O/T ARTICLE BY EX SAINTS DIRECTOR

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Quote: "28 March 2012 by Tony Colquitt

It was with great sadness that I read the recent news concerning the Bradford Bulls recent financial crisis. Many people will be surprised by the news, given that the Bulls have not only just received a three year Super League Licence, but have recently sold the famous Odsal ground to the Rugby Football League (RFL) in a move that was supposed to safeguard their future. It certainly raises a few questions surrounding the RFL due diligence process during the Licence process. Eight games into year one of a new licence and the wheels have fallen off? Following the Celtic/Wrexham debacle it’s not a great advertisement for the RFL Licensing process.

The reality of course is that most professional clubs in all sports lose money in the UK. Those that don’t are very much in the minority. So what can be done from a Rugby League perspective? I actually think the solution is pretty straight forward. The professional game in the UK can only support 12 full time teams. I argued against the expansion from 12 to 14 clubs when I was CEO of St Helens, and I am still against it today. The major sponsorship/TV rights income is the major life blood to most clubs. The bottom line is that it is being diluted far too much. 12 teams sharing the TV monies become much realistic and in line with what are required to fund a top tier Rugby League team. The move to 12 teams will also have several other benefits.

The better players will find clubs and as a consequence the strength in depth of all the teams will increase. One of the major reasons given by pundits and experts alike for the Australian dominance of the game is the week in week out intensity of the National Rugby League (NRL) competition versus Super League. A league with 12 strong teams will be lead to a raising of standards with a more intense set of games. Clubs will be required to spend the full cap. That way we get uncertainty of results .Everyone wins when everyone wins. Combine this with an even stricter home grown quota rule and the game will benefit.

The reduced domestic fixture list should also allow an expanded World Club Challenge for the top end of Super League. More high quality games that players, fans, TV viewers and sponsors all want to see. People want to see the high octane, gladiatorial battles such as those between Wigan and Warrington and Saints v Leeds. Sponsors too want to see high quality product week in and week out. Gates at these games far outstrip those against the lower profile teams.

What else can League do? Allow the clubs more opportunity to generate cash via other competitions. 15 years ago League had five major Trophies to play for .Today its two. I would scrap the Magic Weekend. It’s a bereft concept that delivers very little to clubs in revenues. It equally has no merit in geographically expanding the game. I do accept that Sky are in favour, but this is purely to keep down their production costs. How about just having the derby games as a third fixture on a home and away rotation instead? Allow the clubs to split the gate receipts 50-50. That way for example Saints would still be playing Wigan three times but each club would receive a 1.5 times gate share.

All of this does not mean I want the Bulls to go out of Super League. Far from it. However the game has to get away from its increasing obsession with bureaucratic form filling and box ticking. It’s time to get obsessed by cash. Let the public have what the public want. Top quality games, week in and week out. Less is more .

Tony Colquitt was commercial director at Gillette and chief executive of St Helens RLFC before setting up Evolve Brand Management in 2012. He is also a director of Rhino Rugby.

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