Just read it and it`s an excellent piece.

Ideal replacement for the Tennis bloke.

Well he certainly tells the RFL how it is and why franchising has been the disaster for the pro game that was predicted.

Will the RFL act on it sadly I doubt it. The top 5/6 clubs in Non Relegation league need to give this serious consideration otherwise they might up with a six club league were they each play each other 5 times a season.

Anyone who thinks franchising is working maybe you would post your own views on that article.

Never been a fan of the parachute payment. Why give a failed team a better chance of winning the following year? Very unfair and could lead to a one horse race (as Salford / Hudds a few years ago).

The parachute payment would be my only gripe ,if the players can get out of their contracts I don't see the need for one ,it would make it unfair for the rest of the Championship ,other than that it all makes sense

Why does a club need a parachute payment if contracts would already be in place where players and staff would be free agents or have reduced wages?

What a fantastic piece.
Lets not beat about the bush here - RL at semi pro level is in its last years unless something is done pretty soon, we are losing fans (ironically the 'we' doesn't really apply to ourselves as much but look at the rest) in both Championship Divisions and I'm not sure some of the clubs in SL at the wrong end are really helping their long term prospects as they are always going to lose far more than they win - why continue to watch that every week - even loyal fans deserve a break from that.
You can be brilliant on the field (even be great off it) but the daft closed shop nature of RL in this country is alien and for every benefit that is percieved by some the fact remains we are losing support at semi pro - is SL picking up that slack or is the sport actually losing the very people it needs to survive - the supporters.
Lewis created a' them & us' in RL, Completley killed off the RL family IMO and was responsibile for the governing body being viewed as untrustworthy by a lot of people - and thats just not fair on the guys who work damn hard in that organisation trying to expand the game.
Equally instead of expansion clubs being welcomed with opened arms most are now viewed as a threat that will operate to a different set of rules to all other clubs - again that is unhealthy for the game.

RL is still a minority sport and I would argue we now have less known sport personalities than from when SL began - with all its millions invested in hot air, if you don't have SKY RL is a sport that hardly exists.

I want Leigh to be able to go through the leagues on merit, I also want Hemel etc to stand a chance of building up on merit and have their fans experience highs and lows as thats what British sport is all about - no leg ups because of the location as it achieves nothing (look at London Bronco's, heck they averaged nearly a thousand in the old 8 team second division - and many of those was local enthusiasts / fans - has propelling them really helped in the long term ?
False hopes and no substance has ended ambitious projects in Paris, Gateshead and in North and South Wales , this interference and messing with a obsession of proving we are a 'global game' has probably set the Wrexham crusaders back 3 or 4 years and nearly killed off clubs support in what once was a RL heartlands in Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cumbria.
Would Celtic Crusaders have really lost out by being built up properly ?
We gambled the existance of the sport in North and South Wales and in the North East we are exceptionally lucky we still have enthusiasts in these areas fighting to keep the game going after the governing body has made mistakes that have until recently remianed unchallenged.

Until RL gets its act in order and realise that it ISN'T a business as per every normal business model (you have no emotional attachment in real business - if something is failing you bin it and damn quickly - you cannot use that if running any sports club, let alone a minority sport one), RL is supposed to be in the entertainment industry which means the most important people are the guys on the pitch - not the guys in the directors box, how many fans can name the Widnes chairmen but cannot name the Widnes full back or scrum half - the game has to get its priorities right.
People tell me that the youth won't get a chance if SL has relegation - what a load of
utter tosh, aside from the fact we now have dual contracts which is seeing many players step up when returning to the parent club if a club cannot field a player because the match is deemed too critical to play him then put bluntly that player isn't yet ready and shouldn't be put on a field in a sport that is all about enertaining those that have payed hard earned cash to be there.

It all sounds fine....then he spoils it with the ridiculous concept of the 'relegated' team in SL getting another chance to redeem themselves and making the 'Champions' in the Championship jump through yet another hoop to hopefully gain promotion!!

Promote the Champions - relegate the bottom club.....it works in every other sport with a league structure!!

Parachute payments should only be used to 'scale down' the administrative side of the club over twelve months. Any SL playing contract becomes null and void upon relegation. Any club wishing to retain a player on a full-time contract must do so within the constraints of the Championship salary cap.

The only other tweak I might be tempted to make, just to allow things to 'bed-in' following the transition from part-time to full-time status, would be to allow the promoted club a 12 months grace period (if they finish bottom in their first season then 2nd bottom is relegated).....I believe, over time this could take away the 'yo-yo' effect, and move us toward a two division SL as the wealth would be more evenly distributed (potential for 'big' clubs who have a poor season to get sucked into the relegation dog-fight....and if they go down, bigger crowds in the championship the following season). It will be incumbant upon the promoted club to get their house in order, make best use of their salary cap (promoting from within their youth set-up rather than overseas journeymen), and build their fanbase (salary cap could be set at a % of attendance and sponsorship income - all SKY revenue spent on facilities/Academy/Community/etc)

Two FT tens is the only way at present. Too few clubs are in a decent state to move to a FT structure.

If you take his model then the winner must be promoted and the bottom relegated. No need for parachute as stated, and 6000 extra per round equates to £1.5m not £2.5.

£400k from central funds to The Championship would allow FT clubs to operate but to have a chance of staying up the season should end in August not October for recruitment purposes.

The general feeling is that something needs to be done before its too late, I personally welcome ideas like these because the debate should be about how and when, not if.

Even though we had a bit of banter on another thread,I must say,I totally agree here. Well said.

Think he's saying over 26 rounds (14 teams playing each other twice) so 26 rounds x 6000 fans = 156,000 extra fans, at say £15, would equate to about £2.34Million. However, that's just an assumption, on my part!

EXCELLENT ARTICLE, BUT DO NOT LIKE THE IDEA OF PARACHUTE PAYMENTS.

Some great ideas in these posts - All I can say living 250 miles away is Keep the Pressure On - sooner or later somebody might listen. (When I was involved with Kent Invicta, we had clubs like Salford and Huddersfield in Div 2.) I guess many of us remember "Glory Days" at Swinton and Oldham, so lets not think that the present set up is forever.