The General 'Toronto Wolfpack' Discussion Thread

[yipyee]

1 minute ago, ckn said:

Last time round there were no other parties interested who’d give us more than a token amount or promises that we’d get more than also-ran status to all their other sports. Sky can give us that simply because they have so many sports channels, they also put a good few games on the free channel to Sky subscribers who aren’t Sports subscribers.

Show me who’d give anywhere near close to what we get in both money and accessibility and you may have a point. Sky know there’s not. We’re not union with their well-promoted ABC1 fan base who bring in the bigger advertisers.

I agree but we need to get another party interested otherwise we will always be left with crumbs

There will become a point when sky will throw us away as not value for money.

The fact so many games are shown for free is evident of their regard to our worth. They may show one early day of a test match to gain interest but would never show soccer or other major events on there. It is but a marketing tool for them and we are a filler on this channel too.

[Harry Stottle]

1 hour ago, yipyee said:

I agree on the streaming, the only way this will happen is if RFL produce their own content and sell the stream. This is how other sports do it.

I don't think that there would be enough subscribers who would source stand alone streaming, as those on these pages who check viewing figures say our viewing numbers are fine on SKY, I wonder if a lot of those are people who have the sky sports package for other than Rugby League and would they purchase a streaming service to watch our game, I suspect not.

[tuutaisrambo]

Here's how I see this playing out.......

1. SL vote to let TWP re join in 2021

2. TWP new owners pay the players and hopefully settle with other creditors they owe

3. We get lots of PR and Spin about how amazing TWP will be for the sport and they will sign some big names again.

4.  Come the start of SL 2021 TWP will be in the same position as they were in 2020........unable the play games and travel because there's still a global pandemic and they are over 3000 miles away with restrictions on pretty much everything they need to make it work.

5. TWP withdraw from SL again.

I really don't see how TWP works in the current COVID landscape and SL are making a decision in the next week or so.

If they let them in for 2021 will it be subject to COVID restrictions easing?  will TWP's new owners happily start shelling out money before knowing if they can even operate successfully again?

I guess they can operate as a nomadic side based in England called Toronto but uk sides won't be able to play games in Canada unless the current outlook changes dramatically.

[LeeF]

2 hours ago, yipyee said:

If people pay for sky just for RL then they would subscribe to whichever service this was on.

Football fans and pubs subscribed to setanta and now bt to watch the games

And lets be honest an armchair fan gets good value for money compared to ST holders, 

I imagined elstone came on board with a focus on tv deals and the fella before him who was chairman of the FA claimed to have experience with tv didnt he work for ITV or something.

For me we need to commit to fully televising each game and then selling the product.

Its fairer for the video ref and is also why people are getting caught out with squirrel tackles etc.. lets remember all 3 were missed by the ref and its only that we have the multiple camera views that we can review incidents properly.

And the number who subscribe to Sky solely for the RL will be miniscule

[LeeF]

2 hours ago, yipyee said:

I agree but we need to get another party interested otherwise we will always be left with crumbs

There will become a point when sky will throw us away as not value for money.

The fact so many games are shown for free is evident of their regard to our worth. They may show one early day of a test match to gain interest but would never show soccer or other major events on there. It is but a marketing tool for them and we are a filler on this channel too.

RL is very cheap for Sky. 

[Harry Stottle]

2 hours ago, yipyee said:

I agree but we need to get another party interested otherwise we will always be left with crumbs

There will become a point when sky will throw us away as not value for money.

The fact so many games are shown for free is evident of their regard to our worth. They may show one early day of a test match to gain interest but would never show soccer or other major events on there. It is but a marketing tool for them and we are a filler on this channel too.

If Sky view it as a filler or not, they are prepared to pay more than anybody else for that privilege, and they also broadcast hell of a lot of games.

Question for you, if another broadcaster came along and offered lets say 10% more than SKY but would reduce the number of live games by half how would you react to that, it wouldn't bother me in the slightest - no covid and I go to live games - and what do you think the reaction of the clubs would be, I think they would snatch their hands off.

