Part time from 2017

Weren't Prescot Panthers paid to go away?

Maybe that's the end game.

That has certainly been reported. The story goes that the RFL wanted fewer clubs to divvy the Sky money amongst and couldn't see much value in Prescot playing just a bus ride from Knowsley Road.

Well Broncos will be only a bus, several tubes & a yomp from our nearest rivals at New River.

David Hughes masterplan is finally becoming clear

Around the time of the farcical mergers between Hull / Gateshead and Huddersfield / Sheffield for financial gain to the first named, Widnes proposed a merger with Prescott (a bit tongue in cheek I think) but the R.F.L turned it down though the appx. 3/4 mile separation was far less than the many miles separating the two they approved.

And still a score to get to watch them I bet.

Wasn't Hull/Gateshead more of a reverse takeover?

It was an RFL/SL stitch up. Hull got Gateshead's Super League place and their best players, laid off all the other staff, and trousered £1M pounds of RFL/SL cash to boot.
And then we had to put up with FC fans lecturing us about "all that money they've spent on London".

I started following when the Quins merger happened, that was our last throw of the dice, then the name change was, then Barnet was. The club will keep existing but whether it justifies itself is another question, we are just keeping the corpse warm until someone with money to waste and a bit of rugby sense rescues us from part time purgatory.

Maybe DH is hoping he can sell up to the Trailfinders people?

I know this is highly unlikely but what if we made the 8's next season, won the £1 million game where would we play our home SL games? Ealing isn't big enough and even if there was the money we couldn't build two stands in one off season. Would we move again or would we forfeit our place?
As I say, all highly unlikely but stranger things happen.....

I know the club has said there are plans but I doubt it would be anything permanent, temporary seating for the season (are there different planning rules for temp structures). Even if we made SL I would not expect all of a sudden two new huge stands to get built, temp would be the way forward. In the future it would not surprise me if Eailing had there own plans to re development a more permanent structure as they look to get in the Aviva Prem but that is a way down the line, they are not even established champ side yet.

Ealing Trailfinders RFC are favourites to go straight back down in the 15/16 season and if they do survive, they are light-years away from getting to the Aviva Premiership. On the topic of temporary stands, I believe the main stumbling block would be the sole road accessing the ground and the levels of increased traffic on match days should either club start to attract 3k+ crowds.

3k crowds. now they seem a long time ago.

Realistically we could with success on the pitch and proper marketing, get to such dizzy heights, BUT!

Hard hitting stuff there Sogspurs,but absolutely right.

Got to admit, I was stunned that relegation wasn't followed by a small DECREASE in admittance monies.