That's absolutely right. The thing with Wakey and us, the fans, is that we know how close we came to not being here and how lucky we are to be here right now.

That luck stems from a lot of hard work from a lot of people - but we are not in a position to take anything for granted.

However, we have already seen the advantages that a 3-year licence can offer (which is good for those who have one) and that this allows clubs to concentrate on matters off the pitch and not just on it.

Still haven't fully decided whether this will ultimately be a good or a bad thing - but I do believe that we will shortly be in a much improved position for when the next round of licences comes around!

Just had to say that a lot of widnes fans are as bitter as a chunk of lemon. As a crusader fan we have had to put up with their absurd reasoning on the franchise system and the fact that we were a club at all right from the start. You will never stop the bleating as they are a bunch of moaning scousers. They think they are better than everyone. Celtic beat them 3 times last year and they still moan that we got a franchise before them.

I take it you'd be happy for your proud Wakefield club to be a feeder club for Bradford?

I wouldn't. And I wouldn't be happy for a glorious team like widnes to be a feeder team for some other chumps down the road either. It would kill us. Seriously.

Why should SL teams take precedence? Why should they benefit from the championship clubs like that? It's selfish, greedy arrogance from people looking at an opportunity from others misfortune and its rugby league 2009.

Try, "I take it you'd be happy for your proud Wigan club to be a feeder club for St Helens?"

Feeder clubs my @rse!!
I've supported Trinity for 45 years but that it would be the end for me if we became anybody's feeder club

Perhaps "feeder clubs" is the wrong phrase, but the notion is the right one. How many bona fide Super League clubs are there outside of the Super League? Widnes and Leigh are the only two in reality, and Leigh only really because of the stadium. Halifax may get close, but that is it. So if you go with the premise that all the rest will always be outside of the Super League, how is best way for them to survive? By clubs operating under the same umbrella is how.

Let's say Leeds, Fev and York were all linked organisations. The two lower league sides could benefit from having access to the facilities and expertise of the Super League side, and the Super League side would have somewhere to play players not making the nineteen for whatever reason, and the lower league players would have an increased chance of making the big time. You would just have to have rules to make sure that the movement is not so fluid that there is no stability in the lower league clubs, that, for example, a Fev side remains recognisable throughout the year.

They wouldn't be feeder clubs, they would just be clubs with an organisational umbrella and fluid loan arrangements. It is how it works in US sport, and it may work here. Or the lower clubs can just keep on spending money they don't have to chase the dream.

Suppose Wakey chose the last 2 or 3 years to be less than average instead of odd periods during the 80's / 90's, and found themselves shut outside of SL in the wrong year.

No Sky money, an old ground, and not the biggest regular fanbase in the world. Within 5 years you would be no different to Fax, Widnes or Leigh. Support would fall off, interest in the town diluted, sponsors would be taking their money somewhere else.

So, would you then be content with being told to sit quietly, and for SL to say 'sorry lads, the Toulouse thing looks interesting and we're giving Celtic another 3 years because they're down to just 15 Aussies and have a decent 18 year old with a Welsh sounding name coming through the ranks, so what we've done is arrange for Cas to send their reserves down to your place for the next 3 years. They will wear your colours, so you dont mind paying £15 to watch it do you?'

Ehh??

That is exactly what happened!!!!!!!!!

Not on your stupid scenario, but if 14 other clubs came along with better facilities/finances/squads/performances/academies than us, then so be it.

Slugger McBatt's theory on 'feeder clubs' is spot on - if we had a system where 'big clubs' looked after the 'smaller clubs' really, what is wrong with that? Loss of identity and a path to the top which isn't really there?



Not 'rugby league 2009' but sport in 2009 has come to this. Unless there is spectacularly bad management at the top, you are going to see the same clubs challenge at the top, not just in rugby league, but in football, union, cricket - where money is managed well, there should be no drop-off and very few teams breaking into the cartel. This may be 'wrong', but it's where sport has landed itself.

Gone are the days of a Nottingham Forest being European Champions or Dewsbury winning the Championship. Sad this may be, but it's the way things are.

So, why should SL teams take the precidence? They are the elite teams in the elite division - why would it be any other way?

Did it?

I'm sure you are in SL. And deservedly so, I might add.



You will pay £15 to watch Cas reserves play at BV in a Wakey kit?

I'll hazard a guess not many of the good folk I spoke to in the BV Tory Club on Friday would be alongside you.

I think you might have missed my point. In my opinion, had Wakey had spent the last few years in the NL then I doubt they would have been granted a franchise.

As it happened, they got into SL originally on merit, managed to stayed there, and hats off for doing so.

We knew in 2006 that if we had gone down, then that would have been it for us. There are some clubs who can still knock together a franchise application, but the vast majority would never have got into Super League under the old system, let alone franchising. The challenge is to keep those leagues vibrant and viable. The answer is to keep the talent flowing through them, and not have it all playing in the Leeds reserves, waiting to break through. The loan arrangements we have currently are not much different. Look at the saints players getting competitive experience away from Knowsley Road (Tyrer, Moore, and I am sure there are others).

He is a Wigan fan, hence the conceit.

I'm not against feeder clubs if the club in question wants it. For example Hunslet will never make SL yet with the backing of a SL club could be very competitive in the national leagues. So it's down to what there fans want, chase a pipe dream or be the best club you can be in a more realistic environment. Widnes on the other hand would never come close to matching that criteria and have every right to stand alone and fight for what is a realistic aim in their case. Horses for courses I suppose.

Although I can more then understand the supporters of Championships clubs not being happy about becoming a ‘feeder club’ for a Super League side but I can see a number of advantages of such a system.

Perhaps it would be a little more palatable for the Championship clubs and supporters if the link ups between themselves and the Super League could last for an agreed time frame. It could run parallel with the 3 years SL license. At the end of the period the feeder club who think they have a chance has the option to bid for a Super League license and those who believe they are not ready just remain as they are.

During this period the feeder clubs could perhaps benefit from a portion of the Sky money the parent club receives, 10% for example, helping them to improve the clubs infrastructure and facilities. They would also benefit from players not ready for SL competing for their team for the season too.

Didn't realise that numpty was from Wigan. Should've known. The more secure these fans are in super league the more receptive they are to the idea of second flight clubs having their hearts ripped out for someone elses benefit.