But football is totally different because of the nature of the sport, and because Crystal Palace are a full-time operation that are bigger than most if not all of the SL clubs. They are portrayed as minnows because football is so dominant but the reality is that their turnover is likely to be considerably more than all the RL Championship teams put together. It's not a relevant example at all. The equivalent in football would be like promotion and relegation between the Championship and the Blue Square Conference.

And yeah, clubs like Leigh aren't ever going to be competitive in Super League. They were promoted and got absolutely smashed every week, and that's probably the best they can hope for in terms of their ceiling. If you think otherwise then you're kidding yourself.

So once again, where's your options?

And why is what youve put at the end a problem ?

Their turnover will likely be more than the whole of SL, never mind the Championships, and why is that?

Because football lives on raw emotion, because that is what sport is based on, lose that, and your sport is dead

Wakefield, Hull KR, Castleford, London, and recently Salford are or have been in financial trouble. Huddersfield, leeds, Widnes, Wigan, Hull and Warrington rely on cashed up investors. Don't you think it's time the game woke up and realised that it cannot compete as a fully professional organisation. The game might just have to downsize to survive.

As such, clubs such as Featherstone, Halifax and Leigh might be the norm for SL not the exception.

The SL is in serious danger of implosion. Unless the big boys agree to some form of revenue sharing and that's not even remotely a possibility, then there must be some lowering of standards to ensure survival.

Cas haven't been in "financial trouble".

We haven't been into administration, nor have we needed bailing out.

Tell what position Huddersfield are in this season. They were promoted to SL. Tell if Hull KR have made the top eight. They were promoted. Castleford are above several appointed SL clubs. They were promoted and the same goes for Wakefield.

So your thesis isn't proven. Promoting a championship club is not likely to result in a less competitive teams.

On the other hand London were artificially placed in SL. How have they been doing this last few years.

So were Catalan....but they don't fit your pit village plan for the game!

Didn't Catalan finish 14th and last in 2010? Just behind London in 13th?

And Leigh were relegated and failed miserably in SL and finished bottom. Oh wait a minute, Catalans finished bottom also.

Headhunter - do you attend Rugby League matches? Do you consider yourself to be a fan of any particular club?

And unlike Leigh they had a three year advance notice that they were going to be in SL, were able to plan and recruit accordingly and still finished bottom.

Catalan also finished last in 2006 but a pit village who were promoted to SL finished above them were relegated instead.

Quite right. Also Hull and Salford were promoted from the division below.

Yep....then made the play offs the following 3 years whilst London continued to be hamstrung by the cost of living in the south and the RFL's ignorance of good business practice in forcing Ian Lenegan to stop investing in the club, leaving us in the hands of a hobbyist with not a clue how to run a sports business.
The benefit to us having the hobbyist by the way is that London are 100% debt free....not even an overdraft whilst Wakefield are doing a Bradford, Bradford are doing a Bradford and there are other clubs in the north not looking too clever. Fev's owners offer of 7 figures in escrow is about as much use as a chocolate tea-pot.....Modern Clubs need to have an income of 5 million minimum...7 if they want to challenge for honours!

We don't want to challenge for honours to begging with. Survival has to be the target first year.... Gradually building slowly to increase expectations to a top half finish. With a food coach even a part time club can beat a full time club, look at when we best Cas. We could compete to finish mid table with the other bottoms clubs then build slowly on this progress.

As a fan, that is what would get me excited about being in superleague for the first season, the chance of staying up like hull kr.