Featherstone - Boom or Bust by the looks of it

[The Phantom Horseman]

5 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

But that's not really true, is it.

Leeds, Saints, Wigan, Warrington, Hull FC, Hull KR and Catalans are there or thereabouts already.

The path is shorter for Huddersfield, Salford, Castleford, Leigh and Wakefield than for Fev. That's 12.

Then there's Widnes, Bradford, York, Toulouse and London, all of who may have certain commercial advantages in their favour over Fev for obtaining an A grade (though not any time soon, granted).  

The chairman of one of the clubs you are citing as being there already has stated he thinks there will only be 4 given a cat A licence at the start and his club isn't one of them.

Some of the clubs you are quoting as having "certain commercial advantages" are absolute basket-cases in terms of how they are run and you'd like to think IMG will do a bit more due diligence than you seem to be doing.

 

[phiggins]

2 hours ago, Man of Kent said:

Comparisons with football are moot because we’re moving away from straight P&R towards an exclusionary system based on a grading system.

Fev are located in a pit village/tiny town near Pontefract and will be left further behind in the IMG era as they are not (and never will be) capable of being a sustainably competitive Super League club.

If you don’t believe me, watch how they go in 2024 if promoted. Truth can be painful.

First of all, if you think population size of the town the team is based in (ignoring any neighbouring catchment areas) is a factor, then fine. But I'm fairly certain that the presence of coal under the ground won't be used against clubs, otherwise it would be a very small league. Your repeated use of the term pit village comes across as sneering and disrespectful. Maybe pack that in?

Second point, "we’re moving away from straight P&R towards an exclusionary system based on a grading system" well that's yet to be confirmed isn't it? We don't know yet what happens in the scenario that a B grade team goes up, and what then happens to the lowest ranked B grade team in SL. What we will have is some excemptions from relegation, based on a grading system. And it is expected that the number of teams excempt will be pretty small. Some suggestion being it will be 4 clubs at most.

[Man of Kent]

1 minute ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

The chairman of one of the clubs you are citing as being there already has stated he thinks there will only be 4 given a cat A licence at the start and his club isn't one of them.

At the start, yes. It's a 12 year thing though, right?

[tuutaisrambo]

Lets deal in 'reality'.......

Fev are easily the best run side currently not in SL........both commercially and on the pitch

If promoted they will NOT have the lowest crowds in SL.......I'd guess around 7k every home game.

We've had 26 years of playing smaller clubs with no away support.......Considering all that the club is in an amazing state..........usually getting 3-4k crowds with minimal away support fluctuating casual fans and blowout scores.

In Super League I'd buy a Season Ticket.......I currently go every so often if I think there's half a chance we might be tested......there's a lot of Fev fans out there like me.  This season I went to see us v Fax hoping for a good game but we won easy......I will be there for Bradford hoping the same........I didn't go to watch us put 50 past Newcastle and 70 past Haven.

Featherstone is a small town with a large catchment area.......I don't live in Fev and don't know any fans that do.

Most of the Fev fans I know are from Pontefract, Knottingley, Selby and Leeds.........the small village argument is rubbish.

London get 800 fans.

[RP London]

16 minutes ago, David Shepherd said:

History tells us that the process is likely to be corrupt. Incumbency was always the most important metric last time. 

Is that what history tells us? it does in terms of the RFL I agree but the IMG history is, from what I can tell, pretty positive in terms of when they did this in basketball. There doesn't seem to be, from what i can tell, much controversy in what has happened there (beyond the initial foot stamping of "I don't like the idea"/"change is bad" that will always be there). While I am not sold it is the best thing or that it will solve all ills etc as long as the RFL stay out of it in the main I would say the implementation looking at how it has been done before by IMG will be very different... or at least I hope it will, people/organisations do have a habit of royally cocking things up and being brought down to the lowest level when they get involved with the RFL. 

[RP London]

8 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

The chairman of one of the clubs you are citing as being there already has stated he thinks there will only be 4 given a cat A licence at the start and his club isn't one of them.

Some of the clubs you are quoting as having "certain commercial advantages" are absolute basket-cases in terms of how they are run and you'd like to think IMG will do a bit more due diligence than you seem to be doing.

 

I absolutely dont think there will be that many A's... i think it will be very low but with attainable targets set and transparent... IMG are not stupid and I think they know what happened last time and honestly I cannot believe that they will want to be seen as anything except for transparent.. they have a business that will want to be pitching for more business based on success here. which is what I base any optimism of IMG on, they need this to work as much as we do for their future business IMHO.

[bigbaldnmad]

One of the drivers from IMG is social media interactions. Something that Featherstone are embracing and running with. This is a big  driver in being able to attract sponsorship from nationwide companies.

According to the Martin Vickers update, the 5 million social media interactions per month allowed him to get that sponsorship.

Featherstone are showing how to adapt and will surprise you if you take off your anti Fev blinkers.

Edited February 28 by bigbaldnmad
Spelling

[Man of Kent]

5 minutes ago, tuutaisrambo said:

Lets deal in 'reality'.......

Fev are easily the best run side currently not in SL........both commercially and on the pitch

If promoted they will NOT have the lowest crowds in SL.......I'd guess around 7k every home game.

We've had 26 years of playing smaller clubs with no away support.......Considering all that the club is in an amazing state..........usually getting 3-4k crowds with minimal away support fluctuating casual fans and blowout scores.

In Super League I'd buy a Season Ticket.......I currently go every so often if I think there's half a chance we might be tested......there's a lot of Fev fans out there like me.  This season I went to see us v Fax hoping for a good game but we won easy......I will be there for Bradford hoping the same........I didn't go to watch us put 50 past Newcastle and 70 past Haven.

