Featherstone - Boom or Bust by the looks of it

[The Masked Poster]

1 hour ago, Michael Bates said:

No it's not. The issue is that the game is managed / controlled by self serving chairmen that only want what's best for their own club. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a chairman, or a fan wanting what's best for their club. The problem, when it comes to expansion is that the same chairmen that are running the game, see it as a direct threat to their existence so they will oppose it. That's not Mark Campbell's fault or my fault. That's a fundamental flaw in the governance of the game if expansion is one of the major goals.

I'm sick of my club being accused of being at the forefront of the "anti-expansion" brigade when any club in the same position would be exactly the same. Yes there are 15,000 people in Featherstone but we've just had a crowd of nearly 5,000, almost 1/3 of the population of Featherstone.

If we're taking "potential audience" as a metric for expansion, why can't London get a crowd of 10,000, it's only 1/950th of the population of the city. Is that my fault? Is that Mark Campbell's fault? No. Chasing a pipedream of sponsorship and TV market based on plonking a club in a large metropolitan area and assuming it'll work because "expansion is great" is just nonsense.

 

You're arguing about points I haven't made. 

Keeping to such a tiny footprint for so many years is an active plan that many RL clubs and owners have supported. It's comforting to be a big fish in a small pond but there are consequences.

And you've just listed most of them. 

Clearly expansion was great for football, so maybe they knew something? 

[The Masked Poster]

54 minutes ago, Michael Bates said:

Toronto Tornados 

Berlin Barracudas

Oslo Owls

Madrid Magicians

The Moon RLFC

It's 1905. 

Ridiculous clubs like Chelsea and Bradford City want to join the Football league. Lol, as if they'll ever play association football in the royal borough of Chelsea. And Bradford, like the West Riding is a rugby stronghold. 

Ludicrous eh? 

[The Masked Poster]

1 hour ago, steve oates said:

So Leigh and Featherstone are "not and never will be's"  Hang on a minute.........

Superleague Salford, Wakefield, Castleford and  Huddersfield are hardly any different at all to these two clubs clubs. Leigh's cracking win at HKR also says your wrong (as well as rude) and Featherstone's long years at the top of the Championship also says your wrong .

But do please tell us which clubs actual clubs will be able to take RL forward into the 20th, Century? Name them??

Name them? They won't happen so what's the point. There will be no new strong clubs, which should delight you. You get to keep your game to yourself forever more, hurrah. 

As for your first point, you're deliberately ignoring the bit about me saying they were fine clubs and indeed, seem way more forward thinking than you. In fact Leigh are showing how they have grown and improved and are delivering a positive image. 

But the driver to propel the game onwards into the 21st century will not be small clubs with a maximum of 9-10K. It just won't. 

[The Masked Poster]

1 hour ago, Fevrover said:

Yeah 15000,they are the only clubs like i said get anything like 15000 to 20000, both Hull clubs don't as KR can't get 15000 as far as i  know.

Fev are doing pretty well, I wish them nothing but success. 

[Snowys Backside]

51 minutes ago, LeeF said:

The old Rothmans with the old league tables will give you the answer

Yep

wigan, saints , Leeds Warrington etc… all struggling to get 5k in the 80s

Most teams held their own and supported their local teams. 
 

Only the two Hull clubs stood out in the 80s really. 
 

Now is the time for the game to really make a stand. We either pay and assist growth or let it die. 
 

I find it funny though that 100k used to turn up for the CC final though. Now, the comp is more of a hindrance

[Harry Stottle]

3 hours ago, Hull Kingston Bronco said:

But pretty true?

I wouldn't limit their ambition myself, good luck to them, give it a shot. But honestly the idea that given other choices this sport's footprint needs 1/4 of its elite comp based in Wakefield, or that a club in a Wigan suburb is really part of some exciting. growing future is really for the birds. Nothing dreadful about someone being honest about how they think about it.  

Or even 17% of SL being 6.2 miles apart in Hull even less distance as the crow flies, at the moment the Wakefield area is exactly the same percentage (it could very well increase next season) as is the two clubs in Wigan metro but I suppose the fact re Hull doesn't suit your argument so you gloss over it, but totally agree with you about peoples honest opinion.

[Fevrover]

1 hour ago, Snowys Backside said:

Yep

wigan, saints , Leeds Warrington etc… all struggling to get 5k in the 80s

Most teams held their own and supported their local teams. 
 

Only the two Hull clubs stood out in the 80s really. 
 

Now is the time for the game to really make a stand. We either pay and assist growth or let it die. 
 

I find it funny though that 100k used to turn up for the CC final though. Now, the comp is more of a hindrance

Shame that imo Wembley weekend used to be the highlight of the season especially when a lot of  different teams could get there.

Edited March 8, 2023 by Fevrover

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

2 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Or even 17% of SL being 6.2 miles apart in Hull even less distance as the crow flies, at the moment the Wakefield area is exactly the same percentage (it could very well increase next season) as is the two clubs in Wigan metro but I suppose the fact re Hull doesn't suit your argument so you gloss over it, but totally agree with you about peoples honest opinion.

There's two clubs in Wakefield, and I'm not calling for one of them to be kicked out. Try as you might, even your powerful debating skills won't convince many that any concern about having 3 in a town is equivalent to having 2. They're definitely different numbers. By 50% or 33%, depending on your direction of travel...!!

[WakefieldCityLoyal]

2 minutes ago, Hull Kingston Bronco said:

There's two clubs in Wakefield, and I'm not calling for one of them to be kicked out. Try as you might, even your powerful debating skills won't convince many that any concern about having 3 in a town is equivalent to having 2. They're definitely different numbers. By 50% or 33%, depending on your direction of travel...!!

There’s only one club in Wakefield.

