The future of Rugby league

[eltel]

Forget nostalgia and the years of memories when the likes of Saints and Wigan loved visiting post office road with excitement and entertainment.

I know we cannot live in the past but wouldnt it be nice.

 

What does the future hold with all the money which has already been thrown away in London Wales and France trying to get more worldwide appeal.

Well it was always a brilliant game with proper challenge cup rounds without the need to give the top 8 super league teams a free pass into the 6th round whereas championship clubs need to play 3 rounds just to be on a par with super league who then only need to win 3 games to reach the final.

There were great Lancashire v Yorkshire matches and the Yorkshire cup was well supported but alas those greedy club directors think the way forward is more expansion forget the failings of the UK and France expansions in the past which failed miserably lets throw more money around the whole world. 

For christs sake Rugby league was a great northern sport which has been gradually going to the dogs since the introduction of super league in 1996 unless you are one of the very few successful clubs whereas  the remainder have suffered big time. Yes remember that clubs had to meet all the rules to enter super league especially with minimum standards for grounds yet here we are 22 years later with some terrible grounds and several clubs do not own any ground.

Yes poor expansion plastic pitches poor referees a disaster in the making not to mention some naughty boys may not be allowed to play abroad then there is the summer rugby which seems to be resulting in every team having shed loads of injuries obviously plastic pitches and hard grounds may be causing big health problems no doubt the RFL will wake up one day just like footy did realising constant heading of heavy leather footballs does your head in.

Rugby league players are starting to think they are really special when in fact they are mostly a commodity with a shelf price for the highest bidder. Never did have a lot of loyalty but alas they cannot even wait until the end of a season or their contracts expire before they are off.

Do we really want moneymen ruining any semblance of a level playing field just like football with clubs simply buying success or the likes of Toronto who are heading upwards because an Australian tycoon is pouring money into the club.

My thoughts of how it will all pan out barring bankruptcies is within 3 to 5 years the super league worldwide (new name but should be called the we are all right jack league sod the rest)it will consist of the likes of:

Wigan

St Helens

Toronto

Catalan

Toulouse

Warrington

Leeds Rhinos (pending no big fallout)

Hull (maybe even merged with KR)

Bradford (cant leave them out rules seem not to apply)

Leigh (subject to more cash injection)

The remaining 2 clubs could come from anywhere but not London who wants to travel there only to be embarrassed with empty stadiums thats if they can build one. 

Finally the Luke Briscoe fiasco yes Mark Campbell may well have something up his sleeve it is to be hoped so and much better than the clubs previous so called important announcements but the paying fans need some information from the club not total silence.

I have said it for years another breakaway from the so called elite is called for unless they mend their selfish ways.

Top 4 solely depends on Halifax result and lets hope Rovers turn up with the right mental attitude.

 

 

 

 

[Robin Evans]

Rugby was on its ar se way before 96....

Its just its ar se has just about fallen out now

[Blue Pike]

20 minutes ago, eltel said:

Forget nostalgia and the years of memories when the likes of Saints and Wigan loved visiting post office road with excitement and entertainment.

I know we cannot live in the past but wouldnt it be nice.

 

What does the future hold with all the money which has already been thrown away in London Wales and France trying to get more worldwide appeal.

Well it was always a brilliant game with proper challenge cup rounds without the need to give the top 8 super league teams a free pass into the 6th round whereas championship clubs need to play 3 rounds just to be on a par with super league who then only need to win 3 games to reach the final.

There were great Lancashire v Yorkshire matches and the Yorkshire cup was well supported but alas those greedy club directors think the way forward is more expansion forget the failings of the UK and France expansions in the past which failed miserably lets throw more money around the whole world. 

For christs sake Rugby league was a great northern sport which has been gradually going to the dogs since the introduction of super league in 1996 unless you are one of the very few successful clubs whereas  the remainder have suffered big time. Yes remember that clubs had to meet all the rules to enter super league especially with minimum standards for grounds yet here we are 22 years later with some terrible grounds and several clubs do not own any ground.

Yes poor expansion plastic pitches poor referees a disaster in the making not to mention some naughty boys may not be allowed to play abroad then there is the summer rugby which seems to be resulting in every team having shed loads of injuries obviously plastic pitches and hard grounds may be causing big health problems no doubt the RFL will wake up one day just like footy did realising constant heading of heavy leather footballs does your head in.

Rugby league players are starting to think they are really special when in fact they are mostly a commodity with a shelf price for the highest bidder. Never did have a lot of loyalty but alas they cannot even wait until the end of a season or their contracts expire before they are off.

Do we really want moneymen ruining any semblance of a level playing field just like football with clubs simply buying success or the likes of Toronto who are heading upwards because an Australian tycoon is pouring money into the club.

My thoughts of how it will all pan out barring bankruptcies is within 3 to 5 years the super league worldwide (new name but should be called the we are all right jack league sod the rest)it will consist of the likes of:

Wigan

St Helens

Toronto

Catalan

Toulouse

Warrington

Leeds Rhinos (pending no big fallout)

Hull (maybe even merged with KR)

Bradford (cant leave them out rules seem not to apply)

Leigh (subject to more cash injection)

The remaining 2 clubs could come from anywhere but not London who wants to travel there only to be embarrassed with empty stadiums thats if they can build one. 

Finally the Luke Briscoe fiasco yes Mark Campbell may well have something up his sleeve it is to be hoped so and much better than the clubs previous so called important announcements but the paying fans need some information from the club not total silence.

I have said it for years another breakaway from the so called elite is called for unless they mend their selfish ways.

