Super League run as an NFL styled conference system

[Dominic]

1 hour ago, super major said:

I would not be happy if my team had to play all the expansion teams away

You make a very valid point.

I initially put this idea together as, in my opinion, if the league was to follow a conference style structure then this would be the only viable solution to ensure derby clubs were kept together and to allow further growth.

The problem is you may still find yourself in that situation in the future if Toronto, Catalans, Toulouse plus New York, Hamilton all make it to the super league, which is why, and I refer to an earlier statement of mine, expansion teams welcomed into super league must down the line be with the view to establishing their own league in their own country.

I think that if the league was to say invite New York to enter the league it should be for a fixed time frame to ensure that when the time comes the club is asked to leave to join a newly formed or developed league in the USA.

[TheReaper]

1 hour ago, Dominic said:

I think that if the league was to say invite New York to enter the league it should be for a fixed time frame to ensure that when the time comes the club is asked to leave to join a newly formed or developed league in the USA.

Who is going to invest money to start a team if they might get kicked out after so long, if no one else steps up to form a league? 

[Rupert Prince]

On 10/25/2018 at 8:54 PM, Gerrumonside ref said:

I think this is a great post highlighting the positives and negatives.

I think it’s particularly key the point about how the NFL owners work together to grow the business and how in the UK there is great disunity.

Could not agree more. Can an suggest that the origional poster (gnidir) retype it in block capitals. Actually preferably in flashing neon lighting. 

[Big Picture]

On 10/25/2018 at 3:30 PM, Dominic said:

If Rugby league is going to grow and expand then other teams are welcome to join Super League but with the intention that when enough teams and interest from across their country have been established then Super League can support them as a separate entity alongside them but with the only "expansion" being a new competition format such as a European Championships, or Inter-Continental end of season Play-offs.

I like the Toronto adventure, and hopefully one day a serbian or irish adventure but this must end up with a fully fledged and self funded canadian league, serbian league or irish league in its own right.

I also like the fact that Catalans Dragons have done so well this year, and with Toulouse close to making the milion pound game this can only be good for french rugby... however, surely, the end product must be a fully fledged, fully professional, self funded Elite Championship One that can run parallel to Super League with teams from each league qualifying for a Club European Championships or other such "expansion" tournament.

Any idea of separate Canadian, Serbian or Irish leagues at anything above semi-pro level is pure fantasy and Canada being so big there can never be a Canadian league spanning the whole country at semi-pro level.  Even the idea of a fully pro French league is fanciful at best.

8 hours ago, super major said:

I would not be happy if my team had to play all the expansion teams away

But you'd be happy to lump them into a division of their own and bear pretty the whole burden and expense of transatlantic travel?  ROFLMAO!

[Tim Streets tache]

On 10/25/2018 at 6:20 PM, Dominic said:

Likely to upset a few people here...

Have been thinking long and hard about developing the League to allow for expansion in the future and have come up with a conference system similar to that in the NFL.  Before you give up reading on... please just read the rest... 

• "The East"
  • Hull FC, Hull KR, Castleford, Featherstone, Wakefield
• "Yorkshire"
  • Leeds, Huddersfield, Halifax, Bradford, York
• "Lancashire"
  • St Helens, Wigan, Leigh, Salford, Swinton
• "The West"
  • Warrington, Widnes, Workington, Whitehaven, Barrow
• "Expansion"
  • Catalans, Toulouse, Toronto, London, New York (?)

This idea ensures that local derbies are contested yearly and without fail and also with a Home and Away same conference, Home only against 2 Conferences, and Away only against the other 2 Conferences ensures all teams play everyone - total 28 games.

Future Expansion would be to develop French Rugby League, as well as North American Rugby League, and could look like:

• "France"
  • Catalans, Toulouse, AS Carcasonne, Limoux Grizzlies, Lezignan
  • The bottom team could face a play-off with the French Elite 1 Champions
• "North America"
  • Toronto, New York, Hamilton, Boston, Chicago
  • The bottom team could face a play-off with the Champions of a US/Canada RL
• "UK and Ireland"
  • London Broncos, London Skolars, Ireland, Wales, Scotland

In case you think I have forgotten about the rest...

• The British Rugby Championship
  • Rochdale, Oldham, Batley, Dewsbury
  • Hunslet, Keighley, Sheffield, Doncaster
  • Newcastle, Coventry
  • Hemel, Skolars, Crusaders, Raiders

Please go gentle with me with your responses... 

Where do you buy your weed???

[koli]

On 10/26/2018 at 4:05 AM, Oliver Clothesoff said:

Like when? I can remember as far back as the start of Super League and the only similar thing to a East and West Conference was the War of the Roses concept. 

Further regionalising an already regionalised sport will do nothing but kill the game. 

Early 60s.61/62 and 62/63 before reverting back to one big league but bringing in a top 16 play off.

Same issues then as now-too many "nothing games" but a move to two divisions (which was tried n failed in the early 1900s) was opposed by smaller clubs fearing loss in  revenue if they lost the games against their county's big boys.