Love this Club 

Love this City

Up the Trin 

[Fevrover]

11 minutes ago, WakefieldCityLoyal said:

There’s only one club in Wakefield.

Love this Club 

Love this City

Up the Trin 

One club in Wakefield, 3 in WMDC.

[bigbaldnmad]

5 clubs with a WF postcode

[Harry Stottle]

4 hours ago, The Masked Poster said:

Evidence of this goes back to the fledgling Coventry, Newcastle, Welsh  and various London clubs (not Fulham era). Self interest has always triumphed and now RL has to live with that legacy. 

The only evidence that exists is that the locals in the vicinity of these clubs has not bought into the idea that RL is actually The Greatest Game and doesn't command their attention, it does not matter one jot how people outside the area percieve it should be respected and attended, it is those in the catchment area that will make the club(s) sink or swim.

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

27 minutes ago, WakefieldCityLoyal said:

There’s only one club in Wakefield.

Love this Club 

Love this City

Up the Trin 

Good on ya mate!

[The Masked Poster]

7 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

The only evidence that exists is that the locals in the vicinity of these clubs has not bought into the idea that RL is actually The Greatest Game and doesn't command their attention, it does not matter one jot how people outside the area percieve it should be respected and attended, it is those in the catchment area that will make the club(s) sink or swim.

And how did the early football clubs expand so rapidly? They too were preaching to the unconverted initially. Maybe their plan of sticking with things and not having a strop if people don't pack out the stadiums straight away, actually worked? 

Contrast with RLs idea of development, if they aren't winning the league in 3 years they are a failure. 

It's really not hard to see what's happened.

[The Masked Poster]

29 minutes ago, WakefieldCityLoyal said:

There’s only one club in Wakefield.

Love this Club 

Love this City

Up the Trin 

I'm considering moving to the Wakey area in a few years. Is it any good? I've been out there obviously but what's it like to live there? 

Oops thread drift.

[Harry Stottle]

1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

You'll have to discard all five as IMG are limiting foreign sides to two and we already have two.

But you'd know that, having read the announcements closely.

But that is not the perception of some of our regular posters on this site is it? they would have any number of clubs from wherever instead of housing some of the heartland clubs in SL, I have lost count of how many times I have read on these pages "what will Leigh or Fev bring to SL"

[Harry Stottle]

1 hour ago, The Masked Poster said:

You're arguing about points I haven't made. 

Keeping to such a tiny footprint for so many years is an active plan that many RL clubs and owners have supported. It's comforting to be a big fish in a small pond but there are consequences.

And you've just listed most of them. 

Clearly expansion was great for football, so maybe they knew something? 

Couldn't agree more with this statement the time for Rugby League to expand was when it was at it's most popular, but it sat on its laurels, you are correct football pushed on and became the behemoth it is today, football along with too many other distractions, pastimes and hobbies to numerous to mention in todays modern world does not welcome upstarts infringing on their territories and has been said Rugby League is a small tiddler in a very big lake to grab peoples attention.

[Harry Stottle]

53 minutes ago, WakefieldCityLoyal said:

There’s only one club in Wakefield.

Love this Club 

Love this City

Up the Trin 

You go for it WCL, I am right behind you.

[Fevrover]

47 minutes ago, bigbaldnmad said:

5 clubs with a WF postcode

Yeah i always forget about Dewsbury and Batley lol.

[GUBRATS]

6 hours ago, The Masked Poster said:

Nope, not at all. What you are illustrating is the self defeating attitude and hostility to outsiders playing your game that you and @Harry Stottleexemplify. Pray tell me 
 

It’s kind of like the weird possessive guy who won’t let his wife wear nice clothes or make up in case other men start looking at her. You can’t keep RL in a couple of areas, within a couple of counties (not even the full counties) and then claim that it needs to stay there because there’s not enough players or supporters elsewhere.
Trust me brother, I’ve had this argument too many times (going back too many years) to get worked up about it, what will be will be. But in my opinion, it won’t be good. 

Pray tell me , Harry and Steve exactly what you want us to do differently to what we currently do ? 

[Barley Mow]

3 minutes ago, Fevrover said:

Yeah i always forget about Dewsbury and Batley lol.

Both of which are closer to Belle Vue than Wheldon Road is.

I've never understood why people seem to get hung up on who the local council is when these discussions take place.

[GUBRATS]

2 hours ago, The Masked Poster said:

Name them? They won't happen so what's the point. There will be no new strong clubs, which should delight you. You get to keep your game to yourself forever more, hurrah. 

As for your first point, you're deliberately ignoring the bit about me saying they were fine clubs and indeed, seem way more forward thinking than you. In fact Leigh are showing how they have grown and improved and are delivering a positive image. 

But the driver to propel the game onwards into the 21st century will not be small clubs with a maximum of 9-10K. It just won't. 

So who will it be ?

[GUBRATS]

52 minutes ago, The Masked Poster said:

And how did the early football clubs expand so rapidly? They too were preaching to the unconverted initially. Maybe their plan of sticking with things and not having a strop if people don't pack out the stadiums straight away, actually worked? 

Contrast with RLs idea of development, if they aren't winning the league in 3 years they are a failure. 

It's really not hard to see what's happened.

So you're comparing sports 100+ years apart ? , Seriously 

[Fevrover]

8 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

So who will it be ?

It will be - Wigan , Saints ,Wire, Leed's ,Hull and Catalan's. That would be a fun league wouldn't it.

[The Masked Poster]

14 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

So you're comparing sports 100+ years apart ? , Seriously 

Rugby League was formed in 1895, just for your information. 

At that point, Manchester United didn't exist, neither did the Premier League.  It didn't pop out from behind the bushes one day, it worked at development - and it worked massively. 

In fact at one point, association football did not exist. Strange really. 

Edited March 8, 2023 by The Masked Poster