Heard today that promotion and relegation will probably return at the end of the current franchises. Anybody else read this?

You didn't hear that at all, you heard a comment that it looked like they were laying the groundwork for wriggling out of it. I should know, I made it!

See above comment.

Should be every 2nd season or you will go straight back down in your 1st SL season.........hard to get a decent SL squad in your 1st season.

Widnes are a prime example of it this season - have some good players but are finding it hard even with a rich backer, no current Champ club as a rich boy behind them at the mo so it would be very hard to survive.

As much as i want P&R back i just think its pointless until the gulf between the two divisions has been closed sufficiently to allow you to step up with the majority of the squad you've currently got, and then you can add some quality to help you to be competitive,at least with the bottom half of sl.

Widnes have someone who has stopped them from disappearing from the RL map. They have the mans company as their stadium sponsor. They have now got a plan that will make sure that it won't happen again unless something catastrophic happens. This game has been run like a gentlemans club from the top to the bottom and it is taking the demise of founder members for it to sink in. A few on here have been caling for this game to be run more business like for ages. Maybe Bradfort will now make people sit up and smell the cwaffee.

Why is the (so called) gap so big now ?
Part of it is maybe, that when there was PROMOTION & RELEGATION, the likes of Leigh, Whitehaven, Widnes, Salford, Hull KR, Cas, Wakefield had full time squads, or some of the players were.
Some Promoted clubs 1st season in SL statsNOT EVERY SIDE DID A LEIGH CENTURIONS SUPER LEAGUE 2005 CAMPAIGN !!!

OK! Just thought I'd ask and see whether I would get the usual response. You did,t let me down!!!!!!

They were already in SDL......think they won one or two, but then had points deduction for going into administration mid season....or was it salary cap?? Either way, they were already in SDL.

The point that was being made, was that not all promoted clubs die on their s in the first season in SDL!! We were the victims of a system that gave us about three months to put a squad together....months after everyone else in the division had sorted their squads out!! The other thing that must be considered is that most of the teams listed were already full-time set-ups, and in the case of Hudds/Salford/Cas remained so during their 'gap years' outside SDL.

The bottom line problem is the bottom line. Championship clubs are p/t, have a salary cap of £400k, and a turnover of £750k, or thereabouts. SL clubs have a salary cap of £1.75m, plus £50k on Academy, and a turnover of £2.5m +. Clubs can't go from one to t'other, and back again, with 4 months' notice. Best option, medium term, would be two full time divisions...