wtf are you talking about? come back when Leigh have won something, personally I've witnessed b2b challenge cup wins recently.

Very good post indeed. Not just the obvious fact that France and North America are supposed to justify their SL places with their own TV deals.......

But it's the case that SKY pay the money to allow us to provide them a league in which clubs can put professional quality sides on the pitch to provide entertainment. They obviously judge that what they pay is enough and if they pay more, so we can have a bigger rump of go nowhere clubs at the bottom of SL that won't sell many more SKY subscriptions..

Having said that they paid considerably more last time allowing the top championship clubs to put together decent sides to battle out the MPG play offs. The question is did SKY sell shedloads more subscriptions as a result???

The market has changed, RL is the most inferior offering of any sport, Darts, Cricket, Snooker etc. better managed an better presented. Sky do not sell subscriptions based on having RL, the NRL is a better product.

Thanks but no thanks.

Thousands buy subs to follow English Rugby League, £200M TV deal said so. Absolutely no need to reply thanks.....

t's not that simple though, is it.
If each club currently gets £1.6 million and you cut this to £1.3million, they all have to find an extra £300k just to stand still.
I realise that in relation to The Championship or League 1, SL clubs have a relative fortune to spend on players but, the reality is somewhat different.

Yeh, I noted this and asked you about it on the "future" thread. Is DB positioning himself for promotion NOW following this weekends deliberations whether to re-admit Toronto?

It's a long shot but to stay on topic could Leigh and Ottawa join SL and Toronto re-join to make up this much wished for 14 club league?

Exactly.

And to think that some believe that Sky care that the 12th team should be English because they might pick up another dozen or so subscriptions.

It's not about subscriptions, it's advertising that fills their pockets.
Sky wouldn't care if it was a side from Mars v Uranus all stars, just as long as they had something to broadcast.
Of course they need people to watch so that the adverts are viewed but, they aren't bothered what is shown.

Of course, if nobody tunes in, they have a problem.

The sport should be doing what is best for the game of RL (long term) and then "sell" the product to the broadcasters and they should be doing a little more to look after the paying fans (although this is difficult right now), without giving too much ground to Sky and their ilk.

again, more myopic bullshine, sport is business, the days of philanthropy have long gone (if they ever existed), If I have a billion pounds I could give away a million, when I am scratching for pennies every pound is a prisoner.

RL has been ruined by the whippet front.

Arguably the gap has grown because there are 12 clubs, though, sharing a money pot that is much bigger than that of the division below.

With TV money shared more widely across 14, and the 2 additional clubs' matchday revenue increasing from playing Leeds rather than Dewsbury (no offence, Rams supporters), they'd step up within a few seasons I'm sure.

Mushy peas sell well in the M62 corridor. Nothing to worry about. Promote Leigh and Fev.

Alternatively promote Fulham/Crusaders/Harlequins/Broncos where there is almost zero interest in RL in London village as shown by multiple failures, multiple relocations yet only 800 - 1200 home fans on a very good day !

No mushy peas granted, but empty stadiums guaranteed !!!
#Exciting

I would say this.

It is obvious that DB still or has regained the fire in his belly for at least a full tilt at Super League, whether that is as a direct replacement for Toronto is debatable however, consider the possibility that .......

A) Toronto are refused membership of Super League
B) SL moves to a 14 team comp to enable TW to be 1 of 14
C) SL moves to a "Franchise"
D) 2021 is the last season before "Franchise" is reintroduced.

I have zero inside information, I do not 'know' Derek or any player but I have spoken to DB in the past.
My 'opinion' or educated guess is that he is positioning Leigh as the only viable Super League ready RL Club *if TW fail* , the most qualified SL ready RL Club if Franchise is introduced or lastly, the strongest playing squad should Leigh have to qualify for SL by winning the Championship comp in 2021.

There is of course one route that nobody here has considered ......

A current Super League Club either goes to the wall or has to concede it's licence during 2020/21 due to the financial issues surrounding Covid 19 or financial mismanagement or lack of backing/investors. Either way Leigh are positioned ready to 'step in' to fill a void if a current SL Club should fail financially.

Regarding a 14 team SL comp & TW or Ottawa, I would say that Leigh are currently more Super League ready than *any* other club including Toronto & Ottawa can not yet even be considered a club, this will anger the likes of the West End Tinker as we reside a stones throw from the M62 but is nevertheless true !

Toronto would be in the 14 just to see if they can build on the fanbase & be successful with a fully paying home crowd, I suspect they could possibly be if they dispense with the SBW & Free Tickets nonsense !

So that's Leigh as Club 12, Toronto as Club 13 ......

Toulouse would be my Club 14. A Toulouse v Catalans all French derby could help both French Clubs sell a European TV deal & would IMO create interest & participation in France like never seen before. Imagine the attendances & atmosphere even on TV for a Les Catalans v Toulouse derby & the revenue both of those Clubs could generate from that ! Sky would love it as a selling point. It is definitely something I would be interested in.

Toronto v Ottawa or Vancouver could do similar in Canada but I think that needs to be something built towards a few years down the line !

Agree with most of this.

But the free tickets nonsense, didn't DB throw the gates open to the stadium for a game?

Thanks for your thoughts. Given we had some years of a 14 club league and the retreat back to 12 also included considerations of going to 10, and 10 was again floated the other year (the 2x10 SL that was voted on) allied to the reality that "Franchises" is something where you pay to get in on a successful business model (which Superleague is not) then that leaves Mr. Beaumont in the real world here and now positioning his club for replacing Toronto Wolfpack.

I noted some weeks back SL bosses talking about how much they needed to consider how to avoid 13 next season.

It's pretty much odds on that Mr. Beaumont is today offering to fund a viable 12th. "oven ready" club.

It's pretty much a statement to say to SL you choose "expansion" or look after your own. We can only do both with a 14 club league.