In my defence, I was bored today

With all the talk of change in the game and the way people seem to talk (naturally) about the 'good of the game' then in effect do things that ensure their particular club is 'safe' I wonder if this type of set up would reinvent the game a little or would it send people screaming in to their pint pots

I'd go for 5 Leagues of 8 clubs (play each team home & away Twice = 28 League Games, look at the gates we got under the Old second Division that Hetherington devised when we last had this).
Reason is pure and simple to create the intensisty in the on field entertainment week in week out and start building up the Players & fans as the most important thing in RL again with Chairman / Admin staff taking a back seat.
Equally adding Promotion/relegation for me gives a clear target to aim for (and to avoid) and stops what is becoming 'game picking' by some clubs and (to be blunt) some very unentertaining teams being put on the field as clubs use the 'picking youth' line as a cost cutting exercise that doesn't always deliver a quality on field product.
With each step up the club would have to carry out clear and simple ground improvements within 3 months of being promoted and have to increase its playing and off field staff with accounts available to the RFL audit department at any time on request (failure to comply means you lose 2 league points for each occasion, ensures the back room staff is run as well as the on field stuff).
Our game is still a minority one and despite millions of Murdocks money and some damn hard work by those in non RL areas it remains largely thus.

Top league = SL
Rest = RL Division 1 to Division 4 (each division sponsored if possible).

1 Up 1 Down from each division.

SL
==
Winners in SL (1st spot) = Best team in British RL so are the Champions / Win SL title / Will play against the Aussie Team in the WCC (home & away in each alternate year) / will play against the seasons touring team (Australia , NZ etc)/ Entered into Champions Premiership finals with first game guarenteed a home tie.

2nd Spot in SL = Will play against the seasons touring team (Australia, NZ etc) / entered into Champions Premiership finals with first game guarenteed a home tie.

8th Spot in SL = Relegated to RL Division 16
SL must be fully professional with a minimum of 26 Full time contracted players 7 Contracted coaches and 15 off field back room staff, these can be supplemented by part time players but to step on a field a player must have a full time contract that is for a minimum of 1 years duration from him stepping on the park. They must also run at least 5 teams under the club banner (Starting at reserve league then U20 / U18 / U16 / U14).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RL DIVISION 1
==========
1st Spot in RL Division 1 = Champions of RL Division 1 and Promoted to SL / will play against the seasons touring team (Australia , NZ etc)/ Entered into Champions Premiership finals with first game guarenteed a home tie.

2nd Spot in RL Division 1 = entered into Champions Premiership finals.

8th Spot in RL Division 1 = Relegated to RL Division 2

RL Division 1 clubs must have 20 fully professional contracted players 5 full time coaches and 7 full time off field staff, these can be supplemented by part time players playing in the team , they must also run a minimum of 5 teams run under the club banner (Starting at reserve league then U20 / U18 / U16 / U14).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIVISION 2
=========
1st Spot in RL Division 2 = Champions of RL Division 2 and Promoted to RL Division 1 / Entered into Champions Premiership finals with first game guarenteed a home tie.

2nd Spot in RL Division 2 = entered into Champions Premiership finals.

8th Spot in RL Division 2 = Relegated to RL Division 3

RL Division 2 clubs must have 10 fully professional contracted players, 2 full time coaches coaches and 2 full time off field staff, these can be supplemented by part time players playing in the team , they must also run a minimum of 5 teams run under the club banner (Starting at reserve league then U20 / U18 / U16 / U14)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIVISION 3
==========
1st Spot in RL Division 3 = Champions of RL Division 3 and Promoted to RL Division 2 / Entered into Champions Premiership finals with first game guarenteed a home tie.

2nd Spot in RL Division 3 = entered into Champions Premiership finals.

8th Spot in RL Division 3 = Relegated to RL Division 4

RL Division 3 clubs must have 5 fully professional contracted players, 1 full time coaches coaches and 1 full time off field staff, these can be supplemented by part time players playing in the team , they must also run a minimum of 4 teams run under the club banner (Starting at reserve league then / U18 / U16 / U14)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIVISION 4
==========
1st Spot in RL Division 4 = Champions of RL Division 4 and Promoted to RL Division 3 / Entered into Champions Premiership finals with first game guarenteed a home tie.