Featherstone is a small town with a large catchment area.......I don't live in Fev and don't know any fans that do.

Most of the Fev fans I know are from Pontefract, Knottingley, Selby and Leeds.........the small village argument is rubbish.

London get 800 fans.

The London bit made me laugh. We're talking about Fev.

What happens when you get stuffed 64-6 by Saints et al and go down with single-figure competition points? Will living the dream for a long season of hard reality be worth it?

[GUBRATS]

1 minute ago, Man of Kent said:

The London bit made me laugh. We're talking about Fev.

What happens when you get stuffed 64-6 by Saints et al and go down with single-figure competition points? Will living the dream for a long season of hard reality be worth it?

Aussie second tiers ? 

[tuutaisrambo]

I guess if we get stuffed by Saints we'll be in good company

[Man of Kent]

3 minutes ago, bigbaldnmad said:

One of the drivers from IMG is social media interactions. Something that Featherstone are embracing and running with. This is a big  driver in being able to attract sponsorship from nationwide companies.

According to the Martin Vickers update, the 5 million social media interactions per month allowed him to get that sponsorship.

Featherstone are showing how to adapt and will surprise you if you take of your anti Fev blinkers.

19,600 followers on Twitter isn't great to be fair.

[tuutaisrambo]

2 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

The London bit made me laugh. We're talking about Fev.

What happens when you get stuffed 64-6 by Saints et al and go down with single-figure competition points? Will living the dream for a long season of hard reality be worth it?

After 26 years of not being promoted.........I'd take that yeah

I'd bet we don't lose by anywhere near as much as we're currently winning by

[Harry Stottle]

3 minutes ago, RP London said:

people/organisations do have a habit of royally cocking things up and being brought down to the lowest level when they get involved with the RFL. 

This!

I can't wait for the meat to be put on the bones and the mechanics of how this grading system is expected to transform the game.

We have already had a vote that was quite considerably in the favour of proceeding with IMG's excersize after being fed little snippets of the positive aspects that IMG are predicting, it will be interesting when the blueprint is laid down on the table in it's entirety warts and all and can be properly scrutinised.

[GUBRATS]

3 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

19,600 followers on Twitter isn't great to be fair.

Aussie second tier fan numbers and financing ? 

[RP London]

9 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

The London bit made me laugh. We're talking about Fev.

What happens when you get stuffed 64-6 by Saints et al and go down with single-figure competition points? Will living the dream for a long season of hard reality be worth it?

to be fair I seem to remember people saying it was when it was Leigh doing it, and they have come back with an appetite to not let it happen again.. if we could get a few more doing what Leigh are doing this season (bar the shirt obvs), potentially thanks to both IMG setting out a few bits of what they want to see and previous experience at the level then I cant see that being a bad thing at all.. and there are potentially a few incumbents (2 in the local vicinity) who may want to look over their shoulder a little more

Edited February 28 by RP London

[Man of Kent]

2 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

Aussie second tier fan numbers and financing ? 

This is a Fev thread but there would have to be central funding below Super League, as now, as quid pro quo for player development. Without players there is no sport.

There's no reason why a club like Fev couldn't continue to be a worthwhile club playing in a worthwhile comp as happens in many sports the world over. Ultimately it's up to the clubs as to how many come through the gates, eg by winning trophies, good atmos, community hubs etc.

[Griff]

30 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

Any chance you could answer my question about the crowds and financing of the Aussie lower tiers ?

Or .... you could do your own research.

[tuutaisrambo]

10 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

19,600 followers on Twitter isn't great to be fair.

It's a lot more than Toulouse....... who were in SL a few months ago and are backed by a city of 500,000 people

[GUBRATS]

Just now, Man of Kent said:

This is a Fev thread but there would have to be central funding below Super League, as now, as quid pro quo for player development. Without players there is no sport.

There's no reason why a club like Fev couldn't continue to be a worthwhile club playing in a worthwhile comp as happens in many sports the world over. Ultimately it's up to the clubs as to how many come through the gates, eg by winning trophies, good atmos, community hubs etc.

That isn't answering the question 

Aussie second tiers are poorly supported , many being NRL academies , financed by the massive Aussie addiction to gambling 

So what are you saying ? , They become nothing more than amateur clubs with casino's attached to them ? 

Don't post unless you are willing to face being asked to provide examples 

[GUBRATS]

4 minutes ago, Griff said:

Or .... you could do your own research.

See post above 

[Man of Kent]

Just now, tuutaisrambo said:

It's a lot more than Toulouse....... who were in SL a few months ago and are backed by a city of 500,000 people

There's two ways of looking at that, isn't there.

[Man of Kent]

1 minute ago, GUBRATS said:

That isn't answering the question 

Aussie second tiers are poorly supported , many being NRL academies , financed by the massive Aussie addiction to gambling 

So what are you saying ? , They become nothing more than amateur clubs with casino's attached to them ? 

Don't post unless you are willing to face being asked to provide examples 

I've answered alright, you don't just like it. Now can we keep this to Featherstone Rovers, pls?

[bigbaldnmad]

So MOK, which obviously failing team do you follow, that means you have to try and trash, put down and generally insult the local population / demographic of other clubs?

 

 

[GUBRATS]

5 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

I've answered alright, you don't just like it. Now can we keep this to Featherstone Rovers, pls?

You mentioned the Aussies , if you don't want it challenged , don't try to use it as an argument 

[Man of Kent]

3 minutes ago, bigbaldnmad said:

So MOK, which obviously failing team do you follow, that means you have to try and trash, put down and generally insult the local population / demographic of other clubs?

 

 

I come at this from the perspective of a Super League TV punter who sees very little value in having a club like Featherstone Rovers spend beyond their means for the right to be towelled for one season.