IMG Grading System (Many Merged Threads)

[Dave T]

At the risk of going cross-sport, I thought this was a decent article about IMG and Basketball.

https://www.sportbusiness.com/2024/07/euroleague-and-imgs-fruitful-marriage-might-need-counselling/

Lots of talk of communication, control, expansion. The Basketbal CEO sounds like a control freak and pretty blunt.

[dboy]

21 minutes ago, Click said:

Yea, it is a truly awful imitation of "rugby" in any way shape or form.

Problem with Wheelchair RL is that it isn't a strickly disabled sport, it has abled bodied players as well. But there would be ways to have work arounds for things like the Paralympics. 

Yes, I understand that, but...WhRL is INCLUSIVE, and trust me, the disabled players are considerably better than the able-bodied players!

In an exhibition session I arranged at my college (many moons ago), a bloke with no legs and half an arm dived out of his chair (well, took it with him), to score a try. (They were the only Bradford Bulls team I ever liked  ).

They are ATHLETES.

It's a wonderful version of our game.

[Archie Gordon]

1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

The three bits in bold are on the RFL. They treat all three with contempt.

But all three are supposed to be in IMG's plan. It may be that they have tried to push at all three doors: my feeling is that they haven't done anything at all.

[Dave T]

6 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

But all three are supposed to be in IMG's plan. It may be that they have tried to push at all three doors: my feeling is that they haven't done anything at all.

Their plan also stated we should get rid of loop games. If ever we want evidence of who actually runs the sport, well, stick Sky Sports + on now to watch the loop games.

[Archie Gordon]

1 minute ago, Dave T said:

Their plan also stated we should get rid of loop games. If ever we want evidence of who actually runs the sport, well, stick Sky Sports + on now to watch the loop games.

But that's kinda my point. They said they were against loop games and MW. On women, London and France - silence. 

[dboy]

1 minute ago, Dave T said:

Their plan also stated we should get rid of loop games. If ever we want evidence of who actually runs the sport, well, stick Sky Sports + on now to watch the loop games.

This is true...but IMG aren't mugs. They won't try to come in and change everything all in one go.

I'd hazard a guess that we haven't even seen their headline goals just yet.

I'd also suggest that they've suggested stuff they don't believe in, just so they can be "great listeners" and back off on a couple of ideas - See "IMG wants to ditch Magic Weekend" as an example.

 

[Damien]

49 minutes ago, Damien said:

It certainly did have impact and traction at the time, afterwards though it was the same old story. I don't think England even played for another year and there's been no games in London since the RLWC, despite the great crowds at the Copper Box.

Case in point. We should be doing far better than Robin Park for this:

 

[Dave T]

6 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

But that's kinda my point. They said they were against loop games and MW. On women, London and France - silence. 

They have stated the importance of these in their initial review. They haven't detailed every thought they have. They also don't run the game, they are a partner in RLCom, this isn't a case of IMG have all the ideas and the sport of RL goes away and does it.

The clubs and RFL are still a huge part of this.

[Dave T]

7 minutes ago, dboy said:

This is true...but IMG aren't mugs. They won't try to come in and change everything all in one go.

I'd hazard a guess that we haven't even seen their headline goals just yet.

I'd also suggest that they've suggested stuff they don't believe in, just so they can be "great listeners" and back off on a couple of ideas - See "IMG wants to ditch Magic Weekend" as an example.

 

Agreed, but not with your last para. They won't even waste energy with that kind of strategy.

[dboy]

6 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Agreed, but not with your last para. They won't even waste energy with that kind of strategy.

Hmmm, we'll see.

It's the basis of "negotiation".

Maybe you're right - I just don't think our game's leaders are ready to be "told it straight".

[gingerjon]

32 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

But all three are supposed to be in IMG's plan. It may be that they have tried to push at all three doors: my feeling is that they haven't done anything at all.

It's IMG's job to sell.

