IMG Grading System (Many Merged Threads)

[Archie Gordon]

17 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I think thats an overly negative slant on that with respect Archie.

There is a lot of talk about focusing on getting more and morenin the top of the funnel.

We're always worried about how "hard-earned" the cash coming into the game is. Let's go after some of the easily earned brass too!

[binosh]

13 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

You realise IMG are consultants, they haven’t done anything to London.

Did the London club vote in favour of their recommendations?

IMG scored London 24th

IMG said London is paramount to RL and do nothing

IMG take 450k a year to improve revenue streams and come up with a plan for London

Hughes spat his dummy out

You are Matt Dwyer and I claim my £5

 

No good IMG stating the obvious when Hughes has gone, they’ve had all year for that.

 

[Chrispmartha]

1 minute ago, binosh said:

IMG scored London 24th

IMG said London is paramount to RL and do nothing

IMG take 450k a year to improve revenue streams and come up with a plan for London

Hughes spat his dummy out

You are Matt Dwyer and I claim my £5

 

No good IMG stating the obvious when Hughes has gone, they’ve had all year for that.

 

You’re totally missing my point. IMG didn’t score London 24th, London scored themselves 24th in a system they voted for.

This 450k a year IMG get paid, have you got the details to hand on the contract?

[Tommygilf]

2 minutes ago, binosh said:

IMG scored London 24th

IMG said London is paramount to RL and do nothing

IMG take 450k a year to improve revenue streams and come up with a plan for London

Hughes spat his dummy out

You are Matt Dwyer and I claim my £5

 

No good IMG stating the obvious when Hughes has gone, they’ve had all year for that.

 

IMG don't run or decide anything.

London scored so badly because they are, evidently, that bad.

[JohnM]

I thought this was an excellent in-depth article. I trust it gets read all the way through.

https://www.sportbusiness.com/2024/09/making-the-grade-super-leagues-fight-to-win-hearts-and-minds/

[binosh]

1 minute ago, Chrispmartha said:

You’re totally missing my point. IMG didn’t score London 24th, London scored themselves 24th in a system they voted for.

This 450k a year IMG get paid, have you got the details to hand on the contract?

It’s been discussed to death on here how much they get. You should know that you’re on here more than most, stop being hard work Matt 

Edited September 24 by binosh

[Dave T]

11 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

Agreed. 

I would add that in advance of that, there are things that could be done to lay the foundations. Test matches and OTR SL games in London, for example. A bit of love and support for the community game, especially the juniors.

Totally agree, i dont think its all or nothing, even without a top club there are rewards available in the areas you say.

[Chrispmartha]

6 minutes ago, binosh said:

It’s been discussed to death on here how much they get. You should know that you’re on here more than most, stop being hard work Matt 

It’s been discussed with absolutely zero detail

[Dave T]

11 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

We're always worried about how "hard-earned" the cash coming into the game is. Let's go after some of the easily earned brass too!

I think we are, but changing your customer base just isnt as simple as just deciding to do it. Particularly when its something that has built up over decades. I do also get bored of the focus on working class, but I think they were talking about that as a thibg they have to work with, and i do see it as something they will chablnge by focusing on the top of the funnel, which was the main thing i took from the article.

[Londonbornirishbred]

13 minutes ago, JohnM said:

I thought this was an excellent in-depth article. I trust it gets read all the way through.

https://www.sportbusiness.com/2024/09/making-the-grade-super-leagues-fight-to-win-hearts-and-minds/

i posted multiple times and said in meetings with thw RFL ans club that the only way to make London work was by replicating the NRL/FOX/Melbourne scenario. I was told i was dreaming because Northern sides wouldnt stomach the % income loss.

Now the RFL are paying someone to tell them what i already told them 2 decades ago.

nice work if you can get it. 

[JohnM]

Understood. No one listens to me, either. Especially at home.

I think though that it's  IMGs credentials that make a difference, even though the RFL are not paying them for that.

[LeeF]

1 hour ago, binosh said:

 

 

 

You clearly either haven’t read the article or have read it and not understood it or have just dismissed it because it doesn’t fit your existing viewpoint

[Archie Gordon]

43 minutes ago, binosh said:

...

No good IMG stating the obvious when Hughes has gone, they’ve had all year for that.

This is also true.

[LeeF]

43 minutes ago, binosh said:

IMG scored London 24th

IMG said London is paramount to RL and do nothing

IMG take 450k a year to improve revenue streams and come up with a plan for London

Hughes spat his dummy out

You are Matt Dwyer and I claim my £5

 

No good IMG stating the obvious when Hughes has gone, they’ve had all year for that.

 

None of the above which you attribute to IMG are actually of IMG’s doing

[LeeF]

1 hour ago, Archie Gordon said:

I find that ever so depressing.

"RL is poor, and watched by poor folk. How can we squeeze a bit more from these poor folk in order to even think about anything grander."

Where does the article either say that or even imply that

[LeeF]

2 hours ago, Gooleboy said:

Jones and Dwyer can speak as much marketing jargon as they like, but Rugby League needs cash, not verbal hot air.

It’s not verbal hot air. Change was/ is required and long term change is definitely necessary as any real improvements won’t happen overnight.
 

I get that you don’t like IMG but the existing pre IMG RL want bringing the cash in. 

[Archie Gordon]

6 minutes ago, LeeF said:

Where does the article either say that or even imply that

Commercialising Super League is a different challenge for IMG, which must treat the property in a very different way to some of its other rights-holder partners.

The average fan of Wimbledon and The Open – IMG’s longest-standing rights-holder partnerships – tends to have far more disposable income than the average Super League fan. Rugby league is a predominantly working-class sport in England, with top teams based in some of the country’s poorest communities.

