Quote JB Down Under="JB Down Under"I'd have a 16 team two conference league
The ESL and the WSL (East and West). 8 teams in each. Play each team in your conference home and away and the other conference teams once, either home or away on a rotating annual basis. Playoffs feature 5 teams in each conference playing each other with the 4 semi finalists going through to an inter conference semi final and then GF.
Advantages: supports local rivalary and may engender an eventual county of origin with meaning, increases SL without adding too many games, more interest in playoffs, less travelling for fans.
Disadvantages: Costs more money with extra teams. One conference may be alot stronger than the other meaning better teams miss the playoffs, may be seen as too "American". Fewer games than currently (although the extended playoffs will make that up for some clubs)'"
Not sure about your play-off format. I'd stick to a format similar to the current top 8 (just without the club call as it wouldn't be possible in two conferences, there isn't a highest ranked team)...
Week 1:
1) 1st East vs 2nd West
2) 1st West vs 2nd East
3) 3rd East vs 4th West
4) 3rd West vs 4th East
Week 2:
5) Loser of 1 vs Winner of 3
6) Loser of 2 vs Winner of 4
Week 3:
7) Winner of 1 vs Winner of 6

Winner of 2 vs Winner of 5
Week 4:
9) Winner of 7 vs Winner of 8
A fair, uncontroversial play-off system where the two best ranked teams should meet in the final if they win all their games, and the only possible chance of a repeat game would happen in the final itself (unlike currently where both semis could be repeat games).
My two conferences would be:
Eastern - Bradford, Castleford, Harlequins, Huddersfield, Hull FC, Hull KR, Leeds, Wakefield
Western - Catalans, Crusaders, Salford, St Helens, Toulouse, Warrington, Widnes, Wigan
Home & away against your conference (14 games) and alternate home and away against other conference (8 games) leaves you with 22 games.
Try and get three TV games a week and sell them in these packages: 1 Eastern Conference game, 1 Western Conference game, 1 Cross-Conference game.
Move the Magic Weekend to the Challenge Cup.
Now, just need to find a way to make up revenue for 5 lost games (which we're looking at 60-70,000 people across each round)...