Super League keen to develop league structure clarity

[Total Rugby League]

Super League officials are set to discuss the framework of the competition during extensive talks this week. TotalRL understands the competition’s chief executive, Robert Elstone,...

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[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

With Toronto at risk of finishing bottle, the other 11 clubs will be happy to postpone relegation, so they can continue to steal Toronto’s share of the Sky tv money.

[Wanderer]

1 hour ago, Eddie said:

 

Also where would the re-vamped CC final be held, you’d only need a 10,000 venue. 

Leigh?

[Hela Wigmen]

12 hours ago, Gooleboy said:

I don't think those in SL are bothered about anything else other than self preservation.

Imagine a business owner thinking of self preservation! 

[Hela Wigmen]

Quite a bare article, really. Is this for a year or two due to the implications of the pandemic or is this the game, prematurely, looking at the future ahead of next year’s TV deal negotiations? 

Sounds like contingency planning, which is only right given the circumstances. 

[Smudger06]

It's a win win for HKR, Salford & Wakefield, betray the code and the Northern Union and if they Finish dead last, stay up and bank the money. & if they don't Finish last bank Toronto's money as well. & it's a non too shabby outcome for the stronger clubs, another wedge of Toronto's cash for them aswell. Joke sport. Even though it's a good on field code and I am loyal to my lifelong hometown Club, I'm wondering how long I can continue to subsidise the joke sport through spending at my club. Dilemma. There's no wonder we attract few new supporters in the heartlands and even fewer new supporters from elsewhere when clubs are constantly backstabbing each other for a few quid and the structure and system changes every 2 minutes. 

[RugbyLeagueGeek]

No relegation doesn't necessarily mean there will be no promotion...

[Smudger06]

4 minutes ago, Eddie said:

It always has been tbf. 

A business, the shareholders have way too much power both within the RFL and SLE. A business set up to self destruct through short term dividends rather than long term strategy for success. 

[ATLANTISMAN]

I really enjoyed the 8,s being a London/Toulouse fan it was great as 100% we got to play some SL sides if we finished in the Top 4 + there was always the bonus of maybe promotion.

Kept everything going until the end I really did enjoy it and to be honest at the time it didn't bother me too much if the Broncos did not go up as pretty much nailed on for 7 matches v SL clubs each year anyway,

 

Paul

[Gooleboy]

1 hour ago, scotchy1 said:

The thing is, the structure of SL is more focused on the long term health of SL than the governance of the RFL is on the long term health of the RFL competitions. 

the top clubs in the RFL competitions want to get out of those competitions and to hell with the state they are left in, whilst clubs in SL want to stay in SL and as shareholders in SL grow the business of SL. 

The biggest threat to long term strategy in SL is relegation as that forces some clubs to focus on being in it rather than building it. 

So in the last 25 years what have those SL Clubs done to grow the business?

[Gooleboy]

1 minute ago, scotchy1 said:

Grown the attendances, grown the commercial value, grown the TV value, grown the value of Magic, The Grand final, grown the value of the brand. 

Not enough, and more should be demanded. 

So why do they struggle to get a good TV Deal and get quality Sponsors on board?

[Tommygilf]

5 minutes ago, Gooleboy said:

So in the last 25 years what have those SL Clubs done to grow the business?

Added a team from France, developed a licensing system that enabled the game to have top flight clubs in both Wales and London with academies, vast majority have moved into new or upgraded their stadiums, grown magic weekend and the grand final into events that are now as popular if not more so than the challenge cup, got a TV deal that heavily supplements the rest of the game (to a far higher percentage than Premier League football for example). Do you want more?

They're not all great and not all moves have been fantastic or well thought through, I'd be very happy to point out the criticism that's very valid as there is plenty - some moves have arguably stunted the growth.

However, it becomes a "what did the romans ever do for us?" farce when asking a similar question about SL clubs that as the PFJ proved serves actually no purpose in advancing your point.

