Please don't misunderstand me - their support was impressive. Ironically, we (Leigh) probably couldn't muster as many family & friends, as our newly assembled squad seems to come from the four corners of the globe! (statement not intended to imply that I also dispute that the earth is round!)

For what it's worth, I thought Toronto were vastly superior to us, in all aspects of yesterday's game.

Nobody wants them to fail. I suspect on the other hand that a great many actually would like a level playing field in terms of what they promised and what they are actually delivering.........they promised H and A fixtures, but the minute their ground wasn't available, rather than play in Hamilton (1hr away)....a town that is apparently next on the Perez list, they get to play all their away games in a block followed by all their home games in another block, saving them and their sponsors money and meaning that they are 100% fresh in Toronto playing teams straight off the plane.......in a regular season they'd make 22 Return Journeys........this year they'll make maybe 3.......some sponsorship deal that is!

It's not an ideal situation, but I'd rather give them benefit of the doubt that they had no other option than to wait until Lamport was ready (as well as to continue to meet any contractual obligations they have with the City of Toronto who own the stadium), rather than think it's some underhand tactic to save money and get an advantage on the pitch.

If something similar happens in the future, then maybe it'd be fair to throw some accusations their way.

Stadium issues happen, especially when not owned by the club. Hull have to play a month of away games each July due to the SMC relaying the pitch, Wakey very nearly had to play a season away from Belle Vue this year, Leeds are fortunate enough to have an agreement to play games at Elland Rd whilst Headingley is being developed.

It would make no sense for them to play home and away fixtures alternate weeks, Rugby League isn’t rich enough to throw money away like that.

Toronto are currently paying other clubs travel costs while receiving no central funding, now that’s not a level playing field and is likely to put off would be investors for the New York side.

You need to work back a couple of steps.
Toronto want to join SL, nobody is forcing their hand and as part of the deal THEY have said that THEY will cover the costs of visiting clubs and without this "sweetener" the League 1 and Championship clubs would no doubt have said NO.
Now that they have become a little more established and with issues surrounding where they are to play their home fixtures, THEY have moved the goal posts and at the same time, gleaned some advantage by playing their home fixtures en block.
Clubs in the lower leagues receive very little central funding anyway. Are you suggesting that a club in League 1 or The Championship, who have aspirations of being in SL, should receive a hefty slice of Sky funding

The Toronto/N.American idea has some real possibilities but NOBODY has really though them through and yet again, our sport is winging it, just hoping for a miracle.

I like Perez, as he is a breath of fresh air within the game and he has vision and ambition in equal measure but it could still all end in tears.

Leigh, Toronto’s main rival in the Championship received £500,000 in central funding.

1. Nobody asked them. Then arrived full of bluster and as such (with the exception of maybe the first 4 weeks for weather) they should be home and away alternate weeks. This isn't "throwing money away" as they have a CONTRA sponsorship deal that PEREZ claimed was possibly the biggest in RL History.....in reality its a logo on a shirt for a few free flights. If they don't want to travel then play in your own Canadian league......but as I have said, they will get 11 weeks of home games where they are fresh and their opponents have traveled for 7 hours (to and from airports included) across multiple time zones and this gives them an unfair advantage. Perez has repeatedly mentioned Hamilton, so why not play those home games impacted there?
2. New York and the PE teacher have apparently buckets of cash to spend. Toronto have thus far turned down 175k in funding.....hardly a deal breaker when they had a squad last year that cost more than the other 11 sides squads combined (salary cap anyone) and have assembled a squad that will see them challenge come the autumn, but they have not delivered a TV deal or one brass farthing of benefit to the game or specifically to Superleague where their future undoubtedly lies.

The Myth that NYC v Toronto will attract a bumper TV deal is farcical. It is a myth that is again based upon the belief that after watching just one game north americans will be hooked......people forget how long it took soccer to get even a small foothold in America and exactly how much money was lost in the process.....I am all for expansion BTW.....as a London Broncos fan I believe that the game has to expand to new regions to ensure its survival, but the "hand up" Toronto are getting based on an imaginary TV deal is not the way to go about it....SL chairmen Like Pearson at Hull are like greedy little kids at the thought of another TV pay day........whilst forgetting they sold their soul to sky a while back for a 300k sweetener.

