Super League Promotion (Merged Threads)

[Robin Evans]

1 minute ago, Smudger06 said:

And they called the Cuban Missile situation..........A Crisis !!!

One hundred and eeeeeyyyytayyyyyy....

[Gooleboy]

2 hours ago, The Future is League said:

So will the increase in fans be new fans?

I look forward to seeing some big brands now coming to Super League now that Leigh are in it

I'm having trouble remembering the big brands they brought into Super League the last time they was there, Can you remind me?

So how many big brands have the existing 11 Clubs brought in?

[Smudger06]

1 minute ago, Gooleboy said:

So how many big brands have the existing 11 Clubs brought in?

Cash Converters ?

[dead man inc]

2 hours ago, EagleEyePie said:

The process has ended up choosing the club that looks the best placed to compete in Super League next year given the short notice and the probably the best placed to cope with any covid-related issues as Derek Beaumont has presumably said he'll foot the bill. They should also boost the attendances of local teams with away followings and benefit from good away followings themselves in what is a difficult time for clubs financially. It's a sensible decision, if that's all that the criteria was.

The problem is they built it up to be more than that. The report into Toronto certainly didn't help things when they questioned the commercial value of a club in Toronto and called it a crowded market. Then they added into the criteria that the new club would have to increase the commercial value of Super League. That sets lofty ambitions that ultimately Leigh don't really fulfil. After all, when it comes to a crowded market they've basically added a team competing for largely the same local fan base as Wigan (and potentially Warrington and Salford too in some areas).

Leigh don't increase the commercial value of Super League. Super League wasn't a commercial juggernaut when Leigh were previously in the competition. They might bring slightly more away fans to games on the western side of the M62 though. Ultimately that's what was more appealing.

This is a short term decision but the process made it come across as something much more than that. So now we've had Toronto kicked out for being not commercially valuable and then made a song and dance about who the new club would be, provided several big city options with Bradford, London, Toulouse and York and then announced that Leigh is the way forward. It comes across to those within the game as being insular, and probably to those from the outside looking in as a bit embarrassing.

 

57 minutes ago, tiffers said:

Insular? Yes.

Disappointing? Yes (not a reflection on Leigh, they are a solid, well run club that no doubt score well in all categories).

Sensible? Most probably.

Exciting? Not in the slightest.

Opportunity for growth missed? Without a doubt.

Risk levels? Low.

In a nutshell, I can totally understand this choice. Although I cant shake off that genuine feeling of disappointment. That feeling of losing ground. Losing momentum.

Wouldn't it be lovely to have a strategic vision for the game that is more than a list of numbers in a hidden pdf. Something we can all unite around. For far too long we have been sat in two camps of extreme debate that is further fueled by the lack of clear direction/leadership on this.

Congratulations to Leigh & what a competition the championship will be next year

Fantastic analysis/summary guys, both hitting the nail right on the head

For me the following 2 of your snippets sum up how I feel about the process :

“...It's a sensible decision, if that's all that the criteria was. The problem is they built it up to be more than that...”

”...Although I cant shake off that genuine feeling of disappointment. That feeling of losing ground. Losing momentum...”

Think the whole way the process was publicised/promoted shows a real lack of clarity in message from the leadership of SL.

[Smudger06]

3 minutes ago, Gooleboy said:

So how many big brands have the existing 11 Clubs brought in?

Branded Mushy Peas ?

[Hela Wigmen]

5 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Exactly 

He should be handing his resignation in for that. Though this is Rugby League, so standards will stay on the floor. 

[Smudger06]

4 minutes ago, Gooleboy said:

So how many big brands have the existing 11 Clubs brought in?

The 3rd best Company in the Pizza Industry ? (Free Pizza in lieu of Cash) 

[Gooleboy]

2 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

Because at least going against fully professional sides, some in cities not villages, helps with the business planning

Tell me, how many village teams are there playing professional RL?

[Simon Hall]

5 minutes ago, Gooleboy said:

So how many big brands have the existing 11 Clubs brought in?

There'd have been Hilton Hotels and a property company with a £500m portfolio in SL had York been given the nod but we hadn't enough ex-Toronto players to compete with Wakefield & Hull KR at the bottom end of the table sadly.

[Tommygilf]

1 minute ago, Hela Wigmen said:

He should be handing his resignation in for that. Though this is Rugby League, so standards will stay on the floor. 

If he thought what he states, then any decision process was pointless, may as well have just drawn the name out of a hat!

[Dave T]

34 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

It tells us that despite 3 obvious things going against it, Thursday night, no away fans, televised, it still attracted more spectators than a directly comparable fixture with none of those 3 factors. I could give examples for Catalans too. It suggests that big league fixtures between teams fans don't view as uninteresting get bigger attendances 

As you well know comparing league and cup games is pointless as the cup game will always be lower - which is a symptom of the wider problem. 

They were both cup games that I compared.

But it was highlighting my point that these comparisons of individual games are ultimately a nonsense. We have plenty of examples of good Catalans crowds, but we also know that most clubs use them as community games where cheap tickets and freebies are prominent. Nothing wrong with that, but there is context around all of those things. 

[Tommygilf]

1 minute ago, Gooleboy said:

Tell me, how many village teams are there playing professional RL?

None actually, at least fully professionally.

[Hela Wigmen]

3 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

If he thought what he states, then any decision process was pointless, may as well have just drawn the name out of a hat!

Exactly. It makes a mockery of the situation if that was the attitude undertaken by the Chair of The RFL and begs the question what the point of the drawn out process was. 

