Creating a brighter future

[Martyn Sadler]

https://www.totalrl.com/creating-a-brighter-future/

[Eddie]

I can’t imagine people like him would be interested in a sport with no international calendar, a small regional geographic footprint and a miserably low salary cap. 

[JM2010]

Maybe he could help to change that though. He could probably buy RL for a lot less than it would cost to buy Man Utd 

[Gordon Street]

1 hour ago, Martyn Sadler said:

https://www.totalrl.com/creating-a-brighter-future/

the key word you used is invest. What sort of an investment would it be for someone like him? Soccer, especially clubs like Manchester United matters. You emphasised him being from a northern working class background. Because you are from a northern working class background, it doesn't mean to say you have an interest in rugby league, or still feel connected with your northern working class background. 

[RayCee]

He was successful buying under performing operations and raising income. 

He either hasn't realised that RL fits that profile, or he doesn't believe that RL has enough potential to make it worth investing in. 

[The storm]

Clutching at straws. 

For a second i thought i was reading callum walker or james Gordon 

[Dunbar]

The key question is, does anyone know his uncle.

[dealwithit]

Not a compelling argument. What was the last UK RL club listed for sale, and who were the registered bidders? 

[Adelaide Tiger]

Why should anyone like him, whether they were born within a drop kick of the ground or not, want to invest in rugby league?

Lets pretend he invested in Oldham tomorrow.  Can League 1 clubs spend up to SL cap like Championship clubs can?  If they can then Oldham can conceivably buy a team that gets promoted in consecutive years to SL.

However in SL his billions mean sod all as he can only spend the same amount as every other team with the exception of attracting a couple of marquee players.  IMHO there is no incentive for people like him in our game.

 

[JohnM]

Interesting thoughts there.

1. I went to Oldham College for 4 years full time 1964 1968. No one on our course ever even mentioned Oldham RLFC.

2. Failsworth at that time was, IIRC, considered the last outpost of Manchester rather than the gateway to Oldham.

3. Has anyone asked Sir James to come on board with rugby league?

[Toby Chopra]

Ultimately, buying one club has a limited upside as the wider sport has such a limited geographical, social and commercial reach. 

Jim Ratcliffe could buy Oldham, buy Boundary Park, spend the full cap plus marquees, lift them to the top of SL and maybe get 10k a week coming. 

Great, another solid club. But does that really move the dial for the sport, or a successful man like Ratcliffe? It's hard to see how you could see any more growth given the base conditions. 

What would do it is several rich guys coming on board at the same time - including in key expansion areas - so that the profile and potential of the sport as a whole is lifted - thus giving their investments more upside. 

Or a single investor investing across the whole sport. 

You're looking at a sum total that is still probably less than one blockbuster Premier League transfer so it's not the amount itself that's the problem but how to spend it in a way that has a transformational effect. 

 

 

[Man of Kent]

Not sure what to make of this lament. OK, there aren’t any billionaires backing RL (although Fred Done can’t be too far off) but the big clubs have wealthy chairmen.

In any case, RL is a relatively cheap sport with a salary cap so it doesn’t really need billionaires. If there wasn’t a cap, maybe that would change and RL would be more glamorous…

[Rugby&soccerfan]

14 hours ago, Martyn Sadler said:

https://www.totalrl.com/creating-a-brighter-future/

I highly doubt he has much interest in Rugby League on numorus occasions he was asked about investing in Oldham Athletic or the town and has shown little interest.

[JohnM]

4 minutes ago, Rugby&soccerfan said:

I highly doubt he has much interest in Rugby League on numorus occasions he was asked about investing in Oldham Athletic or the town and has shown little interest.

A bit like the locals?

[jacobus]

He might have more cash to chuck at more sports if Liz does lift the fracking ban...

 

Marathon Running

Cycling

Football with OGC Nice

Lots of allegations he is our version of sportswashing. However, one swish of his pen on a chequebook and he could make a real difference to our game. 

