The clubs are sent a draft fixture list, then have a week to request changes to the RFL before the final fixture list is completed. I guess they can also make requests before the draft, like we did requesting to have home games on a specific day of the week, or no home games in June etc.

but as I said, requesting changes because of logistics is one thing, thinking "if we play Hull FC in summer we'll make more money" is a different matter, surely?

we'll never know for sure, the RFL are a law unto themselves, they make the FA look transparent!

I think it's more of a case that requests go in and it's then up to the RFL to satisfy as many of them as is compatible with getting all the fixtures played. And I'm not sure the above scenario is any different in principle to clubs requesting that their home games are played on a particular day of the week to maximise attendances. As long as it isn't the same team at the same time every year, of course.


In fairness I've been involved with amateur soccer and cricket, and this is pretty much the way all sports organise their fixtures. There are always competing desires/requests/needs and the ruling body sorts them out as best they can.

guess we'll see when the fixtures come out, Catalans in the height of summer is great for the fans, but not so much the players.

It was posted on the wire forum when questioned why they get summer fixtures, never seen them play early in the season in france

Well its nice to see our own club site is wrong.

You know we were offered a big game and Plummer turned it down, why ignore that?

I posted to highlight the fact that teams can be offered fixtures at special requests.

Is that why we had London after the derby?

Nah, random fixtures, innit

I don't know that for a fact, although I've no reason to doubt you. It just doesn't seem that much of an issue given that there was a 50% chance of the opening game being a Challenge Cup fixture.

Obviously the fixtures aren't random. It was interesting that Sean Long's Hull debut was at Saints and Gareth Ellis' at Leeds*.

What are the chances of Catalans v Hull in round one...

*Edit - Well was due to be

Bet it doesn't happen again, well obviously not London but a poor side after the derby, can we play kr 2weeks running?

There is less chance of us getting a summer game where we can plan ahead as there are 4 less rounds before the league splits. Don't know exact cut off point but I guess being able to plan for a late July, August, early Sept game has gone.

Of course if we both finish in the top 8 (which I think we both will) then there is a good chance we may get an additional away fixture in the height of summer but with very little time to plan. This would be similat to our "frozen" fixture or the CC QF when we took around 300 fans per game.

Feeling we are due for an early season game but hoping late May onwards.

noticed in the hull daily mail that ourselves, kr, salford and wakey will play a challenge cup game the same weekend the top 8 teams play a round of superleague! so much for a level playing field, if any of the four progress in the cup, they would have to have midweek fixture!

That's what I thought when I read the article.

Also, it's not just these 4 progressing in the cup, it also includes the other 4 teams whose matches are postponed. (Which, I guess, could be fc, kr, wakefield and Salford, if we happen to be playing each other in the league.)

Surely they'll just give the top 8 a bye weekend? Or is that too simple?

They have given the top 8 a bye from the cup but they still play around of SL between themselves on the CC round 4 weekend. Simple idea would have been to exclude all SL teams from the 1st round of the CC, but the RFL dont do simple.

So we potentially play a mid week match against KR, Wakey or Salford to catch up