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My opinion on a potential structure of rugby league


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So to start with I’m a new fan of rugby only following the sport closely for the past 4 or so years, so this structure my have huge flaws I’m unaware off so I’m open to feedback and suggestions.

While I don’t mind the current structure of the super 8s and feel that this system could work with further investment and adaptation, I understand the want for a change. However the suggestion for the league to change to one 14 team fixed league with no promotion would be a huge mistake and undermine the hardwork teams like York who are putting in by addding a block to their potential growth. The idea of two leagues certainly seems like a logical idea tier 1 and 2 with potential for a feeder league if you will, my suggestion would adapt this idea with the current super 8s system.

The concept I have would be quite a radical change that would most definitely need adjusting for the fans and from the league team, I would split the league into two equal test one east on west, the east league would contain teams from the east off England and France while the west obviously would contain teams from the West off England, Wales  and maybe America. These leagues would contain around 12 teams so 24 “top flight teams”. During this phase the teams would play amongst themselves , side note I feel each week being a more local game would increase the attendance for these games. After 24 games in these leagues they would split with the top 6 from east and west coming to play in the finals league, game one off the finals could potentially be the magic weekend top east vs top west ,second be second etc. 

This is where I’m struggling with the rest off the idea in terms of what to do with the rest of the league the bottom half off the leagues, how many teams should be in these leagues, and I’m sure more obvious things I’m missing, but I do feel this would bring excitement and most definitely growth to the sport.

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17 minutes ago, West Leeds Riviera said:

Oh great another structure thread. 12 teams, 22 games, top 5 playoff, 1 up 1 down, relegation playoff-CH2 v CH3 SL11v SL10 Winners play in MPG

No conferences or never ending fixturlists we don't need Widnes v Wigan 10 times a year

I would have bottom of SL vs top of championship as MPG that way a team would have to be better than the one it was replacing, it would stop the yoyo and the players from the relegated team signing for the promoted one!

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I like the idea of 12 team, 2 up 2 down, with 12th SL automatic relegation, 1st Championship Automatic Promotion and 11th SL vs 2nd Championship as effectively the MPG. 

I think the OP may have taken inspiration in the idea from NFL? I think most would agree at present or even in the near future RL has nowhere near the strength in depth for such a concept.

If somewhere in the distant future we could break out of the heartlands, and get a genuine footing in Wales, Ireland and Scotland, with further growth in France, I think a league split whereby those teams form a "Celtic" Super League and have a MPG between the winners of SL England and "Celtic" SL for a European Super Cup of sorts could be fun, but let's face it we are decades at best away from that.

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JayMills - your welcome to put your ideas forward we've had no shortage of other people putting the tuppence worth in, so I'm sure it must be your turn.

That issue about the bottom of the league is a real problem.  If we are going to have play offs at the top it will mean teams near the bottom will be left kicking their heels.

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If we are to embrace potential growth in North America (and France / Europe), the only way forward is the conference model or, more specifically, a collection of smaller leagues also involving inter-conference games and a play off series by the winners.

By doing so we maximise attendances (because half of matches are set within a geographical group) without sacrificing variety.

Each conference could employ promotion and relegation via relevant feeder leagues, too.

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Sounds like the pre-73 structure. Simply replaces Yorkshire League with Eastern League.

There is simply not enough money to run with more than 16 full-time teams.

I would love there to be more, but there aren't.

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Jay,  welcome.  Deja vu all over again.

Well, we used to have separate Lancs and Yorks Leagues (30 clubs in all) with some cross fertilisation games.  The consolidated  'ladder', as our antipodean cousins say, was finished off with a top 4 Championship.

Some say that RL went all down hill when it changed to a top 16 (all that and when Bill Fallowfield retired).

Those were the good old days, 1961 (?) Leeds beating Warrington at Odsal in front of 52,000 in the Northern Rugby League Championship Top 4 Final.

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4 minutes ago, JayMills said:

Apologies for beating the dead horse with another post on the structure I should have probably looked through other post to see the endless stream off the.

Seems my lack of knowledge definitely shows.

 

Don't worry about it mate, and welcome!

There are plenty of less sensible thoughts posted believe me!

We spend too much time on structure too little on product imho. But keep posting, and enjoying RL.

It is a great game.

 

 

 

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8 hours ago, Rupert Prince said:

Jay,  welcome.  Deja vu all over again.

Well, we used to have separate Lancs and Yorks Leagues (30 clubs in all) with some cross fertilisation games.  The consolidated  'ladder', as our antipodean cousins say, was finished off with a top 4 Championship.

Some say that RL went all down hill when it changed to a top 16 (all that and when Bill Fallowfield retired).

Those were the good old days, 1961 (?) Leeds beating Warrington at Odsal in front of 52,000 in the Northern Rugby League Championship Top 4 Final.

