Tony Sutton: RFL chief executive says rugby league can enter 'new phase' with grading changes - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/67261448 Not sure if I think this man is deluded or not! Thoughts?

Tony Sutton: RFL chief executive says rugby league can enter 'new phase' with grading changes - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/67261448 Not sure if I think this man is deluded or not! Thoughts?

You make a very good point BT & it's not bring back Rimmer.

"If we're getting to the point where there are 12, 15 or 20 Grade A clubs, then what we've put in place has absolutely worked."

I'd go for deluded. The grading system makes it extremely difficult (virtually impossible) for a team outside the Super League to achieve 15 points.

Performance scoring is lower (fact). Exceptional and unlikely to be able to get top level attendances/TV viewing. Finance likely to get lower scores in the Championship although I guess portions of the Finance scores are achievable.

The only way Championship clubs could approach Grade A (and especially in large numbers) if the sport suddenly became a massive powerhouse. I suggest the likely reality is teams outside the Super League will actually lose interest as even improving their grading brings no certainty of getting an SL place. And if that next level of teams is so far from SL standard you risk the Rugby Union scenario where any teams folding have no viable replacement.

IMG claim the SL isn't a closed shop. In reality that is exactly what it will become.

20 Grade A teams. So funny!

Well said, Smithers99.

Lol.....just lol

I've read some blox over the years regarding the club knowing/understanding what was needed, but now the RFL have swallowed it hook line and sinker.
Delusional is too polite, but probably all that's permitted on here without a ban.
London will go down (announced in July/August but probably mathematically by June) and unless they spend on excess of a million a year on marketing and the same again on player development over a decade will not even track the top 20, let alone get near the top 14.
A new investor with time and money is needed. Alas, Hughes thinks his "words" will somehow lead to an uptick in fortunes. If they spend a cent on marketing 2024 the reality is, it's a cent wasted.

A bit worrying that the chief executive said London had engaged with the framework fantastically after the play off game. He is easily pleased if it just involves doubling the amount of facebook posts you put out.Not sure waht sport it was , but i was watching a minority sport last week from overseas and they said to engage the local community they let everyone in free for the first two games and those fans kept coming back.
Plus i am sure the club would reap the rewards by gaining some back in food sales and merchandise if they got there ass in gear and got to produce some affordable quality clothing.Last years training shirts they sold were embarrassing. You could pick them up on the Errera website for £5 without a London badge.

You can still pick coach tickets for the Featherstone game on the club website.I might book one as i think we might get a result up thereicon_smile.gif

BT, how much have you been drinking?

Always! BTW any update on the proposed move to yet another ground?

On the topic of shirts and Sponsorship. Given we will have 27 games next year, each shown on TV, with an guestimated SKY average audience of 20k/250k, if we can't cover our shirts in sponsors, then there's something very wrong with that! At the high end of my guess, that's close to 7,000,000 people over the course of the season. Double down and get hoardings up for all our home games. It really shouldn't be difficult to sell.
I'm of the opinion that anything other than bring a mate and free kids with adults to the locals is about the length of the marketing for 2024. Getting spanked isn't going to bring anyone back.

Speaking of DELUDED. Taken from the clubs Twitter Feed....

....was there a Hockey section?

I think Hughes' comments immediately post the Toulouse game are illustrative of his broader ambitions and thinking;

"I just hope next season we get more fans, more support seeing the big games and the big teams".

"HOPE" springs eternal in the canyons of Hughes' brain. I believe next season he is bringing his neighbours to help swell the crowd.

Back to your o/p DC.

Our glorious RFL CEO says, rightly, that we are in the entertainment business. But that doesn't need to be comedy all the time. Fans of other sports are splitting their sides over this new "system" just when their stitches were beginning to hold after the hilarity of us re-introducing the farce of our scrum after a forced but successful ditching during the height of Covid.

Delusional maybe, misguided definitely, plain 4 King idiot quite possibly.

There is another explanation but not worth a ban from this FORUM for expounding it.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Tragedy Tomorrow, Comedy Tonight!