Toulouse: SuperLeague in 3 years

[Krytensmate]

That's spot on.

 

If Toulouse are saying they can make SL in 3 years don't forget Keighley still are saying have SL ambitions. Clubs have to say this guff to keep speccies interested.

 

The rise of Toulouse of course depends on players and they have to find good Aussies who will come to augment another wave of budding French professionals.

 

But don't believe that Superleague will be a 12 club fortress in 3 years time, the lower SL clubs only advantage in theory will be the ability to spend £800K more on players, but the RFL are likely to iron out that anomally by the time Toulouse knock on the door. They said so.

 

Toulouse need to be able to spend as much as SL clubs can spend and need to be a more attractive place to players than Widnes, Salford, Leigh etc.

Not much chance then , Toulouse or Leigh , no competition

[Adelaide Tiger]

The entry into SL thanks to big backers is a historic thing.

 

I didn't say we are changing the rules. I questioned the reasoning of others, e.g. AT above.

 

The 'Toulouse didn't want to be in league 1' is odd reasoning. They have been offered a place and accepted it. If they don't want to follow the rules, don't take the place. Same applies to them having to travel other week. With respect to the salary cap alone, I am sure that there are other clubs that could afford to pay more, but they can't. This happens all the way up the pyramid (ask Salford).  

 

Incidentally, and I know that there are different ways of defining this, but I think that a lot of fans wouldn't call Toulouse an expansion team for the reasons in your first paragraph.

 

FWIW, I am not anti-french teams in the various pro leagues. But I think there has to be reasoning and transparency behind any 'preferential' rulings. Even if it is to compensate for travel. But simply to keep hold of the best athletes might be hard to stomach - the current league 1 teams could likewise argue that they lose good athletes either to teams higher up the pile or other sports (or even jobs). I suppose it'd be another part of the long term view. Toulouse have to find athletes willing to play for what they are allowed to pay and as they move up the chain they can pay more and attract better athletes.

I assume you mean me when you refer to AT.

My point is quite simple.. We have failed to grow the game nationwide at a professional level and the game cannot wait 20/30 years for clubs in CL1 to be knocking on the door of SL and have multi million turnovers.

Therefore CL1 plays a crucial role for the long term growth of the game.

CL1 should be a league that says to any new club 'Come on in. It doesn't matter if you are a club that has been built by hard working volunteers over many years i.e. Gloucester, Oxford or Hemel and have a small operating budget or if you are a club that is to be bankrolled by local businessmen. This league is for you all to test the water and develop at a pace that suits your club'.

IMHO The league should not have a SC. As a development league all clubs must demonstrate their operating budget and the RFL then decides on each clubs own cap.

If not all we have is a league whereby the SC is set at such a low level it may actually stop local businessmen investing.

Its just like saying to Debenhams that they can only build a new store that is the same size as the local shops. Absolutely crazy.

I am concerned that in a couple of years time we may be saying 'Shame about Toulouse. In the long term we knew they had the clout to be a SL club but they failed to get out of the CL1 because they could not survive being part time.

If Toulouse is a success then it may inspire wealthy businessmen from Bristol, Glasgow, Dublin, Leicester etc. But do we say to them thanks for wanting to put in millions but just a couple of hundred thousand is all you need because we want all teams in the league to be the same?

Such a Blinkered view could ruin the long term growth.

[zorquif]

Ah fair enough- so not just for Toulouse, but everyone.

[glossop saint]

Hi everyone, long time lurker making a first post so not too much jumping down my throat please!

 

I think that it is important for rugby league that british rugby league embraces Toulouse into it's system.  I would prefer a direct entry into either the Super League or Championship however the current system would make that very difficult - I do not think it would look very professional or well thought out if the RFL were to have to make changes to accommodate a new team only a year or two after bringing the new era in.  Given that that only leaves Championship 1 entry as a serious possibility, I think that it would be fair to increase the salary cap for them.  I'm not familiar with the rules of Elite 1 but if Toulouse are spending their money without limitation (or certainly as much limitation) then that is the team that being brought to the british system. To accept their presence in our league and then to force them to cut their playing staff to a level that is more akin to Elite 2 is a massive backwards step.  Would these backers still retain an interest if the standard of rugby they watch is reduced?  Not only that but without having a good chance of promotion to the championship and super league (which I believe would be the case given the travelling) how long would they stick around?

 

Also, and I may have this completely wrong(!), could some allowance on the cap be made to take into account the travelling?  Could there be some sort of ratio which takes into factors such as travel time in order to increase their spending limit so that there is an equivalent hourly rate for the players?  Having said that, then the geographical spread of the teams in Championship 1 could mean that other teams could request a similar ruling so I might be talking rubbish, just a thought.  This would also give more chance to a potential bid from a Canadian side.

[The Parksider]

I assume you mean me when you refer to AT.

My point is quite simple.. We have failed to grow the game nationwide at a professional level and the game cannot wait 20/30 years for clubs in CL1 to be knocking on the door of SL and have multi million turnovers.

Therefore CL1 plays a crucial role for the long term growth of the game.

CL1 should be a league that says to any new club 'Come on in. It doesn't matter if you are a club that has been built by hard working volunteers over many years i.e. Gloucester, Oxford or Hemel and have a small operating budget or if you are a club that is to be bankrolled by local businessmen. This league is for you all to test the water and develop at a pace that suits your club'.

IMHO The league should not have a SC. 

If not all we have is a league whereby the SC is set at such a low level it may actually stop local businessmen investing.

 

If I disagreed over-strongly with you last week can I agree very strongly with the above to make it up?

 

A game lacking money should not restrict it or turn it down except for the top echelons where a well balanced competitive game is necessary to facilitate the biggest private investor of all SKY.

[The Parksider]

Hi everyone, long time lurker making a first post so not too much jumping down my throat please!

 

You assume old lag posters opinions may be stronger than yours. It's how long you've been following the game and how much you have taken into account the realities, the facts and the figures that counts.

 

Your first reality post was as good as some people's 10,000th fantasy post, so stand your ground and enjoy! 

[DoubleD]

You assume old lag posters opinions may be stronger than yours. It's how long you've been following the game and how much you have taken into account the realities, the facts and the figures that counts.

 

Your first reality post was as good as some people's 10,000th fantasy post, so stand your ground and enjoy! 

 

Yeah your first post was better and less dreary than 19,600 of Parksiders other ones

[Manfred Mann]

Does anyone know whether or not the RFL checks on a club's employment practices with its players, or provision of side benefits like use of a car and free rental of an apartment, as a factor in possibly violating the salary cap?

 

In Australia those practices would have to be included in a club's accounting of its expenses on players, and so clubs don't normally provide such benefits to players. But in France I am told that it is normal.for a club to provide its top players with use of a car and an apartment. My point is, will Toulouse have to make public such practices to the RFL, and have such practices included in its salary cap accounting, or will it be overlooked? I would hope the latter, in order to give Toulouse the chance to attract and retain quality players from France and overseas.