RBKnight

Once again .....Academies do not form part of the grading handbook !

It's not an "either/or" - imagine if you're a club lead sponsor, and have your name prominently on widely circulated clips ? This sort of exposure can drive up revenue and sponsorship levels (the sort of thing that IMG actually have some expertise in)

Close up, the RFL's RugBee is disturbingly similar to Frank Sidebottom......

As long as it's a kitchen supplied by the new Trinity owner.....

Unfortunately Mick, there is no "Is your ground a dump?" grading in the IMG grading handbook The ground gradings are all about corporate and broadcasting facilities, so Oldslum don't lose out. They will probably do well in terms of their "Fandom" reach, and on "Community" too - the gradings for Foundations are done on turnover/size quite crudely, and I imagine the Bulls' Foundation falls into the top foundation bracket in terms of income. I agree that their balance sheet must have been an outstanding example of the accountant's art, but undoubtedly their total turnover (which is scored under IMG) will be bigger than York's.

I get that not everyone's going to be into Women's sport, but you must have missed that York are the 2023 Women's Super League champions, having defeated Leeds in front of a paying crowd of over 4,500 (and live on Sky) at the LNER stadium earlier this month. Fev and Barrow have just won promotion to the top tier for next year (joining York, Leeds, Saints, Wigan, Warrington and Huddersfield) You get no extra points for running a women's team in the ratings (though it is a requirement to get an "A" grade)

The fine-grained detail on the rankings is apparently for the clubs to choose to disclose or not - RFL are not doing it. There is a strong case for more to be disclosed, if only to head off the wild accusations and conspiracy theories that have started circulating today.

Yes, the exact position he said we'd have in the recent video interview. Mark is dragged down a little by our 9th place finish two seasons ago, plus our average gate being less than 2,000. Plenty to do, and plenty to play for (I personally don't get the thrill of being promoted as a part-time team to SL, having to sack off the players who got you there, then trying to recruit the leftover players that other teams don't want, only to be relegated straight away )

Clubs don't pick up points for having an Academy - they do for having a Foundation (as we do)

These aren't money moves. York and Leeds payments were allegedly win bonuses of £50 for regular season games and £100 for semi's and finals. Win bonus money may still be hard to come by for the Giants next year. Grace's current job at York St Johns University is partially based at the Valkyrie training base, so a move might be tied up with a new job and location. If Liv Whitehead is leaving York looking for more Super League starts (she is in the England performance squad after all) then she could be a very useful capture for either Hudds or newly promoted Fev. Despite being sad to see players move on, it's only got to be a good thing for the competition to have talented players moving on from the Champion side to pastures new (as long as it's not Leeds or Saints) It also frees up squad places at York for emerging U19 players and means more potential game time for the likes of Daisy Sanderson, Jess Sharp and Chevelle Clarke.

No news on their future plans, but I expect Kacey Davis to be playing for Fev in the top tier next year (she as on loan to them for 2023 season, and made eight appearances) Liv Whitehead would be a real asset to any other Super League club - a fast winger or full-back who can kick goals. She may have some other sporting irons in the fire (IIRC, she had a sporting scholarship to the US to play football on offer when she first signed for York) No idea with Chloe Smith (still a teenager, played with our U19s and for Cas this year, but was part of the Valkyrie Uganda mission earlier in the year) The big news is Grace Field leaving - no news on what her plans are yet, but I'll pass on what I hear.

To quote @Gav Wilson on Twitter, he's a "lovable sh%thouse" - a proper throwback We won't have a word said against him in York!

A more balanced response to this discussion is that there is a "Bradford-shaped" hole in SL, if only for the simple fact that there is no other club in the championship that could reasonably aspire to five-figure crowds on promotion to the top tier. That said, the Bulls (and some of their "fans") make themselves very hard to love. For me, there's a sense of resentment and self-entitlement too often on display - as if they're doing the Championship clubs a favour by playing them, and what looks to the outside observer a rather bloated puffed-up operation for a club that's been out of the top flight for a decade. The biggest irony of all this, is that if the Bulls had gone into full liquidation without the RFL seizing the Odsal lease, a "phoenix" club set up by fans, starting from the very bottom, would probably be as close to top-flight status as the Bulls are now (and the fanboys would appear less angry and enjoying their rugby league more) The RFL/Bulls relationship has been an dance of death......

Someone's having fun on the Knights' social media feed

Confirmed that Brenden Santi has signed for another year - pleased with that.

IIRC, at the time of the Bulls vacating Odsal to play at Dewsbury, it was stated that the long lease from the freeholder (Bradford Council) was dependent on rugby being played at Odsal. If it wasn't, then the lease would be surrendered back to the council. If true, that would give the Bulls some security of occupancy.

With Storm Babet on the way, I hope Clint's dishing out Sou'Westers to the team (and plenty of lifebelts for those who over-indulge - Valkyrie Overboard!)

Surely not for the "Jewel in the Crown" or "Wembley of the North" ? Joking aside, you're probably correct, but it illustrates quite how much money is required to stage top-class League in London.

So is the £125K annual income going to be from both the Bulls and the stock cars ? The Bulls poster earlier sort of implied that £125K was the Bull's annual rent. For comparison purposes, Broncos supporters on here estimate that Plough Lane costs them £200K a year.

Speak for yourself........

As I understand it, the RFL got the lease so they had some security against the huge unsecured debt owed to the RFL by the Bulls. A complete collapse into bankruptcy would have put the game's governing body into jeopardy. Seems a shame that the Bulls, whilst paying a peppercorn rent during their locust years, didn't do anything about the state of Odsal.

You had the chance on the field and blew it (for the last three years) Perhaps Fav players are happier playing part-time.....

And Fev might get past the play-off semi-finals.....

York's "obsession" with diversity delivered a 4,500+ crowd at their stadium for a domestic Women's RL game last weekend. We sold over 1,500 through the club shop alone. Really dragging the game down.....