The General 'Toronto Wolfpack' Discussion Thread

[Kayakman]

2 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

No promotion from the Championship annoys me. I can’t see Toronto being around in any shape next year and I don’t think they can get away with what’s happened without being demoted. This now puts Magic at risk next year and leaves the competition even more lopsided. 

No...Toronto should be given a full membership and a fair portion of the Sky money...SL can't afford to lose Toronto and all it has to offer in the future.

Don't panic.

[fcl]

Its a chance to build a real expansion with à second french club ! 
 

[Chris22]

Really not sure what to think about this. Obviously, it is devastating for the club, staff, players, league and sport. The practical and reputational difficulties this causes are huge. To have a side withdraw from the league with two weeks notice before the season resumes is as much of a nightmare as it gets.

My biggest worry, selfishly, is the impact on the Sky deal and whether we can fulfil its obligations. If not, the impact could be devastating. Equally, given the perilous position of the sport, Sky also can't afford to push us too far, or they will lose out too.

Trying to cling to a positive, this provides an opportunity to reset. Since 2017, we have learned that a minimum of 6,000 are willing to watch a sport that they have never heard of in North America. We are not big enough as a sport to let them go. The question is what now. In a coronavirus or post-virus age, is a transatlantic league possible. With New York, Ottawa and Toronto, do we have the basis forming of a small North American league?

This expansion project has had one thing different. Huge fan buy in. They got more fans through the turnstiles than any lower league club and several Super League clubs despite the absence of any roots.

We can't give up now. Horrible day today, but RLWC 2021 schedule released tomorrow. This year is just about getting through. If by 2021 no club has gone to the wall, I will be ecstatic. Let's aim for that and rebuild as a sport.

For those snearing and laughing, just remember. All of our clubs are either reliant on one backer or one misfortune away from financial ruin. We are not rich enough to lose a club. And we are a sport where any club is vulnerable. Including yours.

[RobertAM]

11 minutes ago, Damien said:

That was what I was getting at. I know the UK's furlough is one of the most generous in the World, I'm not sure the Canadian situation.

https://www.inthehammer.com/ontario-sport-minister-says-no-cfl-specific-financial-aid-on-table

[Hela Wigmen]

3 minutes ago, Kayakman said:

No...Toronto should be given a full membership and a fair portion of the Sky money...SL can't afford to lose Toronto and all it has to offer in the future.

Don't panic.

Toronto should be given full membership and a portion of the Sky money - No, they should have four years ago. Now, they should be on a probationary licence, forced to show their books monthly to The RFL and asked for solid proof that they have the cash in the bank to complete 3-5 seasons.

Super League can’t afford to lose Toronto and all it has to offer in the future - We’ve already lost them and what do they have to offer? Disillusioned, disgruntled and annoyed players on a salary cap exemption for everyone else? 

[leytherz]

there has just been a meeting in leigh town hall where leigh n fev are going to declare war on the moose bangers of toronto for stopping our rugby till next season.(canadian pub team).and a quick message to the rfl and super league.kiss my sexy leyther ###### you set of cowardly sausages

[Dave T]

21 minutes ago, Scubby said:

Have the government in Canada been giving sports clubs handouts? Are they even on Canadian payroll?

 

18 minutes ago, Damien said:

That was what I was getting at. I know the UK's furlough is one of the most generous in the World, I'm not sure the Canadian situation.

This was the point I was making. Canada does have a furlough scheme like the UK (don't know the details, have seen 75%), but if they fall inbetween the UK and Canada and miss all support then that needs a rethink moving forward. 

[Kayakman]

7 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

Toronto should be given full membership and a portion of the Sky money - No, they should have four years ago. Now, they should be on a probationary licence, forced to show their books monthly to The RFL and asked for solid proof that they have the cash in the bank to complete 3-5 seasons.

Super League can’t afford to lose Toronto and all it has to offer in the future - We’ve already lost them and what do they have to offer? Disillusioned, disgruntled and annoyed players on a salary cap exemption for everyone else? 

