DONCASTER chief executive Carl Hall is in favour of a change to the lower-league structure.
The withdrawal of London Skolars from the professional ranks means that, as it stands, only nine clubs will compete in League One next season.
Last week, Rugby League Live reported that an amalgamation of League One with the 14-team Championship will be discussed this Wednesday (October 4), among other options.
If it happened as soon as the 2024 season, that would nullify Doncaster’s achievement in winning the League One play-offs to earn promotion to the Championship.
But their long-serving chief Hall told League Express: “Nothing will take away from us what we did at the weekend – at the end of the day, we’re a Championship club now.
“I just think we do need to look at structure change now in the interests of the sport.”
League One has shrunk from 16 clubs in 2017, and although the third tier contained nine clubs in 2013 and 2014 (playing 16 rounds in the former, and 20 including four loop fixtures in the latter), clubs are concerned about its viability, especially after recent central funding cuts.
Doncaster spent eight years in the bottom division until their play-off final win over North Wales Crusaders, and Hall admitted life in League One was “tough”.
He added: “I don’t want to think about what would have happened if we didn’t do it (get promoted). There would have been some really big decisions to make.
“I’m glad I don’t have to think about them. It’s a massive relief that we’ve managed to do it.”
Assuming the current structure remains for now, Hall is keen to see his Championship newcomers sustain themselves long-term at that level.
“That Championship is a fantastic league, it’s a tough competition. We’re under no illusions,” he said.
“Our focus will be survival. We’ll dip our toe in and we won’t know what it’s actually like until we’re out on the field playing in it, but a lot of our boys have played at that level and know what it takes.
“We’re certainly going to have a hard pre-season here. We’ll bring some recruits in and we’ll prepare as best as we can to make sure we can stay in there.
“I believe the longer we’re in there, the better we’ll become.”
