Where will the close competative games come from other than when existing CC1 teams are playing each other.
I don't see some team from Gillingham going up to Derwent Park and turning Town over, do you?

They should not be in a league with the existing teams until they earn the right to do so?

I haven't got a clue, as I haven't yet seen their playing squad.



Their business plans are earning them the right to do so.

I think everyone agrees that the best way to introduce expansion teams, is to start them in the lowest tier, CC1, instead of throwing them in at the deep end. In this respect, the RFL have made a good decision and have learnt from previous mistakes.

The decision to introduce four new clubs at once, is also IMO, a good one. This would give all four clubs atleast six winnable fixtures, instead of throwing one club in and watching them get tonked every week.

As well as competing in the league, they'll be competiting against one another. Eventually, the cream will rise to the top and each club will find their level, some may even drop out - who knows.

Nobody will be expecting them to gain promotion in their first couple of seasons, but surely it'll develop the clubs better being in the CC1 & semi-pro than in their regional leagues?

The sooner the C1 clubs stop blaming the RFL and start taking responsibility for their own clubs performance the better. They're in C1 for a reason, and that's because they're not good enough for the Championship. There are things they can do that are well within their control to become Championship clubs, but whinging and feeling sorry for themselves is alot easier.

Bingo. I really couldn't have put it better myself.

They should have had the balls to bite the bullet and cut a few clubs from the Championships to create a new league. We could have had a 16 team Championship and then a specific 10 club league called something like the National Development League or something like that.

This would have had two benefits - firstly a much better fixture list for the Championship and secondly a meaningful name for the 'expansion' league who's nationwide credentials could be better advertised. The name Championship 1 is just nondescript and does nothing to convey the national geographical spread of that league.

In essence what I am saying is that 4 clubs should have gone down, instead of 4 coming up. In that scenario you could have actually had 6 new clubs in the National Development League. IMO its a missed opportunity to create a ringfenced league with a specific purpose and a specifically allocated pot of money, without mixing it up in the machinations of the Championships and allowing newly formed clubs to find their feet and appropriate level. Nobody would complain about preferential treatment or unfair advantages or RFL funding because they'd all be getting it in equal measure. If Championship licensing is the ultimate aim then this would have been a better way to go about implementing it.

Then, with minimum standards in place, you could adopt a licensing process for the Championship similar to SL.

I think the plan they've announced is well intended, its just the wrong way around.

Agreed. It should help Scorpions, Gateshead and Skolars too, no one likes to see their team get beat every week.

I'd love one of these smaller teams get through to the challenge cup 4th round and draw one of the big guns.

By the way, bonus points for use of the word 'tonked' I really did spit my brew out!

Honestly believe what? That I don't know if Medway Dragons will beat Workington in 2013?

Well I don't know if Medway will be in Championship 1,
I don't know what their squad will look like if they are in Championship 1,
I don't know if Workington will be in Championship 1,
I don't know what their squad will look like if they are in Championship 1.

So yes, it is safe to say I honestly believe that I don't know.

We also don't know if one of the teams that do get promoted might have any money behind them either, so maybe they could compete with Workington.

Like you said Wheels-we don't know.

Why can't people grasp that?

Jonny , I think you will find we all agree , this is the pathway to expansion , it just seems that once again they are ' forcing the issue ' with 4 clubs all at once , plus the lob sided split [ which makes me think they will be messing about with the NRC ] and the Anglo French thing

Yes we want and need more teams and games , but we also need a bit of stability , it seems every couple of years they change things again

I agree with that Starry, the thinking behind 4 teams at once is to give the new clubs 6 immediately competitive fixtures (in theory).

It is risky, but I hope it pays off.

Anyway thats my lot on the subject , I do hope it works , even if most on here wont believe that

You could make the argument that with 16 applicants and 7 on the shortlist, having only 4 is the conservative/safety first option? Hemel wanted to enter in 2012 and have been told to wait, so it seems like "all at once" is the preferred option.

Presumably the number of clubs and the 14/10 split is budget related; if the RFL is paying for all travel in CC1, makes it cheaper if you have fewer fixtures and fewer new clubs. And cynically, it makes it easier to get the clubs to vote for the change if most of them aren't affected because they're in the new, bigger championship and half of those left behind (Skolars, S.Wales & Gateshead) would welcome opposition closer to themselves in playing standards.

Still smiling at Rupert Bear's description of Oxford, Coventry, Hemel, Chester, Northampton etc. as "the back of beyond".

Teams at this level in France routinely travel 5+ hrs for away games - last weekend had La Reole v Lyon (both 70+ year old traditional clubs) which is 700+ mile round trip and Mille v Corbeil (over 1000 mile round trip). Those are mostly amateur players, BTW.

Really?

The RFL have said they're admitting 4 clubs without knowing whether or not there will actually be 4 applicants meeting the required standards!

There are currently 7 clubs that meet the required standards. The RFL will admit the best 4 applicants after further due diligence.