Yes but we had 25 seasons in SL but did very little. I would say Bradford will be given the same opportunities as the rest wanting promotion. I doubt they will take anyone’s personal objections into consideration. 
I am just relieved we will not be part of the process because we will certainly be in the top 12.

There is a new Australian team next year in there S L so that could cut down the players ,coming over hear

Not read back but my initial thoughts are that I think a 14 team comp is the right way to go. 


Realistically Bulls will struggle beyond the short term without considerable investment unless thousands of fans come out the woodworks probably not seen in a decade. The stadium was in a state last season. A new pitch is needed and the terracing was covered in orange dust etc. A new pitch and cosmetic upgrades may see it look a bit more appealing but long term without significant investment I have reservations about Bradford. 


York would be my number 1 pick to be the most successful. 


They are probably in a similar boat with bulls to fans that they need to effectively double their fan base to be sustainable long term. They are very good at marketing and socials and perhaps this will aid them in that front. What they have over Bradford is a newish 8.5k stadium that looks better and is probably more cost effective and functional. It won’t be a weight on their backs. 


Toulouse I think have gone from 2000-2500 fans to doing double headers with other teams to keep them in the 3000+ bracket for the points. I would say a lot of that income from extra fans won’t see their coffers and it likely won’t be a true or sustainable reflection of their fan base. Again, a club that needs sustainable investment and to double their fan base. 


Some of the away supporters should go some way to increasing the attendances for these clubs so that will be a small part of the battle, perhaps if they market it right they could bridge the gap somewhat for these clubs rest. 


I do think it is the way forwards and a if the drive and investment is there in 2/3 years we could see the comp really flourish with a view to look at 16 teams in 4/5 years time. 


I would hope that a reserves comp and academy are mandatory though and I think an extra few teams after a few years will see the player pool increase too.

Ellis has spoken on JDs show about this.
He says the intention is to assess the extra teams to make sure they are ready. If not then it might nit be 14 teams.


Now I'm quite pro IMG so was not happy about the extras being assessed differently but if what it means is an assessment to make sure the teams in 13 and 14th place are high enough in the rankings to succeed then fair enough.
IMG was always about getting a league of As.
If expending to 14 means you are letting in a C, then you shouldn't do it.


I guess we'll see whether it's just badly explained.

Although it wouldn't help us this year, the top 5 play off was the best of the lot, with the top 2 having more chance to make the GF.

Another farce from Salford last night.  Who can trust these supposed new owners to be any different next season if they even stick around or are there in the 1st place.  Reason enough for SL to have them eliminated regardless of how they may blag a decent IMG score

I expect this move to dock Salford 8 points for fielding a weakened side a bit back is part of the plan to get them out of SL as it would lower their total IMG points.   Their owners are clearly very unreliable, displaying all the red flags I remember from 2012-2019 at the Bulls.  


Matthew Shaw's article yesterday seemed to say Bradford were assured of a place in the 14 but it made a lot of assumptions.    Personally I can't see both Toulouse and London going into the 14 team SL.  One of them yes.  Definitely not both.  On the field York and Toulouse deserve a shot.   

If it has to be Bradford, then it also has to be York.

Agreed.  They're a good side and have a nice stadium.  

It’ll be Toulouse via IMG (check their data from last year and this year), then Bradford and London via the ‘independent panel’. I can explain why but I don’t think anyone cares.

Having a nice stadium or a good team isn't the point of IMG.
It is trying to establish financially stable with growth potential.


The stadium, finances and social media type checks establish that.


So I'm not sure what else an independent group is going to use to decide.