UK RL desperately needs a Manchester club

[eal]

Salford, Swinton, Oldham, and Rochdale will never attract more than a few thousand fans between them. A newly-created Manchester club is not guaranteed to be successful but it has a chance if done right. When the ARL sought to expand to Auckland it didn't just promote the Glenora Bears or the Te Atatu Roosters, it created a new Auckland club which the whole region could get behind.

[TheLegendOfTexEvans]

45 minutes ago, eal said:

Salford, Swinton, Oldham, and Rochdale will never attract more than a few thousand fans between them. A newly-created Manchester club is not guaranteed to be successful but it has a chance if done right. When the ARL sought to expand to Auckland it didn't just promote the Glenora Bears or the Te Atatu, it created a new Auckland club which the whole region could get behind.

Its complicated by Salford is a city in its own right with two professional clubs Salford and Swinton.

Salfords biggest issue as a city is it really does not have a city centre its just bleeds into Manchester at the River Irwell.

 

 

[kiyan]

On ‎12‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 2:25 AM, TheLegendOfTexEvans said:

Its complicated by Salford is a city in its own right with two professional clubs Salford and Swinton.

Salfords biggest issue as a city is it really does not have a city centre its just bleeds into Manchester at the River Irwell.

 

 

You have described the problem, perfectly!

If you were "born and bred" in Salford  you religiously defend the name of your city and fight against anything that means Salford becoming part of Manchester.

However for the majority of new residents they really don't see the difference. It may be a city older than Manchester, but to most Salford, is just part of Manchester (just  like Westminster is part of London).

Salford University has adverts claiming it is closer to Manchester City Centre than Manchester Uni ( which it is), Media City largely describes itself as Manchester ( technically  most is in Salford and part is in Trafford - NONE of it is in Manchester)

Some Salford fans like to say the AJ Bell is not in Salford ( it is, with a boundary change over 20 years ago)  and is part of Irlam ( which 30 years ago was in Cheshire) though it ( the stadium) is about 1 mile from Eccles and 2.5 from Irlam.

Few people can define the boundary between Salford and Manchester these days, not many care apart from a few hundred vocal Salford fans!  The ones who hounded Koukash out of the club for suggesting a rebrand or playing a few games at City Academy Ground.

[TheLegendOfTexEvans]

16 minutes ago, kiyan said:

You have described the problem, perfectly!

If you were "born and bred" in Salford  you religiously defend the name of your city and fight against anything that means Salford becoming part of Manchester.

However for the majority of new residents they really don't see the difference. It may be a city older than Manchester, but to most Salford, is just part of Manchester (just  like Westminster is part of London).

Salford University has adverts claiming it is closer to Manchester City Centre than Manchester Uni ( which it is), Media City largely describes itself as Manchester ( technically  most is in Salford and part is in Trafford - NONE of it is in Manchester)

Some Salford fans like to say the AJ Bell is not in Salford ( it is, with a boundary change over 20 years ago)  and is part of Irlam ( which 30 years ago was in Cheshire) though it ( the stadium) is about 1 mile from Eccles and 2.5 from Irlam.

Few people can define the boundary between Salford and Manchester these days, not many care apart from a few hundred vocal Salford fans!  The ones who hounded Koukash out of the club for suggesting a rebrand or playing a few games at City Academy Ground.

I would say a few thousand, not hundred.

But its important to distinguish how a marketing executive brands an area compared to how people identify to an area.

I expect Salford City FC to do well under a Salford identity.

 

[kiyan]

On ‎12‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 7:14 AM, westlondonfan said:

How are we failing as we have just on the pitch, won promotion, back to to the Super League?

We don’t have many of the advantages that Salford and Swinton and other Northern clubs have.

It may not be our ground but it is a modern one with improvements in the pipeline.  It looks better than a number of the ones up North do. There are also a number of homegrown players in the squad with very few players from Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, etc.

London RL has a lot to be proud of.

You specifically  mentioned Salford as a club that should not be in SL.

You gave reasons including a poor crowd, not owing their ground, not bringing others to RL....

Like London, Salford has won their place in SL on the pitch.

Bad as Salford Crowds are, there are 2/3 times that of London, Salford may not own their ground but at least they play in a ground that meets the "supposed SL" criteria and not move every other year.

"Advantages Northern Clubs have " you mean like Salford having 4/5 other SL clubs with 15 miles,  in a catchment area of approx. 6 million whereas Broncos is the ONLY SL  team in 100 miles, in London with a catchment of 9 million ?

I think Broncos have done a great job ( and hope they continue to go from strength to strength), but to come on here pretend you are superior to Leigh/Salford/Widnes ( based on that you are NEARLY in London) is delusional!

