'Expansion' in the modern game is : BUMS ON SEATS & SKY SUBSCRIPTIONS - it's as easy as that !

intelligent marketing plus good buisiness sense from within the clubs at all levels would be a great plus...

Sorry , you have completely lost me there , not a clue what you are on about

then sadly,i'm flogging a dead horse.............

Maybe they know but arent telling us , but we'll know when they increase [ expand ] their salaries and expenses

replacing Fax & Widnes for whichever teams in SL won't change much at all - that's not 'expansion',far from it

'expansion',as the RFL sees it is spreading the game to a wider audience generally - as somebody said in an earlier contribution the the game of RL was lost in the 90s when the RFL mised out on the opportunites to really push the game when pro RU came to the UK - since then the've dawdled and struggled on.
The only way I see the game going to a wider audience is by better marketing from the clubs at all levels,more chances to play at school level nationwide and much more coverage on terrestrial tv.There is no magic formula IMO.Sadly we are at the mercy of SKY.

Then that's not "bums on seats" at all. Because replacing Quins and Crusaders with Widnes and Halifax would absolutely definately do that.

Where do you get this from?..

'expansion',as the RFL sees it is spreading the game to a wider audience generally.

That might be the case but it is so wooly as to be meaningless. We all want RL spread to as wide an audience as possible, the questions for the RFL are:

What they are aiming for?

How they will know they've achieved their aims?

How (and when) they plan to get there?

how do/can WE know the answers to your questions,ASK THEM ! we can speculate till the cows come home,all we can do is to support our teams as loyally as possible whatever league they may be playing in.What else can WE do ?

Unfortunatly the RFL are now very good at saying something without it actually meaning anything , the SL application is a case in point , they say there are criteria which clubs will be judged on , then after their main sponsorship partner examines several clubs on that criteria , they say that isn't the criteria they will judge on , then they say it is ' subjective ' which is another way of saying , " we'll put in whoever we want "

So what is the point asking them anything , they are nothing more than a bunch of glorified double glazing/second hand car salesmen , ie outright liers , they have told that many now they dont even know the truth anymore

rather cynical Starbug but difficult to disagree with much of our post

I say again, two wrongs don't make a right.

The question posed and the answer given was not whether expansion clubs will or won't fail or whether heartland clubs have any more right to exist than new clubs.

The above is not at issue. What is at issue is whether the RFL has a good record on expanding the game or not. The resounding answer has to be no. What compounds it IMO is that they don't even have a very good record of looking after their existing clubs. Sure it's not all down to them, RL clubs throughout history have proved to be some of the most selfish, incompetant and self serving organisations on the planet.

Yet rather than man up and take on the games self interest the RFL usually goes for the big expansionist gesture and usually fails.

Stop being defensive and trying to defend the indefencible. RL is a great game, with a great tradition but as yet after a 130 odd years it's governing body has still not been able to expand the game to a level that registers with the press and public alike.

Let's not kid ourselves, Catalan already existed, London has been an ongoing project since the 1920's and is yet to really yield an audience and for me the Crusaders are 20 years too late.

RL has had it's moments, but as yet breaking into the rest of the UK in a meaningful way is not one - the execution has been woeful and remains so, and the end result is patchy at best - fact.

There are two things needed to expand any sport. One is gaining popularity through the media and success on the pitch and attracting new and enthusiastic supporters. We have had some success there through the SL play offs, but sadly lack of international success has blunted the impact of the sport. On the back of that you need to throw bucket loads of cash at it to make it work. That cash can only come from the existing game. And at the moment that game does not generate the cash required. That is why the heartland clubs need to be strong and supported, something the expansionists choose to forget. Remember ALL the RFL's money is generated by the "heartland clubs". They produce the product SKY pay for, they produce the product the fans pay to see and they produce the raw material (players) that create the product. The RFL's job is to direct those products wisely as representatives of the clubs and to govern the game effectively. Until those goals are met and the cash flows expansion will remain an expensive dream and occasional nightmare - it's called reality.

RU and Soccer cream us at the moment because they have the cash and the profile. When they start a new venture they can afford to bankroll it, it's expected. Any one with a brain could see Crusaders would need to be subsidised for years. Yet we as a game and as fans seem shocked that they do, this despite endless previous example to the contrary. Why do we as a game do it, why do we lie to ourselves and pretend that Crusaders would ever be able to stand alone after a few years. This crisis/rescue plan shouldn't even be an issue, it should have been pre planned and budgeted for. Hence the RFL's reputation for incompetency in these matters continues and they rightly get flak. They need to stop bullsh*tting and tell the truth rather than trying to plaster over the cracks. Jeez if they had really tried with Fulham and put a plan in place they would be a giant by now, instead we have lost generations of London fans and players and lost all credibility in the city as one incarnation of London failed and was followed by another - makes you weep.

Maybe one day it will happen, but not one day very soon I fear.

According to the latest Sport England survey results (recently published) RL is shrinking, not exanding.

Their survey from July 2008 estimated that 77,000 people were actively participating in the game at different levels. The latest one says that figure is now 51,000 people. So a 30% decrease despite receiving £30m of funding to develop the grass roots - I reckon Sport England won't be falling over themselves to give us much funding next time around with that kind of return on investment.

no, you have made the exact same mistake in when you say 'the whole sport' you mean 'the championships'. Look at the fantastic results at youth and amateur level that has stemmed from having a professional visibility and the work Quins have done in the community there.