Les Tonks Sidestep

Batley seem to have confirmed that next year's central funding is based on IMG score and not league position - not that it makes any difference to us but Widnes appear to be big losers and Barrow winners. Find it odd that Keighley scored more than half of next year's Championship clubs.

You mean like crowds above 7500 give you full marks for attendance?

Barrow explain their scores quite well here https://www.barrowrlfc.com/latest-news/barrow-raiders-2024-img-grading-explained/

I found these for 2014, the last year of licencing, although I suspect Batley's contains a typo.... Leigh 2380 Featherstone 2055 Halifax 1686 Barrow 1030 Dewsbury 1027 Keighley 991 Crusaders 846 Workington 838 Sheffield 829 Doncaster 806 Whitehaven 796 Rochdale 764 Batley 7451 Swinton 530

I'd hope that any big moves have been fully audited.

Now compare SL to the soccer equivalent......

The Giants still hold around 20% of the shares looking at the last updated filing. It was announced this/last week that Kirkess Council are transferring their shares (40%) to Town but will retain the freehold.

Minimum ground capacity (12000) and actual attendance figures (>10000) were also more demanding, and more realistic of what you'd expect of a Grade A club

Fairly sure sponsorship would be classed as 'non-centralised income' gaining them more points for both the £ and % measures of that than would be gained through 'owner investment'. Iirc Beaumont said at the start of all this that he was seeking advice on the best way to 'play' the system.

You're foolishly discounting the Bradford crowd calculator......

Fev won the GF in 2011 so in a 'normal' year without licencing in place would have gained promotion.

Latest accounts show AB Sundecks, rather than him funding directly, to have sponsored the club to the tune of £1.325m in 2023.

Pretty sure that at a Fans' Forum it was stated that there's no way we could ever get into SL through the IMG system so they weren't going to put in much effort - and tbh there's not much to gain from doing so. There are likely to be 9 Grade A clubs when the scores are announced tomorrow, with 3 others fairly close. Outside SL it will be (virtually) impossible for a club to beat any of those 12 in the future unless one goes belly up.

You would hope that at the very least someone checks/audits any club showing a significant change in their scoring or moving across Grade boundaries?

To the >1500 <3000 band which will gain them 0.75pts

That will (if true) be in the 2024 accounts which will be included next year not this. The latest accounts (up to Nov 23) show net liabilities of ca £21m

I'm still unsure how they'll improve by 50% given many of the criteria are based on 3 year averages. Increased income and turnover from being in SL last season wont help much in the financials as all but non-centralised turnover are (for 2024) based on the financial years ending 21, 22 and 23 or the last published accounts (which for London is year ending Nov 23)?

Not sure it would as again most (all?) of the finance stuff is a 3 year average (and wont include the 24 financial year which doesn't end till November). Their latest accounts (to Nov 23) show net liabilities of ca£21m. Averaging finish position will be 16 rather than 18.3 but without checking other clubs around that point I'm not sure how much of a boost they'll get from that either?* Edit: they jut pip us (also on an average of 16th) getting the nod based on 2024 finishing positions so our performance score will drop to 2.400.

Re London, given many of the scores are based on 3 year averages I'm not entirely convinced there's will be boosted by as much as claimed?

I'd be surprised if it wasn't very similar to the indicative score from 2023. Hard to see any areas where we will have improved, except possibly by playing the system by 'jiggling' the financials and perhaps stadium utilisation through its reduced capacity? Several areas where we could easily be worse although the 3 year averaging will help.

Jepson showing he means business by bringing in a 'name'?

Remind me how this worked out the last time it was implemented?

Only if already part of the 'in crowd'

No, it was Castleford.....

Only if 12 other clubs score more points, otherwise it means nothing. Be very, very funny if it happened though......