This is not lost on Dwyer or Jones, who know that Super League’s place in a family’s weekly budget is not to be taken for granted.

“We have an incredibly passionate fanbase and I think that as long as we give them the best possible product and the best sporting experience they can possibly have, they will prioritise rugby league as part of their weekly spend,” Dwyer says. “That was one of the ideas behind the concept of grading: ensuring that every club is offering fans a top-level experience that represents value for money on their hard-earned pounds and pence.”

---

I think this attitude holds us back and I just despair of it.

[Worzel]

54 minutes ago, eal said:

IMG are correct in saying that a London club needs central funding. David Hughes has spent millions with almost nothing to show for it, the club hasn't been successful in London nor has the wider game. London Broncos have probably turned more people off the game over the years with their complete neglect of the fan base and constantly moving around the city.

Agreed. On balance I think “surviving” from crisis to crisis, permanently itinerant, never establishing community, talent pathway or audience roots in any one place has been a net negative. 

[LeeF]

7 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

Commercialising Super League is a different challenge for IMG, which must treat the property in a very different way to some of its other rights-holder partners.

The average fan of Wimbledon and The Open – IMG’s longest-standing rights-holder partnerships – tends to have far more disposable income than the average Super League fan. Rugby league is a predominantly working-class sport in England, with top teams based in some of the country’s poorest communities.

This is not lost on Dwyer or Jones, who know that Super League’s place in a family’s weekly budget is not to be taken for granted.

“We have an incredibly passionate fanbase and I think that as long as we give them the best possible product and the best sporting experience they can possibly have, they will prioritise rugby league as part of their weekly spend,” Dwyer says. “That was one of the ideas behind the concept of grading: ensuring that every club is offering fans a top-level experience that represents value for money on their hard-earned pounds and pence.”

---

I think this attitude holds us back and I just despair of it.

That’s a stretch to get to your comment

[Worzel]

1 hour ago, binosh said:

IMG scored London 24th

IMG said London is paramount to RL and do nothing

IMG take 450k a year to improve revenue streams and come up with a plan for London

Hughes spat his dummy out

You are Matt Dwyer and I claim my £5

 

No good IMG stating the obvious when Hughes has gone, they’ve had all year for that.

 

IMG say London is important for the future of the sport 

That doesn’t mean keeping a zombie club on life support is the best way of achieving success in London, does it? London were 24th for a lot of good reasons. A professional sports club doesn’t have a CEO taking down post pads after the ref blows his whistle. The Broncos in the last few years have been an empty shell, and everyone knows it.

Hughes was part of the problem, not part of the solution. We don’t need a “scraping by somehow” token dot on the map. We need a strategy, and before that we need to be able to afford one. 

[gingerjon]

18 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

Commercialising Super League is a different challenge for IMG, which must treat the property in a very different way to some of its other rights-holder partners.

The average fan of Wimbledon and The Open – IMG’s longest-standing rights-holder partnerships – tends to have far more disposable income than the average Super League fan. Rugby league is a predominantly working-class sport in England, with top teams based in some of the country’s poorest communities.

This is not lost on Dwyer or Jones, who know that Super League’s place in a family’s weekly budget is not to be taken for granted.

“We have an incredibly passionate fanbase and I think that as long as we give them the best possible product and the best sporting experience they can possibly have, they will prioritise rugby league as part of their weekly spend,” Dwyer says. “That was one of the ideas behind the concept of grading: ensuring that every club is offering fans a top-level experience that represents value for money on their hard-earned pounds and pence.”

---

I think this attitude holds us back and I just despair of it.

I think it's more about recognising that our support have to make choices - unlike, say, people who can spaff £175 on a day to Lord's and not even notice it - so we have to make the offer so good that they will choose RL.

[gingerjon]

2 minutes ago, Worzel said:

IMG say London is important for the future of the sport 

That doesn’t mean keeping a zombie club on life support is the best way of achieving success in London, does it? London were 24th for a lot of good reasons. A professional sports club doesn’t have a CEO taking down post pads after the ref blows his whistle. The Broncos in the last few years have been an empty shell, and everyone knows it.

Hughes was part of the problem, not part of the solution. We don’t need a “scraping by somehow” token dot on the map. We need a strategy, and before that we need to be able to afford one. 

A staggering number of people have been talking about London Broncos having foundations, roots, community etc based entirely on a three-win Super League season and a few comments to journalists whose calls IMG don't return.

[Archie Gordon]

Just now, gingerjon said:

I think it's more about recognising that our support have to make choices - unlike, say, people who can spaff £175 on a day to Lord's and not even notice it - so we have to make the offer so good that they will choose RL.

But that's the error. We have poor supporters, we'll always have poor supporters. We must be a value brand.

I think we do have rich fans. And we can attract more and we should be sending signals to them. It's why we advertise big games via 'tickets from £5' rather than push the world class athletes on show.

[Worzel]

7 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

A staggering number of people have been talking about London Broncos having foundations, roots, community etc based entirely on a three-win Super League season and a few comments to journalists whose calls IMG don't return.

It’s bizarre isn’t it? Most rugby league fans in the north have no idea what the reality of London Broncos is. There are multiple community clubs in Hull with stronger set-ups behind the scenes. 

[JohnM]

Which bit of this is incorrect?

The average fan of Wimbledon and The Open – IMG’s longest-standing rights-holder partnerships – tends to have far more disposable income than the average Super League fan. Rugby league is a predominantly working-class sport in England, with top teams based in some of the country’s poorest communities.