I used to hate 'Licensing' & with good reason *because it was corrupt* however the way things are currently I now believe licensing could be the way forward !

FWIW I would admit the following Clubs with notice to be SL ready for 2022 .....

Leigh *my Club*
Bradford
Toulouse
Widnes

In addition I would admit Toronto from 2021 regardless of P&R results

Obviously this would give 17 teams if none are to be relegated or lose a licence place, however the NRL coped with this & for a short period so could SL, that is until a further Canada/U.S.A club is ready !

Leigh, Bradford and Widnes have tried, and failed.

How many games do you want the clubs to play each season ??
Also, with the game "desperate" to expand into N.America, what mechanism would you have for admitting additional clubs and what is your limit for the number of clubs in the top flight.
Remember, the old first division had 16 clubs when it finished and SL used to have 14 clubs, which was deemed too many, hence the cut to 12.
Personally, 14 clubs with a balanced fixture program looks about right and to avoid increasing the number exponentially, there needs to be relegation and promotion from The Championship.
The current format may not be ideal but, at least if your club gets relegated, there is a way back (at least theoretically).
Franchising will create some winners but, it would also preclude some clubs with genuine aspirations to play top flight rugby.

I've said numerous times that we should have moved to 14 clubs when the last change took place and it's mickey poor that those running the sport couldn't sell this idea to Sky, which maybe demonstrates the lack of appeal which is offered by our all new trans-Atlantic game ?

And after all, it's important after a setback to never have another chance. That's a cracking philosophical approach for a misanthrope.

No they haven't.

Well speaking as a Bradford fan we never won anything in SL as I recall. Utter failure year in year out.

Leigh, Bradford, Toulouse, Widnes would all add something to SL.

There is no middle ground in SL due to not being enough clubs in it, you are either in the playoffs or relegation battle and that in itself is no good for the sport.

If you are unfortunate to be in a relegation spot the target should be aiming for safety and not the playoffs. the target should be realistic and achievable.

Plus, the variety of matches now on Sky is awful and must be affecting viewing figures, if I have to watch Leeds or Castleford again im going to cancel my subscription.

There needs to be more variety and in my opinion 16 teams would be ideal.

Maybe not in SL, but Bradford was a class act for years and I for one miss watching the style of rugby the played.

Surely, what we have now with every game being important (either for the relegation battle or for a play off spot) is EXACTLY what the sponsors and Sky would want, allowing them, theoretically at least, to promote every game ?
The middle ground, where there is "nothing" on the game, means that there will be less interest from Sky and the viewers alike.
Which game would you rather watch ?
I'm ok with adding the sides that you mention but, how many games do you want in the regular season and you dont seem to be making any allowance for the influx on N.American clubs.

The thing to remember here is, that it's pro sport and not school sports day and not everyone gets to win.

Fundamentally, we either have franchising and a closed shop top flight or, some form of promotion and relegation, which means that someone will be unhappy every season. Equally, the promoted side will be happy, ying and yang.

I think your misunderstanding, aiming for the middle ground does give you something to play for? It means that there is something between the playoffs and relegation, something worth fighting for.

London could this year get relegated on the highest points total of any team in the SL era, and they have been brilliant, a breathe of fresh air with a team that predominantly came up from the championship and I don't think that is fair, Leigh were relegated in 2017 and didn't even finish bottom, they played decent rugby that year just like London and beat all the top 4 teams.

I believe 14/16 teams gives that small tolerance whereby teams like London/Leigh/Toulouse/York/Bradford can be promoted and set their target as "safety" and not "playoffs" which is probably unrealistic. it gives them time to consolidate.

16 Clubs currently in the NRL & they are looking to expand into Perth. While the NRL is by far more professional than SL you can set a timetable & platform for clubs on the cusp/fringes of SL to be SL ready with a guarantee of acceptance given achieved mandatory requirements.

Something along those lines would provide those clubs with SL ambitions who are 'almost there' to apply the necessary frameworks & make investments to be SL ready within a timetable.

Widnes finished bottom twice & on both occasions Hull K.R & then Leigh were relegated via the MPG. While I would re-admit Widnes *requirements met* their reward for being the worst team in SL was another year in SL !!!

As a point of pedantry, Huddersfield we’re bottom after 23 rounds the year we went down. Widnes were up in 7th.