Top 4 solely depends on Halifax result and lets hope Rovers turn up with the right mental attitude.

 

 

 

 

Good post but I think we are now as a Championship Club reliant on Sky funding especially the 600 k we got last year.If we rely on the crowds we get which will probably half due to no higher league to aim for and a couple of shirt sponsors ( as loads will back off ) I believe that will be the death knell for us .

[sentoffagain2]

   The post from eltel is not too far out i also think the Hull clubs would have to merge,add a team from Wakey or Cas and a Manchester team surely United and City could throw a couple of million in each to get a club started.Don't think for a minute though that Leigh would be in.I would like an equally funded Championship with 16 teams 30 matches and a new cup competition.Championship teams would have half squad full time and the others part time.Then i wake up from my dream where the hell does the money come from.

[Gareth hock]

I have nearly had enough of the sport it’s been totally ruined for me and it’s on it’s ###### . How can a professional team like barrow only have 14 players on Saturday what a joke . 

[Steve Slater]

I think we were duped when Super League was formed.

If London and Paris were to be given a place at the expense of clubs who deserved one, surely the big clubs such as Saints and Wigan would have pulled out all the stops to make them successful, even at their own clubs' expense? If they could force Fev, Widnes, or Keighley to make way for them they could also have given these two clubs more money from the Sky handout, and a much larger salary cap to help them win trophies and grow the game outside its traditional boundaries. But no, it was ok to do the dirty on Fev, but no way would they let Paris and London encroach on their own success.

So as far as I'm concerned, if they are going to give these expansion clubs any special favours they must go the whole hog and bend over backwards and give them some of their own slice of the cake rather than expecting Championship and League 1 clubs to bear the burden. I'd like to see how Saints and Wigan would go on if London and the French and North American clubs were occupying the top spots in Super League?

[jamescolin]

RL will survive and common sense will eventually prevail. I know it is not liked but I would have one league of 28 clubs, with equal distribution of money. Two Challenge Cup competitions (SL and the others) the Championship final played as a curtain raiser. Lancashire and Yorkshire clubs playing each other plus another 4 games. The clubs outside of the leagues to be development clubs receiving finance for their future. As I said my idea is not liked but it would stop all this messing about regarding promotion and relegation and funding.

[RobLambert]

Ah....if only top 4 just depended on the Fax result............

[painkiller]

The meeting In Bradford will be interesting were they are on about equal funding for championship teams were is the reward for success there ? The black clouds are emerging Brian barwick not showing any leadership quality’s at all   Super league greed kicking in Wigan saints wire hull and all the rest of the so called big boys Leeds excluded ( well done Gary) don’t give two hoots about Fev fax Leigh Batley Keighley Oldham and the rest of rugby leagues heartbeat as long as there pockets are full with the money they could potentially get by cutting us adrift .. these people have no soul and should be ashamed Of themselves but in reality don’t give a stuff 

[MADREDNIGE]

14 minutes ago, painkiller said:

The meeting In Bradford will be interesting were they are on about equal funding for championship teams were is the reward for success there ? The black clouds are emerging Brian barwick not showing any leadership quality’s at all   Super league greed kicking in Wigan saints wire hull and all the rest of the so called big boys Leeds excluded ( well done Gary) don’t give two hoots about Fev fax Leigh Batley Keighley Oldham and the rest of rugby leagues heartbeat as long as there pockets are full with the money they could potentially get by cutting us adrift .. these people have no soul and should be ashamed Of themselves but in reality don’t give a stuff 

I never thought I'd say this but i hope Toronto, Toulouse and maybe Leigh go up and knock 3 S/L teams down before they change it, this is why they are running scared and trying to change it. As much as I'd like to see Fev up we can't compete with S/L teams sadly. 

[saddleworth]

On ‎6‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 6:25 PM, Gareth hock said:

I have nearly had enough of the sport it’s been totally ruined for me and it’s on it’s ###### . How can a professional team like barrow only have 14 players on Saturday what a joke . 

Be prepared,GH. Many more teams will be going over short handed, including SL teams (assuming they make the grade) due to the "form" which is flying about. Future players will have to be squeaky clean and probably have to complete a Criminal Record Check. Probably the first question asked. second question, which position do you favour.

 

[sentoffagain2]

On 6/26/2018 at 8:02 PM, MADREDNIGE said:

I never thought I'd say this but i hope Toronto, Toulouse and maybe Leigh go up and knock 3 S/L teams down before they change it, this is why they are running scared and trying to change it. As much as I'd like to see Fev up we can't compete with S/L teams sadly. 

  I'm with you on that about the Championship teams getting promoted.The reason they voted for this system is because they thought only1 at the most would be able to achieve it.Good luck to all the top four, i think we can still have good championship teams without Super League. But as i have said before we need to find extra funding .

[oldrover]

i fear we are paying the price for licencing. supportrs who gradually drifted away from the game because their clubs had no chan ce of making progress to the elite, have found other things to do. they were probably paying 8 or 10 quid when they left and are now being asked for 20. it's a shame because the championship is more exciting than it's ever been. i wonder what the total would be if you included the kids that aren't being brought by a parent.

[Robin Evans]

29 minutes ago, oldrover said:

i fear we are paying the price for licencing. supportrs who gradually drifted away from the game because their clubs had no chan ce of making progress to the elite, have found other things to do. they were probably paying 8 or 10 quid when they left and are now being asked for 20. it's a shame because the championship is more exciting than it's ever been. i wonder what the total would be if you included the kids that aren't being brought by a parent.

This..... being saying this for years.