Eddie

A strong domestic French competition.

Ulterior reason . I’m not putting Toulouse down (I hope they succeed), I’m just not talking them up like a lot of other people do. If they get into SL and average 5,000 or more over a sustained period of a few seasons I’ll be chuffed to admit I was wrong. However as I’ve said based on their current crowds I don’t see any reason to think that will happen. The 6k gate last season was a one off and involved lots of free tickets, it doesn’t mean anything in terms of long term support.

My original point was that I don’t think french broadcasters will be attracted by the prospect of screening Toulouse games played out in front of 2,000 people. It was you who then diverted the subject. But anyway I can’t be arsed to carry on the conversation and I doubt if you can either so we’ll have to agree to differ.

Bizarre, my comment that you quoted was full of facts.

Where is the nonsense there? I’d love to see a thriving Toulouse in SL as much as everyone else, I just don’t share some people’s view that they are the answer to all our problems. If we are hanging our hopes on a team who struggle to attract 2,000 fans currently, then the game really is stuffed.

It wouldn’t though, it’s not as easy to get to Toulouse from the N of England as it is to get to London, so fewer away fans would go.

I don’t need to. A 135% increase in not very much is still a small crowd, especially in a massive global city.

It was my example of how going into SL doesn’t necessarily mean big crowds.

It doesn’t really, London’s tiny crowds may have doubled but they are still tiny and the increase was primarily due to away fans. None of that supports the idea that Toulouse will get big crowds if they ever get into SL. Toulouse's union team averaged 18,000 last season. They are a long established club in the best supported domestic rugby competition in the world. Toulouse FC, a long established top flight football team (France’s most popular spectator sport) averaged 16,000. What makes anyone think the League team will ever average anything more than about 5,000 if they go up is beyond me.

Dark horses in the championship next season.

It was mainly increased away fan numbers though, as bizarre as it is Saints and Leeds take more fans to away games than Toulouse or Swinton.

Sounds great. When are you going to set this league up?

Do you’re saying we need to completely change the make up of Super League so Toulouse (who will be placed in it without getting promoted) can improve their crowds from 2,000 to 5,000?

Like London did?

Televising Toulouse playing in front of 2,000 people wouldn’t be that appealing to a broadcaster either.