Is Sheffield Eagles a "heartland" club. There are plenty of "heartlands" club fans who would jettison Sheffield tomorrow if they felt it improved their own club's chances of reaching the promised land.

The franchise system will be the death of rugby league, giving no hope of super league status to the vast majority of clubs,

Course franchising is daft. It is an alien concept for professional sport in this country and has as much chance of succeeding as Salford Tories have of getting me to vote for them or me playing for England.

It has and is harming our game and like any experiment that has failed should be consigned to a waste paper bin.

We Championship fans already know who has got the nod for next season and who will come down. No wonder if you live in a footie Town or City they are incredulous when you tell them about franchising and suggest they might come along to a game.

Liam, pal, just think about what you're saying here.



We've just got to a stage where everybody plays everybody else home and away - plus the Magic Weekend. If we have 16 teams, are you going to fit four extra games in ? If so, where ? Or are we going to go back to missing some opponents out ?



Bit like franchising then. Only more expensive. What will the club do with the cheque ? Anything they want or will they have to spend it on something specific ? Because if you let them spend it on what they want, it'll be better players, so they win the comp in the following season, get rejected again, get another cheque, win the comp again, get rejected again, get another cheque ..... etc

Basketball has franchising.

Ice Hockey has franchising.

Rugby Union has franchising.

In soccer ....

The Irish League has franchising.

The Welsh Premier League has franchising.

The Scottish Leagues have franchising.

The Football League has franchising.

The Premier League has money instead.


OK, the precise requirements vary, but they all have to meet certain criteria.

Entrance criteria and franchising are two wholly different things, Griff. In fact, the only criteria in much of those mentioned above are in relation to stadium grading.

The thing is okay we have a 14 team league with a home & away game which is good but the league will be expanded over time, what do you suggest we do?

Mate, I'm not saying my ideas are brilliant & I think Franchising is overall good for the game but at the moment clubs like leigh who have the ground, fans and team have to wait 3 years to find out whether or not they will get in.

If next time say they don't get in, what then for the fans, more waiting around in the Championship for a chance in 2018?

I'd think alot except the for the hardcore & loyal will stay at home, save their money and watch SL on SKY or maybe even jump ship & go watch Saints, Wigan or Wire, higher quality rugby with 10,000 other people rather than waiting around for SL to come knocking in 2033

A situation were clubs can apply every year based on the previous 3 years perhaps..

I'm suggesting we don't expand the league just because we're too soft to throw someone out.

We'll have to disagree, Matt.

Ironically, Liam, the reason they couldn't apply this year is that they won nowt. Which is precisely the one criterion that the fans want.

Well our attempts to be labelled an "expansion/development club" were rebuffed a while ago by the RFL, and Dewsbury is only 20mins away, so yes, I'd say we are.

Yes, Badvibes, it's official. We're a "heartlands" club because then the RFL don't have to give us any money.

Fair enough.