Hi Bramley.

Leigh are all set to go now regards Academy status, just 1 season after entry to SL & without any guarantees of future membership of SL, I don't feel that's too bad is it ?
2 'Big' Clubs F.C & K.R 'Share' an Academy having previously ran their own.

There is much that goes for having a Catalans or Toulouse (preferably both) & a Toronto & London, if it were me then I would put all 3 on notice to prepare for direct entry in 2019.

Let's return to Leigh's 2nd season v Catalans decade in SL.
Firstly it must be so much easier to prepare & set up for Academy status & also for recruitment on a general level when as a club you are gifted direct entry & guaranteed membership for 6, yes six years !
Should Leigh have had an Academy before entry to SL ? Well yes, if a) they could afford it & b) we had anyone to play with that Academy.

In terms of talent pool, is it not our amateur Clubs that are providing that talent to our professional clubs for them to polish ? In which case the town of Leigh provides plenty.

What is certain in this Leigh v Catalans debate is that 'directly' via the turnstiles Leigh are of greater benefit to 'every' SL Club, what is indeterminable is what Catalans presence in SL brings financially to the SL table & how much of that the RFL pass on.

I assume that those who favour a return to 'Franchising' are also in favour of the criteria for modern SL standard stadia, as was forced by threat of expulsion on Salford ? Maybe this time that criteria could be enforced to the letter.

#OneMoreGame

There is more to RUGBY LEAGUE life, than 'Sooper Dooper' League pal, but it's that pathetic line typed by other numpty's that is annoying. "What do Leigh BRING to Sooper League" Like the one's who have typed that, give a to55 what their club do or don't BRING to the game. It's just a 'wind up' comment by expansion lovers, or folk who don't like our owner/club.

As a London RL fan I can appreciate the irony of discussing "attendances' but the reality is that Leigh have a potential to get to maybe a 7k average at best......and that's it. Nothing wrong with that....Leeds united get twice the crowds of the Rhinos and Leeds Rhinos are arguably the biggest club we have. Catalans have the potential to get 20k if not more...so for the good of the games growth, the French to stay please.

Wouldn't disagree with much of that ( apart from a sneaking feeling their attendances are ' doctored ' after my visit this summer ) so they should have achieved a lot more on the pitch than they have , my feelings are that basically the French are useless , far too much politics within the sport for them ever to grow

So yes they bring more to SL than possibly anybody else , but unfortunately they are not very good on the pitch , so , if they lose on Sat , they go down , simple as , it's called ' Sport '

Do you do 'Stand Up' ? Because you should !

A few years back we did have one , but we were refused entry to the SL comp , we ended up with games constantly being called off because our ' opposition ' couldn't raise a team , so we dumped it

Also realistically as a Championship club surrounded by 3 of the biggest clubs do you think we could have developed SL quality players ?

So now we are putting in place the necessary structures , will having 20 odd 16/17 yr olds taken out of their community clubs after they have been passed over by Wigan,Saints and Wire produce SL quality players ?

I think we will have our work cut out , don't you ?

Many thanks to my fellow Leythers for clearing this up with the barrage of nincompoops challenging the developments of our club.

I remember all to well watching London Broncos lose to Leigh in that disheveled hole of a ground (Gansons Birthday) and thinking to myself, why would our game dare call itself the Greatest Game when one of the top 14 teams in the UK and 30 globally played out of a stadium where you could take a pi55 and still watch the game over the lavy wall?
Leigh are a great and traditional club.....just not the future of our game!

Isn't it great to see a ground ' stadium ' very similar to that disheveled hole the home of the team that has just made this years GF , haven't we moved on ?

Quite possible that our ' Champions ' will be playing out of a stadium ' very loose term ' that didn't pass the criteria for SL entry back in the year 2000

SL just keeps getting better and better

Thanks for that. Very informative.

The Jungle is streets ahead of where Leigh used to play home games......and as I said, Leigh is a great club as are Castleford......just not the future of our game if we want to be taken seriously as a Pro sport. And Castleford own the "mend a hose' don't they?

Possibly Catalans v Toulouse. But you don't need to be SL to see that fixture,do you! SL has done its job,its time for others to leave their mothers apron strings. We need to start to get our own home game in order from now on.

Puzzled. Is this a reference to oft cited but never proven "extra funds' we used to get down south?
I'd love RL to be a self sufficient sport but like so many others.......no Murdoch = no professionalism.....and if you want relevance, you need a team in London.

Will it meet the criteria of licensing?.. Hilton Park did,the Willows didn't.

So sorry I didn't realise we were on a history lesson , Leigh play at the LSV stadium , have done for 10 seasons now

As for the jungle , don't talk complete nonsense it's a dump

But I don't actually care , because as you say it's sport , it's what happens ON the pitch that goes into the history books