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Shane Richardson Calls for Overhaul of British Rugby League


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I don’t think anything will change unfortunately. We seem to be destined to stay stuck in this slow spiral downwards, perpetuated by an unwavering old-school mindset. It’s almost like RL has become a parody of itself, the cliched ‘small-time game for small-minded Northern folk who eat their cheesy-peas and head for a pint on the way home after a hard day’s work at t’factory’… that’s how it feels when you look at the league, most of the stadia, and listen to the games on TV. 
 

Of course, a lot of us (hopefully most fans) know it doesn’t have to be this way. We want to see a renaissance of RL but in an updated and forward-looking way. Shane Richardson has been there and done that, the NRL leaders are also proven in that field. What is the legacy of the sport’s leading figures in this hemisphere? Have we actually changed in a positive way since the 1990s? We seemed to be heading that way in the early 2000s, but now we seemed destined to slowly fizzle out.

The least we could do is bring someone like Richardson on board to work with us.

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Don’t disagree with anything he says. 

Though I very much doubt there’s any real appetite for genuine change, with the exception of a handful of clubs.
Also, I’m not sure if there is anyone involved at the highest levels of the game currently who could push through such changes.

I actually had no idea SL games were taking place at the same time as the England game (an example of how my own interest has waned over the last couple of years). And reading the Hull v Hudds match thread highlights what a ridiculous situation it all was. ‘Budget’ is how I’d describe the whole thing. It’s embarrassing for a so called professional sport.

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It’s all stuff we know and all stuff many of us has said and thought for a long time but I could have stopped reading at “independent commission” really because everything goes back to clubs relinquishing their stranglehold on the sport and we all know that’s not going to happen. 

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8 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

It’s all stuff we know and all stuff many of us has said and thought for a long time but I could have stopped reading at “independent commission” really because everything goes back to clubs relinquishing their stranglehold on the sport and we all know that’s not going to happen. 

I agree it's not going to happen. Too much self interest and decisions being made just for the benefit of individual clubs. 

Loop fixtures, not splitting the funding with Leigh, Toronto etc, not prioritising International fixtures due to clubs not wanting to release players or play less games, cutting back on development officers, poor facilities, not expanding the game. There's probably lots I've missed too

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We are the only sport in the world that seems to hate money. We purposely aim to pay people on the game as little as possible. 
 

The RFL is run no better than a Working Men’s Club committee and is in serious need of an overhaul. There are too many people who have power over the RFL, with Hetherington being one of them.
 

 

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I think it's probably the wrong moment to bring this up. The effects of Covid on the sport are great and in every part of the game. When we have discussions like this they're difficult enough at the best of times. And saying things like it's not progressed at all in any given period is good column space but hardly a constructive or even accurate picture. It may appeal to the most ardent die hard fan who's also terminally miserable but we need to be real about the situation here because that's where you start from in order to improve. There are things I would like to see happen, changes I wish could take place but in their absence I won't put RL somewhere it has no place being taken.

2 warning points:kolobok_dirol:  Non-Political

 

 

 

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Agree to most of this but the NRL isn't exactly a shining beacon that we should follow or copy.

All their clubs are basically bankrupt, kept afloat by gambling addiction in their social clubs. They change the games rules when they want with little regard for the rest of the world and the international game- very insular competition.

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4 minutes ago, Mr Frisky said:

Agree to most of this but the NRL isn't exactly a shining beacon that we should follow or copy.

All their clubs are basically bankrupt, kept afloat by gambling addiction in their social clubs. They change the games rules when they want with little regard for the rest of the world and the international game- very insular competition.

Minus the keeping clubs afloat by social clubs, you could quite easily be talking about Super League and Rugby League in the UK.

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5 minutes ago, cookey said:

Most people seem to know what should happen but the self interests of a handful prevent anything from happening.

Shouldn't that be "Why does no one trust the RFL?"

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Let me give just one example where TGG is doing a great job with the proviso that you can always improve if you have thewill. The games inclusiveness has improve a thousandfold during the time I've been a fan. It has improved most in the last decade or so in this regard.

 

2 warning points:kolobok_dirol:  Non-Political

 

 

 

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6 hours ago, Gomersall said:

Reading that I seriously wonder whether Richardson learned anything from his experience with Gateshead, when the traditional clubs wouldn't let the Thunder have any of the TV money which set them up to fail.  If he thinks that anyone within the game in Britain is capable of turning things around he's completely mistaken.  Those administrators have no answers to the game's severe problems and a big part of that is that the answers can't be found in the game's traditional heartland.

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The most important point he made was regarding people ready to invest in the game but put off by the current power brokers in the game. As Adam Pearson recently stated new investment is greatly needed.

Of course we need to be sure that any new investment is good for the game.

As Richo stated everything relies on the obvious parochialism. He is right in all he say's about our games progression being held back by self interest.

As Oxford said above there are things to be proud of in our game and I have no doubt people are working really hard to progress it but after over a century of self interest it is time the game becomes the priority

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5 hours ago, Hela Wigmen said:

It’s all stuff we know and all stuff many of us has said and thought for a long time but I could have stopped reading at “independent commission” really because everything goes back to clubs relinquishing their stranglehold on the sport and we all know that’s not going to happen. 

Even as we speak the NRL clubs are complaining and discussing not allowing their players in the WC.   So complaining that somehow the Aussie game can tell the clubs what to do is not right is it.  The NRL is  in fact the clubs.

Our structure is fractured.  Broken.  

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20 minutes ago, super major said:

The most important point he made was regarding people ready to invest in the game but put off by the current power brokers in the game. As Adam Pearson recently stated new investment is greatly needed.

Of course we need to be sure that any new investment is good for the game.

As Richo stated everything relies on the obvious parochialism. He is right in all he say's about our games progression being held back by self interest.

As Oxford said above there are things to be proud of in our game and I have no doubt people are working really hard to progress it but after over a century of self interest it is time the game becomes the priority

Parochialism rules.

To many did not want investment in the game.  They want to be small and insignificant and are happy to keep it that way so they can ensure it stays that way.

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6 minutes ago, Mark S said:

If nothing changes the nothing will ever change, and that is OK by most RL fans!

 

 

 

31 minutes ago, Rupert Prince said:

Parochialism rules.

To many did not want investment in the game.  They want to be small and insignificant and are happy to keep it that way so they can ensure it stays that way.

Neither of these is true, though there is truth in them.

Most RL fans would love to see the game widen its appeal to what it deserves. Involved in that though, is a leap into the Darkness, and they're right.

2 warning points:kolobok_dirol:  Non-Political

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, super major said:

The most important point he made was regarding people ready to invest in the game but put off by the current power brokers in the game. As Adam Pearson recently stated new investment is greatly needed.

Of course we need to be sure that any new investment is good for the game.

As Richo stated everything relies on the obvious parochialism. He is right in all he say's about our games progression being held back by self interest.

As Oxford said above there are things to be proud of in our game and I have no doubt people are working really hard to progress it but after over a century of self interest it is time the game becomes the priority

I have a lot of time for Richardson but he’s stating the obvious when it comes to self interest from club owners.  More difficult is to come up with a solution that enables that to be changed.  Right now, owners will be looking to recoup losses.  We can’t reasonably ask them to cut those losses and plough more money into development and infrastructure.  

Elstone got the bullet and the relationship between SLE and the RFL is no different (seems that way to me anyway).   The RFL are happy to go about their way and pick their salaries up.  SLE go about their way, waiting for the next opportunity which might never come.  Neither group are doing the game any favours.

 

 

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