Restructure of Championship and League 1

[Rene_Artois]

https://www.doncasterrugbyleague.co.uk/article/1665/rfl-statement-|-betfred-championship-and-league-one-restructure---2024-26

Edited March 13 by Rene_Artois
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[Eddie]

Welcoming applications for an 11th league one team is a good laugh. Would this new team be expected to pay all the away teams costs, and asked not to enter the 1895 cup? 

[Spidey]

Some semblance of two proper competitions- I think the middle 8s will work a treat at this level

[Griff]

Disastrous idea if we're expected to play, in effect, a 29 game league season.

 

[Rene_Artois]

Next season seems the most reasonable way to start balancing the leagues. It's a bit unfair on both teams involved in the last play off but at least everyone knows what's being played for.

For instance if we finish 12th and get beaten by,say, Keighley we've only ourselves to blame. Should Keighley lose in this scenario then, whilst harsh having won play offs, then the better team will be in the Championship. I'd rather they'd have waited a season but I suppose the situation needed an expedient solution.

Edited March 13 by Rene_Artois

[Castleford Hawk]

The transition year was never going to be perfect but this probably represents as fair a solution as possible. I also like the Super 8s between Champ and L1, the differential is not that great at this level so anything could happen.  At the other end it will be interesting to see what the “increased prize money” is for the Champ winners in comparison to missing out on the SL £1m plus.  3 divisions of 12 sounds right to me but contradicts the “if you get a grade A you’re in” pitch.  If we suddenly get 14 grade A’s then the Champ and L1 structures are up in the air again.

[ATLANTISMAN]

Seems sensible to me 

[Eddie]

They’d better hope no more teams fold in the next two seasons. 

[Mumby Magic]

Think this fits into giving League 1 teams more games.

[sam4731]

Taking applications= we have a team in mind, we have spoken to them about making an application, they are going to make an application, we will accept them.

Assuming they are in an expansion area (probably France), they will scrabble around at the bottom of the league for a few years beating the odd traditioal team (which will be viewed as a major turning point for them), have off field issues of some variety (probably financial) and then fold leaving the RFL back to square one.

If you want any further information on how this will turn out, consult your 'Whole History of the RFL Ballsing up Expansion of the Game' guides. Happy Reading

[The Blues Ox]

Massive shame reducing the Championship from 14 to 12 and weakening teams in the process. Seems backwards to me, meant to pull teams up not take them down.

[Daft old hooker]

So we they’re effectively saying it’s okay to have a playoff system to determine promotion and relegation between championship and league one, but not between the championship and SL. 
Words fail me.

[Dovster]

My only ctitism is the 12th placed Championship team should be included into the League 1 play off competition at the expense of the 6th placed League 1 team.

IMO this would make the final fairer.

However at least we all know the rules before we start the season.

[Anita Bath]

League 1 play off winner emerges from a gruelling three weeks of play offs to meet a well rested championship club.

[sentoffagain2]

16 minutes ago, The Blues Ox said:

Massive shame reducing the Championship from 14 to 12 and weakening teams in the process. Seems backwards to me, meant to pull teams up not take them down.

   I'm done after this season Oxy.Like you i will probably go to amateur games on a Saturday afternoon after watching the game for 70 years.With no promotion to SL  apart from Wakey Toulouse and possibly your second team Bradford.So the Championship have a six team play off and the winners get a tin plate and some more money.What do they need more money for with SL off the agenda?.Only thing they need to do is avoid relegation.The proposals will help League 1 and i am glad for them if it helps create bigger gates and more interest.Not happy with Fev Batley and Dewsbury charging pensioners full price £20 which is too much for Championship games.I am lucky i can afford it but plenty can't and they will stop going.I know they have SL money but Hull KR only charge £14 in and most games at the ground are buzzing.Loved them in the Championship they always brought plenty of support with them.KR and Leigh have held their own in SL and good luck to them.

[Mathius Hellwege]

23 minutes ago, sentoffagain2 said:

   I'm done after this season Oxy.Like you i will probably go to amateur games on a Saturday afternoon after watching the game for 70 years.With no promotion to SL  apart from Wakey Toulouse and possibly your second team Bradford.So the Championship have a six team play off and the winners get a tin plate and some more money.What do they need more money for with SL off the agenda?.Only thing they need to do is avoid relegation.The proposals will help League 1 and i am glad for them if it helps create bigger gates and more interest.Not happy with Fev Batley and Dewsbury charging pensioners full price £20 which is too much for Championship games.I am lucky i can afford it but plenty can't and they will stop going.I know they have SL money but Hull KR only charge £14 in and most games at the ground are buzzing.Loved them in the Championship they always brought plenty of support with them.KR and Leigh have held their own in SL and good luck to them.

this only will happen if there are 12 Grade A Clubs which nobody expects soon!?

[Tommygilf]

57 minutes ago, Daft old hooker said:

So we they’re effectively saying it’s okay to have a playoff system to determine promotion and relegation between championship and league one, but not between the championship and SL. 
Words fail me.