Thats right this all could have been avoided with a bit of goodwilll...its still not too late.

[Tommygilf]

 

[Dave T]

20 minutes ago, RobertAM said:

There isn't any money for sports teams..as of yet..Toronto Blue Jays told they can't play in Toronto.. CFL football is on hiatus - no money

UK is in good shape compared to our home teams

What about furlough schemes, can sports clubs use this for employees? 

I assume they can tap into other business support, there just isn't specific sport team support? 

[Scubby]

7 minutes ago, leytherz said:

there has just been a meeting in leigh town hall where leigh n fev are going to declare war on the moose bangers of toronto for stopping our rugby till next season.(canadian pub team).and a quick message to the rfl and super league.kiss my sexy leyther ###### you set of cowardly sausages

Neither of these clubs are top of the championship. Toulouse were currently top.

[Damien]

2 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

 

That's the most positive contribution I've seen from McCrone since he's been at Toronto!

[ChoboMog]

I would love to voice my opinions, to the powers that be in the Rugby Football League (RFL) and the Super League (SL), about the current situation the Toronto Wolfpack finds themself in; and be vocal in support of the team in such an unprecedented time.  Unfortunately, neither official website seem to list contacts for the leagues themselves.  Only generic "e-inquiries", "ticketing" etc seem to be available.

Is anyone aware of, and able to provide, publicly available contact e-mail address information for the Rugby Football League and/or Super League, in order for fans to speak directly with the organizations?  This can be posted here, or in a Private Message if that's preferred.

I am not looking to raise a stink.  Instead, I would like to reach out, directly, as an example of the type of fan the RFL/SL is likely to lose should they not support the team, through such a challenge, and especially so should punitive action be brought against the team

[Tommygilf]

3 minutes ago, Damien said:

That's the most positive contribution I've seen from McCrone since he's been at Toronto!

I know he needs to get on twitter more!

[Chris Taylor]

1 minute ago, Scubby said:

Neither of these clubs are top of the championship. Toulouse were currently top.

Featherstone still had a game in hand after the fixture against Halifax was postponed earlier in the season. That is a minor point really in the ultimate question.

What next?

How does the game go from here? I'm not talking about the professional game, i'm on about the whole game. Professional to community. 

Today is a significant chapter in the overall shape of the game, forever. 

There's a few questions i pose:

1. What is the impact to semi professional teams. Can these teams afford to continue with minimal games this year? (invitational cup)
2. What happens with the TV deal next year? Gut instinct would be to significant cuts.
3. Where does leave future teams, such as Ottawa & New York?
4. What happens with players contacts below Super League?
5. Will we see some teams merge to continue from 2021 onwards?
6. What will happen to the 16m loan that the government game the sport - how will this be now distributed?

I hope, genuinely hope for the good of the game that this period of time is only positive and it makes us even stronger. Good luck to all clubs, big or small.

[fcl]

I would like to be able to read an article with real journalistic work on Toronto: who is David Argyle, what financial means does he have? Who does he rely on to manage the club? why so much change at the head of the club? The real crowds, the number of paying spectators, the contracts with the players, the recruitment strategy, the financial difficulties already encountered. What links in Canada? In England ? etc etc there are so many questions never addressed ...

[Man of Kent]

8 minutes ago, Damien said:

That's the most positive contribution I've seen from McCrone since he's been at Toronto!

Even then it was a poor finish to the set bringing weather into the discussion as a Toronto player. 

[Agbrigg]

11 minutes ago, Scubby said:

Neither of these clubs are top of the championship. Toulouse were currently top.

The club I really feel sorry for is London. They had a terrific season against all the odds. They missed out by a whisker. To me they have more to offer our game than Toronto. Unfortunately they had to be sacrificed  to allow Toronto to come up. If we were ever going to offer someone the extra place, then London should be at the head of the queue.

