There has to be a punishment for the level of mis-management Bradford have overseen.

May not mean a team coming up, but you can't allow a club to do that and carry on as though nothing happened.

It can't, by definition, marginalise the sport any further, as Fax and Bradford are about 8 1/2 miles apart but, by swapping the Bulls for Fax, it wouldn't exactly be expanding the game !

Leeds turnover is about £11m IIRC

Swapping Bradford for Tolouse wouldn't be expanding the game. All it would be doing is draining money from it to prop up an unsustainable club once again. Catalans worked because it is in RL heartlands and they have no direct competition. However Toulouse is a RU town and always will be. They couldn't sustain a championship team so a SL is never going to work.

Perpignan is a RU town more than RL - USAP get bigger crowds than the Cats

when the Cats started the crowds at UTC & St Esteve were like the crowds at nearby Pia et al - the RL crowds were cultivated as will happen at Toulouse when they are admitted either now or in a couple of years time which would be preferable

Toulouse is a much richer city than Perpignan with huge investment possibilities, more so than Perpignan and the Toulouse catchment area is immense also taking in Villeneuve, Albi, St Gaudens and others

a semi successful TO13 side would attract about 8K-10K when established like the Cats

Someone on here talking sense SPOILER ALERT !

"When" not "if". You seem pretty certain about that. Do I smell more dodgy deals done behind closed doors?

Mind you, it's common knowledge that the reason they left the Championship was because they were never going to qualify for SL via that route so once they were no longer a member they could be "invited" to join.

Unless Im mistaken the fact there is a franchise system in place would mean the RFL would have to break the law to admit Toulouse in to SL simply because it is impossible for them to meet the criteria they set. Then again when has breaking the law ever concerned the RFL.

Clubs outside the UK can be ' invited ' to enter SL

it is a case of 'when' and not 'if' as long as the ground renovations are completed - if these measures are in place TO13 will make a formal application to join the SL

Various SL chairmen plus regular visits from RFL officials are not coincidental

it's not a done deal but the RFL recognise the huge potential in Toulouse, a rich city with big potential backers, bigger than anything in the UK at the moment

the reason they left the Championship was because of the reality of trying to make a bunch of semi pros like Fax or whoever compete on an equal footing which was impossible due to travel & work committments - it's hard enough for the Catalans but they have proved it can be done if the club is full time pro

Well done for making up a rule, but then when have facts ever bothered RL fans.

Playing Devils Advocate here, can you see why that rule regarding application for clubs outside the UK might wind people up?