So if the league went to 15 teams then any club who gets over 7000 through the gate for the extra game would be better off roughly speaking through ticket sales and match day revenue.

not beyond the wit of any club to recover money like that, i would have thought.

No it isn't, but then RL clubs operate on relatively small margins and every penny counts. I know they could make it back, but i'm sure they would rather have the guarantee of income rather than speculative.

Your probably right, it just makes you think the slick well run clubs would see opportunities rather than being short sighted.

I wonder if the new SL sponsorship deal for next season (Clipper, Probiz, Stobarts?) might make a difference to how the clubs perceive the number of teams in the league? If that deal creates new revenue for the clubs, they may be better disposed towards making the Sky money go a bit further?

Also, with the TV rights being renegotiated, maybe the Sky offer has been improved, or there's another broadcaster in the frame?

If the number of teams increases, this will not necessarily mean an increse in the number of fixtures.
IMO the number of fixtures would remain roughly the same, but we would have an imbalanced fixture scedule, therefore there may not be additional income from any "extra" fixtures.

Picking up on RDM's point. Have 2 Conferences - Super League UK & Super League Europe where all teams apply to join one of the leagues. With 20 teams, 2 conferences of 10 gives 18 games + play all other conference once = 28 games in total.

Top 4 play off for conference champion with champions then contesting Super League grand final.

P&R from each conference in alternate years based on 2 years aggregate points.

Forget the Exiles. There would be a ready made "Origin" waiting to happen.

There are also double the advertising and promotional opportunities and more TV agreements available.

If you must retain the Magic Weekend then there would be one for each Conference but to be played mid season as genuine development events rather than being consigned to Cardiff as the season opener. At the moment this can only be in Cardiff and the experience will deteriorate as the Welsh realise they have the game over a barrel.

Who are the other TV companies fighting for these rights? If there was a bid from ESPN for the current package, I imagine it would come as a joint (if not in name, then in spirit) one with Sky. The relationship between the too is much more [iEntente-Cordiale[/i than the' war' of Sky and Setanta, and you can see why that is beneficial to both parties when you see what happened to Setanta in the end.

Last time I looked all SL clubs are in Europe and all bar one are in the UK.

If the TV rights can be sold in smaller packages then there is greater chance that other companies might be interested in a proven product that provides attractive, cheap TV. There have never been more TV companies than there are now.

Producing live sport on television isn't 'cheap' though - not just the rights, but transmission costs, staffing, equipment... And while there may be more TV companies and certainly channels, it doesn't mean they'd be interested in showing rugby league, union, cricket, snooker, darts or whatever sport you choose!

Indeed, so how would you propose to split the two pools of teams.
Yorkshire/ Lancashire and make Quins, Catalans and Crusaders fit the numbers.
You would end up with too many repeat fixtures, a bit liks the SPL.
Far better to have a larger SL (if this could be agreed by the clubs), although the idea behind SL was to have fewer, more competetive teams, to allow us at some point to compete with the Aussies and we have gone backwards with this !