The last couple of times I went to the Stoop the ends were closed and the crowd was on either side.

I'm not sure the RFL are that bothered tbh. Why open up the ends and have stewarding etc arranged when people aren't going? Can't see a problem here, its a separate issues to why people aren't going to London games.

Hardly worth opening them for the small amount of London fans using them on Sunday. With no massive away support that the next two games bring why bother having them open

Yeah why bother opening the end terraces for standing, which away fans and home fans like. Force them all to sit at the side in one stand and reduce the amount of fans wanting to go and reduce the quality of the atmosphere. Great. At least it will save AK a few quid. Outstanding.

With crowds London are getting stands makes perfect sense. However if and its a big IF, they suddenly get a big rush of tickets sales will open them.

I suppose you'd feel the same if the Rhinos closed the south stand for CC games?

I still say Wales is our best opportunity to drag ourselves from our northern tag. A team in Wrexham and in the South of Wales should be long term goals. London simply doesn;t and won;t work without massive SL extra funding and the game can;'t afford it.

If expansion is to happen, it needs to happen with a plan.

-A proper schools & minis plan for 5 years beforehand

-Support for the development of an amateur scene in the area

-Exemptions to SC & overseas player rule for the first 5 years to make the team competitive & get the fans in.

-Stable locations - ideally as landlords not tenants.


London is definitely doable, but right now we need to be supporting Skolars & the development of amateur RL across the capital. Eventually, there should be a franchise in London - in one place, with one name, and staying that way.

In the meantime there are lots of promising avenues for expansion in the Midlands, South West & Wales.

Getting Sheffield, Nottingham, Bristol & Coventry into a place where they could launch a feasible SL bid, getting a second team in Greater Manchester and teams in South Wales should be the aim.

Do you mean a 7th team in Greater Manchester after Wigan, Salford, Leigh, Swinton, Rochdale and Oldham?

Wigan often close the North stand for the visit of certain clubs. Bradford, Catalans, London etc.

the game can afford it.......the clubs wont stand for it and as a result, the game will continue to blossom along the M62 but will wither as a national entity.

Wigan shut the North Stand for some games. Presumably we're doomed to fail as a club also.

So do Hull KR. Although the stand we close isn't actually in the same postcode...

Actually if the Rhinos were only getting crowds like London are I would, because out of the four sides at Headingley, the southstand should be the last to close.

Errr, were Crusaders NOT that very club, they collapsed in a tenth of the time London have taken.

Besides, I repeat this information AGAIN.

At the birth of SL, there were TWO clubs in the SE.

There are now 33, plus over 200 schools teams (60 girls teams too), AND 8 University sides as I keep saying, it's not ALL doom and gloom down here, it just looks it from up there!!

Now if we were REALLY serious about expansion, we would gradually expand out from the heartlands. North Derbys, North Notts and North Lincs all already have strong amateur sides, then theres CUMBRIA, Cheshire etc. This should have begun in about 1895 or there abouts!