A senior club official

Seems like they (RFL) will go out of their way to help some clubs and yet they can't be bothered to help others when it doesn't fit their plan to do so.

taken from the leigh reporter website.

Cap doesn't fit for Leigh

Published Date: 16 September 2009

Leigh Centurions have asked for a meeting with the Rugby Football League to try and seek a special dispensation for next year's Cooperative Championship One salary cap.
The standard salary cap for level for Championship One is £150,000, as opposed to the £400,000 permitted for the Championship – the division from which Leigh were relegated at the end of the season.

With big-name Super League stars Robbie Paul and Ricky Bibey already signed up for next season and Tim Hartley and John Duffy also joining the club from Widnes, Leigh have seemingly already committed a big part of their allotted salary cap funding to contracts for the next campaign.

And with Ian Millward heading to the club on October 22, Centurions are hopeful that they will be able to persuade the RFL that there is a special case.

"We have a meeting pending with the RFL with a view to receiving dispensation on the salary cap next year." said chief executive Allan Rowley.

"At the end of the day, the salary cap was brought in to protect clubs from spending all their money on players, in order that they could improve their facilities.

"But in our case, we have a new ground, and can't improve our facilities and the only area of our business in which we need to spend money is on players.

"That is the line our discussions will be taking."

Whether it meets with success or falls on rocky ground remains to be seen, but Leigh are determined to leave no stone unturned in their bid to build a side that can beat not only the best in Championship One, but in the Championship too, as they bid to lift the Northern Rail Cup and become the first club to do that from a lower division.

Historically though the omens are not good and it will take a great deal of persuasion to get the dispensation they seek.

Meanwhile, the club has denied the rumours that Salford City Reds and Ireland World Cup centre Stuart Littler is abut to join the club.

Rowley said: "Stuart has 12 months left on his contract at Salford.

"He is a regular at our matches because he is a Leigh lad, but at this time he is not on our agenda."

Wigan had a dispensation a few years ago to keep the Rugby Union away from Radlinski and others and to keep the GB team strong. I don't think this applies to Leigh (just yet). Can't see the RL offering us anything. What about the parachute deal - does that apply for this division?

So we will end up Robbie and Ricky and 23 Under 21s as they don't count on the salary cap

If true one would imagine that its a court appearance looming to 'solve the problem'.

On a slightly different tack, but with the same implications, Toulouse were granted a 'special dispensation' on overseas' players, for 2009 season. The RFL told them they would only be allowed one overseas' player, (honestly!) but Toulouse countered that they were 'already committed to having signed five' The 'special dispensation' was granted for them to keep five, presumably because they couldn't then sack five people who had been awarded contracts, but that they had to reduce to one overseas' player in 2010. (I wonder if that will happen? )

If the salary cap is suppose to protect clubs...how come saints lose 200k a year? and no wembley this year for them and no old traffold looks bad for them

Anyway,so back to leigh does this mean we have 150k to spend on a squad of 25 players...whats that £125 a week per player

Build the team and fook um

Talk about missing the bloody point......


Here's the simplified version for plastic scousers:

We've already signed contracts with a few players that will push us up towards our limit with the salery cap. The balance will have to be spread over the other 20 odd players, giving them the top side of feck all each.

We can't cancel the contracts we've signed as they would need paying up, money which would come out of the salery cap. So we would be paying players off for not playing. Thats obviously not going to help.



Understand now? No one is saying "We should have more money because we're Leigh, but that we're going to be bollo**ed due to previously signed contracts". Two totally different things - if Donny had signed a couple of large contracts (I know... but bear with me here!) then the same argument would apply there.

Even simpler: If Saints should have a catastrophic season next year and slip into the Championship, then would you be happy for them to kiss all their players goodbye after paying off their contracts, leaving theclub short of money?
No, I thought not.

Got it now Mickey?

I think you are missing the point Nik
We signed big name SL players while involved in a relegation battle.

ps I am not against us having more expensive and better squad than rest of C1. Because I think salary cap doesn't work in championship because of relegation etc

The problem lies with the RFL , they want a salary cap in Championship and Championship 1 , but the contracts for both divisions is the same , what happens if say Widnes sign a full team at the max Championship SC all on 3 year contracts , is that unreasonable ?

Now then what happens if that club is relegated ?

Are you saying that Championship clubs should only be allowed to offer 1 year contracts ?

We have done nothing different to several other clubs , what do you want us to do , not sign anybody while other clubs take the pick of players because we ' might ' be relegated

Saints might go bancrupt next season so you are only allowed 1 year contracts and you cannot sign anybody until you have deposited 1.8 million in the bank , is that reasonable ?