If its ok with you i will let PB answer,as the fact he has highlighted ONE,suggests he may know more.

Having a team in London has kept skys interests in SL. Do you honestly think they would be interesested in a provincial northern game played between 12 clubs along the m62??

He changes as often as the wind, so it wouldn't surprise me!

Course they didnt they wanted to stop in NL1

Its not that straight forward.Sky want a team in London - yes they do.

Would they be interested with no team in London - yes they would - but at a reduced figure.

You say its about the product selling boxes --- is there any evidence to suggest a London team has encouraged people to buy boxes.Is there any evidence to suggest another artificially created team in Scotland/Ireland would see an increase in sales of boxes.If Sky were to pull the plug on SL ,how many people would not bother subscribing to sky sports?

I do take your point,but in my opinion simply creating artificial teams the length and breadth of the country doesnt automatically lead to more sales of boxes.

Put it this way, it is my opinion but based on facts

There is a site for a stadium at Glasshoughton but thats it ! No matter how many well informed cas fans come on here telling us opposite, if it was going to happen it would have started by now, they don't have the money to build it end of.

Newmarket, needs planning but has funding due to the benefit of the wider development. I don't think WMDC will let all the money from the regeneration pass them by, all the income from rates etc it will create over the years. Added to that they gain sports faciliies that the area desperately needs and last but not least over 1000 new jobs to an area desperate for employment. The best part is that WMDC get all this for nothing.

It's all about sky maximisiting it's marketing. The bigger geographic spread it has gives it more advertising and sponsorship opportunities, also greater customer spread, on the back of crusaders they sold boxes in the south Wales area.
If there was no London club, there would be no game as we know it, SL is only sustainable via sky's involvement, where would clubs like Wakefield generate the income to pay current wages being paid? We struggle to generate income as it is, compare SL to The Scottish Premier League during/after the collapse of itv's sposorship, until a rescue deal was brokered you were looking at the entire collapse bar 2 clubs of the professional game.
I would dearly love to see us and cas thriving in SL, but I fear that two clubs in one city fits in the long term plans of the modern game as much as "traditional" clubs being in it over "fabricated" ones.

so if 2 clubs became 1 at 1 ground we would most likely lose max of 30% support for both so looking at 6k min for each home game before the away support, duplication of staff result in big cost savings, duplication of players, bills etc all big cost savers..means more money to be spent on players, higher quality rugby, higher league position = more fans ! we could become a major force but ..


COULD WE ALL STOMACH IT? AND I MEAN FROM BOTH SIDES!

As much as I would like to go it alone I fear with the pressures from SKY, franchising etc. a merger may become inevitable. I cannot see both us and Castleford getting franchises in 2012 or may be neither of us will. Also to compete with the big boys we either need a massive increase in crowds or a Sugar Daddy and I cannot see either on the horizon.

Done correctly a merger could work. Of course there are some who will not under any circumstances support a merged club, as there are others who will not watch the team if "relegated" to the NL but a team playing attractive rugby, in with a shout of silverware as Prince Buster has said is a pleasure to watch and will bring in new fans which are needed to sustain any club.

I for one would take a merger if my only other choice was to go back the playing in the NL with little or no hope of playing in SL again but that's me, we all have our own views.

to be honest i think if that if a ground share/or god forbid a merger was on the cards i think that would be at Junction 32, my reasoning behind this is that Cas already have outline planning permission and you are still going through the process which appears to be attracting alot of opposition from residents in the surrounding area.

A merger/ground share would suit WMDC both teams having somewhere to play whilst keeping the council tax payers/voters happy.

Obviously I would prefer we both had our own grounds but who knows what the future holds

simple fact there is not going to be 2 teams in 2 ground next time with this years apparent failings on the pitch.

what happens from there god knows, but im here to tel lyou if it was my money going in either ground at this moment in time id be zipping my wallet.

im surprised by the response on this thread , it seems like more people are seeing it as a inevitable must do. however hard it is to stomach . I normally do a thread like this once/twice a year and at moment no one as put forward an argument for the anti merger .

Is the Trinity walk venture obtained that name as its gonna be a reminder of what used to be so the memory lives forever?

sorry guys perhaps its but twitching time but ib reality i can not see both clubs being in sl as separate clubs for to much longer so if that's too be lets just get on with it . Maybe next year will be the very last for the red white n blue in the way we know it.

I've tried to stay away from the "grounds issue" and don't wish to comment on the M word.

Not for me at this time.