Wellsy4HullFC

I'm under no illusions these particular sides would progress far. However, there are teams abroad that could, and you can't just say we'll let these in and not these. There are other competitions for lower level teams that could be arranged that might be more fitting.

*double post*

Play off game locations are determined by league ranking. It's a reward for finishing higher. It would make it pointless in some regards. Wouldn't work. The cup however is a random draw. Enough space between one round and the next round would give you a great 16-team 8-game weekend that would get a bigger crowd than the 8 games combined at normal home grounds no doubt.

Money. Logistical issues. Crowd potential very low. In the professional game, and in the position our game is in, we need to accept that this isn't going to bring in the money. "Success" (i.e. the foreign team improving) is counter-intuitive to our goal of making money for the game to invest if they end up knocking tens of thousands off the crowds at the biggest games. We can mitigate a bit for that when the game is in the North, but not as much at Wembley.

No one would support it. These "select" teams all seem good idea in principal into you realise that don't have a fanbase and thus don't generate money (which at the professional level is very important).

Perhaps they could be part of the French Challenge Cup?

This would make sense if that early round want at the very beginning of the season. But as stands, unworkable when clubs are only just back in camp for the new season.

I think the idea is that they're seeded based on the playoffs so they get extra off-season to make up for the extra SL fixture due to come?

Well London aren't a SL club (yet), so I don't think that's what's happening Toulouse never enter. I just don't see the point. I don't think Catalans add to the Challenge Cup. They definitely do to SL, but a short-term knockout format is just not logistical. What would be beneficial to the French game (now that there's 2 pro clubs) would be more exposure between them and the rest of the French game.

It was, but it wouldn't have been had they got into the later stages on a consistent basis no doubt.

I think the Cup should also just be British teams. Toulouse don't even enter it. Games involving Catalans (home or at) will struggle to involve a large crowd due to the logistics of such a format. The French should have their own cup comp.

They are very much in the minority from the ones I've spoken to.

How do you train and bring through your own without the systems in place underneath to do that? This is why clubs get ready made players. There isn't anywhere for them to develop. You don't develop youngsters IN the first team. You develop them FOR the first team.

2003 we should have won it. We lost every game in the last minute. Bloody devastating.

I don't think that's entirely true. Clubs can and do still attempt to sign other English players rather than produce their own. Clubs don't produce their own for many reasons, including short-termism or financial. I think a lot don't at the moment due to the lack of success they have at actually developing them though. Until we sort out the pathways and reduce wastage, clubs will go the more efficient route of investing in readymade talent.