As one who has always preferred P&R, this is good news. If your good enough on the pitch you stay up, if not it's bye bye. The only fair way to run any sport. At least clubs will know what they have to do, which is be at least third from bottom instead of worrying about a franchise bid, which can be manipulated to keep certain clubs in SL.

I thought you told me the exceptional talented leaders at the RFL had a strategic plan. Was this not in it then?

OK. 12 teams x 2 leagues. Both leagues play full seasons. Then top 8 SL playoff final. Bottom 4 SL play top 4 of Championship. If this definately means top 4 of that 8 join SL next season then it might work.

However the bottom 8 playoff of championship is meaningless.

Does this also mean the money normally handed to 13th and 14th SL clubs will now be split across the 12 championship clubs? Not a lot each, but its something.

Wonder if season pass prices will be reduced since you're getting 2 less home games in regular season.

Previously I was against this because split would happen mid season and didn't allow for the usual good Nd bad patches you get in every season. This way it is a normal full season with playoffs which is fairer.

I could see this changing to SL 6 team playoff and bottom 2 vs top 2 champ clubs. That might work even better.

You thought wrong. I've never said the RFL leadership were exceptional, just asked that you criticise them for things they have actually done/failed to do, rather than the made up/incorrect stuff you were criticising them for

It may well signal the end of certain clubs, but maybe those clubs need to face the reality that, for years, they have not been self financing. They have become so dependent on Sky money that they don't raise any other income.

When I see clubs moaning that they can't afford £1.6m in wages, when they get a TV payment of £1.6m, what the **** are they doing other than sitting back and waiting for handouts? Basically they don't even raise enough outside of tv revenue to pay for rent/staff/utility bills!!! What brilliant boards they must have ......

The RFL has said they can't raise the salary cap because it would see certain clubs go under .... so what we as a sport do instead is prevent clubs with money from spending it up front .... instead they have to invent ways to pay their players 'off the books' .... all of which means we bleed players to NRL/Onion ...... absolutely ludicrous.

Can't wait for the chaff to be blown away on the breeze .... To the Future.

this isn't good news for Leigh fans. All the work they have out in place to improve infrastructure is forgotten, there are now two less places in SL for them and two more, better funded, better prepared sides in competition for it.

The only way you could even begin to bridge the financial gap is run 2 leagues of 10, with P&R, increase the cap and quota levels in the bottom league to more than they have now but less than SL, enough so that players can go full time.
For this to happen though the big wigs need to start attracting money to the game, if they're struggling why not incentivise anyone to bring it in.
Some random stranger not interested in RL told for every £ he attracts to the game he'll get 20% of any profit that brings to the game. Sounds far fetched but WE NEED TO ATTRACT MONEY. Until we do that the system we have now is the only sensible one we have.

Who is telling the SL clubs to part with more more?,it cant be the rfl can it?

Does this signal the termination of the dual-registration bollox?

I hope so.

My biggest worry is that Superleague reverts back to the short-termism we saw prior to licensing. I was a supporter of the licensing system & think it should’ve been given more time (4.5 years isn’t long enough).

For the new structure to work, the RFL & Superleague Clubs need to agree to uphold the maximum of 5 non-fed trained players, and the minimum of 5 home-grown players in their squads – at the very least, to ensure the good work done bringing through youth so far is carried on.

The dual-reg system / U21’s / reserves also needs a re-think.

Championships should have to meet minimum criteria to enter SL (even as promotion winners). Nothing as stringent as what was the current licensing criteria, things like a minimum stadium capacity, must be running an academy etc.

Championships to receive a much larger proportion of the Sky money, enabling them to (if they’re not already) to go fulltime & invest in their youth.

Championship salary cap needs to be made bigger, as currently the gap is way too big.

Does this signal the termination of the Tragic Weekend?

Agree with all of this, although the franchise system was fatally flawed from the off as there weren't enough clubs able to meet the minimum standards needed to break even. This made it difficult to grow when you're doing all you can to keep your head above the water in a competition you can't afford to be in.

The way I would like to see it work would be as the revised 12/8 system. The clubs could either sell season tickets for all fixtures or split it in two parts.

I don't know why people think the 12/8 proposal is complicated. The first part is a straight 12 team league and the second part is just an extended play-off system, which is actually fairer and simpler than the current systems used. I'd like to see this end with a top 4 straight knock-out play-off for the championships. 2 semis (1v4 and 2v3), winners to the grand final, high pressure games and none of this 2nd bite of the cherry nonsense.

The top four qualifiers of each 8 could get the extra home fixture from the 7, assuming magic can't be moved to this part of the season.

Although the bottom 8 would seem less valuable, they could still be crowned SL3 champions and have some prize money and a trophy. It would also be an opportunity for more sponsors to be involved (assuming the RFL employ someone with some marketing nous).

All this relies on a more even split of cash. Will the big clubs agree to a cut in central funds though? The system should ensure higher attendances, so extra income there. The top 24 clubs need to be pushed towards full-time environments.

It's not complicated. It's just a stupid, gimmicky farce of an idea.

Fricking ridiculous, most of he country don't understand RL and we are now going to make it even harder to understand what's going on. If they are serious just introduce three ten club divisions, one up one down. SL salary cap - 1.7mill, div1 - - 1mill, div 2 - 1/2 mill. Stop messing with the game will you rfl. For an organisation that can't even get a sponsor does anyone have any faith in this not being a total screw up and changing again in 2018?