Which has approx 20k travelling fans following it around for the first couple of weeks (with organised groups with explayers as guides) which will then double for the 3 tests.

With the exception of a couple of clubs who is making a profit? Furthermore how many hundreds of millions has the sport contributed to the public purse over the past 120 or so years? I'm not suggesting indefinate tax breaks or tax breaks for blue chip businesses. I am simply suggesting some leeway right now to encourage more sponsorship from small and medium sized businesses.

Unfortunately a lot of our players wouldn't want to do a lions type test as they already moan we play to many games. Them same players are then moaning we don't market the game well enough.

RFU market the game well because the players, coaches clubs, boards all work together and work hard. Some union players haven't had a break since their season started last year.

That RU calculator has made a reappearance! I was in Sydney at the weekend and there was very few Lions fans wandering around pre the game v the warratards. Even less in Perth for the game against the Farce. 20,000? yeh and a billion watching on TV!

Even easier, I was at headingley for Leeds Carnegie v Newcastle in the playoffs and the referee simply had a tiny camera attached to his shirt just below the collar.

Same effect (expect for following the head) in that you can see closeups of the play but less intrusive to the refs and it looks a lot less ridiculous.

... that being said, still couldn't understand what half the penalties were given for but that's another issue.

But where do you draw the line? Most people would, for example, argue that the Premier League shouldn't attract this subsidy (and that's exactly what it is - any tax break is a subsidy - the money would either be otherwise taxed, or spent elsewhere - e.g. on something with charitable status). However, what about a struggling club at the bottom of the Premier League? Couldn't they argue that they deserve a subsidy just as much as a Rugby League club? Probably have more fans for a start.

No breaks, apart from those 80 minutes they get to spend resting on the field watching penalties get kicked.

They must rest at some time, have you seen the size of the guts on some of them?

iSuperLeague.............less advanced than any other superleague but it will cost you 4 x the amount

What I dont/cant understand from a personal pov is in my last job I got a little treat from Emirtaes and their Regional Sales Director took a few of us to watch Wigan v Leeds in the hospitality lounges. He said that they advertise at most of the grounds and are looking at pushing the fact that they fly from Manchester. After that I noticed watching on TV that he was telling the truth. But have Emirtaes knocked on the RL door or vice versa?

Also someone mentioned about broadcasters being announced. I think it is also down to our mentality. I watch a lot of NRL, basketball, NFL and they have sponsors for virtually everything, an instance where it could be used in superleague is "we look at that piece of action through the Spec SAvers Ref CAm."