[Smudger06]

9 minutes ago, ChoboMog said:

I would love to voice my opinions, to the powers that be in the Rugby Football League (RFL) and the Super League (SL), about the current situation the Toronto Wolfpack finds themself in; and be vocal in support of the team in such an unprecedented time.  Unfortunately, neither official website seem to list contacts for the leagues themselves.  Only generic "e-inquiries", "ticketing" etc seem to be available.

Is anyone aware of, and able to provide, publicly available contact e-mail address information for the Rugby Football League and/or Super League, in order for fans to speak directly with the organizations?  This can be posted here, or in a Private Message if that's preferred.

I am not looking to raise a stink.  Instead, I would like to reach out, directly, as an example of the type of fan the RFL/SL is likely to lose should they not support the team, through such a challenge, and especially so should punitive action be brought against the team

0330 111 1113 ask for Ralph. 

[Damien]

1 minute ago, Agbrigg said:

The club I really feel sorry for is London. They had a terrific season against all the odds. They missed out by a whisker. To me they have more to offer our game than Toronto. Unfortunately they had to be sacrificed  to allow Toronto to come up. If we were ever going to offer someone the extra place, then London should be at the head of the queue.

They weren't sacrificed, they finished bottom.

[wiganermike]

The statements from David Argyle about a willingness to start again even if it means a reboot to how they began are encouraging.

The poster comparing the squad issues they experienced to Koukash owned Salford with Noble and Vickers at the helm makes a good point. That time for Salford was filled with bombastic claims and big name, big money signings that didn't quite work out. It was only when back room changes saw Ian Watson come in and the squad building became more modest and targeted to the needs of the club that Salford's fortunes picked up culminating in last years GF appearance. Allowing many big earners to leave in the interim can aid with the building of a more balanced squad to make them more resilient to short turnarounds or injuries so could be a good thing if recruitment to replace them is done well.

Mistakes can be good if they are recognised and learnt from so as to avoid them in future. That applies to both the club and the governing body. Things done so far that have been shown to be mistakes may help similar projects in future to be more likely to succeed if it results in a change in approach. Access to central funding, full membership and the things that go with those for TWP are a good idea to go with come 2021. Those should go hand in hand though with things on TWPs part such as a commitment to player development systems (even if that meant  having a UK based academy in somewhere like the Midlands or another expansion area rather than NA) so as to provide players rather than just buying them. Plans to keep any possible NA TV income for themselves should also be discarded if they were to take from the Sky pot. TV monies from other territories would have to feed into the same central pot so all clubs could benefit.

Hopefully this isn't the end for them.

[Whippet13]

13 minutes ago, ChoboMog said:

I would love to voice my opinions, to the powers that be in the Rugby Football League (RFL) and the Super League (SL), about the current situation the Toronto Wolfpack finds themself in; and be vocal in support of the team in such an unprecedented time.  Unfortunately, neither official website seem to list contacts for the leagues themselves.  Only generic "e-inquiries", "ticketing" etc seem to be available.

Is anyone aware of, and able to provide, publicly available contact e-mail address information for the Rugby Football League and/or Super League, in order for fans to speak directly with the organizations?  This can be posted here, or in a Private Message if that's preferred.

I am not looking to raise a stink.  Instead, I would like to reach out, directly, as an example of the type of fan the RFL/SL is likely to lose should they not support the team, through such a challenge, and especially so should punitive action be brought against the team

Scroll right to the bottom and click "contact us"

https://www.superleague.co.uk

I'll be impressed if you get a response.

[Harry Stottle]

2 hours ago, gingerjon said:

Rugby league wasn't a proper British sport until 1972.

The things you learn.

Only one division dear heart, nowhere to go to and nowhere to go from, but you already knew that, didn't you, geez what someone will do to get another notch on TRL's bedpost.

[Henson Park Old Firm]

I'd like to see Oldham take TWP spot. Given a chance something different.

[Harry Stottle]

2 hours ago, Kayakman said:

It is a sad day.....push came to shove.....too bad.

I'm still rolling my season tickets...hopefully the situation can be salvaged if calmer heads prevail.

Only a couple of weeks ago you were willing to wager TWP would be in SL next year, but it is not my style to kick a man while he is down