OriginalMrC

You are correct that Japan have got better due to investment but that would not have happened had Japan not regularly competed in world cups. Chicken egg

Let's face it the NRL and Superleague don't want an international game and until they are fully on board the international game will never truly grow. The only real success in recent years has been the emergence of pacific countries as contenders

Was it £20k a game Broncos are paying

Midlands total. And I think the structure is already similar to that though the Midlands leagues don't have all midlands clubs. Some play in the East Division for example and others play in the Yorkshire mens or NCL

Don't know the numbers across the whole of the south but there are 15-20 in the Midlands. Same for London. I expect in the rest of the south and South Wales there are another 30 or so

Agreed. The SCL admitted a number of clubs that weren't up to it. The criteria needed to be stricter. Absolutely a plan is needed and I think things are sort of coming together. Merit leagues have allowed a number of new clubs to test the water and longer term clubs who are struggling to to keep going. This feeds upwards to the regional leagues. The key is to strengthen the regional leagues and give clubs a clear pathway if they want to progress beyond that. Along with that there needs to be continued growth in the women's game and youth and academy matches in all southern regions.

My prediction and it's not based on any real facts is that over the next couple of years Skolars will go, Cornwall will go and Midlands Hurricanes will relocate again to a venue further North. North Wales Crusaders will hopefully hang in there as Wales only representative. We'll end up with the only semi pro/pro club in the South of England being the basket case that is Broncos. On the plus side I can see a strengthening of the amateur game in the South. It's a area of real potential growth and the RFL should be looking at this whole participation numbers continue to shrink in the North.

This thread and similar ones go round and round with the same comments, arguments, thoughts and ideas. Manchester Rangers always gets a mention (no they werent stopped from applying) Regional leagues always gets a mention League 1 supposedly being a development league always gets a mention Promotion of amateur teams into league 1 always gets a mention All great but the main thing that's doomed league 1 is lack of funding. This has happened due to a number of reasons but the split of Superleague from the RFL accelerated that process

Up to life imprisonment.

Matt shaws latest piece is pretty disgraceful. No self awareness for the contribution the press have made to this situation. It's the actual opposite of what it should be.

There seems to be a suggestion on social media that referees are not accountable. They are. Performances are reviewed and teams have an opportunity to feedback on the performance of the officials after the game.

Fans moan before, during and after the games about the ref. Coaches and players blame the ref for their own team's inadequacies. RL 'journalists' sensationalise everything for clicks. The RFL doesn't act on coach's and player's comments. Referees get abuse. It's going to continue to happen. The referees should get together and refuse to work unless they are properly supported

What purpose would that serve? And would they want to? And would they have people willing to put in £100-200k a year to keep the club going?

League 1 is a case of managed decline, a sink or swim approach. Decisions such as reducing numbers and funding have been designed to get us to this point with a handful of clubs potentially continuing in a new structure and the rest falling by the wayside. I can't see any future for non heartlands teams. They might hang in there for a couple of seasons but the dice is firmly stacked against them, even in the new IMG world. Their options are to become community clubs or relocate in the north. It's not all doom and gloom. Coventry Bears (and Hemel less so) have shown it's possible to transition back to being a community club. Mens, women's and over 150 juniors this season. Skolars, Crusaders and others should consider following this approach

Going down to 10 teams was terrible for league 1. Added to that the huge funding cuts leaves little hope that the division can be sustainable. While I think the guys that were going to buy Skolars appeared to be chancers a lot of what they said holds true. The value of clubs with little in the way of assets and no funding is next to nothing. League 1 needs more support than ever, but will it happen. Unlikely

Wonderful achievement from Cornwall. I thought at the start of the season they looked light on bodies but they've continued to progress and can tick off beating a heartlands team. Well done

Thanks to the couple of people who've pointed this out. I wasnt aware that Sky had agreed to do this. I expect they'll want something in return for this though? Or are they letting the RFL use these broadcasts however they want? £100 off 20,000 people would be amazing but surely very optimistic. Not trying to be negative here just being realisitic based on some of the OurLeague numbers I've seen.

Surely OurLeague or the clubs would have to pay for equipment, set up costs, staff etc for every game they want to stream?

It may well be cheaper but if so it will raise peanuts in comparison to the sky deal. It may be seen by clubs as a way of boosting match day income but certainly won't get millions rolling in

At £30 a month even with 10,000 subscribers (I can't see it being more than that and probably actually being optomistic) won't raise much at all when costs are deducted so I can't see it happening. Its more likely to be £10-15 a game and any subscription £80-100 a month

Yes but it may surprise you that most people who run RL clubs don't have much money. There aren't many people willing or able to fund RL clubs especially in League 1. My feeling with Skolars is the chancers who decided to announce they were taking over completely derailed the season. Expected investment never came and consequently Skolars have just treaded water.

I heard magic weekend will become magic day. All fixtures will be played on one day. This will save on costs but also create an extravaganza of rugby where they have a Sextuple Header.

Absolutely correct. People just won't pay in significant numbers to make it work. Something everyone is missing is that streaming has already been tried on OurLeague. For most matches clubs are lucky to break even. It's just not a viable option at present.

I dunno but regardless it's a poor show not to fullfill a fixture in league 1. All doesn't seem well and I would guess that Skolars will have a long hard think in this off season if they can continue in league 1. It would be a huge shame but indicative of the challenges faced by clubs outside the heartlands

I can't wait for the merch. Hope they do bucket hats and training tops