Featherstone - Boom or Bust by the looks of it

[tuutaisrambo]

2 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

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.

You could say the same about Wakefield....I club who have never been relegated

Super League has about 5 super clubs

[tuutaisrambo]

20 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

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

Yep........there's the statistical analysis of how big Toulouse Olympique actually is

and there's the hopeful wish that a city in love with Football and Union will change it's mind.

Kind of like Sheffield

Edited February 28, 2023 by tuutaisrambo

[Harry Stottle]

22 minutes ago, 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.

And more importantly having the opportunity to better themselves and dine out at the top table, but we will be seeing what the offering is should we go to a system that the carrot is dangled to far ahead, in that case apathy could well set in and you just bend down and eat the grass.

[RP London]

7 minutes ago, tuutaisrambo said:

Yep........there's the statistical analysis of how big Toulouse Olympique actually is

and there's the hopeful wish that a city in love with Football and Union will change it's mind.

Kind of like Sheffield

well except the union bit, and the Mediterranean climate, and the nice food....

[David Shepherd]

39 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

5k would be a fantastic effort. 7k isn’t happening bar cas 

Leeds? The two Hulls? Wakey? Saints? We've even had 2000 pies in the recent past for a cup game they were certain to win.

[David Shepherd]

33 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?

Gubby didn't bring the Aussie 2nd tier into the discussion. You did, you've been called out and now you're ducking scrutiny.

[Harry Stottle]

1 minute ago, RP London said:

well except the union bit, and the Mediterranean climate, and the nice food....

I expect Toulouse are more on par with London, with a metro population of over 1 million but very very few interested in RL or at least not interested in attending, shame really both of those clubs have 'The Potential' but I suspect it will never come to reality, London have done extremely well to still be in existance for some 40 years, I doubt Toulouse in their present guise of being active in the British game will acheive anywhere near that, unless they are falsely fastracked by IMG then it would still be up to the locals to take it on board, I doubt that would happen, same with London.

[Man of Kent]

2 minutes ago, David Shepherd said:

Gubby didn't bring the Aussie 2nd tier into the discussion. You did, you've been called out and now you're ducking scrutiny.

Not at all. I merely used it as an example of meaningful competition in a closed system, eg Queensland Cup and NSW Cup. I could have used other examples, such as the US with its AAA/AA/A minor leagues. Or, indeed, European basketball....

Perhaps Fev could be the Durham Bulls of RL?

 

[OdsalBull]

What crowds are expected for a small village team?

[David Shepherd]

2 minutes ago, OdsalBull said:

What crowds are expected for a small village team?

There aren't any small village teams in British pro/semi-pro RL

[tuutaisrambo]

32 minutes ago, RP London said:

well except the union bit, and the Mediterranean climate, and the nice food....

Don't diss Sheffield Cuisine

[Michael Bates]

Quote

Featherstone is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, two miles south-west of Pontefract. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, in 2011 it had a population of 15,244. Featherstone railway station is on the Pontefract Line.

Hope that helps a few people in this thread. Also note the train station, I hear that's a bone of contention to some too...

[David Shepherd]

1 hour ago, RP London said:

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. 

Are IMG involved in the process? Seems to me they're only advising on what the process should be.

If they are involved, there's a chance it will be objective and fair.  If it's left to the RFL and the SL chairman to carry out the assessment, then it will definitely be corrupt, opaque and favour the 12 that happen to get a seat when the music stops.

[RP London]

Just now, David Shepherd said:

Are IMG involved in the process? Seems to me they're only advising on what the process should be.

If they are involved, there's a chance it will be objective and fair.  If it's left to the RFL and the SL chairman to carry out the assessment, then it will definitely be corrupt, opaque and favour the 12 that happen to get a seat when the music stops.

If your name was going to be all over this would you leave it to the RFL? they didnt with the EuroBasket changes so I cannot see them doing it here.. history and all that.. 

There are people (not necessarily you) getting worked up by things that are very much in their head, including who will be in what category and what the categories will be, rather than waiting to see and trying to keep a calm head before then.. 

History does teach us many things, we just pick the ones we want to listen too rather than looking at all the history.

[RP London]

7 minutes ago, tuutaisrambo said:

Don't diss Sheffield Cuisine

i have to eat it every day... its not french thats for sure!

[David Shepherd]

1 minute ago, RP London said:

If your name was going to be all over this would you leave it to the RFL?

Excellent point

[David Shepherd]

Just now, RP London said:

i have to eat it every day... its not french thats for sure!