It's the RFL's to develop rugby league.

The plan was a partnership. Very clearly presented as such.

People in rugby league need to stop expecting people outside rugby league to do the rugby league work.

[Dave T]

4 minutes ago, dboy said:

Hmmm, we'll see.

It's the basis of "negotiation".

Maybe you're right - I just don't think our game's leaders are ready to be "told it straight".

I think the suggestion of removing Magic is probably a sound one to be honest. I do believe that between Magic and Catalans trips that we probably have cannibalised the Wembley final. As part of the recommendation to remove loop fixtures the recommendation makes sense.

I can also understand why people disagree with the recommendation.

[Archie Gordon]

1 minute ago, gingerjon said:

It's IMG's job to sell.

It's the RFL's to develop rugby league.

The plan was a partnership. Very clearly presented as such.

People in rugby league need to stop expecting people outside rugby league to do the rugby league work.

Nah. IMG is a *strategic partner*. You've downgraded them to sales and marketing.

 

[Click]

29 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

But that's kinda my point. They said they were against loop games and MW. On women, London and France - silence. 

They aren't exactly going to come out and put out a press release saying: 

"We have given a plan to the RFL, and given them a number of recommendations and areas we deem to be of importance, the majority of them they have ignored"

[Archie Gordon]

2 minutes ago, Click said:

They aren't exactly going to come out and put out a press release saying: 

"We have given a plan to the RFL, and given them a number of recommendations and areas we deem to be of importance, the majority of them they have ignored"

No. That would be weird.

[Click]

1 minute ago, Archie Gordon said:

No. That would be weird.

Then what do you expect from them other than "silence" ? 

[gingerjon]

7 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

Nah. IMG is a *strategic partner*. You've downgraded them to sales and marketing.

 

They aren't the delivery partner when it comes to running and developing the sport of rugby league.

Not sure why you want to let the RFL off the hook for their obvious failures but it won't matter: rugby league has lost London and the south, and women's RL has fallen so far behind other sports it's laughable.

And that's on the RFL and no one else.

[Dave T]

10 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

Nah. IMG is a *strategic partner*. You've downgraded them to sales and marketing.

 

That's fair, I think GJ over-simplified it. However there is a point there that their partnership is RLCom which is purely the commercial arm of the sport over here. 

It's why you're not seeing them talk about grassroots.

[Archie Gordon]

1 minute ago, gingerjon said:

They aren't the delivery partner when it comes to running and developing the sport of rugby league.

Not sure why you want to let the RFL off the hook for their obvious failures but it won't matter: rugby league has lost London and the south, and women's RL has fallen so far behind other sports it's laughable.

And that's on the RFL and no one else.

I don't want to excuse the RFL. I can wade in on them too!

[Hopie]

I've read that IMG didn't recommend getting rid of Magic, but they did say get rid of loop fixtures, because Magic is a current loop fixture this appears to have been a reasonable misunderstanding, but who knows.
 

[EggFace]

Why don't we follow what Cricket did and have 2 divisions of County and Minor and if some team gets bigger in the Minor to some team who doesn't grow in the major County they get replaced.

[Chrispmartha]

Derek embarrassing himself again.

1. He voted for it

2. London are at the bottom of the league

[Click]

11 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

Derek embarrassing himself again.

1. He voted for it

2. London are at the bottom of the league

I can potentially understand the London part if we weren't still bottom.. But we are still bottom. 

Even under P&R we would be going down right now and going down.

[dboy]

16 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

Derek embarrassing himself again.

1. He voted for it

2. London are at the bottom of the league

?

1. Did he vote for it? Was it a unanimous vote? Did He/Leigh vote against?

Genuine question.

[Click]

17 minutes ago, dboy said:

?

1. Did he vote for it? Was it a unanimous vote? Did He/Leigh vote against?

Genuine question.

As far as I can recall the only club to vote against the proposals was Keighley.