Yes now we have to make do with a league final at OR in front of 70k...

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7 hours ago, dixiedean said:

Don't worry about it mate, and welcome!

There are plenty of less sensible thoughts posted believe me!

We spend too much time on structure too little on product imho. But keep posting, and enjoying RL.

It is a great game.

 

 

 

Every time a new club comes in to threaten the status quo the structure is altered to accommodate them/ push them out.

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SL 1 & 2 with either 10-12 teams in both leagues, all fully professional , each team in each league play each other twice so that would mean 20-24 rounds. Top 3 teams from each league enter a 6 team playoffs for the final. League must have teams from North America and France if able (Toronto?, New York?, Catalans, Toulouse, London, Salford - with a plan to move them into Manchester).. 

Championship can still exist at semi-pro level for aspiring SL clubs and promising expansion clubs with around 10-12 clubs and appropriate teams are promoted/relegated to SL 1& 2.

All  SL teams must run a National Youth Competition (under 20s), any French/European or North American teams entering must have suitable youth setups for SL before entering from Championship. Hopefully this would work and increase attendance, tv ratings, player performance and ticks all the boxes. 

Things like internationals must be considered (not really a big fan of any State of Origin-like fixtures, lets just have club and international) 

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I'm fairly new to the sport as well, and it always amazes me how people come up with these bizarre and complicated structures. In football, you have a league and each team plays all the others twice, once at home and once away. Surely this should be the starting point, how difficult can it be? Otherwise you end up with teams playing each other different numbers of times, and that introduces anomalies that can affect league standings - it wrecks the integrity of the competition. Then you can decide how many games you think should be played in the regular league season, and that gives you the number of teams in the league. If you want 30 games, you need 16 teams. Then you can figure out how you deal with promotion / relegation etc, but I don't really see a problem with one automatic promotion and a play-off of four teams with the winner also promoted. Bottom two relegated. This is basically what we have in League 1 this season (though no relegation, of course). Looking at the current standings, two tiers of 16 might just work. Expansion sides could join the NCL, but there would need to be the chance to get promoted from there to the top tiers.

Now I get that RL doesn't have the same kind of pyramid structure as soccer does in the UK and it won't have in the short term, but I think you could try to head in that direction in the long term.

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2 hours ago, yipyee said:

Yes now we have to make do with a league final at OR in front of 70k...

The grand final is a success. So was the top 4, the top 16  has a step backwards,  as is the extended Top, so called, Super Eight. 

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OK so I'm going to have a go at this because we clearly have a problem with how the game is structured and how developing clubs can achieve success....so  (deep breath)

SL1 - 10 clubs play home and away. 18 fixtures

SL2 - 8 clubs play home and away. 14 fixtures

SL1 play SL 2 either home or away depending on seeding of SL2 (based on previous years performances, basically best clubs play away at weakest). 8 fixtures SL1, 10 fixtures SL2.

Magic weekend.

Total fixtures SL 1- 27. SL2-25.

P&R 2 clubs. Top 4 playoff for Grand Final.

1 club relegated from SL2.

Championship1 - 10 clubs play home and away. 18 fixtures

Championship2 - 10* clubs play home and away. 18 fixtures.

CH1 play CH2 either home or away depending on seeding of CH2 (based on previous years performances, best play away at weakest). 10 fixtures.

Total fixtures 28.

Top 4 play off for Championship. Grand Final winner to SL2.

P&R between Leagues 2 clubs.

Summer bash is a 9's tournament including those from SL2 (and possibly those from SL1?)

*assuming New York etc join.

I am not Ralph.

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44 minutes ago, Ackroman said:

OK so I'm going to have a go at this because we clearly have a problem with how the game is structured and how developing clubs can achieve success....so  (deep breath)

SL1 - 10 clubs play home and away. 18 fixtures

SL2 - 8 clubs play home and away. 14 fixtures

SL1 play SL 2 either home or away depending on seeding of SL2 (based on previous years performances, basically best clubs play away at weakest). 8 fixtures SL1, 10 fixtures SL2.

Magic weekend.

Total fixtures SL 1- 27. SL2-25.

P&R 2 clubs. Top 4 playoff for Grand Final.

1 club relegated from SL2.

Championship1 - 10 clubs play home and away. 18 fixtures

Championship2 - 10* clubs play home and away. 18 fixtures.

CH1 play CH2 either home or away depending on seeding of CH2 (based on previous years performances, best play away at weakest). 10 fixtures.

Total fixtures 28.

Top 4 play off for Championship. Grand Final winner to SL2.

P&R between Leagues 2 clubs.

Summer bash is a 9's tournament including those from SL2 (and possibly those from SL1?)

*assuming New York etc join.

I am not Ralph.

Ok Nigel, you’re not Ralph.

- Adepto Successu Per Tributum Fuga -

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