[Snowys Backside]

I can see SL being 14 clubs, so no relegation would be fair and would make sense.

I wouldnt rule out this season being finished just yet with the cup competitions being binned and it flowing through until November. Sky are losing far too much money in deferred subscriptions for this not to happen.

As soon as some live sport is shown (behind closed doors or not), Sky will start to have the coin coming in.

[Tommygilf]

26 minutes ago, SL17 said:

Not done much then in 30 years..

Some people are unappeasable 

[Tommygilf]

11 minutes ago, SL17 said:

Some people are logical going forward, others use the past as a defence.

 

Indeed, start thinking like that and you and Scotchy will be getting on like a house on fire!

[Eddie]

5 minutes ago, SL17 said:

What has going to Wembley got to do with average gates? I’m pretty sure most clubs would take the whole town to Wembley.

Really? Why did Saints v Warrington not have 200,000 there then?

[Big Picture]

3 hours ago, Gooleboy said:

So why do they struggle to get a good TV Deal and get quality Sponsors on board?

Listen to Tony Collin's Rugby Reloaded podcasts number 48 "When Ellery Was King" and number 96 "25 Years of Super League" with former St Helens Chief Executive Sean McGuire and you'll know the answer.  You won't like it though.

[paulwalker71]

28 minutes ago, SL17 said:

What has going to Wembley got to do with average gates? I’m pretty sure most clubs would take the whole town to Wembley.

Clearly they do not.

Sheffield had a population of 518,000 and they took maybe 200, being generous, to Wembley last year. Much was made of Widnes taking about 5K, but the population is 61K

So, evidently 'the whole town' doesn't go to Wembley.

[Eddie]

35 minutes ago, paulwalker71 said:

Clearly they do not.

Sheffield had a population of 518,000 and they took maybe 200, being generous, to Wembley last year. Much was made of Widnes taking about 5K, but the population is 61K

So, evidently 'the whole town' doesn't go to Wembley.

Plus the CC final with no SL clubs in wouldn’t be anywhere near Wembley, they’d be lucky to fill Prescot Cables’ ground unless Bradford, Widnes or Leigh were there. 

[GUBRATS]

1 hour ago, Eddie said:

Plus the CC final with no SL clubs in wouldn’t be anywhere near Wembley, they’d be lucky to fill Prescot Cables’ ground unless Bradford, Widnes or Leigh were there. 

Thanks for that , you've justified why I stopped attending anything that doesn't include my club 

[Blind side johnny]

1 hour ago, Eddie said:

Plus the CC final with no SL clubs in wouldn’t be anywhere near Wembley, they’d be lucky to fill Prescot Cables’ ground unless Bradford, Widnes or Leigh were there. 

"All one sport, all one community" - what happened to that sentiment? It doesn't take long for some triumphalists to come out.

[paulwalker71]

I don't know why people are piling in on Eddie, what he says is true

We can't fill Wembley with two well-supported SL teams anymore, so common sense tells us that it would be virtually empty with two Championship-level teams in the final.

[Eddie]

1 hour ago, Blind side johnny said:

"All one sport, all one community" - what happened to that sentiment? It doesn't take long for some triumphalists to come out.

I’m not being triumphant, I was just pointing out to someone that the championship going it alone isn’t a good idea. 

[GUBRATS]

1 hour ago, paulwalker71 said:

I don't know why people are piling in on Eddie, what he says is true

We can't fill Wembley with two well-supported SL teams anymore, so common sense tells us that it would be virtually empty with two Championship-level teams in the final.

Yes it would , which makes things all the stranger that the RFL introduced a separate competition to try to get the non SL club fans going again ?

[GUBRATS]

1 minute ago, Eddie said:

I imagine the RFL were terrified at the prospect of Halifax getting to the final instead of Saints last season. Though as you say a load of Fax fans would have come out of the woodwork had the pulled off a shock in the semi and made it to Wembley. 

If Fax had made the final last year , I would have attended