I’ve seen the fan base lower than this. Attendances always decrease for any relegated side, thats a given. People are weary after such a poor run and like it or not playing lower league clubs don’t have the same pull as super league ones do. We started this season at just over 4k home fans and they have already shrunk a bit. A bit of a novelty factor for some hardy souls and the new stand will help mitigate the decrease in the first season will help but its likely to be around 3k at the start of next and although a few wins could drag a few back it certainly will be lower than this year. You also have to factor in the lack of away support in the championship. If Fev replace us in SL then only Bradford have anything approaching a good away following and they don’t travel in the numbers they used to. Halifax and to a lesser extent Widnes will bring some but the rest is bus load at best.

I totally understand there will be some shortfall but it’s imperative if we do end up in the championship but we will still have the biggest following, likely biggest sponsor deals and the new facilities along with the Wakefield afc income.

I’m not saying for one moment we will be running at 1.3/1.4 mill salary cap approx like we are now. But I reckon we could put together a good 800/900k full time squad. I would hope we go with mostly some young lads or early 20s with some experienced championship players.

How much do teams get now for winning the championship? Just wondering how much it’s worth to invest and push for it? Honestly though Leigh did it right when they got relegated and invested to top the championship and came back in better shape. We need to do the same but with a bit less extravagant spend.

I was thinking this morning though. I’m not sure Apelgarth is the one to take charge of that. I think if we could get a more experienced coach in I’d consider he drop down to assistant for a couple of years to continue learning his craft. If not maybe a strong director of rugby needs to come in.

The more I think about it I think Lingard may have been one of the best available. What he’s achieved on shoe string is impressive.

If they thought the revamped stadium would generate sufficient income to reach the full cap why didn’t they gamble for one season to ensure we stay in SL to maximise the revenue. The additional money would surely have been recouped quite quickly but the powers that be decided better to stay within their financial straight jacket of their own making and hope that we can regain our place from the Championship. I guess when you are leaving you have different mind set depending on the outcome you crave.
The relegation to the Championship will mean quite a drop in revenue from Sky etc. but I suppose the expenditure will be lower and our promotion not guaranteed.

You're a bit off with the cap spend for this year. We were at 1.72m before all the loan signings and Gale joining so closer to 1.8m now. That goes to show how difficult it will be to put a competive side full time squad together without external investment. Our sponsors may well stay with us but it all about exposure and getting value for money. Only the larger companies will likely stick at anything approaching this seasons remuneration levels smaller companies just won't have the justification to pay top level rates for a second tier product, especially given many are stuggling compared to where they were a short while back thanks to a massive increase in interest rates, fuel & energy costs etc and following on from the pandemic. Obviously we will lose the more valuable central super league sponsorship deals for the lesser value championship ones.

As things stand there is still no tv deal in place for either division next year so planning is difficult and most within the game expect at best the same level of deal that there is now if not a slight decrease. Championship clubs currently receive 200k central funding a year from broadcast and sponsorship rights. Thats it. And prize money isn't fantastic in super league so it isn't going to be great the lower down the pyramid you go. We will have bills to pay and a stand that down the line will be a valuable assett but will be a slow burner to get it up to full capacity. We just aren't going to be swimming in money and being able to put together a top of the table side is far from a given.

Best laugh on T V last night was Ford telling the pundit after about 30 mins of game that Wakefield were making Hull tackell and in second half Hull will get tierd. You can see why we look so of the pace with that atitude

I think that would have absolutely worked, had we not handed over easy ball and penalties to give them a rest.

I can't see any of the major sponsors staying with us in the championship. We've not exactly been a shining light of value for money for them this season, and with the significantly reduced visibility that will come with being in the championship, the cost/benefit heavily swings away from our favour

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