You may well be correct about the Bradford situation MR but bringing back P&R will mean the clubs just go back to short term solutions.

Is it any wonder we can't find a sponsor.

S Wales & then N Wales disappearing,Bradford,Wakefield and Salford failing and now probably building up more massive debts.

The owners & fans of huddersfield,London,Cas and HKR basically admitting they're exhousted chasing there own tails round and round and not getting very far.

You'd think they'd learn licencing in such a small sport wont work

If option 1 or 2 is taken up then would there be parachute payments for the relegated team. If there is going to be then the second division will just be a race to see who gets beaten by the team who came down the previous year in the Grand Final, just like it was when Castleford yo-yoed between the leagues.

This would mean that be demanding that they have the chance to be promoted into the top flight the championship clubs would have ensured that they have no chance at all.

Yo-yoing between the leagues still created some drama though. Two final day relegation battles, 2 grand finals that created a lot of hype and attention. The crowd at Headingley for the game with Widnes was some 20,000 I think? (albeit with contributions from the 2 fev teams bramley & Oldham).

Thus, my simple idea is, just bring back P&R.

If we went with Option C, I can see the 2 divisions in 2015 being something along the lines of:

SL 1

Wigan
Leeds
Warrington
St Helens
Bradford
Huddersfield
Catalan
Hull
London
Wakefield
Salford
Sheffield

SL2:

Hull KR
Castleford
Widnes
Toulouse
Halifax
Featherstone
Whitehaven
Batley
Leigh
York
Crusaders
Hemel


Entirely on merit, I can see London & Salford progressing over the next couple seasons, Hull KR could be in danger depending on Sandercock/Replacement. Only got Cas going down because we don't yet know what effect Powell will have, and unfortunately I think Widnes are rather doomed with Betts.

Sheffield seem the most likely Championship outfit to win promotion, but Halifax could easily challenge them for it.

You think Widnes are 'rather doomed with Betts' !?
ah yes! That's what Saints and Wolves fans said, immediately befor they got a pasting from Widnes.
Irrespective of my Widnes bias, how can you think that Salford and London will surpass Hull KR?
As far as the structure goes... It may work as a novelty idea, if ALL clubs involved got the same or at least a similar cut of the money and there was a universal salary cap, the same for everyone (allowing, say Leigh or Fax to get a sugar daddy and spend the same as Wolves and Leeds). But as it stands it is a joke.
It's a more dangerous version of the much trumpeted RL Nines that was, on its introduction, announced as RL's version of 20/20 cricket.
Let's ignore the fact that RL didn't need a version of 20/20 cricket for a minute.
Three rounds into that comp, a senior RL official sat behind me at one of the games asked me what I thought. I repeated the thoughts of some coaches, which I agreed with, that it was a decent run out for the younger teams, as a fitness exercise, but would never catch on at Senior level. The said official was like a rejected school kid and continued to look for my (an anonymous fan's) approval.
I put this idea in the same bracket. The level of creative thinking and business acumen at RFL is NVQ business studies level, at best, IMHO.
Thank you and goodnight
(I'll be back in another 4 years!)

The option 3 (8-8-icon_cool.gif will make the avarage attandance increase. For example - Wigan Vs London will be replaced by Wigan Vs Saints (part 3). Warrington Vs Tigers will be replaced by Warrington Vs Wigan (part 3) and so on. The RFL will use these figures to convince us that it will be a success.

IMO the only way P&R will work is that the promoted team get to or 3 immunity from relegation. This way they can put structures in place to build the club and don't have to overspend to stay up. With Championship clubs being part time to expect them to revert to full time in such a short space of time is doomed to failure. As a Widnes fan we have seen that franchising is sort of working. Ok we took quite a few pastings last season but you could see the improvement as the season went on. Our crowds are up and we have the opportunity to bring some of our youngsters through when with P&R we wouldn't have been able to do this. I agree the game is dying below SL and these clubs need the opportunity to play at the highest level but promotion could set these clubs back even further especially if they are relegated after one season.

I agree with all of the above but most of the middle division would already be full time.
Say for instance Tigers and London leave SL in 2014. They are then joined in the middle division after 11 rounds in 2015 by Salford, Wakey, Widnes and Hull KR (from SL1). Halifax and Fev also stay up in the second tier. Only the latter 2 clubs need to adjust to the full-time environment.

If Cas and London are relegated into division 2 then they will be at the same level as Fax and Fev as they will be getting the same funding as them and be full time or part time based on that funding.

If extra funds are available to bring up 5 or 6 "2nd division" teams a lot closer to SL then fantastic. But if that's the case then lets just have straight P&R without a daft mid-season split.

Yes but you are only looking at the funding from Sky. Cas (like in 2006, 200icon_cool.gif could operate a full time squad in SL2 and with Hughes backing so could London. As you know a lot will depend on the SL2 clubs individual turnover from gate receipts. The reported Sky money of 300k won't go far regarding squad building.

Agree with your last paragraph entirely.

That doesn't make sense. We have been unable to find a sponsor in the current franchise system. We had plenty of sponsorship when we had P&R. I'm not saying we should bring back P&R but the point you made is nonsense.

With it looking like a split half way through the year, I'd like to know the relegated clubs from SL1 would survive a operating a full salary cap, when they will be getting attendances of 2-4k in SL 2.

I don't think clubs have thought this idea through and have just seen the idea of more competitive games. Considering the last two major decisions the clubs have voted on (Dual Reg & Stobart) I'm not holding my breath they will get this one right.

I fear if this one doesn't work though, the sport is in trouble

For me a 2 tier superleague with a 2 tier salary cap.
First 12 minimum cap spend 1.5 million all the way up to a max of 2.5 million.
Second 12 minimum cap spend 0.5 million up to a max of 1.5 million.

Run the 8 x 8 x 8 as a pilot for 2015 to see how it develops for supporters, clubs and market response.

Franchise system in its present state is now dead wood, the threat of P + R need to be in place with a possible financial assessment to the promoted team.

We have around 4 or 5 "successfuly run" clubs now stagnated because of the veto power from the weaker clubs , the new structure should be of positive progression, the present environment is one of ever increasing demise.

Maybe these 4 or 5 "successfully run" clubs should join the NRL and let the rest of us compete on our own ?