So the RL have now openly come out and stated their intention to kill off professional rugby outside of SL. By telling everyone except Widnes they can't qualify for SL (except foreign teams of course, we can't have too many of them) and by telling everyone outside SL except Widnes they can't have a scholarship team, they have made their stance pretty clear. The rest of us are left with nothing and no hope. One day when SKY finally pull out of RL future generations will bitterly regret these decisions. We will be left with Professional Rugby Union and only amateur Rugby League. God bless you Red Hall..

As I said on the other thread this is catastrophic decision.


If this is true (and I struggle to accept it because it seems such a nonsense) I would rather my club do one of three things:-

• Pack it all in.
• Switch to Rugby Union.
• Try to form a breakaway league with the other Championship and C1 clubs and negotiate a small TV deal with ITV or similar.

It’s like being held prisoner at gunpoint by a psycho who’s starving you to death. Better to try and escape and risk going down fighting than staying put to suffer a slow lingering death.

Agree totally with what you say ,i wish i was a millionaire then i would take the lot of them to court ,it shouldn't be allowed .There needs to be someone who says "hang on a minute ,you cant do that "like they have the house of lords to pass things ,the RFL should have to put forward any changes .

RUGBY LEAGUE, IS NOW MORE THAN EVER BEFORE - OFFICIALLY F***ED !

Could Championship/Championship 1 sides continue with their scholarship schemes and just ignore the RFL? (who don't seem to realise what's going on most of the time, anyway!) Maybe they could hold 'friendly' fixtures (just like the first teams, really!) against each other?

You all seem to be giving the RFL credit for double standards. (i.e. To get into SL you must have a youth policy - you can't have a youth policy) It could just be a case of the right hand and left hand not being connected to the same 'brain'!

Whats going to happen to the relegated SL club, will it be the end of their aspirations of returning to the "top flight"or will they be allowed to have a scholarship

Breakaway or die it appears.

Sad but true Demon

What is the point then in Widnes being in the championship next year. It will give a false league and could deprive a team from making the criteria from the next round. I say Widnes feck off now!!!!!!!!

I also won't be visiting the bigger champ clubs next season and beyond as I do not want to help with their crowd averages or turnover either.

....as predicted by many. Always said a breakaway is the only real genuine option, but comes down to all clubs supporting it and probably throwing some funding into a pot.

It won't make the slightest difference, the criteria had to fulfilled last year or this year and there is no way we will get in next time either, it will be Barcelona Barracudas or Stockholm Seagulls etc

What is the point of the Championship next season? Nothing tp play for. Crowds will be even lower now there is NO chance of promotion. No ambitious players will want to come to Championship teams and no youth to bring through. This is the worst position RL has ever been in. It is so short sighted to base a whole sport on 14 teams and one satellite TV channel. Someone needs to do something, we can't let this happen, can we?

The RFL, shortsighted? Never

They've been short sighted for years, but this is blind

The RFL would be stuffed bout the teams below SL, if the Champs and Barla got together too form there own Comp, the RFL would be screwed.