The Second Great Schism

[jroyales]

I have and many more have, I am sure, been screaming out for this for years. I even, many years ago, contacted all of the teams outside of sooperdooper league at that time with the sole aim for a breakaway and we organise our own competitions and chase up our own television rights so we wouldn't have to beg for crumbs from the sooperdooper league table.

sooperdooper league doesn't want anything to do with the "lesser" leagues other than getting their players match fit.

Reading the info about a 20 team sooperdooper two divisions concept, it will be interesting how they will organise it. Could it be by franchise, just the twenty teams at the time of the split, etc. there are numerous  possibilities. Could this thinking have anything to do with the possibility of Sky pulling out in a couple of years.

Sadly, there will be casualties and many hearts broken.

[moorside roughyed]

In my view it's only a matter of time before it happens. Superleague I believe want it to happen. We could end up with a smaller competition but at least it would be ours.How would the superleague clubs get their megastars back to fitness without DR.

[jroyales]

They could start A teams and play them in the lower leagues.

I really don't give a monkeys for anything sooperdooper league because they don't give a damn about RL - just themselves.

I wonder how many sooperdooper league teams would go to the wall if Sky did pull out.

[moorside roughyed]

They wouldn't have any lower leagues because we would be a separate entity if there was a split.We could tell em to sod off.If sky did pull out,that would be interesting. Who gets the lion's share of their cash?

[roughyed34]

The harsh truth is, as I see it at the moment apart from what will become the "chosen few" in SL/SL2 the pro/semi pro game is dead. Sky will continue to put money into those comps, leaving everyone else cast adrift. I can't honestly see where money will come from to sustain the rest of the clubs, a TV deal would have to be a huge amount of money to support what clubs outside SL get now, yes we feed off handouts at the moment but where would the £1,050,000 come from per season (which is the central funding  just for League 1!!) add the championship handouts and I'm reckoning central funding is around £3,000,000+ per season. I wouldn't expect any changes to happen til 2020 at the earliest so the Sky money will still be there til then I suppose and then a new deal will be struck for the SL/SL2.

The clubs currently in Champ/League one would not be able to generate that kind of money that Sky kindly give,without a TV deal/sponsorship/Euromillions. Certainly not on crowds alone.

The RFL/SL seem to want a model similar to the American Football thing a few years ago. London Monarchs,Berlin, Barcelona etc; replace Salford/Widnes/Wakefield etc with New York,Boston,Florida etc. They want a world league and the so called exposure it brings (allegedly)

They couldn't care less about the history of the game or the clubs who made the sport what it is today,Oldham,Swinton,Rochdale and the rest who have survived in the main one way or another for 100+ years,providing opportunities for players to get a foothold and move to bigger things if the chance arises,that will also die. It's now about placating those already at the top table and manufacturing "clubs" to spread the gospel of RL and feed the greed of those clubs. To me it's disgraceful that historic and traditional RL clubs who in many cases are at the heart of communities will be thrown to the wolves without a second thought.

I don't honestly know what the future holds for our club, all I know is that IF these plans happen, my heart will break, we won't have a club. It's simple as that.

The RFL/Superleague will be the grim reapers of the greatest game of all.

The only saving grace if indeed there is one is nothing has been confirmed yet..........TBH I fear the worst though.

 

[moorside roughyed]

1 hour ago, roughyed34 said:

The harsh truth is, as I see it at the moment apart from what will become the "chosen few" in SL/SL2 the pro/semi pro game is dead. Sky will continue to put money into those comps, leaving everyone else cast adrift. I can't honestly see where money will come from to sustain the rest of the clubs, a TV deal would have to be a huge amount of money to support what clubs outside SL get now, yes we feed off handouts at the moment but where would the £1,050,000 come from per season (which is the central funding  just for League 1!!) add the championship handouts and I'm reckoning central funding is around £3,000,000+ per season. I wouldn't expect any changes to happen til 2020 at the earliest so the Sky money will still be there til then I suppose and then a new deal will be struck for the SL/SL2.

The clubs currently in Champ/League one would not be able to generate that kind of money that Sky kindly give,without a TV deal/sponsorship/Euromillions. Certainly not on crowds alone.

The RFL/SL seem to want a model similar to the American Football thing a few years ago. London Monarchs,Berlin, Barcelona etc; replace Salford/Widnes/Wakefield etc with New York,Boston,Florida etc. They want a world league and the so called exposure it brings (allegedly)

They couldn't care less about the history of the game or the clubs who made the sport what it is today,Oldham,Swinton,Rochdale and the rest who have survived in the main one way or another for 100+ years,providing opportunities for players to get a foothold and move to bigger things if the chance arises,that will also die. It's now about placating those already at the top table and manufacturing "clubs" to spread the gospel of RL and feed the greed of those clubs. To me it's disgraceful that historic and traditional RL clubs who in many cases are at the heart of communities will be thrown to the wolves without a second thought.

I don't honestly know what the future holds for our club, all I know is that IF these plans happen, my heart will break, we won't have a club. It's simple as that.

The RFL/Superleague will be the grim reapers of the greatest game of all.

The only saving grace if indeed there is one is nothing has been confirmed yet..........TBH I fear the worst though.

 

Your probably right mate,it isn't looking too rosy is it.Still nothing's decided yet,we'll just have to keep our glasses half full and support our team the best we can.

[moorside roughyed]

Testicles init,big hairy ones.And they wonder why the game is losing support.

[The Art of Hand and Foot]

Just a point of order. The 2nd great schism, it could be argued, occurred in 1895 with the formation of what we now call 'rugby league'. The first great schism occurred around 1863 when those in favour of 'handling and running'with the ball separated from those who didn't.  However I do know what you mean. With regards to the current topic I feel a split could occur because a number of clubs feel they are being held back from their earnings potential by the restrictions, and hence meagre pickings and scraps, placed on them by the sky contract. If there is a split I feel the SL Clubs must leave the RFL and relinquish any hold on the challenge cup and allow that part of history to be retained by the so called lower clubs. 

[jroyales]

Roughyed34 is logically correct in everything he says. It's a shame there aren't more people like him at the top table.

Our game is on its last legs and will die unless something happens and quickly. I feel our game can't wait for the chosen few to decide how our game will look in the future because if we do there won't be a future.

All clubs not in sooperdooper league need to have a voice and meet to decide how they want our game to be run. Ideas of how this could be done needs exploring.

Do you remember the dual header finals at Old Trafford?  What a fantastic day out. Just thinking was it the greed of sooperdooper league that stopped the other final being played because they wanted all of the revenue?

Things don't change.

[moorside roughyed]

2 hours ago, The Art of Hand and Foot said:

Just a point of order. The 2nd great schism, it could be argued, occurred in 1895 with the formation of what we now call 'rugby league'. The first great schism occurred around 1863 when those in favour of 'handling and running'with the ball separated from those who didn't.  However I do know what you mean. With regards to the current topic I feel a split could occur because a number of clubs feel they are being held back from their earnings potential by the restrictions, and hence meagre pickings and scraps, placed on them by the sky contract. If there is a split I feel the SL Clubs must leave the RFL and relinquish any hold on the challenge cup and allow that part of history to be retained by the so called lower clubs. 

Shall we call it Rugby's 2nd schism then?.And yes if superleague wants to go it's own way,we keep the challenge cup.