2nd Spot in RL Division 4 = entered into Champions Premiership finals.

8th Spot in RL Division 4 = Wooden spoonist, Re-election to league.

RL Division 4 clubs must have 3 fully professional contracted players, 1 full time coach and 1 full time off field staff, these can be supplemented by part time players playing in the team , they must also run a minimum of 4 teams run under the club banner (Starting at reserve league then U18 / U16 / U14)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Below RL Division 4 :
Development leagues that all play at the same time as the above clubs, to apply for official league status a bond must be left with the governing body (the amount of that bond is to be decided by the clubs in RL Division 3 who must vote on it (Its Division 3 voting rather than 4 to save any 'conflict of interests when voting thus it benefits the game in general).
Any club removed from league to be given 1 years coaching and 2 years financial assistance by the RFL with a view of being ready again to join the league.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE CHAMPIONS PREMIERSHIP FINALS
----------------------------------------------
End of season cup competiton involving top 2 teams from each division, Straight Knock out.
Round 1
-----------
Match A :1st place Div 1 v 2nd Place Div 4
Match B :1st Place Div 2 v 2nd Place Div 3
Match C :1st Place Div 3 v 2nd Place Div 2
Match D :1st Place Div 4 v 2nd Place Div 1
1st & 2nd Place SL given a bye.

Round 2
Match A : 1st Place SL v Winner Round 1 Match C = Winner straight to final.
Match B : 2nd Place SL v Winner Round 1 Match D
Match C : Winner Round 1 Match A v Winner Round 1 Match B

Round 3
Winner Round 2 Match B v Winner Round 2 Match C

Round 4
Final at Old Trafford
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Challenge Cup
Midweek floodlight fixture until Quarter Finals.
Each Division enters at each level of the competiton as it progresses.

NORTHERN RAIL CUP
-----------------------
Midweek Floodlit fixure for Development Leagues and Division 3 and Division 4.
Again each league enters at each level as competiton progresses.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- League Positions determined from where you finish in the league at the end of Season 2013, Any invited clubs coming in (From France for example) will have to prove in clear black and white they have the resources for whatever league they go in , any club unable to fund itself as set out above drop to league below and are replaced by one from below.
If not enough clubs feel they can sustain this type of approach we go with SL and RL Division 1 to 3 Divisions (possibly expanding Division 3 and altering the league structure to initially accomodate clubs) with the ones currently unable to enter the league placed in a Development league with a minimum of 3 years to be able to apply for League status thus giving time for the club to build up.

- Season runs from 1st week in March.

- All SL clubs must play 1 home fixture each season in a non RL area on the road to develop the game.

- If a club has had a player since the U16 league and he hasn't left the club he can remain off the salary cap until his 25th Birthday.

- All players who are 21 or under at the start of the season don't count on salary cap so long as they have a British / European birth certificate stating place of Birth was in that continent)

- Each SL and Division 1 club must have 1 Full time Continental European born player (ie not British) in the squad, again based on place of birth on birth certificate.

- Club into administraton : Inquiry into what happened by RFL audit department with ALL details published for anyone to read - helps for lessons learned and to ensure the 'damn we're doing that' doesn't happen. After any kind of administration the club starts the foloowing season on - 6 Points.

I'm sure theres 'a own goal' in the above as I've just typed it as I went along however I reckon it could be a lot worse !.
Sits back with tin hat

Two tens, FT. Then go 10/12 then 12/12 when clubs are ready. P&R between divisions, 3 year application process to enter with a stated intent to go 22 then 24 clubs.

Blimey Jenky if your bored Take Up Fishing

I've been thinking about this a bit in the off season. Obviously it's difficult as finances probably hinder many ideas.

