The thing is, where do the supporters want SL to be in say 10 years time.
Most of us are more concerned with our own team (s) and we're ok with most things as long as our team is not adversely affected.
Surely the starting point is how many teams should form the top flight and if there is to be either expansion and/or promotion/ relegation,
how will this be implemented.
Add to this the financial viability of the clubs involved and any limits that may be required as regards player wages, followed by grassroots investment and sponsorship of the lower divisions and we could then think about taking the game forward.
And for the cynics amongst us, a mechanism for dealing with the RLF's "favourites" and "untouchables" would be helpfull.

Fair enough, but if that's the case, then why do we regularly hear murmerings of 'SKY want a "London Team"?

As it is, an average of 10,000 over 13 home games a year would make the Broncos break even......if SKY (or anyone with half a brain) bought the club, they could achieve that in 5 years with ease......well, ease and a bit of clever marketing......something that the current owners and management avoid like small pox.




The RFL have pretty much cut London adrift anyway...they offer very little in the way of support to a club that has pretty much blazed a trail in the south east and raised the participation rates......when London fold or drop down, the RFL will need to considerably up their game if all the good work done over the years isn't to be lost.

Agree with all that.
On the "cutting London adrift" point, weren't there quite a few RL development officers down in that there London until recently? I was at the launch of Leeds 3 year development plan for RL in Leeds on Thursday at Headingley, and the entire plan is based upon losing the vast majority of current Sport England funding which has been spent on development officers in the past. According to Hetherington he'd been told by the RFL that they've been warned by Sport England that funding is being significantly reduced by the government, so that may be at least part of the reason why London have been "cut adrift", as effectively regional development will be the responsibility of the clubs rather than the RFL/government.

One of many troubles with your average league fan is their natural inbred deep pessimism and pathological scepticism.

Someone mentioned the tiny point that expansion did sort of actually work once, when the seeds of TGG were planted on the other side of the planet, and have now grown into a pretty decent sized tree.

The problem those wanting to spread the RL gospel will forever face is that our stock of shrinking violet flatcappers cannot envision where the sport might be in 100 years time, or even a decade or two hence, they only care for how it is now, it's OK for them, it'll never catch on, there's no interest, why waste your time, etc etc.

It is precisely the kind of thinking which has led hundreds of working mens' clubs to extinction, as in all walks of life, you cannot stand still, you have to either keep moving forward or wither and die.

Blimey


[urlhttp://www.therfl.co.uk/contact_us/development_contacts/london_and_south[/url

Because some keyboard warriors believe it to be true. You don't hear anyone in the RFL or Sky saying that.

We were equally told that "Crusaders add value to the Sky contract". They pull out and two weeks' later, Sky come back with an improved offer for SL!



Sky could achieve but nobody else could. But like I said, they've had SL coverage for 17 years and never shown an iota of interest in owing one of the clubs.

Give me 50% of the 1.5 million they currently away on average journeymen and I'd give them 10k averages within 65 home games......or I'd die trying. Surely better than the 7.5 million DH has wasted already.....

Spend 750k a year over 5 years and there's 3.75 mill of investment.

Let's say to get to 10k you need to add 27% year on year, from a starting point of 3k.......let's call it a tenner a ticket to keep it simple, with another tenner per fan on residuals per game....

Year 1 average 3,810 x 13 x twenty notes = 990,000 in revenue from that source
Year 2 4,840 x 13 x 20 = 1,260,000
Year 3 6,146 x 13 x 20 1.6 mil
Year 4 7,800 x 13 x 20 = 2,030,000
Year 5 9,900 x 13 x 20 = 2.6 million


8.5 million in revenue over 5 years......costing 3.75 million in promotion, marketing and no small amount of blood, sweat, tears and f()cking hard work....

No offence but if the job of SL coach was that easy then we'd all do it. You assume that the players that you would buy would have any interest in joining Broncos.

Secondly you assume that onfield success would lead to dramatically improved attendances. With a club as low profile as Broncos in their home market, it is highly unlikely that many people would ever hear of the club's improvement.

Only the media can rescue Broncos because the club needs a huge amount of publicity which it cannot afford to pay for. Sky could do this easily but they aren't interested.

And the kind of money you are talking about investing wouldn't make any difference. It is a drop in the ocean. What do you think that would buy in London? Not to mention there is no explanation of where it would come from.

1. the standard of players currently at the club is an pointer to the waste of money I am referring to....
2. Never mentioned on field success.....i said I would get them through the gates.
3. 57,700 per gameor 750k a year would buy you a decent wedge of media in SW London......and that's where you need tomarket, not 45 miles away in Gillingham or an hours drive away in Leytonstone
4. DH pumps 1.5 mill into the club every year.....as I said, give me half of it.

The RFL and IL didn't think I was mad in 2007......only the ever failing London SL franchise did.....since then they've DROPPED 20% attendance wise ...............or in my warped maths, about 200k a year.

I don't have a magic wand, but I do have the idea, passion and belief in the game that is lacking in London....ask any of the die hard 800 or so ST holders if they think I am right....

If you were given half of it then what would the club run on? Maybe the reason why Broncos don't spend much on advertising is that they need every penny they can get to stay afloat.

Secondly the gates don't really depend much on the quality of players because the target market have neither heard of or care about the players that you might attract.

1.3 mill from SKY, gate receipts and whatever residuals they could muster currently about 1 million and the other half of DH's money....once you grow the crowds, the sponsors become interested and you sell corporate boxes..the revenue increases. By year 3, DH wouldn't neet to ever put in cash again......and sponsors/co-owners would be beating a path to him.


The Landlords did this from 2005 onwards...they invested heavily in marketing and retaining customers.....they engaged their audience and they made it work......they invested wisely. 3k gates to 14k gates.....they did that in 5 years.

It takes balls and hard work......neither are in evidence at the club presently

how many years as there been RL in London,there support tells you how keen the London people are, some years ago we took 100 buses of support to the club, when the attendance was announced, it was less than the number of fans we took