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RL left behind....again


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Why is RL/SL dragging its heels over the restart? It seems like every other sport has a reasonably solid 'plan' but RL is being as ambiguous/non committal and appearing disorganised as we've come to expect over the years. Feels like when we were one of the last sports to suspend our league the spotlight was shined on the game - now it feels the game will restart with a whimper....at some undetermined date in the future. 

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Well, Hull FC are reportedly back in training on 20 July, which bears out reports Super League will return on or around the weekend of 15-16 August. 

The delay is to do with whether the season ends in November or December, how many matches will be played etc. Still undecided but further meetings this week, apparently.

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Strikes me the RFL/SL are being very pragmatic about the whole thing and not at all ambiguous or disorganised, no benefit in announcing plans and then having to change them when we are still so far out. Provisional start dates are known as mid-August so its a bit early to start a re-launch publicity campaign 2 months out. I also believe it's public knowledge they want to re-start with a round of big-bang local derby matches. Starting later also means an increased chance of getting fans into stadiums this season, important for club revenue.

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3 hours ago, Whippet13 said:

Strikes me the RFL/SL are being very pragmatic about the whole thing and not at all ambiguous or disorganised, no benefit in announcing plans and then having to change them when we are still so far out. Provisional start dates are known as mid-August so its a bit early to start a re-launch publicity campaign 2 months out. I also believe it's public knowledge they want to re-start with a round of big-bang local derby matches. Starting later also means an increased chance of getting fans into stadiums this season, important for club revenue.

I understand the point about wanting to start later so fans can attend and even why a campaign to re-launch the season hasn't started. But we're getting nothing, or very little from the powers that be. Why are they still not in a position to give firm dates? Plenty of other sports have. By the time the players get back training, even if that was tomorrow, they'll have been off 3 months - which is far longer than any other offseason. They'll need a full preseason to get back to the right sharpness which if we're looking at mid Aug then surely it should be now that they're going back, but again nothing has been said. I'm fully aware our sport isn't in the same position as many others and relies on crowds but when all others are returning earlier what it actually does is have the reverse affect we hoped it would have when we were the last to stop playing. The die hards will wait around, the casual fans won't. 

Edit: Literally just noticed an email from the RFL has come though, entitled 'We're on our way back!'. I got excited and considered removing this post....only to find it was a poem (very good i'll admit) about what RL means to people...but nothing like when we'll actually 'be back'.

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5 hours ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

Why is RL/SL dragging its heels over the restart? It seems like every other sport has a reasonably solid 'plan' but RL is being as ambiguous/non committal and appearing disorganised as we've come to expect over the years. Feels like when we were one of the last sports to suspend our league the spotlight was shined on the game - now it feels the game will restart with a whimper....at some undetermined date in the future. 

I hope the men at the top aren't squabbling over the £16m.

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35 minutes ago, Gooleboy said:

I hope the men at the top aren't squabbling over the £16m.

It's not sponsorship.

Just a loan.

Repayments of which will be taken from your future monthly Sky money.

"We'll sell you a seat .... but you'll only need the edge of it!"

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5 hours ago, Man of Kent said:

Well, Hull FC are reportedly back in training on 20 July, which bears out reports Super League will return on or around the weekend of 15-16 August. 

The delay is to do with whether the season ends in November or December, how many matches will be played etc. Still undecided but further meetings this week, apparently.

If that is true and they resume what will essentially be the players job of work will tgey still be eligible for furlough payments?

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4 hours ago, barnyia said:

Because rl in Europe needs crowds to survive, 

Think union is earmarked to resume in August as well though. 
 

There’s talk of crowds returning in October but who knows? Depends on what happens in the next 2-3 months 

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I thought it was already well publicised that the August restart was to enable the clubs to benefit from a higher likelihood of footfall revenue? 
 

Maybe they’d kept it quiet, but I was certainly aware and I haven’t even picked up a RL publication for a couple of months.

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If all goes according to plan I predict

* Mid August to 3rd week of August start

* Final late November still MUFC 

* Catalan Dragons back playing at home with crowds now before English teams 

* Toronto Wolfpack entire season in England 

* Ralf Rimmer comes out of it all with flying colours 

* Elstone shown the door.

 

 

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8 hours ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

Why is RL/SL dragging its heels over the restart? It seems like every other sport has a reasonably solid 'plan' but RL is being as ambiguous/non committal and appearing disorganised as we've come to expect over the years. Feels like when we were one of the last sports to suspend our league the spotlight was shined on the game - now it feels the game will restart with a whimper....at some undetermined date in the future. 

Easier to start soccer and cricket though isn't it. 

No contact and plenty of cash (in higher leagues soccer/international cricket) make it an easier thing to do

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23 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

Easier to start soccer and cricket though isn't it. 

No contact and plenty of cash (in higher leagues soccer/international cricket) make it an easier thing to do

I don’t think the contact thing will come into it, unless they play football with people staying a metre apart. Money though definitely. 
 

I’m not into cricket at all but I was flicking though the channels when eating my lunch today and on free sports there was a Euro T10 cricket league game on that looked like it was being played in a park somewhere - so much more exposure than RL. 

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7 minutes ago, Eddie said:

 

I’m not into cricket at all but I was flicking though the channels when eating my lunch today and on free sports there was a Euro T10 cricket league game on that looked like it was being played in a park somewhere - so much more exposure than RL. 

Yep, freesports has some absolute dross cricket on like the Abu Dhabi T10 league

Its just a much bigger sport worldwide with a lot more money

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We do have a bit of time until our next season starts. And we could trim next year if we absolutely had to to start a touch later. 

We can trim this year and play until December. We have time on our side, whereas the likes of the Premier League normally start their next  season in around 7 or 8 weeks, forcing them to get a move on. 

And the point about us holding off for longer to potentially get more games with crowds in is a good one. 

I do think the statements are absolute guff though, every time I read them I take absolutely nothing from them. 

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2 minutes ago, scotchy1 said:

I wouldn't be surprised if sky had a say in it. 

It's going to be absolute wall to wall football for the next 2 months. I dont think its coincidence that the rumoured restart dates as just after the football season will finish. 

Yes, I think the sequencing can fit quite nicely. If we are hoping to put a program together that gives Sky extra games, then slotting in at a time that suits them as well is worth doing.

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There's an interesting possibility here. A lot of PL games will be on FTA, people might get used to that by end of July. Is it possible for Sky to allow FTA SL ? Might be an opportunity to get some casual fans interested. 

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6 minutes ago, scotchy1 said:

I think FTA is a bit of a red herring. 

Only 4 games are on what we used to call terrestrial, the rest will be on sky channels and amazon.

The benefit of FTA is the reach of the channels but the free sky/amazon channels dont really have the reach of terrestrial. 

If we could get 1 a week on the BBC or Terrestrial great. But I dont think a couple on pick tv or sky sports mix makes all that much difference.

I hope we see more on Sky though, we should be looking to have them all and really come back with a bang. Especially with Sky having the NRL as well we can saturate the weekends.

Is Pick on Freeview? If yes,then football fans will find it, and being told SL is now on might intrigue some.

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I'd never thought of watching Pick (which is on freeview)until the EFL highlights moved there. I support Fulham.I didn't know it was owned by Sky until last week.

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