The man from Del Monte.............He say Yeah

i love that scenario

A realist scenario;

The club pull out of Super League at the end of this year and the players only find out when they watch Sky Sports News, similarly to the Crusaders side.

My belief is that David Hughes has realised that there were three scenarios

1) That he moves our club to a new ground which does not fulfil the existing Super League rules. The RFL may accept this for the 2014 season. However, they will refuse to allow our club to play in Super League after 2014 because of this stadia, regardless of results. Thus the club will be relegated.

2) That he moves our club to a new ground which does not fulfil the existing Super League rules. The RFL may accept this. However, this would be expedient, as the club is nailed on for a bottom two spot in 2014 because of existing circumstances. Specifically this is because the club being only able to offer one year contracts to players after most of the market has gone to add to a limited but still relatively expensive squad. With the club having been in the bottom three since 2007 it will be implausible that Northern/English based players would see us anything other than a last resort. Thus the club will be relegated.

3) That he self-relegates the club, thus avoiding huge personal expense for no rewards.

However, I believe he is genuinely in negotiations for a fourth scenario which would give our club one last chance,

I believe he is going to insist that the club’s participation in Super League is reliant upon the club being again allowed to sign additional quota players as the club remains geographically isolated from the M62 corridor player market. This special allowance already exists for Catalans. It should never have been removed for London whose isolation remains from the main marketplace and whose decline perfectly correlates with the reduction in quota players. It is at least a decade since a top UK player has joined London. Thus the club is compelled to field a relatively inexperienced London trained squad but also many untried and untested players rather than the same guys who circulate throughout Yorkshire and Lancashire on loans, dual registrations and other transfers.

An agreement could be brokered which means that the club must have the same number of home grown players as the rest but has no requirement to have further federation trained players who in the main neither want to join nor stay beyond the initial contract.
There is little point in the club pursuing those with the same ancestral lifestyle they and their parents have had for generations but who will never move beyond the limitations of their background. Of course, the club would accept decent quality players of course. But realistically this would allow the club to identify talent who are at least of a full time standard and who would be attracted to a good few years in London.

Whilst this would not guarantee avoidance of relegation it would be something we do not have now.

The final issue would be in removing the Sword of Damocles from above the club on the ground – we would need written confirmation that it would be acceptable to Super League now and in the future and no barrier to progress/remaining in Super League.

If the RFL cannot provide support on both, self-relegation seems the most prudent although unwanted option.

I am sure that like any majority the Northerners will band together to ensure the rules remain to benefit the status quo, so we will see if the RFL have any spine. Sadly I do not believe this is the case and my view is that the Hull KR game is the ‘Last March of the Ents’.

I can see three problems here:
(1) I suspect that even the more progressive thinking Northern club chairmen have had a basinful of us and our interminable crises and mismanagement and wouldn't weep any crocodile tears if we went under.
(2) Is the support base still there for yet another re-boot at yet another ground? It would appear that a fair wodge of even the long term support is now drifting away.
(3) As far as the quota exemption's concerned, I can see the Border Agency asking why, after 33 years of existence, do we need one?

If the Club decides to move to say the Hive as has been discussed on here, then whether or not the Club stays in SL or drops down, they will be going back to square one more or less with regard to the Scholarship and Academy programs in my opinion. I doubt very much many of the lads who live south of the river currently in either program will be able to continue. Most
parents will not bother driving all that way through London during the week for training nor allow their sons to be making their way home on the tube at that time of night. I for one would not have entertained the idea. So if we do move to North North London, then all the good work done over the last few years will have been mostly wasted, apart from the few who carry on, and those just coming out of the system. In my opinion that is. I mention it as I have not seen this mentioned elsewhere, but I am hopeful that the Youth are being taken into consideration during the discussions on the Clubs future.

you're right, a lot of young players will be lost. I'd expect the RFL to take over and have a regional academy like they have in other areas. Obviously without a Super League team to aspire to the quality isnt going to be as high - so if you live in North London or Hertfordshire and fancy a crack at becoming a semi pro player then there's something there for you (even without the Broncos), if you want to aim higher you'll probably go to that other code. I cant see many future superstars sticking at it with the thought of one day making that 'dream move up north'. Grim times!

I'm not sure they are even interested in this.

The fact that they shut down their development and media office in London during the week of the Leeds game does not bode well.

He RFL shut an office or the Broncos ?

The RFL.

The loss of development officers is probably more serious to the long term future of RL down here than our immediate future tbh. To be fair I believe the decision was driven by a substantial loss of central funding to the RFL (due to a decline in playing numbers meaning previous participation targets were missed) rather than a loss of interest.

I'm hearing it is basically down to a ground now. A potential deal has been brokered, largely thanks to the RFL who are keen for us to carry on. We just need to come up with a ground acceptable, and that doesn't necessarily mean up to SL standard, and a method of funding said ground. Which basically means one David is happy to pay for and the RFL think is good enough. I'm hearing Gillingham is dead in the water - a Broncos decision decision credit to them for that.

In which case I'd hope that The Hive is the option. Looks decent and with some vaguely well thought out marketing could be filled when the bigger clubs come to town. Hell, it shouldn't be hat had for the Broncos to fill it for most games !

Brian Berwick in an interview yesterday, sent out a mixed message about our future, what a great lot of good he has done since joining the RFL, he makes a great partner with Nigel!

The capacity of Hull KR's ground is only 8,500 and after how many years existence.

Dr Marwan Koukash was seriously criticised about his comments about spending with Salford, Featherstone Rovers majority shareholder Feisal Nahaboo, should be seriously rapped for his comments in the week of the Tetley's Challenge Cup Final, but doubt the RFL & Woods would have the guts!

yeah, the loss of development officers was a massive blow and one that perhaps hasnt truly been felt yet.Add the Broncos demise to the mix and it's a sad situation.
As for the RFL possibly stepping in to do the Academy - for what it's worth I asked Mr Rimmer that very question face to face a few weeks ago (three?) and he said that it would be "criminally insane" to let the good work that's gone on in London go down the drain. Obviously he may have just been fobbing me off but that's what he said.
As for the ground - it's Barnet or bust surely? And I would suspect the reason nothing has been said is that the Broncos have no idea if they will be allowed to play there. If they arent then I cant see any other options. As it is I think we have to accept Championship RL as the best case scenario for next season - no way they can put a team out next season good enough for the SL. We're diabolical this season, next....I shudder to think.