Newcastle Thunder

[Griff]

5 minutes ago, Rovers13 said:

But on a serious note here it hits me as the owner of Newcastle was going to walk anyway, as surely they knew they were in hard times should of got buckets out champ fans would of filled them. 

From the sound of it, buckets wouldn't have helped their woes.

You have to be careful with buckets - did folk not contribute to Bradford a few years ago, only to find that the old company went bust and the money went largely to HMRC ?

[dkw]

7 minutes ago, Phil W said:

As I've said above that's the bit I don't understand. There was some good work done yet I don't understand why years of hard work was allowed to be pulled without us fans at least trying. Something earlier to say I'm pulling my investment if a way forward isn't found then that's that. But we haven't been given that chance. 

This whole thing must be because of the massive drop in central funding due to relegation, there's evert chance the club carrief on as it was if the stayed in the Championship. 

[Rovers13]

3 minutes ago, paul hicks said:

over the years a number of clubs have been bailed out wit grants and loans

The game was in a better financial place then though, it’s not excuse it’s more of can the sport afford to bail out clubs anymore? 

[Rovers13]

1 minute ago, Griff said:

From the sound of it, buckets wouldn't have helped their woes.

You have to be careful with buckets - did folk not contribute to Bradford a few years ago, only to find that the old company went bust and the money went largely to HMRC ?

Tbf to myself it was more of fans of champ clubs would have tried to help if they got given the chance. 

[Griff]

7 minutes ago, Angelic Cynic said:

The problem may be that the hierarchy are entrenched in rugby union and their jobs will be secure.

A possible help may have been ex - Premier League player Michael Carrick.A friend of Chris Thorman from schooldays and Mr Carrick has a former Thunder player as a right hand man for his property acquisitions.

Maybe rugby league clubs should only be allowed to operate with nothing less than a 6 person board of directors.

The 1 or 2 owner(s) seem destined for failure.

Fine if all six are putting money in.  If there's just one, the directors are just going to do what he says.

[Harry Stottle]

3 minutes ago, paul hicks said:

same goes for many so-called heartland towns if the club disappeared.  hunslet. keighley,rochdale,swinton, just to name a few. would there really be a major outpouring of grief from many people who live there .

i could have added more but you get the point .

You are preaching to the converted Paul, there is so much apathy to RL in the towns where it is played, now transfer that to trying to establish clubs in places where the game is almost a foreign entity, this is why I say do what we can do where there is some life and give it a good dose of looking at.

[Rovers13]

It’s not just about the clubs it’s about the community too, my club as so much history and won loads of trophies over the years. Yes it’s a small town but it’s steeped in RL heritage and it’s not like theirs anything else to do in fev on a Sunday afternoon lol.  

[Griff]

33 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Yes precisely, like Sheffield a top 6 championship club 40 years old, had some success and still can't muster 500+ fans, as I say apart from a few if the Eagles ceased to be tomorrow there would be hardly any mourning in the city, 99% of the sporting public would still be pre occupied with United and Wednesday.

Improved since the new ground came along, Harry.  Still too low for my liking but we're still here, despite playing outside the city for ten years.  The Board must be doing something right.

[Harry Stottle]

3 minutes ago, Rovers13 said:

The game was in a better financial place then though, it’s not excuse it’s more of can the sport afford to bail out clubs anymore? 

Quite, and that is why it is a load of bolux saying owners take shortsighted views, if they don't look after their own clubs who will?

It is not up to likes of Messers Hudgell, McManus, Beaumont, Danson, Ellis, Moran etc to finance other clubs, albeit I do draw the line at reducing funding to the lower divisions clubs.

[Rovers13]

Just now, Harry Stottle said:

Quite, and that is why it is a load of bolux saying owners take shortsighted views, if they don't look after their own clubs who will?

It is not up to likes of Messers Hudgell, McManus, Beaumont, Danson, Ellis, Moran etc to finance other clubs, albeit I do draw the line at reducing funding to the lower divisions clubs.

I blame the game not the owners myself, the game changed and made clubs be greedy. Yes we needed full time rugby but throwing that sums of money at clubs who never saw that kind of money didn’t help. 

[Rovers13]

I could be wrong here but wasn’t their only Wigan full time when SL came in to power? And I doubt Wigan we’re spending back then with quality players like edwards Hanley Gregory Betts etc what they’re spending now. 

