Sweet Jesus.
Licensing is in its 4th year, anyone who says it has definitively succeeded or failed is talking rubbish.
New Zealand do have a full time pro league, the best one in the world, it's called the NRL.
As for finances, it's been 3 years. During which we've had 2 teams in admin and possibly a third soon. Wakefield's owner went bust, Crusaders' buggerred off & Bradfords board couldn't add up. Are you suggesting these wouldn't have happened if there had been P&R? I fail to see the logic in that.

Licensing (which wasn't advertised and promoted as you say, but that's another story) is supposed to encourage behaviour such as better youth development, better finances, better facilities etc it can never, and never said it would, 100% ensure these things at every single club. Also, IT'S ONLY IN ITS FOURTH SEASON!!!!

The sad fact of the matter is, the game was screwed over by clubs and owners decades ago. When clubs like Wakefield were getting 30k crowds, where did the money go? Where did the money from Central Park go? Etc. (I'm just using those clubs as examples, it happened at the vast majority of clubs) We are now feeling the impact of those decisions made in the past, when ALL levels of the sport were ignored.
The job of the RFL now is to rebuild the sport in the best way possible for the future. Long term projects cannot be dismissed and counted as a failure after 3 & 1/2 seasons.

Grounds are better
Wigan dont win everything
Youth is coming through
Less overseas players
..........

All 'bar saints' council built community stadiums so nothing to do with sl.
Wigan went bust chasing all that silverware so that period of rl history would have ended anyway.
Youth has always come through,thered be no game without it.
Is that because theyre all going back to aus because they can earn more.

It's always the Leigh fans...

Oh f**k off!

Can we just get a sticky thread about P & R?

The growth in attendances and Sky viewing figures from 1996 to present is astonishing.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." — Lao-tzu

To the OP - t must be nice to live on a planet where you can ignore reality, but thanks for dropping by.

like the Bradford board did for the last 2 seasons (or possibly more! )

Dear OP

You need to see the doctor, your medication isn't working any more.

For the survival of the game i believe that the sooner that teams return to a semi pro status the better and restore P & R, otherwise all i see for the future are more clubs heading the same way as Bradford.

If the rugby league in this country went semi-pro wouldn't all the kids just go to rugby union or other sports?

The best senior players would be off to the NRL and Rugby Union in a heartbeat.

Why?

Seriously? You actually need to ask that question?