Absolutely no harm in letting Toronto have a go IMO. If it succeeds then the possibilities are endless. If it fails then we will have learned something and be back in the same position we would have been in anyway. League 1 may be semi-pro but I’d still expect Pats to beat half the teams. I seriously doubt that there is a better club they are keeping out of that division.

Them having sold over 5,000 season tickets is unbelievable and gives you hope that this venture may have some legs.

Let's hope it's not another PSG and that there is a genuine interest in the sport. If they can grow and attract a good level of interest then this could be huge for the game. It sounds like they've got good backing financially so the RFL can't really lose.

I've got to agree with you and other positive posters as far as the Canadian club is concerned I might have a wander up to the Etihad campus to lend my support.....seriously it's an interesting proposition we should all be behind it

I must admit I find myself being a little sceptical of the figure quoted of 5000 ST sales.
Wigan are currently quoting next year's ST sales at 5500 after winning the GF and after a history of pretty regular success.
I'd love it to be true but can't get my head around why 5000 people would pay up front for a sport the vast majority have probably never heard of.

I can't sit here and say I'm not a little dubious but fingers crossed its correct. That's why I put the PSG reference in there. It's all well and good getting a good crowd but if that crowd isn't paying for the pleasure then the clubs not going to last long.

It's an interesting prospect this either way and will certainly drag up some hype. They seem to have some good backing behind them and that squad they've put together is very strong.

I'm sure I read somewhere (possibly VT) that 5,000 had registered an interest in a season ticket rather than bought one. That sounds far more realistic.

I think if it works out well it could be a great move for rugby league,

I would imagine that their home and away games would be I'm blocks so they are not making weekly flights to and fro,

5000 tickets sold not unfathomable Toronto has a population of close to 3m people Wigan has 300k!! That's a huge difference even if it's not the no1 2 or 3 sport there there's still a huge market and potential for big crowds.

And importantly they seem to have the financial backing to give it a fair crack if the whip!!

The cost of a season ticket is around £185 for their 12 home games.
I actually thought it would be much less to attract the (5000) mentioned season ticket holders.
Even so it is still a fair price.
Good luck to them.

Looking around the boards, on Facebook I can see the attendance being very healthy (if not selling out)! Plenty of Wiganer's up for this one for the novelty of it (both the team and the stadium). I can also see plenty neutrals attending too.

One thing I did notice is that it may be an idea to take binoculars due to the distance from the stands to the pitch cause of the running track. Especially behind the sticks either end.

Pretty sure that it doesn't have a running track - this is the new 7000 capacity stadium on the opposite side of the road (connected to the Etihad Stadium by a new bridge) and not the original small stadium behind the Etihad.

Wonder if I'm looking at the wrong stadium then?

This link shows the new stadium in the foreground Matty - the smaller stadium with the Athletics track is behind the Etihad. I think that the new stadium is officially titled the 'Academy Stadium'. [urlhttp://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manchester-city-allow-mirror-behind-6961350[/url