I've always thought French cuisine was overrated, with the exception of escargot and foi-gras. Got to be better than whatever it is they eat in South Yorkshire though.

[redjonn]

12 minutes ago, RP London said:

i have to eat it every day... its not french thats for sure!

at least you can douse it in Hendo's 

[Fevrover]

5 hours ago, Man of Kent said:

Agreed, and that's why I  welcome the move towards participation in Super League being based on commercial factors. Money talks.

Yes money does talk and there will be a lot lost to the game when fans stop going because its too hard to get in SL.

Edited February 28, 2023 by Fevrover

[The Blues Ox]

35 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

Didn’t take long for this to turn into kick French out even though they got 5k in a pandemic year with heavy restrictions , having zero chance to bring players in and probably with a weaker squad then year they went up. Plus there game vs Catalan in Thursday (well done to idiot who forced that) . 

So they still brought in more or same than Wakey Salford and Giants. 

Plus Toulouse and Catalan offer the actual chance of developing French players for internationals vs England that the sport can actually market to a casual audience.

If people who talk about stats actually looked at them for five seconds they will know why Toulouse is better bet than fev. 

The solution is a 14 SL and we will find out by creating more space with no loop fixtures but less central funding which clubs can produce the commercial income to be viable. 

I am bored of this attempt to demonize or fetishize fev . They offer no more or less than 4 other SL teams. Just expand the league and let us all find out. 

A 14 team competition is not an option for the same reasons as there has always been. A lot of SL teams could probably not survive with any drop in funding and there is not the talent pool or the money to pay that talent pool to support a 14 team league. Before the start of the season I would have said it would be great for Fev to get a shot in Sl and that still may be the case but the comments by the chairman still suggest to me that they are a long way off been ready.

[Man of Kent]

5 minutes ago, Fevrover said:

Yes money does talk and there will be a lot to the game when fans stop going because its too hard to get in SL.

Oh well. More enlightened clubs will happily take your place at the top.

Barrow Raiders seem to have the right idea.

[bigbaldnmad]

1 hour ago, Man of Kent said:

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.

Super league TV punter.... so when Sky scuttle off, because they cant be bothered offering enough money to keep 12 teams competitive, you will move on to another sport to offer your largely ill informed opinion on?

[Wolford6]

1 hour ago, RP London said:

well except the union bit, and the Mediterranean climate, and the nice food....

I played against Damian Johnson, BBC Sports reporter, when he played RU for Sheffield Tigers. There was also Sheffield Oaks, Stocksbridge and Sheffield RU (wherefrom Alan Old [Chris' brother] played for England. I presume these clubs are still going. Rotherham is the big club around there.

Who needs a Mediterranean climate when the Peak District is on your doorstep. That plus two roads heading to Bradford. You can use either and avoid Leeds.

Nice food abounds everywhere in Yorkshire, enhanced by a liberal splash of Henderson's Relish ... Sheffield's response to that Worcester Sauce cack. Yorkshire has a huge range of great Real Ales ... and John Smiths, which we don't talk about.

 

Edited February 28, 2023 by Wolford6

[Man of Kent]

7 minutes ago, bigbaldnmad said:

Super league TV punter.... so when Sky scuttle off, because they cant be bothered offering enough money to keep 12 teams competitive, you will move on to another sport to offer your largely ill informed opinion on?

Play the ball, chief.

[RP London]

9 minutes ago, Wolford6 said:

I played against Damian Johnson, BBC Sports reporter, when he played RU for Sheffield Tigers. There was also Sheffield Oaks, Stocksbridge and Sheffield RU (wherefrom Alan Old [Chris' brother] played for England. I presume these clubs are still going. Rotherham is the big club around there.

Who needs a Mediterranean climate when the Peak District is on your doorstep. That plus two roads heading to Bradford. You can use either and avoid Leeds.

Nice food abounds everywhere in Yorkshire, enhanced by a liberal splash of Henderson's Relish ... Sheffield's response to that Worcester Sauce cack. Yorkshire has a huge range of great Real Ales ... and John Smiths, which we don't talk about.

 

oh the ales are far superior than any of the much the French call beer for sure.. and I love the Peak Distract but would like the climate of the med with it please!

i possibly played agianst you then as played in and around that group when i was 18 before heading off to uni and crossing codes. Still up at Tigers with my son now playing U15s there and i'm coaching, got a league team coming out of Tigers last summer and again this summer at U16, U15 and should get the next age group into the U14 this season too, but there is nothing major here.. Rotherham went bust a while back so the "biggest" thing anywhere near is Doncaster (and you aint getting anyone from Sheffield supporting them heavily!)