Yeah, because between 2 part time leagues the difference is far less than between a full time and part time environment. Especially when the FT League is the one which brings in near as makes no difference all the money and needs to be prioritised accordingly.

[Chris22]

How can we say with such certainty how many teams will be in the Championship and League 1, when we don't know how many teams will be in Super League?

[gogledd]

I still remember 2014 when North Wales Crusaders got booted out of the Champions ship when FIVE were demoted to League 1 in one season. I'm glad at least they're not repeating that scenario for the current Championship crop of teams. 

The whole promotion system between Ch and L1 seems very skewed to favouring Championship teams who are generally better funded and have larger and more experienced squads. I'm not saying L1 teams can't get promoted but it now seems harder....theres only one guaranteed promotion spot for the L1 winners, the playoff winners now have to beat Championship opposition after battling through the end of season rounds of the playoffs. 

At least I suppose we all know what hurdles us L1 teams face.

[Rene_Artois]

1 hour ago, Anita Bath said:

League 1 play off winner emerges from a gruelling three weeks of play offs to meet a well rested championship club.

Or a team in winning form plays a team in losing form?

[sentoffagain2]

8 minutes ago, Chris22 said:

How can we say with such certainty how many teams will be in the Championship and League 1, when we don't know how many teams will be in Super League?

   Super greed won't want to share out the dosh with more than another two teams.And even then begrudgingly.I can see a 14 team SL but the cards are very heavily stacked against any Championship team gaining enough points to get into What i call B+ the top marked B's.Teams already in SL have a big advantage over the rest due to more money bigger gates and they can offer more in the local community with stadium use.I don't have an answer but i know it will kill the Championship but improve league1.

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

52 minutes ago, Mathius Hellwege said:

this only will happen if there are 12 Grade A Clubs which nobody expects soon!?

After this season it will be virtually impossible for any Championship club to (IMG) outscore a SL club

24 minutes ago, sentoffagain2 said:

   Super greed won't want to share out the dosh with more than another two teams.And even then begrudgingly.I can see a 14 team SL but the cards are very heavily stacked against any Championship team gaining enough points to get into What i call B+ the top marked B's.Teams already in SL have a big advantage over the rest due to more money bigger gates and they can offer more in the local community with stadium use.I don't have an answer but i know it will kill the Championship but improve league1.

One rumour doing the rounds is a 14 team SL including Catalans and Toulouse. But, they would receive no central funding and would also have to fund the travelling expenses of UK clubs.....

[Mathius Hellwege]

6 minutes ago, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

After this season it will be virtually impossible for any Championship club to (IMG) outscore a SL club

One rumour doing the rounds is a 14 team SL including Catalans and Toulouse. But, they would receive no central funding and would also have to fund the travelling expenses of UK clubs.....

the remainder of Toulouse and Bradford?

[The Blues Ox]

11 hours ago, sentoffagain2 said:

   I'm done after this season Oxy.Like you i will probably go to amateur games on a Saturday afternoon after watching the game for 70 years.With no promotion to SL  apart from Wakey Toulouse and possibly your second team Bradford.So the Championship have a six team play off and the winners get a tin plate and some more money.What do they need more money for with SL off the agenda?.Only thing they need to do is avoid relegation.The proposals will help League 1 and i am glad for them if it helps create bigger gates and more interest.Not happy with Fev Batley and Dewsbury charging pensioners full price £20 which is too much for Championship games.I am lucky i can afford it but plenty can't and they will stop going.I know they have SL money but Hull KR only charge £14 in and most games at the ground are buzzing.Loved them in the Championship they always brought plenty of support with them.KR and Leigh have held their own in SL and good luck to them.

Totally get where you are coming from. I saw that about pensioners getting charged full at Dewsbury on the Fax forum. Totally ridiculous in my opinion, I think the prices are too high overall for the standard that we watch but needs must, but yeah for me I really enjoy been involved in the amateur game and that will probably be my choice this Sunday instead of going over to Dewsbury knowing I can watch the game back in full a couple of days later.

11 hours ago, Mathius Hellwege said:

this only will happen if there are 12 Grade A Clubs which nobody expects soon!?

Im not sure about this, there is talk of teams like Salford, despite them been a mess, actually getting an A grade in the next rankings. I get the feeling we will be at 12 within 2-3 years as the bar has been set so low.

Back to this decision though and the Championship stand alone as it will be after this season is a fantastic competition and has the potential to be as close as ever once London come down this season to be replaced by Wakefield so to weaken it just to help the competition below seems like madness. Can you imagine the outcry if it were suggested that Super League had to reduce at some point to even up the Championship for whatever reason?

[Tommygilf]

7 minutes ago, The Blues Ox said:

Im not sure about this, there is talk of teams like Salford, despite them been a mess, actually getting an A grade in the next rankings. I get the feeling we will be at 12 within 2-3 years as the bar has been set so low.

I think that is an unnecessarily pessemistic take. Salford have a real job on to get from where they are indicitavely to an A Grade - financially and fanbase being their biggest hurdles.

Its a paradox to argue that the bar is set so low yet is simultaneously unachievable.