Well said vastman, at last something we agree on!!!
Perfectly sums up the situation.

Good points Vastman. For anyone who has been to Australia you will know that RL is not a national sport, it is regionalised primarily in 2 states. I was there in November when the Four Nations final was on. I travelled from Sydney to Melbourne that day and live coverage of the final was shown on network tv in Sydney. I got into Melbourne, switched on Channel 7 and was greeted by "Hey, Hey it's Saturday!". The final was only shown at around 2am on Fox Sports (subscription TV owned by the Murdochs). Remember that Melbourne has the Storm and hosted one of the Four Nations matches in that tournament. Yet Victorians only care about Aussie Rules. Look what happened to the Perth and Adelaide teams.

Expansion has mixed success in Australia (where I suspect it is more financially successful). If expansion doesn't always work in Australia why are the RFL so bloody minded to think that it will work here!!!!!!!!!!!!

From the heart

You mean like when certain fans claim they took 3,000 fans to a game thats official attendance was only 1,823???

As a Hull FC fan through and through I would like to add my support to Wildshot's comments and also clarify for all those who are obviously a bit unsure-I do not read that as a slur or attack on other clubs in the Super League!!It is simply a very well made point demonstrating that Wakefield have every right-in fact more right than some-to their place in the league!They regularly have very good attendances-they brought more fans to the KC than Castleford, Quins-of course!-Crusaders-again obviously!-and even Hudds last season which was very disappointing given how well they were doing at the time. I appreciate that away crowds is not necessarily a criteria for the SL however surely if clubs are being run more as a business the money brought in each week has it's value in this?!

I am not a believer in the franchise system anyway as I feel that our board-probably along with others-are far too complacent and sure of their place in the league that they don't feel the need to improve their teams. Again this is not me 'having a go' at other teams in the SL all of whom have varying degrees of right, IMO to be there, just a support for a heartland team who have an excellent community spirit and youth scheme and surely should not be kicked out of the league just on the basis of their ground?

Well said Vastman.

It's pointless asking Fully by the way - as my previous post on this thread demonstrates, he doesn't even agree with himself.

Top Post

ok, firstly, I suspect the '277' Salford fans at the hunsket game was in fact the number of season ticket holders who got in for free. I was on a coach of 10 salford fans who all paid cash and so I suspect we werent included in that. If you could have seen the staidum yesterday Id have said it was at least 50:50 if not....more salford fans than homes fans.

secondly, all this 'ive heard salford cant afford staidum' etc.....clutching at straws im afraid. We dont own it, so its not our finances that will be affected by a lack of tenants its the councils. We are getting the stadiums use at a cost 'less than the maintenance/upkeep of the Willows'.....and if we dont use the staidum (cos its too expensive) the council are left with an expensive, embrassing empty stadium on their hands.

PS - this isnt an attack on Wakey, I believe we should all stay up and it be 15/16 teams. I just hate how its made 'similar' clubs start attacking each other and sniping to try and make themselves feel better about their franchise chances

Agreed. Salford are a similar club to ours so I find it daft that a few fans feel the need to have a go. I don't even want you to leave The Willows, cracking little ground

Purely because rugby league is already established in both Castleford and Wakefield. What matters most to me is seeing Cas win in the cup game; the attendance is largely irrelevant to me, it's the result that count first and foremost. Put it this way, the amount of people in Cas and Wakefield, the derbies should be selling out every time so by preaching on a forum to "all fans to get out and turn up to Belle Vue" is a bit silly considering all fans who can attend will attend such is the nature of the game.

In Wales, it's a different matter. I do genuinely care about the long-term health of the game and although not proven in fact or statement, if the likes of Crusaders, Quins, Catalans do offer something to SL that strengthens the games financially and helps my side, the competition and ultimately the sport to grow then I'm not going to turn around and go on a witchhunt.

It seems that some people are choosing to stay away from Crusaders as a way of demonstrating their dissatisfaction with the expansion system. But is the expansionist policy anything to do with Crusaders? At the end of the day Crusaders have done nothing to Wakey in the grand scheme of things. Cas are at much as a threat as anyone but whilst some of my fellow fans don't care for those sides, I do genuinely believe we need successful sides.

I can appreciate some fans believe that the sport doesn't need to grow and it doesn't need to go outside the traditional heartlands and that's fine. But we don't have an endless list of benefactors to bankroll sides and sooner or later something HAS to change to improve the health of clubs, the health of the sport.

I'll do it for you, J.T

There you go - edited for accuracy.