Surely after just posting a million pound profit in thus current climate you have to bring Widnes up? I feel that's the major thing in our favour for the RFL we wouldn't be using SKY money to cover bills etc we'd spend it all on players and investing in our academy and community / development work etc without needing an extra penny... Surely this can only be a good thing?

Out of interest, if its 2 up 2 down, who is the second club to come up into SL?

If it were to be two up two down I would of gone for Toulouse sneaking in, but I can't see anything other than one in one out and that being Widnes in, Wakefield out all things considered. Though I think the next apps will be interesting if Barrow & Halifax keep progressing, Leigh also, maybe Featherstone and then the relegated side get's back on track we could have 4/5 really strong candidates!

I feel it should be 2 in 2 out and hopefully it will. Under the old promotion and relegation system over the licence period there would of been 3 in and 3 out so this still gives clubs more continuity than before. Widnes and Toulouse in, Wakey and Salford out.

if and i repeat if the new stadium is not started/completed in time.
wakefield have an agreement to share a suitable stadium for the duration of the next franchise period.
also have a huge amount of community and education programs running.
they tick a lot of boxes.
not sure what plans some of the other candidates for the drop have.

Ok. My brief return onto these boards has come to an end again. Once more I'm reading nonsense conversations we're forced to have to accept because the 2nd/3rd highest spectator sport in the UK has gone down the licencing route. If you heard any of the following quotes in football, cricket, rugby union etc people would think you were mad;

1. We deserve to stay up because we're building a new stadium.
2. We have to stay up because we're Welsh/French.
3. We deserve to go up because we made a profit last year.

Aaaaaaargh!!!!!!!!!!!

In every other significant sport in this country only two things matter:

1. We won the league/came 2nd/won the playoff, we're going up!
2. We were rubbish this season and are getting relegated. Time to rebuild and be stronger the next time.

I'm not having a pop at individuals here. The surrent sytem means we're forced to have these bull crap conversations due to a governing body which has forced us to accept mediocrity. You might like licencing. You might believe it's doing the game good. I don't have to agree with you and I never will.

Rugby League - the great innovator. A sport I once loved and now just about like.

Well a suitable stadium, such as Oakwell, carries a very high rental (say £15000+ per game) and may take a larger cut of corporate sales. Also a suitable stadium tends to be out of district and overall fans will not travel.

Given Wakefield's dreadful finances and a Chairman in an IVA how do they afford a financial hit of around £200K-250K?

As I keep pointing out every time people mention this in relation to licensing: there is no promotion and relegation between the professional and semi-pro ranks of cricket. There never has been. No winner of the Minor Counties Championship has ever been promoted to the County Championship. No team finishing bottom of the County Championship have ever been relegated to the Minor Counties Championship. The splitting of the County Championship into two divisions doesn't alter that. The only team to move between the two competitions in recent history has been Durham - who were added to the County Championship as a franchise.

People who cite cricket as an argument in favour of promotion and relegation between the professional and semi-professional competitions in rugby league just show that they have no idea what they're talking about. imnaaho, of course.

A rather simplistic way of arriving at a figure.

Have you considered the costs they wouldnt have to meet by no longer playing at Belle Vue?

If Wakefiled promised the RFL a new ground to secure 2008 franchises and Ted Richardson said he'd fully back them, don't you think a last minute move to Oaskwell won't exactly impress them too much?

Quote: J20 "If Wakefiled promised the RFL a new ground to secure 2008 franchises and Ted Richardson said he'd fully back them, don't you think a last minute move to Oaskwell won't exactly impress them too much?'" It would meet with the requirements of what is required and what was requested of them in the warning letter - significantly enhanced facilities. www.superleague.co.uk/article.php?id=14771 If(and thats an almighty big if),it was a short term measure because construction of new stadium was well advanced,but wouldnt be completed for start of new season,then i wouldnt see an issue.

Quote: J20 "If Wakefiled promised the RFL a new ground to secure 2008 franchises and Ted Richardson said he'd fully back them, don't you think a last minute move to Oaskwell won't exactly impress them too much?'" It would meet with the requirements of what is required and what was requested of them in the warning letter - significantly enhanced facilities. www.superleague.co.uk/article.php?id=14771 If(and thats an almighty big if),it was a short term measure because construction of new stadium was well advanced,but wouldnt be completed for start of new season,then i wouldnt see an issue.

Sorry for the ignorance but where's oakwell?

8 mile down the A61 from Wakefield to Barnsley hth.