[georgeb1]

40 minutes ago, Rovers13 said:

I could be wrong here but wasn’t their only Wigan full time when SL came in to power? And I doubt Wigan we’re spending back then with quality players like edwards Hanley Gregory Betts etc what they’re spending now. 

but they bought the majority of those players

[Damien]

13 minutes ago, georgeb1 said:

but they bought the majority of those players

At that time which team brought through more players? They certainly didn't buy any more than anyone else. Even in the post you quote half of those weren't bought.

[Blind side johnny]

3 hours ago, Rovers13 said:

Imo Johnny if clubs still get a say and stop IMG doing what they want their 12 years in the game will quickly become 3. 

The clubs control the RFL, constitutionally. They did not hand over control to IMG - this is a myth that is being promulgated throughout the game. The RFL are still in charge of the game under the direction of the clubs.

[Rovers13]

Just now, Blind side johnny said:

The clubs control the RFL, constitutionally. They did not hand over control to IMG - this is a myth that is being promulgated throughout the game. The RFL are still in charge of the game under the direction of the clubs.

Well if that’s the case do you honestly think IMG will stay around if they don’t get their own way? 

[Blind side johnny]

3 hours ago, dkw said:

That's literally what's just happened, championship and L1 teams met, championship teams voted to hang the L1 teams out. Its understandable to a point team owners looking after themselves, though its incredibly short sighted.

I would be interested to learn when it was ever any different throughout the history of the game.

[Blind side johnny]

7 minutes ago, Rovers13 said:

Well if that’s the case do you honestly think IMG will stay around if they don’t get their own way? 

IMG are only going to benefit if they significantly increase the income into the game, so they will make a value judgement. I don't know any details of the contracts that have been signed so can't comment about their ability to simply walk away.

[Rovers13]

9 minutes ago, Blind side johnny said:

The clubs control the RFL, constitutionally. They did not hand over control to IMG - this is a myth that is being promulgated throughout the game. The RFL are still in charge of the game under the direction of the clubs.

IMG's reach spans 6 continents and 35 countries, operating in more than 100 cities across the world. Our global and local insights, knowledge and influence are unsurpassed. We have teams across the world to power your career and business goals. Which sold for 2.3b dollars it’s now worth more than that, do you think if IMG can’t get full control and earn only thousands not tens of millions they will be here? They will be gone quicker than Usain Bolt lol. 

[Griff]

43 minutes ago, Rovers13 said:

IMG's reach spans 6 continents and 35 countries, operating in more than 100 cities across the world. Our global and local insights, knowledge and influence are unsurpassed. We have teams across the world to power your career and business goals. Which sold for 2.3b dollars it’s now worth more than that, do you think if IMG can’t get full control and earn only thousands not tens of millions they will be here? They will be gone quicker than Usain Bolt lol. 

It's a fair point, Johnny.

If IMG keep making recommendations and they keep getting rejected by the RFL, they'll be off.

But I don't think we're at that stage yet.  IMG have gathered information, they've made recommendations, they've been accepted (we don't know if there's been compromise along the way), they've yet to be implemented, we don't know the outcome.

[NERugbyDad]

Hearing that there are people involved with the club fighting to salvage something, the pulling out of 2024 part of the statement yesterday could be significant

[paul hicks]

5 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

You are preaching to the converted Paul, there is so much apathy to RL in the towns where it is played, now transfer that to trying to establish clubs in places where the game is almost a foreign entity, this is why I say do what we can do where there is some life and give it a good dose of looking at.

you could always accept that in many cases things will not get better as the aging fanbase withers.

perhaps it may be better to cull a number of weak clubs and poor the savings into a new birth to see if it can thrive

[yipyee]

14 hours ago, gingerjon said:

No.

Yes ??

Harlequins went bust after harlequins bought them when the quins were relegated, moved them to their stadium, had joint sessions with the academies then sent them under. They were bought out of administration with no debt

[Barley Mow]

The first statement on this I've seen from a club outside L1, Swinton:

https://swintonlionsrlfc.co.uk/news/board-statement-2/

[Barley Mow]

Workington Town statement:

https://www.townrlfc.com/article/780/official-club-statement

[Colin James]

Seems like the L1 teams are in agreement and all want to be put into the Championship. There seems quite a bit of bitterness that they hadn't already been given that before Newcastle went.