There's no evidence at all that Superleague intend taking any such gamble, there is no evidence of any gamble to take. All I have seen is a determination to get back to our English roots 2022.

Nobody from North America wants to make big investments in Rugby league even less so since the Aussie Argylle blew countless $$Milions on ending up at the bottom of SL with no wins and players not interested going there unless it's a last resort. No "fans" come here and nobody in NATV sports wants to pay a penny. The Silent one will take you round in circles on this so enjoy the ride.

The more interesting aspect of this is Ottawa and New York being floated for north American investors to get on board with. This is the actual gamble, people paying good money to set up an opportunity for rich Americans to sweep in. However I can only think you have to be an absolute Rugby league nut and worth countless £Millions to want to do so.

Time is ticking towards the new season 2021 start of March.... This could be the "Final countdown" to an end of this nonsesnse, unless any real major North American investors come forward. There weren't any at the launch of Ottawa and New York. Time yet

Is that POSSIBLY 10+ players next year and then how many will we possibly lose the year after if you got your way and the north Americans' came into super league.

Quite right, Widnes are doing quite nicely now and I'm sure they have aspirations of getting back into super league as soon as, I'm also sure though that they don't see themselves as a feeder club for any future north American invasion which would make it even harder to achieve their goal of getting back where they feel they belong.

Widnes may be ok for now but, of course, they harbour ambitions for a return to SL.
IF / when there are 4 N. American clubs in SL and possibly Catalan and Toulouse, what will happen to the chances of promotion for Widnes and any other "relegated" clubs ?
What will happen to supporter numbers, especially for the so called big events and most importantly, where are the players going to come from.
If you lop off 4/5 clubs from SL, they will reduce their investment in junior/academy players.
This isn't fear, it's simple economics

It's worth remembering that Toronto were going to convert Gridiron players and tap into the Union market for their recruitment.
How many players have they managed to poach from these sports so far ?
They haven't been overly successful in attracting English players either and you want to add another how many N. American clubs ??

I'm absolutely against chucking ANY club from the comp but, Donny did make some valid points.(dont tell him that I said so )

Haven't Widnes been there and done that?

As a Superleague club they didn't really add much to the competition with exception of a few interesting Cheshire derbies. Even as World Champions in the 80s they struggled to get crowds above the 7k mark.

Leigh and Halifax can be added to the pile. They are good part time teams that want to be more but fail financially whenever they get up to Superleague.

Bradford, depressingly, seem to be joining this group of teams that are unsustainable as full time clubs. You would also fear for HKR if Hudgell gets fed up and takes his ball home. London are the same.

The only hope is for new blood is in other teams and investors wanting to back them. Now if North America is too exotic for our pastry loving palates then we need to find more local projects that need backing. South Yorkshire, Newcastle, Cumbria, South France, The Midlands, Rochdale/Oldham all sound interesting but have never been able to get significant backing.

So until we can find a millionaire that believes in Cumbrian Rugby League then the clubs are were people are prepared to spend the money and at the moment that is North America.
So we either have to find some backers to fund some new blood or we keep on sending our medium sized clubs into Superleague like lemmings over a cliff.

I dont disagree with what you are saying.
However, has anyone stopped to think what will happen to RL in the UK IF we go down the N. American route.
RL has never been good at looking around the corner or, in seeing through a project that has started well (or not so well), we jump about, desperately looking for some kind of miracle cure.
Unfortunately, with this "experiment", it could end very, very badly indeed.
Although there may be a few wealthy backers over the pond but, would the 50/50 (half English / half N. American) league structure actually work ?
For a start, you would decimate the UK game, turn away 1000's of regular supporters, who wouldn't just walk away from their club but, would likely walk away from the game - believe me, I saw this when Trinity were jettisoned for the old first division.
Some will eventually come back but, others do not and their kid's dont go to the local club etc, etc, it's one hell of a downward spiral and for what ??

Toronto are Canadian in name only. Will the other newbies be the same ?? I know that the talk has been of involving the locals and going a little more "from the ground up" but, you will remember Toronto saying that they would convert Gridiron players and sign RU players - these things just haven't happened, which would indicate that they either dont want to play RL or just aren't good enough. 2 x 0 =0

Ah, so the new N. American clubs are doing us a favour, by protecting the RL player pool
For N .America to have any chance of working, they have to be able to contribute players to the sport.
Can you suggest how and/ or when this could actually happen or, will they simply overpay for the talent nurtured by Aussie and English clubs ?/

I stopped to think that and so have the SL bosses so we ain't going down that route. That's a "fact"...

However your enamoured with the French route as somehow you think that if Catalans replaced Widnes that would not be a bad thing? Look back and you will find Catalans DID replace Widnes. What about if Toulouse replaced Wakefield then? How about Avignon replacing Castleford?