[Smudger06]

1 minute ago, Simon Hall said:

There'd have been Hilton Hotels and a property company with a £500m portfolio in SL had York been given the nod but we hadn't enough ex-Toronto players to compete with Wakefield & Hull KR at the bottom end of the table sadly.

The door is still open you know. Sounds like you've lost your one and only chance, Just be raring to go next Season. 

[Simon Hall]

Just now, Smudger06 said:

The door is still open you know. Sounds like you've lost your one and only chance, Just be raring to go next Season. 

I know that, just stating that there'd have been some top sponsors in SL next year on the back of York getting in. Those sponsors are still on board in the Championship BTW.

Obviously the RFL just wanted who they thought was best to make up the numbers and that's fine, but they should have just said that at the start and saved everyone's time, rather than going on about increasing the profile of the sport and all that jazz.

[Dave T]

5 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

Exactly. It makes a mockery of the situation if that was the attitude undertaken by the Chair of The RFL and begs the question what the point of the drawn out process was. 

I'm not sure I follow the outrage, what tweet did I miss? He is basically saying that fans would have complained no matter what, I haven't seen him say anything about the decision making process.

Did I miss a tweet?

[clogdance]

[Niels]

37 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

No.

One European competition - the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup - which started out as a competition for cities hosting trade fairs and for which participation was based on invitation and giggles rather than any qualification had such a rule, for a time. The European Cup didn't, not that it would have needed it for most of its existence, and no other European competition ever did.

 

Yes.

Exactly it was the Inter cities fairs cup. Only one team per town or  city was allowed.

Actually it was taken seriously, especially by English clubs. Leeds won it twice as did, goodness, a southern team, Arsenal which must give it credibility.

It was anachronistic and scrapped. Any posts decrying Leigh's exclusion due to it's proximity to Wigan are about 50 years out of date. 

[Dave T]

5 minutes ago, Simon Hall said:

I know that, just stating that there'd have been some top sponsors in SL next year on the back of York getting in. Those sponsors are still on board in the Championship BTW.

Obviously the RFL just wanted who they thought was best to make up the numbers and that's fine, but they should have just said that at the start and saved everyone's time, rather than going on about increasing the profile of the sport and all that jazz.

This is what Sky Sports wrote about the criteria:

In a document circulated to Championship clubs, Super League says the successful applicant will enhance the commercial value of the competition, be competitive on the field and sustainable off it for 2021 and beyond.

A six-strong panel will examine their finances and ability to host televised matches and will also consider social and digital footprint, community engagement, season-ticket sales, merchandising and sponsorship.

Which of those do you think York were stronger than Leigh in?

[Robin Evans]

4 minutes ago, Simon Hall said:

I know that, just stating that there'd have been some top sponsors in SL next year on the back of York getting in. Those sponsors are still on board in the Championship BTW.

Obviously the RFL just wanted who they thought was best to make up the numbers and that's fine, but they should have just said that at the start and saved everyone's time, rather than going on about increasing the profile of the sport and all that jazz.

Simon.... its reight mate.

York are a work in progress....and bloody good progress is being made.

Promoting York now would be a disaster for the club setting it back years and possibly destroying a decent ambitious coach in the process. For the good of York I was hoping you didn't get the nod.

York will have their day mate.

[Gooleboy]

1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

It's a wishful projection for an average. Toronto were well supported, genuinely. But until they actually had a season with a 10,000 average you can't say that we've lost a club that had a 10,000 season average.

And they hardly lost an home game. Johnny Come Lately fans often disappear when a few defeats start.

[Hela Wigmen]

2 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I'm not sure I follow the outrage, what tweet did I miss? He is basically saying that fans would have complained no matter what, I haven't seen him say anything about the decision making process.

Did I miss a tweet?

It’s an absolute disaster of a tweet. The whole “people would have moaned anyway” line is bad enough but to follow it up with “if you are fans” and to stoop to patronising people with a glass half full tweet, questioning people’s loyalty is an absolute horror show from a senior figure at The RFL. 

[sweaty craiq]

13 minutes ago, Simon Hall said:

There'd have been Hilton Hotels and a property company with a £500m portfolio in SL had York been given the nod but we hadn't enough ex-Toronto players to compete with Wakefield & Hull KR at the bottom end of the table sadly.

Can I congratulate Leigh for the sponsorship deal with one of the BIGGEST global construction companies, £20bn turnover.

[gingerjon]

3 minutes ago, Niels said:

Yes.

Exactly it was the Inter cities fairs cup. Only one team per town or  city was allowed.

Actually it was taken seriously, especially by English clubs. Leeds won it twice as did, goodness, a southern team, Arsenal which must give it credibility.

It was anachronistic and scrapped. Any posts decrying Leigh's exclusion due to it's proximity to Wigan are about 50 years out of date. 

That wasn't your phrasing though, was it?

"European football used to ..." Almost like it was a rule in the proper competitions. Not one that existed for some of the time in the forgotten one.

Anyway, what happened in European soccer in 1969 is achingly irrelevant to rugby league today.

[Robin Evans]

1 minute ago, sweaty craiq said:

Can I congratulate Leigh for the sponsorship deal with one of the BIGGEST global construction companies, £20bn turnover.

"Pit Village....no ambition... inward looking"... yadda yadda yadda.....

I hope you lot stay up this time!!! Its the kind of irritating success that makes me chuckle

Leigh v fev 2022..... ya know it makes sense!!!!