I like the idea, and would probably go with playing each other 3 times to get to 27 fixtures. It's not ideal, but no structure will be at this stage IMO.

I think it would be dependant on a significant increase in Sky funding however , as well as a French TV deal. To allow for the increased SC spend in the Championship..... Possibly SL1 on a Fri & Sat and SL2 on a Sunday?

I guess Leigh, Halifax, featherstone and Sheffield would come up from the Championship, as well as Toulouse, with 4 current SL clubs taking the number to 9, is there another club ready for that step up...?

I think Batley would be able to, and knowing Keighey they wont want to miss that second bite at the cherry, I think missing out on SL the first time is still very raw!

Ouch that's one heck of a lot of money to lose.

I wouldn't rule out NWcru for 2015.

Also it seems if sl is reduced it will only be by two clubs,the below is what Martin Sadler posted on TRL.


Just to clarify this, the Super League clubs meet next Wednesday and there will be a presentation to them discussing a range of options.

But this isn't being driven by Sky, although it's worth bearing in mind that the Sky contract does specify a minimum of 12 clubs and 24 weeks of competition, so the ten-team scenario seems highly unlikely.

In my view the Super League clubs would be remarkably stupid to reduce the size of the competition. In doing so they would not be addressing the main issue which, as I said on the programme, is the game's apparent inability to generate commercial income. Reducing the footprint of the competition would only make that job even harder.

Charge double.

Wasn't aware if the clause which meant no less than 12 clubs - however for this to work I believe Sky would need to agree to a funding increase so as long as they saw some benefit to them it may not be an issue - although I am sceptical they would buy in to it.

IMO whilst commercial revenue from sponsorships is obviously important, the tv deal is where the real money is.

When the TV money is divided between fewer clubs, each club will get more and as for losing income from gate receipts from the extra games, if the clubs that were removed from SL were London, Castleford, Widnes etc would it really be THAT massive?

In a break with tradition, Sadler almost has a point. However, it only works if we suddenly CAN generate commercial income. To use an extreme example, if we generated a £1billion commercial revenue, we could keep all 14 clubs, double the salary cap over night and enter into a bidding war for the worlds top stars. Brilliant. The trick is generating that commercial revenue.

If we CANNOT generate increased commercial income to any signifcant degree then there is no point raising the cap. It will mean that Wigan, Warrington and Leeds will streak away re spending. Salford, if Mr Koukash backs up any of his talk with pound notes, may join in but what about the rest? Saints presumably would be up for it too. Huddersfield? Maybe. Other than that? It's a two tier comp now. We have a much lower cap and it STILL doesn't stop clubs slitting their own throats to survive.

The sport is at a crossroads. The current custodians have a lot of responsibility of their shoulders - not sure a Scouse Nookie The Bear doppleganger like Barwick is the main to lead us...

It's not just the tickets, its people sat in hospitality, advertisement boards around the ground, shirt sponsors, kiosk food, etc etc. Non starter for me I think.

How will reducing the amount of clubs increase the player pool when they'd be less opportunities for English players in a 10 team league? Restructuring the league won't improve clubs infastructure, it won't improve marketing, youth development or improve relations within the community. Restructuring the league and bringing back P & R just seems like a short sighted knee jerk reaction that hasn't been thought through properly.

Super League One and Super League Two is a scenario thought up to bring back promotion and relegation for the sake of it. If anything, it will devalue the sport in this country further than it already is. It will also create what we have in the Championship now, with half the Super League clubs in that proposed second tier.

Are Sky going to broadcast as many SL2 matches? No. Will the clubs in SL1 complain half the television money is going to a second tier competition, when they are accommodating Sky most of the time? Yes. Therefore SL2 clubs will be left poorer. Wasn't there a post earlier stating SL1 and SL2 would prevent the rich getting richer, etc? Bull!

P&R between Super League and the Championships needs to return, but I don't have the answers as to prevent the reasons it was exiled to begin with - clubs bankrupting themselves in a single season trying to get into SL. The idea getting rid of P&R was with good intentions, but if anyone who listed to Radio Leeds on the way home on Sunday would have heard a guest say, P&R is engraved in the British sporting culture. Rugby League in the top flight currently goes against that, hence a drop in attendances. Widely publicised mismanagement at club level also doesn't help, and the fact the timing of the removal of P&R coincided with the worst worldwide financial disaster in the post-war era.

Whatever the way forward, I don't believe Super League One and Super League Two is the answer. It will just create another gulf between clubs.

But up until this season attendances had increased wince the removal of P & R.

Firstly, if a reduction to 10 teams (or 12) did occur, surely there wouldn't also be a reduction in fixtures - that would be just daft. So we'd get something like playing teams 3 times to provide a similar number to now - hence no loss of income through less fixtures.

Secondly, however, I agree with the posters above that this is a barmy idea. I hate seeing "solutions" put forward that actually solve a different problem to the one at hand. For RL in the UK our main problems currently are: 1) insufficient player pool leading to inability to increase competition consistently through the 14 SL clubs plus also leading to lack of quality / quantity at international level for the home nations and at elite level; 2) lack of media profile reducing commercial income / attendances.

For me, cutting the number of clubs in the top flight addresses neither of these key problems. In fact it will most likely just add to them.

re: not enough games and not enough interest in "SL2"

how about:

play each team in your own division home and away and then each SL1 team plays each SL2 team once, at the ground of the SL1 team with half of the gate receipts for that game going to the SL2 team

leads to a 28 game season

10 paydays for SL2 teams each season although they might get drubbed

keeps interest in SL2 alive for fans of SL1 teams

semi-pro expansion comp below SL2 with no promo and relegation but periodic applications to league

Im more interested in when are we going to hear from Mr Barwick and his book of contacts that will bring money or interest into the game.