I could then see Leeds United building a new ground to welcome thousands of new fans from Cas, Wakey, Ponte and Fev to the Premier League.

But the French bring so much to the game here. Unlike Toronto Wolfpack they have a TV deal, unlike Toronto Wolfpack they have an academy and reserves to develop players, unlike Canada they have an International side to play Great Britain annually...... Oh hang on......

Sorry mate - they have none of these things.

Mikel Simon has retired so that will make their first team almost all Anglo-Aussie, Remy Casty won't be long either......

Quote: Ornery Optimist "Unlike the Gateshead Thunder expansion at the back end of the 1990's,where the RFL parachuted in a side full of Aussies - again working from the top down - Toronto/North America may take less than the 3 decades the north east has taken. There already seems to be a start with at least one individual on social media indicating the right mindset,regularly. rlThey're On Their Wayrl'" But that's not really true is it, Having had trials at Toronto he's ended up playing for Shaw cross at dewsbury, wonder if he stood outside their club house with a cardboard sign hung round his neck like he did at Cleveland Brown's demanding a game. https://www.instagram.com/p/BwmUAIFBHPf ... e=ig_embed Fair play to him hope he can find a club but at 28 years old time is passing by quickly

Quote: Ornery Optimist "Unlike the Gateshead Thunder expansion at the back end of the 1990's,where the RFL parachuted in a side full of Aussies - again working from the top down - Toronto/North America may take less than the 3 decades the north east has taken. There already seems to be a start with at least one individual on social media indicating the right mindset,regularly. rlThey're On Their Wayrl'" But that's not really true is it, Having had trials at Toronto he's ended up playing for Shaw cross at dewsbury, wonder if he stood outside their club house with a cardboard sign hung round his neck like he did at Cleveland Brown's demanding a game. https://www.instagram.com/p/BwmUAIFBHPf ... e=ig_embed Fair play to him hope he can find a club but at 28 years old time is passing by quickly

Quote: snowie "But that's not really true is it, Having had trials at Toronto he's ended up playing for Shaw cross at dewsbury, wonder if he stood outside their club house with a cardboard sign hung round his neck like he did at Cleveland Brown's demanding a game. So much isn't true on here thanks to a few fishing for reactions, but when it comes to New York it's true they have now shifted their plans to 2022, leaving the question are the Ottawa Aces for real? If so this lad should be chasing Mr. Perez for a game. At the very least Mr. Perez could sign him as a figurehead to show the aces are open for business and planning for 2021. One man does not make a team you say? https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/ca ... tawa-aces/ Bob Jowett leads the amateur game in Canada and provides a run down of the RL activity across Canada. With Perez committing to an element of home grown players in the Aces squad Jowett surely can find Eric a number of capable Canadians to join the squad, then what about some of the USARL lads some of whom featured for Toronto Wolfpack in their early days? Some USA talent who did not feature for TWP popped up for the USA World cup team and although well beaten, this was against top class players in which the USA lads gave their all and were not disgraced. Surely Mr. Perez needs to get in there quickly before New York sign them for 2022? If clubs like south/West Wales, Gloucester and Oxford can compete in Championship One then Ottawa can with the pick of North American talent. If the Aces are not for next season (and certainly not for Jan/Feb/Mar) they could look to some summer games 2021 for trials for 2022. What they cannot do now there is no P&R is to wait for Hull.K.R. to be relegated and pinch all their players like TWP did with Leigh.

Quote: snowie "But that's not really true is it, Having had trials at Toronto he's ended up playing for Shaw cross at dewsbury, wonder if he stood outside their club house with a cardboard sign hung round his neck like he did at Cleveland Brown's demanding a game. So much isn't true on here thanks to a few fishing for reactions, but when it comes to New York it's true they have now shifted their plans to 2022, leaving the question are the Ottawa Aces for real? If so this lad should be chasing Mr. Perez for a game. At the very least Mr. Perez could sign him as a figurehead to show the aces are open for business and planning for 2021. One man does not make a team you say? https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/ca ... tawa-aces/ Bob Jowett leads the amateur game in Canada and provides a run down of the RL activity across Canada. With Perez committing to an element of home grown players in the Aces squad Jowett surely can find Eric a number of capable Canadians to join the squad, then what about some of the USARL lads some of whom featured for Toronto Wolfpack in their early days? Some USA talent who did not feature for TWP popped up for the USA World cup team and although well beaten, this was against top class players in which the USA lads gave their all and were not disgraced. Surely Mr. Perez needs to get in there quickly before New York sign them for 2022? If clubs like south/West Wales, Gloucester and Oxford can compete in Championship One then Ottawa can with the pick of North American talent. If the Aces are not for next season (and certainly not for Jan/Feb/Mar) they could look to some summer games 2021 for trials for 2022. What they cannot do now there is no P&R is to wait for Hull.K.R. to be relegated and pinch all their players like TWP did with Leigh.