Would less televised games persuade more to go to the games, or do you not consider it would have any effect?

PS I know all about the arguments in the 60's of television v. attendances but that was over 50 years ago, what would todays reaction be, and I am not saying get rid of broadcasts just would a lesser number per week improve crowds?

[Harry Stottle]

7 minutes ago, tuutaisrambo said:

Here's how I see this playing out.......

1. SL vote to let TWP re join in 2021

2. TWP new owners pay the players and hopefully settle with other creditors they owe

3. We get lots of PR and Spin about how amazing TWP will be for the sport and they will sign some big names again.

4.  Come the start of SL 2021 TWP will be in the same position as they were in 2020........unable the play games and travel because there's still a global pandemic and they are over 3000 miles away with restrictions on pretty much everything they need to make it work.

5. TWP withdraw from SL again.

I really don't see how TWP works in the current COVID landscape and SL are making a decision in the next week or so.

If they let them in for 2021 will it be subject to COVID restrictions easing?  will TWP's new owners happily start shelling out money before knowing if they can even operate successfully again?

I guess they can operate as a nomadic side based in England called Toronto but uk sides won't be able to play games in Canada unless the current outlook changes dramatically.

There is your reasoning Rambo, if you are on the SL board how would you vote.

IN or OUT ?

[Harry Stottle]

8 minutes ago, LeeF said:

And the number who subscribe to Sky solely for the RL will be miniscule

Yep I am one of those, no RL on Sky no Harry, but would my kind bring any fear to SKY I suspect not.

[tuutaisrambo]

Just now, Harry Stottle said:

There is your reasoning Rambo, if you are on the SL board how would you vote.

IN or OUT ?

I'd vote them in subject to the players getting paid immediately.

However I'd be working on a plan B as I can't see this pandemic easing enough by next season for their inclusion to be viable.

[Harry Stottle]

5 minutes ago, tuutaisrambo said:

I'd vote them in subject to the players getting paid immediately.

However I'd be working on a plan B as I can't see this pandemic easing enough by next season for their inclusion to be viable.

So you would you be putting another club on stand by to fill the 12th spot? If so :- 

Would you give the standby club full funding? 

We have considered it difficult for any promoted club to prepare a team in 4 months how would a few weeks work.

Who would be the stand by club, excluding using last season as a yardstick, would it be invitational, the ones with the most money to place a bond, or by a miny comp to decide if the powers that be allow TWP back next week it could be arranged that the 'standby' contenders play off in January, but minus DR player's as they could not represent that club if they won promotion. 

Just some thoughts.

[Robin Evans]

15 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Yep I am one of those, no RL on Sky no Harry, but would my kind bring any fear to SKY I suspect not.

There is a growing number of folk with "dodgy boxes" that can get the games for nowt.

This will surely be impacting on sky's revenue and in the coverage it can offer.

If income does dwindle because of such devices, RL is likely to be one of the sports to feel it first

[Scubby]

10 minutes ago, Robin Evans said:

There is a growing number of folk with "dodgy boxes" that can get the games for nowt.

This will surely be impacting on sky's revenue and in the coverage it can offer.

If income does dwindle because of such devices, RL is likely to be one of the sports to feel it first

Do old Sky cards still work if you put them in the freezer?  

[Robin Evans]

2 minutes ago, Scubby said:

Do old Sky cards still work if you put them in the freezer?  

I don’t know if its a rovrum thing.... but dodgy boxes are common place round here....I

[tuutaisrambo]

10 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

So you would you be putting another club on stand by to fill the 12th spot? If so :- 

Would you give the standby club full funding? 

We have considered it difficult for any promoted club to prepare a team in 4 months how would a few weeks work.

Who would be the stand by club, excluding using last season as a yardstick, would it be invitational, the ones with the most money to place a bond, or by a miny comp to decide if the powers that be allow TWP back next week it could be arranged that the 'standby' contenders play off in January, but minus DR player's as they could not represent that club if they won promotion. 

Just some thoughts.