Lastly, if Canadians are going to be "hooked" then why not start your own competition? I'll tell you why......because next year, Toronto will be getting a cheque for 1.8 million sterling and that's a lot easier than charging 5 bux a ticket to a beer festival with a rugby game on the side!

Quote: Sir Kevin Sinfield "Leigh, Toronto’s main rival in the Championship received £500,000 in central funding.'" It's been explained several times why. Here it is again from the horses mouth. https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/de ... e-payment/

Quote: Sir Kevin Sinfield "Leigh, Toronto’s main rival in the Championship received £500,000 in central funding.'" It's been explained several times why. Here it is again from the horses mouth. https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/de ... e-payment/

No they didn't......but you already know this.
Toronto claimed they had a 5 yr plan for SL.....this was patently a "untruth" as they threw a low lever SL squad together for an assault on the 3rd tier competition. This year they again have a mid table SL squad that I believe will win automatic promotion before the MPG therefore making it to SL in 2 years.....saving 3 years of the imaginary investment which this year has been markedly reduced anyway.
In a notmal season, they could reasonably be expected to play 3 games away at the start, then the remaining 19 regular games, H and Away with maybe a couple of 2 week stays at home to make up fr the late season start......
so A,A,A H,A,H,A,H,H,A,H,A,H,H,BASH,A,H,A,H,A,H,A,H.......so I make that 19 flights for Toronto and another 22 flights for the visiting sides. 40 Flights for 30 people = 1,200.
This year......they fly Home in early May, back to the UK for 2 games then home for the lot.......so 3 flights for 40 or 480 fewer flights for their sponsor to swallow...40% reduction in sponsorship and no worrying connecting flights to pay for for those pesky French from Toulouse....., still no TV deal to speak of and a fixture list weighted in their favour.
As someone who had to constantly defend London from accusations (unfounded) of back-handers and favouritism, I find the sycophantic fawning over a team of mercenaries a little ironic and very worrying for the game in general. If we want Toronto in SL, then just put them there......the cake-walk of last year may well be repeated this year and it'll have achieved nothing of any merit other than to under-prepare Torontos fan base for the absolute hammerings they are going to get in SL.......and rest assured, the SL clubs will not be permitting blocs of games....

If you are advocating the same funding for any club promoted from League 1, as any club that is relegated from SL, then thats ok but, it does seem a strange way forward.

Someone really should tell the less well informed users of the forum, exactly what we can expect from having a number of N American clubs in SL (or The Championship) will do for the game.
If you can come up with evidence of increased sponsorship, improved TV deals etc and not just items on a wish list, the "experiment" would carry a whole lot more weight.

We have comparisons of population masses, which appear remarkably similar to the old "5 million people in London" argument and yet London have spectacularly failed to attract these mystical numbers and instead rely on "displaced" Northerners to support their side and of course, there arent so many of those in N. America.
A successful club in a big city may have some "pull". However, right now, we are sacrificing some of the domestic game and chasing a dream and even if (and it's a huge IF) "we" end up with 4/5 N. American clubs in SL, will this really improve the competition.
Again, to use the London comparison, it will take 25/30 years to allow any kind of "home" player pool for them but, some folk on here believe that we should obliterate the domestic game in favour of over paying mercenaries to pull on a New York jersey and they also believe this will save our sport.
This goes in one of 2 directions.
Either crash and burn or, hugely successful, in which case, even Wigan and Leeds would be surplus to requirements.

Super League clubs (last season) agreed that whoever was relegated, the other clubs would contribute 45K each to them, that club just happened to be Leigh Centurions. Championship/League 1 clubs had no say in the matter, I assuming the same applies this season (unless the goal posts have been moved.....again)

Half a million pound in funding and you get hammered at home by a club who’s only been in existence for 2 weeks with no central funding. Utter embarrassment

Regards

King James

2 weeks??? what a goon.

There were no prizes for the winners. We'll take care of that when it matters.

Regards

Hokey Cokey

About right for Jabrone though.