RL continues to have a poor perception across the great unwashed as a small game played along the M62 watched by a few poor northerners. Without money to change that we won't attract the blue chip corporate support. Bit of a chicken and egg.

Can't access that report, what was the other 18 mill spent on?

So you think they just put that comment in the report with the intention of doing nothing about it? Given they're reporting a revenue increase of nearly 20% do you think the same sales teams should be given that opportunity?

I would say most definitely inadequate. we don,t really have any big global sponors on board, next year could be showing up worse with the Stobart and Elonex no show on real monies.
Our sporting model is a disgrace compared to ther sports and I wonder if we will catch up EVER.
We are at the bottom of the scale, in league 3 or 4 or 5% sponsor values are in millions, in other sports 3 or 4 or 5 % are heading towards billions.
If we start catching up on Union with marketing, media and sponsors I would be happy, but its not the gap is widening to the point our game has very little significance as a global sport.

RL Fans astound me sometimes, a very good news story about the governing body making record profits, whilst in a recession has some how turned into a bad news story and something to have a go at the RFL for. I honestly feel the doomongerers and miseries are getting worse, and this forum is all the worse for it.

Heinz and Gillette are both international?

Does anybody know who is the marketing director of the RFL.

My apologies for any misunderstanding, that was my interpretation.
Our nearest sport to benchmark against is RU, pro rata the turnover and 13% sponsorship would equate to £3m more revenue - so why are we incapable of hitting that percentage number?
More money is now available from Sport England etc which we seem to be getting more of in £ terms but when it comes to selling the product to the competitive world we are clueless, or so the results seem to indicate.
You look at two non execs at the RFU in Miles Templeman and Andrew Higginson, compare their backgrounds and contacts with those of Lewis or Wood etc and you start to understand why we are so far behind.

There is also Ian Ritchie from the RFU, who as I understand it has seen a weakness of league in Manchester and is presently doing a fact finding mission of promoting the game to a further level in the area.

Andy Hewitt

How similar are the different demographics between the two sports? What are their jobs and how much money do they earn because they can be very significant determinants in who wants to sponsor these sports i.e. McCain's might sponsor RL, Range Rover union. How rich are the areas that the sports operate in? Is there more money in St Helens and Leigh than there is in Richmond?

Rugby league is the women of sports. We have to work twice as hard as anyone else to get the same pay and level of recognition for what we do.

I,m not too sure, did he leave the post last year.

The Stobart and Elonex deals will have no impact on the RFL financial results.