I know that’s what I said.

However it’s not just the RFL. There is no reason why Wigan, Saints and Warrington couldn’t pull together and drive a initiative to save the amateur game. They don’t even need to have a noble aim, self interest should suffice.

This is where the NRL and the Aussie clubs crucify us. They understand grass roots and they invest. It’s not just about money it’s about the will. Little things count.

Say all the teams I just mentioned do the following. Pick a club to support and then insist that their kit supplied gives that team a full set of kits from young kids to open age. That’s nothing to these companies but means a lot to an amateur club.Run coaxing seminars, help with transport and above all help find and recruit match officials.

It won’t cost nothing but pound for pound it’s money well spent imho.

8 clubs eligible... https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/54893659

8 clubs eligible... https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/54893659

I wonder if Leigh have been given some sort of guarantee based on the money they are paying on strengthening their squad.

Leigh are the ultimate Groundhog Day club. Every five years or so they rise back up, spend like mad, usually on rubbish, then go bust.

They are a wanna be club who’ve had there chance imo, if it weren’t for their ground I don’t think anyone would give them a second glance.

I’d like to see all the other teams mentioned the chance ahead of Leigh to be honest.

Despite all their previous financial problems I can't help thinking what the outcome of this is going to be......... Bradford Bulls!!!
Wonder what will happen should they enter administration once again.

So, a club will find out in mid-December whether they are in the top flight. That makes very recruitment very hard and will be favourites for relegation.

However, rather than going for the big bang like Leigh tried, they should do what Burnley did in the Premiership. Come up, don't splash out on players. Bank the money and go down again, but with more money to build a strong championship team and build your fanbase. Come back up and do the same again. Yo-yo a couple of times, but when you came up for the final time, you are financially secure, fans back in the ground, and ready to make it a permanent stay.

That’s a sensible strategy but a bit hit and miss. Surely a more planned process would be to give the promoted team protection from relegation for 3 years. Promote from the Championship on the same basis in 2022 and again in 2023 to make 14 teams in SL. From then on, in any given season, there will be 2 ‘protected’ teams. The lowest placed non protected team is relegated. I realise that could be the team finishing 3rd from bottom but that would be 12th position - exactly the same position that gets relegated now.

Mr Carter is showing how to budget a S L team though because of sugar dadys at other clubs we will never win anything.(So much for salary caps) So to me it shows that a team that comes up from the championship .If run right will be able to compete .as most will be ex S L players.On this forum it's been posted that Ca S are 400,000 thousand pounds in set .Pity we can not see how much the so called bigger clubs would be in set with out there Sugar Dadys

Now that we know the runners and riders:
Bradford, Fev, Fax, Leigh, London, Toulouse, Widnes and York, the decision will come down to what "weight" is given to the various factors in whether a club is suitable.
Finance, attendances, development, expansion, history etc, etc.

If they put most weight on expansion than Toulouse, London and York would score highest
Attendances, Bradfiord, Leigh ,m Widnes.

This will all be fixed in the mix before the independent panel ratify the decision

I'd forgotten about Bradford. Would be nice to see them back again if they have the finances.

How many on that list have not had financial issues?

York as a city would be brilliant. Some sort of co-operation with the tourist board could find a way of transporting new spectators to home games and boosting attendances.

Looks like its Toulouse then

Without knowing all the ins and outs, York seem to have been building really well on and off the field over the last few years and seem to make all the right decisions, I would give them a chance over the likes of Bradford the only question I have is, is it too soon for them? There board certainly don`t think so...

As others have said it is wholly dependant on the criteria and the weightings of each of those criteria's.

As good as it would be, its a bit of a nightmare to get to their new stadium.
Think it might be a season or two too early for them.