12 team SL - League winners go straight to GF, 2nd-5th teams play off for other final. 2v5 3v4. Bottom 2 relegated

Wigan
Warrington
St Helens
Catalan
Leeds
Bradford
Hull
Hull KR
London
Huddersfield
Wakefield
Salford

12 team Championship - League winners promoted, 2nd-5th play off 2v5 3v4 winners to play off final @ Warrington, bottom two relegated

Cas
Widnes
Fev
Leigh
Fax
Sheffield
Batley
Keighley
Dewsbury
Swinton
Barrow
Doncaster

12 team Championship 1 - Same as Championship, not thought of a sensible idea for team who finishes bottom

Hunslet
York
Workington
Whitehaven
Rochdale
Oldham
Skolars
N Wales
S Wales
Gateshead
Hemel
Another 'expansion' team

This, but i'd go one up, one down and do a top 5 in the playoffs in all divisions. Think if, say Wire finished top and then the other sides played each other for a few weeks they would get a big advantage in playing and also financially.

I think the League Leaders Shield needs renaming to League Winners and a bigger financial reward for this.

@ Jenky

I think the 'own goal' lies with your play-offs. Just going off 2012's league rankings (assuming Leigh & Fev would be at the bottom of Div 1);

Round 1:
Bradford v Gateshead
Halifax v Barrow
Doncaster v Sheffield
South Wales v Hull KR

Round 2:

Wigan v Sheffield
Warrington v Hull KR
Bradford v Halifax

Round 3:

Warrington v Bradford

GF:

Wigan v Warrington

There's unlikely to be a single competitive game until the GF. A top 4 play-off within each division would be better.

The problems with the current structure seem to be:
1. The lack of P&R punishes ambition and rewards failure. It makes games down in the bottom part of SL meaningless and traps teams like us, Fev, Fax, Sheffield and Batley in the championship with little/no chance of advancement.
2. There’s too big a gap between the teams at the top of SL and the bottom resulting in uncompetitive games.
3. The main season is ultimately meaningless so long as you get in the top 8, the whole season comes down to a few games at the end.
4. Lower and mid table SL clubs are struggling financially to keep up with the wages paid by the bigger clubs.
To fix/improve this I’d have 2 full time leagues of 10 called Championship Division 1 and Championship Division 2, everyone would play home and away (18 games). Whoever finished top would get the old Championship trophies (or replicas if they’re now too fragile), this rewards consistency through the competition. There’d be P&R with top straight up and bottom straight down then playoffs with 2nd, 3rd,4th and 2nd from bottom of Division 1 (one up one down can create yoyo teams but 2 up 2 down could dilute quality too much if a team isn’t up to it). The bottom of Division 2 would be replaced by the winner of an Anglo-French competition between the top 2 of a National League 1 and The Elite League, providing the club met strict standards on finances, facilities, player development ect. There’d be 2 part time leagues, National League 1 of 12 and National League 2 which would be open to any new teams that could show they were up to the standard (finances, facilities ect) where whoever finished top won. There’d be similar P&R between the 2 National Leagues as the Championships. After the 18 Championship games the Super League would start, all 20 Championship teams would be divided up into 4 groups of 5 based on where they finished in the league (one team from the top 4, one team (randomly drawn) from 5th – 8th, one team from D1 9th – D2 2nd ect) and they’d all play each other home and away (8 games (18+8=26 games (1 less than the current regular SL season, but one week longer because of the byes). The top 2 from each group (8 teams) would then go into the playoffs for the Super League Grand Final as the season climax at Old Trafford. With this set up you’ve established a clear path from the bottom to the top not just for British clubs but also for French which will help the game over there (and prevents another Toulouse or early Catalan just being given a go when they aren’t up to standard). The Championship rewards consistency so you’re not going to get teams resting most of their players as we’ve seen this season as they know they’re already in the top 8/4. The smaller leagues will make games more competitive but by having the Super League groups you’ve not lost any games and the smaller clubs still get the payday from playing a big club and the big clubs still get to give some of the kids a try (just not every other week) in the Super League group stage. 2 leagues of 10 will make the game more exciting and meaningful as teams like Salford and London compete for promotion instead of being resigned to not making the SL playoffs every year, which should hopefully attract more fans which will help with finances. However you’ve still got the Super League with top 8 playoffs (only 8 from 20 rather than 14) and your big season climax at Old Trafford, which is what the Super League has become all about. Also with the talk of expanding the World Club Challenge to 3 teams per nation this also means that you’d have 3 very different 1st class competitions, The Challenge cup (no 2nd chances everyone can win but you have to win every game), The Championship (the most consistent team over all games) and The Super League (the team that can best handle the pressure of playing the top teams week in week out and win).