Barrow Raiders chairman David Sharpe has called on the RFL to take a close look at how the Super 8s league structure is impacting on clubs in the third tier of the sport.
Sharpe told the North-West Evening Mail that the system is a “nightmare” for clubs in League One, as it prevents them from bringing in key streams of revenue until the very last moment due to the nature of not knowing your fixtures until just before the system starts.
He said: “Something that the RFL seriously need to look at for next season is the Super Eight situation. It is a nightmare for clubs in League One.
“It means a club like Barrow can’t even sell one third of our sponsorship or hospitality boxes until a week before the fixtures begin because we don’t even know who or where we are playing.”
“The fiasco of not having a home game for five weeks on two occasions in the league, compounded by two overnight trips back to back, means cash flow for the club is a disaster.”
He said: “I fear the addition of Toronto next year will cause further problems. I have grave concerns that the stop-start nature of this season, should it continue, will turn people away from the game rather than attract new spectators.”
