As it standsSuperleague 1
Leeds
Saints
Wigan
Wakefield
Huddersfield
Castleford
Warrington
Hull FC
HKR
Widnes

Superleague 2
Salford
Catalan
London
Toronto
Toulouse
Featherstone
Leigh
Halifax
Dewsbury
Barrow

New York are still on the "back of a beermat" in terms of anything other than hot air.........but if they come into the game, then Dewsbury or Barrow will make way.

Each division play Home and Away games 3 times for a 27 week season then the top 4 play off in each with the Winners of 2 promoted. If you want a MPG (why I don't know...it got 50k viewers on SKY last year) then 2nd bottom 1 v losing grand finalist 2.....everyone plays to the same salary cap and overseas players rules. I'd actually add a rule that 4 of the match-day squad HAVE TO COME THROUGH THAT CLUBS YOUTH SYSTEM FROM U16 ONWARDS.
Forget stadium standards.......if clubs want to make money rather than lose it they will sort their own facilities out

2 million funding for SL 1, 1 million for SL2. Toronto, Leigh & London all have wealthy backers so would be able to press for a place at the top initially. No dual reg between the 2 comps, but allowed in the 3rd tier.

30 week season enabling breaks for Internationals and the Cup.......whichever TV company we partner with needs to put 1 2nd tier game on a week and 1 game on FTA.....
1 Kit supplier across all 20 sides.......this would make the deal more attractive to suppliers and more lucrative across the board for the clubs.....

Before Chorley Jean pipes up with teams in outer Mongolia, this is what we have NOW and what we can actually do.

Change Wakefield and hudds for Toronto and Catalans and I would agree with that

Regards

King James

In my opinion, the reason the game is stagnating is because we don't have a proper international calender. So are viewed by the masses as a small club game, played in a certain parts of the country. So there is no need for the media to spend money on covering the game. Thus denying us a potential new audience, marketing and investment. And why are bigger companies going to invest when there very little coverage to promote there companies. And by decreasing the league, we're reducing not only people getting involved and wanting more. But potential audiences as well.

The fact that we're looking for other countries to plough money in, rather than trying to improve things in this country seems a risk strategy to me. I'm not against it in principle, and in an ideal world we should be looking at both improving it over hear, with the American money being an added bonus. But what we seem to be doing is giving up on it over hear. And putting all our eggs in one basket. And if this dosn't work, what then?

Let's not hide behind this is to get more money in for the good of the game. It's not, it's so the bigger clubs can get more money in for themselves.
This whole idea is not for the good of the game, or to improve it. It's just simply a money grab.

And what happens when more clubs come in. Newcastle, Coventry (well Wasps anyway), Dublin all wanted to be a part of franchise SL. Not to mention the other proposed American/Canadian clubs. Which league are we starting them in then?

Should we welcome expansion? Yes. Should we use it to promote our sport? completely. Can it benefit our sport? Of course. Should we rely on it? Not in the slightest.
I draw the line when it's at the detriment of existing clubs. And all about changing the goalposts to suit them. It should be one rule for every club, and moving the sport on for everyone. Not just the few.

I see you have 10 reputation points, who gave you them, JEANIE WEANEY?.. ...BTW - JEANIE WEANEY has 10 as well, bit of a coincidence don't you think?

1. International RL isn't International at all, but instead you have 14/16 sides where the vast majority of their squads come from the 2 Pro comps we have and either speak with a Kiwi, Aussie or Northern English accent. This will remain the norm until we get a much better foothlod in France and expand into North America.
2. NFL doesn't have a healthy International game either, but it seems to do OK. The NFL played 4 games in London last year and attracted 320,000 paying fans........what they do have is media reach and it is what we need more than anything. Toronto v London delivers interest to casual sports fans, Dewsbury v Batley doesn't!


...on the point about "at the expense of heartland/traditional clubs"....these clubs have had 100+ years and still they struggle to attract cash or more than a few hundred fans. They are now considered surplus to requirement by the SL clubs and as such, will either need to evolve or die

A/
How do you think Cricket and RU would be fairing it it wasn't for there International calender?
In my opinion, alot of there marketing, sponsorship and media coverage. Is down to this, as well as getting alot more casual observers for these reasons.

B/
You're right about the NFL'S media reach.
But they have also had highlights on British tv for over twenty years. With the SB live for most of them. So they already had not just a presence, but had built up a support already before they tried over hear.

C/
Just after we play in Denver. USA are playing a RU international in the same city. Which of these games is already being marketed? Not ours.
Just goes to show, how far behind we are in regards to other sports over there.

D/
Youth could be right about the casual supporter and those 2 games you mentioned.
But to be honest. RL has fallen so far down the pecking order that neither would attract any casual observers.
I was at the York/Toronto game last year, which was very well marketed by both clubs. But most of the extra crowd were supporters of other clubs (it was played on the Sunday of SF weekend when other than Salford/Wigan no other SL or Championship games were on), come to see the fuss with Toronto. We don't appeal to casual observers because of our lack of media and marketing.

Club Union had nothing the year we started SL. The then 5 Nations was a "crown jewel" and attracted interest, but Leicester v Wasps would attract 5k at best.....the fact that Lecester now attract more than any Rugby Club has little to do with the 6 nations and more to do with how that game is run....from the top down. Same in Cricket.....they faltered and T-20 came to the rescue.....the ECB/RFU run their sports well....the RFL don't run Rugby League.....the SL chairmen do.


So a sport from across the pond with a highlights show on C4 has marketed itself better than we have? We've had live club games on FTA for decades......


We don't exist and wo't properly until we are a game played in colleges.....it took soccer 40+ years....



London v Toronto will be of interest. It may well be attended so long as David Hughes isn't still paying for things in London.....if he is then it wouldn't be marketed.


I agree and I believe that the SL clubs should collectively drop 100k into a marketing pot each........

Read the bloody article you lot!

It doesn't say that the RFL has decided on 10 x 2. It says that 10 x 2 is one possibility, but that a stronger possibility is a move to 14 SL clubs.

I favour 14 clubs if they include, Catalans, Toronto, Toulouse and London. But there must be a mechanism for admitting New York and other north American clubs as well in future years, otherwise rugby league will never grow its fan base or its players base, or its funding, and will eventually collapse from its global irrelevance.

The clue is in the thread title, did you not see the "?"

You are talking about jean lol

Why does that clown think Toulouse deserve SL. What have they done ever in the championship. Catalans are dropping faster than a prostitute drops her knickers.

And the comment on Toronto v London is attractive wait till they play each other and will see which game got the biggest attendance that or Dewsbury v Batley I can guarantee will be the local derby

If you all think Toronto will go up this year I would look at here last 2 games and think again no where near what hull kr were last season leigh again look poor. I will not be writing London off this year think they could be the team to make the step up

The Dewsbury v Batley match rarely pulls in a crowd of more than a 1000 these days

still more than tornoto v London would draw

Given that Toronto have been getting crowds around 8 times what that Dewsbury - Batley figure, I think you're a bit off the mark.