[Tommygilf]

RL in this country currently doesn't offer (enough of) the sort if things that attract the likes of Ratcliffe to investing in sport.

How to change that is really the sort of thing I'm sure IMG will be looking at!

[Harry Stottle]

10 hours ago, Adelaide Tiger said:

However in SL his billions mean sod all as he can only spend the same amount as every other team with the exception of attracting a couple of marquee players.  IMHO there is no incentive for people like him in our game.

So if every team is on the same footing, why only 4 winners of the big gong in 25 years? It should have been shared out a bit more.

[Jughead]

6 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

So if every team is on the same footing, why only 4 winners of the big gong in 25 years? It should have been shared out a bit more.

Investment in infrastructure and not too heavy sides. 

[Harry Stottle]

18 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

RL in this country currently doesn't offer (enough of) the sort if things that attract the likes of Ratcliffe to investing in sport.

How to change that is really the sort of thing I'm sure IMG will be looking at!

Isn't it a given that those who invest in RL clubs have some intrinsic connection and passion with them and useually being a fan who made good no matter how big the club, I can only think of Hull FC owner Mr Pearson who is an exception to that rule, happy to be corrected though.

[Dave T]

The salary cap is a red herring on this topic.  Other sports with SC's have rich backers.  Indeed,  we have rich backers too. 

Rich investors are likely to invest in RL if they are directly fans of the sport/club. 

[David Shepherd]

11 hours ago, Adelaide Tiger said:

Why should anyone like him, whether they were born within a drop kick of the ground or not, want to invest in rugby league?

Lets pretend he invested in Oldham tomorrow.  Can League 1 clubs spend up to SL cap like Championship clubs can?  If they can then Oldham can conceivably buy a team that gets promoted in consecutive years to SL.

However in SL his billions mean sod all as he can only spend the same amount as every other team with the exception of attracting a couple of marquee players.  IMHO there is no incentive for people like him in our game.

 

Quite right Ian.  

I've always thought we should ditch the enforced mediocrity that the salary cap gives us.

[Tommygilf]

28 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Isn't it a given that those who invest in RL clubs have some intrinsic connection and passion with them and useually being a fan who made good no matter how big the club, I can only think of Hull FC owner Mr Pearson who is an exception to that rule, happy to be corrected though.

Gary Hetherington at Leeds maybe? Certainly Paul Caddick too. Mr Koukash at Salford originally. I believe Andy Mazey at Rochdale doesn't have a major past connection, not sure about his time at Swinton.

I do know what you mean H, but that is neither a particularly sustainable/reliable source of income, nor is it a sign of the top tier of the game reaching the level it needs to. Its good for sport to have these links, particularly at smaller clubs and those in the lower divisions as happens in Football and Rugby Union, but it cannot and should not rely on it at the top. Top clubs should be attractive to a broader range of people, and hopefully the number of top clubs increases with that.

[Tommygilf]

30 minutes ago, Dave T said:

The salary cap is a red herring on this topic.  Other sports with SC's have rich backers.  Indeed,  we have rich backers too. 

Rich investors are likely to invest in RL if they are directly fans of the sport/club. 

To an extent yes. I think it is a frustration for many that they cannot use as much of their wealth to transform their (prospective) team and overcome the inherent structural advantages others have.

[Dave T]

Just now, Tommygilf said:

To an extent yes. I think it is a frustration for many that they cannot use as much of their wealth to transform their (prospective) team and overcome the inherent structural advantages others have.

What's that based on? 

[Tommygilf]

Just now, Dave T said:

What's that based on? 

Leigh for example cannot use their owners wealth to recruit a squad to comfortably stay up next year, beyond the cap which inherently advantages those already in. It is particularly bad for newly promoted teams.

Dr Koukash was also quite clear in his frustrations with the limitations of the systems in his time at Salford.

Its interesting imo, that the top 6 or so clubs are usually owned by the most wealthy individuals whilst the smaller clubs (salford, KR, Wakey, Cas) seem to be owned by less wealthy individuals, or in Salford's case now no individuals at all as I understand it.