League One - What is the Future?

[Mumby Magic]

For me the division should be one we should be proud of. It covers the far reaches of the country developing the game gradually in places we could have only dreamt of in the 80s. However we don't seem to know what to do with it. Talks of cutting clubs is embarrassing however we are sat with an 11 team league. Are we actively looking for new clubs? 

One of my favourite seasons in recent times was in this division. We should be proud of it.

Edited August 2, 2022 by Mumby Magic

[Guest]

The sport can't afford new clubs unless they fund themselves. No club should be cut off but most will have to accept that they will never be in the Super League. The sport right now is at a crossroads. The new structure will be painful for a lot of people to accept but it will be necessary. It would be nice to have a league underneath similar to the NSW and Queensland competitions but this can't be funded unless you have a top tier competition which generates revenue. No change and I think Sky will eventually cut the sport.

[Tommygilf]

To me, League 1 and its clubs should be relatively safe in the brave new world. Like much of the Championship it is about sustainable, community focused part time rugby league. That is something that should be cherished and not diminished by the fully pro game having a tizzy because it hasn't got enough to go round.

[Whippet13]

For me, it is and should be retained as a development/rebuilding league and increased to 12 clubs - it is being run with virtually zero central funding, £20k per club I think, so the cost of a couple of overpaid and underperforming NRL has-beens. Numerous L1 clubs have moved up and been successful and it delivers players for the higher leagues, so why not keep it to continue providing these opportunities. It is also the closest thing we have to a national league, which provides reputational value.

What actually happens to it will depend on IMG recommends due later this year and what is then accepted by the RFL/SL, any change will likely be from 2024/25 onwards.

[paul hicks]

i think a number of clubs may fold and others will effectively be used as feeder teams for the top two divisions with perhaps 2 or 3 independent clubs who may have a solid future as they grow.

it will be interesting to see which clubs get relegated from the championship this season and next. indeed i think some of the newer clubs not laden with debt may be the ones to survive and in the end prosper

Edited August 1, 2022 by paul hicks

[DavidM]

38 minutes ago, Mumby Magic said:

For me the division should be one we should be proud of. It covers the far reaches of the country developing the game gradually in places we could have only dreamt of in the 80s. However we don't seem to know what to do with it. Talks of cutting clubs is embarrassing however we are sat with an 11 team league. Are we actively looking for new clubs? 

One of favourite seasons in recent times was on the division. We should be proud of it.

I’ll take an educated guess that was 2018 when York and Bradford led a really good league with a full 26 game schedule . There were some great games . Then it was totally emasculated and became a bit of the leftovers 

[paulwalker71]

Well, if the much-rumoured 2x10s become reality then there will 17 clubs on the outside of that promised land.

Even if a few clubs fall by the wayside there'll still be enough for a viable -and hopefully - competitive league.

[Derwent Parker]

37 minutes ago, paulwalker71 said:

Well, if the much-rumoured 2x10s become reality then there will 17 clubs on the outside of that promised land.

Even if a few clubs fall by the wayside there'll still be enough for a viable -and hopefully - competitive league.

Whatever happens the RFL have to make the fixture list bigger 20  matches is not enough.

If loop fixtures are good enough for Super Greed then they should be good enough for L1.

 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Derwent Parker said:

Whatever happens the RFL have to make the fixture list bigger 20  matches is not enough.

If loop fixtures are good enough for Super Greed then they should be good enough for L1.

 

They would play 3 times which gives you 27 including Magic.

[gingerjon]

28 minutes ago, Derwent Parker said:

Whatever happens the RFL have to make the fixture list bigger 20  matches is not enough.

If loop fixtures are good enough for Super Greed then they should be good enough for L1.

 

So close.

You have to call it $tupid Greed or people don't know you keep it real.

[Derwent Parker]

Why don't L1 have a magic weekend /Summer bash?

Because RFL dont care about L1!

apart from the odd number  - top amateur team could be invited? to make it 12?

Headingley similar to Blackpool capacity but

I prefer Blackpool to Leeds - love Blackpool.

Also should be at a smaller ground.

Rotate it around the L1 areas.

A weekend in Wales or London etc

 

[paul hicks]

24 minutes ago, Derwent Parker said:

Why don't L1 have a magic weekend /Summer bash?

Because RFL dont care about L1!

apart from the odd number  - top amateur team could be invited? to make it 12?

Headingley similar to Blackpool capacity but

I prefer Blackpool to Leeds - love Blackpool.

Also should be at a smaller ground.

Rotate it around the L1 areas.

A weekend in Wales or London etc

 

what does capacity matter as neither league will fill either ground

[idrewthehaggis]

 

For me a clear stratification of tiers would be best.

A top tier of full time professionals clubs.

At the bottom, BARLA and the amateur game.

And in between an Intermediate tier. Which is where our present League One clubs would find themselves.

They would be semi professional

Each tier would have its own cohesion and unity. All tiers would ideally work and support each other. 

Either directly or indirectly most team based sports has this three layers. 

The French Game would ideally be integrated at all levels.

 

 

Edited August 1, 2022 by idrewthehaggis

[Toby Chopra]

31 minutes ago, Derwent Parker said:

Why don't L1 have a magic weekend /Summer bash?