[tuutaisrambo]

If Salford had a good team in an accessible stadium they would get more fans and a lot of them would be from manchester....... New gimmicks don't work in the UK and creating a new club called Manchester wouldn't either.

Sheffield is a big city near RL heartlands....why dont we create a team there? .....oh wait a minute.

#### about with clubs all you want but the only way to grow the game is more meaningful england/GB internationals.

[westlondonfan]

6 hours ago, kiyan said:

You specifically  mentioned Salford as a club that should not be in SL.

You gave reasons including a poor crowd, not owing their ground, not bringing others to RL....

Like London, Salford has won their place in SL on the pitch.

Bad as Salford Crowds are, there are 2/3 times that of London, Salford may not own their ground but at least they play in a ground that meets the "supposed SL" criteria and not move every other year.

"Advantages Northern Clubs have " you mean like Salford having 4/5 other SL clubs with 15 miles,  in a catchment area of approx. 6 million whereas Broncos is the ONLY SL  team in 100 miles, in London with a catchment of 9 million ?

I think Broncos have done a great job ( and hope they continue to go from strength to strength), but to come on here pretend you are superior to Leigh/Salford/Widnes ( based on that you are NEARLY in London) is delusional!

 You are mistaking me for someone else! I have never said in this thread, or ever I believe , that Salford, should not be in Super League!!!!

I DO think though that northern RL clubs do have an advantage over clubs like London.

Being 100 miles away from other SL teams is not an advantage in my view.

I have no idea what you mean by the Broncos being “NEARLY in London”! by the way? 

I really don’t think we are superior to the clubs you mention but if you go back to the beginning of the thread you get the usual pop at London from some fans of clubs who lets face it have seen better days and are unlikely to help the professional game in the UK compete with the NRL and Rugby Union for the best players in the near future.

[The Daddy]

1 hour ago, westlondonfan said:

 You are mistaking me for someone else! I have never said in this thread, or ever I believe , that Salford, should not be in Super League!!!!

I DO think though that northern RL clubs do have an advantage over clubs like London.

Being 100 miles away from other SL teams is not an advantage in my view.

I have no idea what you mean by the Broncos being “NEARLY in London”! by the way? 

I really don’t think we are superior to the clubs you mention but if you go back to the beginning of the thread you get the usual pop at London from some fans of clubs who lets face it have seen better days and are unlikely to help the professional game in the UK compete with the NRL and Rugby Union for the best players in the near future.

#factz 

[GUBRATS]

On 20 December 2018 at 8:27 PM, Rupert Prince said:

Salford and Swinton , and Oldham and Rochdale could have between them created (e.g.could have had shares in) 2 new Manchester teams ...   and they could have all continued to keep their own identities at a lower level.

Explain exactly how that would have been of any benifit to any of those 4 clubs ?

[Rupert Prince]

19 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

Explain exactly how that would have been of any benifit to any of those 4 clubs ?

They are all between them then part of a superleague club. 2 in fact between them.     It's not rocket science.   

The hard part is investment, but 2 seperleague clubs, run with these 4 clubs and associated investors would get a good start with tv money.

The 4 clubs would continue as lower tier feeder clubs to the 2 new SL clubs. No one merges, no one goes bust.

[GUBRATS]

20 minutes ago, Rupert Prince said:

They are all between them then part of a superleague club. 2 in fact between them.     It's not rocket science.

The hard part is investment, but 2 seperleague clubs, run with these 4 clubs and associated investors would get a good start with tv money.

The 4 clubs would continue as lower tier feeder clubs to the 2 new SL clubs. No one merges, no one goes bust.

Woosh , so again , what actual benifit would those 4 clubs actually get ?

[Gerrumonside ref]

Those mergers wouldn’t work.

The fans of Oldham, Rochdale, Swinton and Salford aren’t going to support fake clubs.

I’ve worked for the best part of 20 years in Manchester and I just don’t see the latent interest to prop up one new club let alone two.

[Rupert Prince]

1 hour ago, GUBRATS said:

Woosh , so again , what actual benifit would those 4 clubs actually get ?

Nothing if you are deaf and dumb.

[Rupert Prince]

55 minutes ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

Those mergers wouldn’t work.

The fans of Oldham, Rochdale, Swinton and Salford aren’t going to support fake clubs.

I’ve worked for the best part of 20 years in Manchester and I just don’t see the latent interest to prop up one new club let alone two.

My point was not one of mergers.  But frankly if no one is bothered about being at all positive or interested in invention, then good luck to all those who are destitute of ambition.