But it all boils down to money. If rugby league was cash rich then we could afford to develop an excellent player pathway and have things that encourage more players into the game.

A second professional league would not hinder rugby league; it would be hugely beneficial and whether that's existing players or not, matters not. If the money is there, those club can spend on youth development, can get in the right coaches (plenty of coaching staff out of work and ex-professionals) and there are experienced coaches like Daryl Powell, like Karl Harrison and John Kear that can get the best out of those players.

This isn't necessarily about producing international class players in the short-term. It's about strengthening our game and allowing the free movement of clubs from division to division without losing half their team and risking themselves financially. It's about marketing our sport more and ensuring that it can grow sustainably.

I dont think anyone thinks it would be a bad thing or hinder RL to have a pro tier 2, its just not possible and isnt the over-riding priority for the entire game.

Judging by some of the responses to this thread, one would get the impression that a magic treasure chest filled with an endless supply of cash to sustain widespread full time RL exists, and that it can be tapped into at any time. How come I haven't heard of it?

Money (or rather the lack of it) is one reason why we can't have two full time divisions of ten teams, but the lack of available talent is a crucial factor, and again, some seem to think that we have access to the same player pool as more popular sports such as football and RU, when we clearly do not. RU can sustain P and R as they have a player pool of over 2.5 million; while RL has just over 100,000. This means that there simply isn't enough talent to go around, and combined with the poor junior coaching that Him alludes to, it's no wonder we have to import mediocre Australians to fill the pool up and barely sustain one full time division.

The London Welsh case never went to the high courts? It set no legal precedent what so ever. It was a 'normal' RFU appeals panel, except one that the clubs sent QC's too.

The appeals panel ruled that London Welsh should be promoted (despite failing to meet minimum standards) because other clubs already in the premiership didn't meet those very standards. Nothing to do with "what happens on the field of play".

Lets get a few things straight, two divisions won't happen without Sky supporting the concept. Sky wont support it without it being sold to them, ie what will they get from the deal.

I would suggest potential benefits would be

1. More subscriptions
2. Better product due to more evenly matched games, more viewers
3. Greater crowds at the top, and bottom
4. Improved Intl product in the short term
5. Expanded sport that they control

In return we ask for no more money from the current deal, so basically if we sell the benefits correctly Sky are in a win/win situation.

But the [ifact[/i is that the non SL clubs have been cut adrift by the SL clubs, they voted for the SL because they were told they needed to to "save the game" and since then they've been ignored.
It is a[i fact [/ithat the likes of Fax, Fev and Batley can give the lower SL clubs a game - they did so in the CC this year.
It is a [ifact[/i that Bradford are in serious trouble, Crusaders disappeared as a SL club (twice) Wakey have been in administration and London's crowds are pathetic.
If a competitive comp consisiting of two ten team divisions with P&R between them, (with provisos) plus P&R between the lower division and Championship 1 (again with provisos) could be insitigated I think given time a vibrant game would emerge.
What we have a the moment is effectively moribund. And given what's happened and what's rumoured to be about to happen change is needed.

I think you should look up what the word fact means before you try to use it again.

It's daft that the RFL are even looking at this when the clubs that could come up are so weak. There are no clubs bar Fax, Featherstone and Leigh who could even entertain the notion of moving into Super League and they would all be relegated after one season anyway.

What the RFL should be doing, rather than trying to grow the existing clubs (Which are mostly poorly run, have poor infrastructures and are in undesirable locations) is to try and get outside money involved in the sport. If you are a Sheikh with £50m to spend on sport, rather than buying a Premier League or Championship football side that you will then send into administration, why not invest it into Super League? You could run a successful club for 20 years on the same money you would blow on acquiring and maintaining a football club.

Win the lottery. Buy a Renault Clio instead of a Merc.

Widnes have just about started to hold there own in SL. Fax, Fev, Leigh and I believe Sheffield all outperformed Widnes on the picth last year so why would they automatically go straight back down? One safeguard would be the kind of amensty in year 1 for promoted clubs as I outlined in my suggestion.

Thats a very valid point but in our recent discussion with Sheikh Onamaface the lack of guaranteed p&r killed the deal.

Interesting. When we were negotiating with Baron von moneylaundering, it was the fact that he could almost guarantee getting a team into SL by building the right club infrastructure, rather than having to depend on the lottery of a small set of playing results that made the idea so attractive to him.

Thats quite interesting, do you think its a cultural thing between Germans and Arabs or historical, due to one having one and the other not?

No.