Because RFL dont care about L1!

apart from the odd number  - top amateur team could be invited? to make it 12?

Headingley similar to Blackpool capacity but

I prefer Blackpool to Leeds - love Blackpool.

Also should be at a smaller ground.

Rotate it around the L1 areas.

A weekend in Wales or London etc

 

Magic/Bash are as much special TV events as spectator ones. If Sky/Premier didn't want to televise them, they most likely wouldn't happen. 

Neither would want to televise a L1 weekender, so it won't happen. 

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

I suspect as a northern League with Cornwall and a Welsh team plucked for the 2 14´s. Skolars and WWR gone. 

Would leave you with 15 clubs. Lose WWR and you've got 16 clubs left. WWR have had enough chances to make it work.

Sorry, I see you meant Cornwall would go as well. Don't think it will happen though. Drop WWR or add an 18th team.

Edited August 1, 2022 by NW10LDN

[Bearman]

6 minutes ago, NW10LDN said:

 Drop WWR or add an 18th team.

Add an 18th team from the long list of applicants that are queuing up to pay up the £150,000 bond?

[Guest]

Just now, Bearman said:

Add an 18th team from the long list of applicants that are queuing up to pay up the £150,000 bond?

Or drop one club to get to 16. I'll let the RFL deal with the fallout.

[IM2]

4 hours ago, NW10LDN said:

The sport can't afford new clubs unless they fund themselves. No club should be cut off but most will have to accept that they will never be in the Super League. The sport right now is at a crossroads. The new structure will be painful for a lot of people to accept but it will be necessary. It would be nice to have a league underneath similar to the NSW and Queensland competitions but this can't be funded unless you have a top tier competition which generates revenue. No change and I think Sky will eventually cut the sport.

I think at £16k a year per club RL can afford L1. its ultra cheap if you ask me 

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, IM2 said:

I think at £16k a year per club RL can afford L1. its ultra cheap if you ask me 

They still have to largely fund themselves though. And it doesn't matter unless you have a strong Super League generating revenue.

[steve oates]

15 hours ago, Whippet13 said:

For me, it is and should be retained as a development/rebuilding league and increased to 12 clubs - it is being run with virtually zero central funding, £20k per club I think, so the cost of a couple of overpaid and underperforming NRL has-beens. Numerous L1 clubs have moved up and been successful and it delivers players for the higher leagues, so why not keep it to continue providing these opportunities. It is also the closest thing we have to a national league, which provides reputational value.

The TV funding of these clubs is a main attraction for the owners and it may be debatable whether some of the owners will actually want to carry on without it. The whole issue here is the lower TV funding  in which the top clubs, maybe 20 of them, or maybe 24 of them will argue they need all the money. Also, since the unification there is no "Superleague" and the rest "Rugby Football League" so it may be that Mr. Rimmer will be this time trapped into working with SL and top Championship clubs to obtain their majority collective wishes. 

Wether 24 or 20 clubs make up the first two divisions they of course now can collectively win any vote. Many championship clubs have enjoyed the SKY money this latest contract  and I guess their chairmen will want to remain recipients of as big a cut as they can get from the next deal. Many SL and top Championship clubs may argue they are tasked with providing the TV content and every penny counts, and historically many championship clubs have survived without said money. Will the French be in or out? is something already being pondered by McManus? What about famous clubs like Workington, Swinton and Oldham who once saw great days? Is this their end? Historic times.

[paul hicks]

get the auditors in and decide it on who is likely to survive without the sky money . I suspect the safest clubs under that proposal would be in the expansion areas as they will have the least historic debts .

also to be taken into account would be historic reformation of clubs after bad debts going back say 10 years as that seems to be a quite common thing that's been done and yet the reformed club has again run up debts

[Mumby Magic]

Again as I mentioned in opening post. Why cut ANY clubs?

[Anita Bath]

3 minutes ago, Mumby Magic said:

Again as I mentioned in opening post. Why cut ANY clubs?

Its Rugby Leagues version of expansion!

[Derwent Parker]

17 hours ago, paul hicks said:

what does capacity matter as neither league will fill either ground

Sorry went off at a tangent there - the Blackpool v headingley bit was aimed at summer bash.

L1 version should be at a smaller ground

[Blind side johnny]

2 hours ago, steve oates said:

The TV funding of these clubs is a main attraction for the owners and it may be debatable whether some of the owners will actually want to carry on without it. The whole issue here is the lower TV funding  in which the top clubs, maybe 20 of them, or maybe 24 of them will argue they need all the money. Also, since the unification there is no "Superleague" and the rest "Rugby Football League" so it may be that Mr. Rimmer will be this time trapped into working with SL and top Championship clubs to obtain their majority collective wishes. 

Wether 24 or 20 clubs make up the first two divisions they of course now can collectively win any vote. Many championship clubs have enjoyed the SKY money this latest contract  and I guess their chairmen will want to remain recipients of as big a cut as they can get from the next deal. Many SL and top Championship clubs may argue they are tasked with providing the TV content and every penny counts, and historically many championship clubs have survived without said money. Will the French be in or out? is something already being pondered by McManus? What about famous clubs like Workington, Swinton and Oldham who once saw great days? Is this their end? Historic times.

When these once significant clubs slide off the semi-pro coil into the ether, will anyone care?