To be honest its a chicken and egg situation. I honestly believe that there is a groundswell of opinion that Town and Haven should get together and look at forming a West Cumbria club (forget Barrow for geographical and logistical reasons). The problem is that nobody wants to put their head above the parapet and lead it, for the fear of it failing and them being branded as the person who tried to kill off Town or Haven. The biggest problem though is money, or rather the lack of it. Once upon a time we could have looked to the nuclear industry for large scale funding for a stadium and infrastructure etc but since that industry was privatised the tap has been turned off somewhat. I do actually believe that, done properly, a SL team could succeed around here as there is a lot of interest in RL - its the thousands who don't currently attend either Town or Haven games that should be polled rather than the diehards of both clubs. But without the money to start it up then its a non-starter and I just don't see where that money is going to come from in the current economic climate.

Personally I would like to see the RFL act as facilitators and lead a study to determine once and for all whether its a goer or not. They could start by inviting all potential stakeholders - both clubs, both borough councils (Allerdale & Copeland), Cumbria County Council, Cumbria Tourist Board, University of Cumbria, Lakes College, major local employers etc - to a meeting to gauge opinions and explore the pros and cons. They could even have it in secret somewhere to protect the innocent ! I think if you got all of these organisations around a table then you would at least get a decent basis to say yes lets do a proper feasibility study or no its a complete non-starter and lets put it to bed once and for all. At the moment nobody actually knows and everybody just works off assumption, and in some cases pure fantasy. It'd be nice to have some reality.

For it to succeed as you suggest would need the RFL to guarantee a place in SL , would they do that ?

Barrow has got the potential for Super League. They've got a rich backer, problem is he's mad as a box of frogs.

Populations:

Barrow: 71981
Wigan: 81203
Castleford: 37525

Not any more they haven't, he's been banned from all RL for 8 years.

Who knows mate, depends on if we fit in with their 'strategic objectives' I guess. On the face of it this area should be easy cultivation for the RFL - a mature amateur infrastructure, no top class sport within 100 miles (e.g. SL, premiership football), no local competion for sponsors, a latent fanbase. The only thing missing is money - unfortunately thats the most important bit !

Where would such a club play, in order to satisfy the fans of both clubs?

The history of mergers in RL is pretty disastrous. I just can't see it working. I'd love to see a club representing Cumbria in Super League, but it has to be viable. That would need more than you suggest above. It needs a new stadium, a large and measurable fan base, and a man with an awful lot of money. As it stands, there is little evidence of any of this. Without any of this in place, it is a complete non-starter and likely to just go the way of the Celtic Crusaders. In fact, anecdotal evidence would suggest, that there is a great deal of hostility to any merger.

Therefore, if the RFL or anyone tries to force through such a club, with the offer of a guaranteed SL spot, it could backfire dramatically. There needs to a lot more than just sentiment behind the inclusion of any club into SL. A club needs to be rock solid all round, with a bullet proof bid. Can you seriously see any likelihood of such a strong Cumbria club emerging any time soon?

There isn't even one in the offing at the moment.

This raises its head every few years.
If Cumbria wanted a joint team in Super League they could do it easily.
Let them make their own decision rather than saying it must happen.

The teams are a long way apart, and even further in terms of rivalry. I don't think a merged team would be supported there any more than a Wakefield Tigers or a St. Wigan team.

And since when has Barrow not been in Cumbria!?!?!?
It might have a Lancaster post code but it is most definitely in Cumbria.

Course it is ever since it moved from Lancashire in 1974!!!!!!!!!!

'Few years ' ? , every 3months more like

A Super League club WOULD work in Cumbria but would have to be given the time to flourish, something im not sure the RFL are willing to allow in the current climate.

The club would have to be West Cumbrian in identity, Barrow's geographical location isolates it from the majority of the catchment area from which the Clubs potential support would be drawn from.

HOWEVER

This is unlikely to happen due to the vocal minority or 'diehards' who would rather watch any potential talent either lost to the game or to Super League in order to preserve the supposed 'heritage' of the game in West Cumbria with 2 clubs sentenced to eternal imprisonment in the dungeons of the Championship system.

Other factors to consider are two incompetent borough Council's with little or no vision for sport (or little else). Lack of the required financial backing from the private sector and the lack of courage for anyone from either club to rise above the rest and put their head on the block in the name of progress.

How many Cumbrian youngsters both past and present would have flourished had they been afforded the same facilities and coaching promising kids recieve along the M62 corridor? The next 10 years are pivotal to the future of RL in our area - participation is apparently decreasing as many people see no path in to the more developed eschelons of the game simply thinking 'whats the point?'

The arguments for and against will continue for the time being however any support and hope is rapidly being suffocated at the hands of frustration and apathy.

It would seem at a fans forum tonight , that Barrow Raiders are £ 550,000 in debt

Would it wise to try and continue involving a Cumbria representative team against teams like France/Wales/Ireland/England Knights and see what sort of interest they could draw?
They're a rep team that has plenty of depth, so wouldn't have to shoe horn in Aussies or, in the case of ireland, two rugby union players that had literally just signed for Saints.