If covid goes away them TWP would be in.....if not and they pull out I guess plan b would be an 11 team SL. Not sure how any championship side could step in at that short notice without gate money to help out

[Scubby]

14 minutes ago, tuutaisrambo said:

If covid goes away them TWP would be in.....if not and they pull out I guess plan b would be an 11 team SL. Not sure how any championship side could step in at that short notice without gate money to help out

Answer is none. But I agree, we shouldn't be expelling anyone at this stage - particularly one in a new market. If the pandemic hits us hard for another 12 months will will be struggling to put 8 SL teams out in a competition.

[The Future is League]

$1million a game SBW

https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/1-million-a-game-sonny-bill-williams-set-to-receive-toronto-wolfpack-salary-in-full/news-story/561e3b858314512b2ceb8c4cbac45d90

[silverback]

if they are re-admitted to the competition for 2021.

[Griff]

Yeah - it's only dollars, though.  Not pounds.

[Dave T]

3 hours ago, Scubby said:

To be honest, and I only speak for myself here, but I would not subscribe to a dedicated RL service at the moment. In fact, I stopped Sky in the close season for the first time in my adult life.

Super League has a quality and image issue at the moment. I don't live in the heartlands anymore so don't have an ear to the ground. It doesn't feel aspirational anymore, it feels like the game and clubs are covering their backsides. I didn't like the Catalans Challenge Cup bond fiasco. The way the Toronto issue is unfolding also makes you feel like everyone is looking at the coins left in the pot now and not how prosperous the game could be in new markets. 

If 2020 has taught us anything it is that RL cannot run a model on derbies, away fans and central handouts, hoping to cover full time squads (with some elite players barely earning £15,000 a year). 

I feel I have to challenge this post mate as I think sometimes as individuals we go through these spells where the game doesn't work for us for whatever reason and we get fed up. I think as a fanbase we focus far too much on off field structures and when they don't do exactly what we want we get a bit down on the game. I mean tbh perfectly honest, a bond from Catalans shouldn't even be discussed by fans let alone become a factor in enjoyment of the sport. 

But in reality, viewing figures are good (even under Sky's new model), participation numbers are up year on year, the women's game is growing (excluding this year), we have the marquee rule which has delivered far more exciting players, new rules which seem to have gone well, a new brand and new programs on Sky were going down well before the world fell apart. We've restarted well and are delivering some excellent sport at a time when it looked like we may not see anything this year. 

But for every person like you now, there was a bunch of fans equally disillusioned when the game was structured in a way you favoured

Sometimes, I think as fans we need to back away from the politics and try and enjoy the sport, I know I have had to do this a few times over the years. We all have our gripes, but there is still no sport I'd rather spend 2hrs watching. If you don't feel the same, that's life, we don't have a fanbase who watch from aged 5 to the day they die. 

[TIWIT]

55 minutes ago, Griff said:

Yeah - it's only dollars, though.  Not pounds.

Australian, American or Canadian?

[Griff]

4 minutes ago, TIWIT said:

Australian, American or Canadian?

Namibian.

[GUBRATS]

5 hours ago, yipyee said:

Ha for a one eyed view of an answer?

So go to BT and get more money or stay on sky for less but more people watch,

With that attitude we should be on bbc then as there willl be higher viewers.

 

So 2 replys , plus me is one eyed ? , Thank god you're not negotiating with those maths skills 

[RobertAM]

Mebbe this is a "duh, yes!" answer but if Toulouse Olympique get promoted (top o the table when things stopped) do they get a full share of SKY money? would they be full SL members? i think Catalans are on an invite..correct?

[Scubby]

9 minutes ago, RobertAM said:

Mebbe this is a "duh, yes!" answer but if Toulouse Olympique get promoted (top o the table when things stopped) do they get a full share of SKY money? would they be full SL members? i think Catalans are on an invite..correct?

Sadly Robert, this sort of decision probably rests with 5-6 struggling teams who float around the mid to lower end of SL. They wouldn't want it any other way.

[tuutaisrambo]

Sorry if already mentioned but do TWP need just 6 of the 11 sl teams to vote in their favour or does it have to be unanimously approved