IMG Grading System (Many Merged Threads)

[Fevrover]

47 minutes ago, Gooleboy said:

Best post for a long time.

Try telling some of them on main forum, it's a case of 'Iam alright Jack'

[Worzel]

Most importanly though, we only need another 23 more comments before this thread breaks the 400 page mark. Will there be any fireworks?

[JonM]

3 hours ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Fine, but if that's the case, it "doesn't need" to have a quarter of its elite league within a 5-mile radius of Haydock Park racecourse, so which two out of Wigan, Leigh and St Helens shall we work to remove from SL?

Quite a densely populated part of the country though - the WA and WN postcode areas have a combined population approaching 1 million people. I'd expect all 4 of the SL clubs in that area to achieve higher average attendances this year than any of the clubs in the WF postcode area.

Edited February 20 by JonM

[JohnM]

33 minutes ago, Worzel said:

Most importanly though, we only need another 23 more comments before this thread breaks the 400 page mark. Will there be any fireworks?

well, its been pretty quiet for  400 pages so far......

[PREPOSTEROUS]

At the risk of being unbearable, the content coming out of the club these days is superb, and the link below is fantastic. I can envisage this is exactly what IMG were looking for when they devised the push for social media interactions. 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGVSSI5sH7-/?igsh=MjhldXVtbzh2MnR0

[Worzel]

1 hour ago, PREPOSTEROUS said:

At the risk of being unbearable, the content coming out of the club these days is superb, and the link below is fantastic. I can envisage this is exactly what IMG were looking for when they devised the push for social media interactions. 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGVSSI5sH7-/?igsh=MjhldXVtbzh2MnR0

Quality content that

[Wakefield Ram]

On 20/02/2025 at 12:14, Worzel said:

Yes in truth I wholly understand this perspective from a Rovers fan. I'd probably only use Featherstone as an example of "look at a club that threw the kitchen sink at the old model, and still didn't get into Super League" in the context of people saying the new IMG system removes the ability for new clubs to get in (the old system didn't have guarantees either, as Rovers have shown)

I know this feels unfair, as the "third" club, but we should be honest: Rugby league doesn't need to have a quarter of it's elite league in the area of Wakefield. That's why the catchment area scoring exists. It's not the only factor in club selection, may not even be the most important one, but it is a factor and there's no point pretending otherwise. That might be unfair, but this isn't about fairness, it's about getting the best collection of clubs for our only elite, monetisable product.

Bradford, for all their recent failings including archaic facilities, offer at least the potential of a club that can generate 15-20,000 crowds. They've done it before. That's not to say I'd have them in now, but it is a reason why they'd rank above Featherstone. In precisely the same way that the NRL would rather have a new club in Perth or New Zealand before adding another one in Sydney.

I know you'll disagree, and I wouldn't flippantly dismiss what you say at all, but I do think this is our reality as a sport now. 

Then it's not really a sport, it's just a business. The problem with businesses that are static, same clubs playing the same clubs every year and only a handful with any realistic possibility of ever winning anyway is that over time, SL will stagnate. It will become nearly impossible for any Championship team to score more points than a SL club. 

If all that matters is how many fans you might bring to an away game, then be honest about it. But that just sums up the small town mentality like forcing Catalans to pay travel costs because they're not on the M62, the lack of an international programme, the salary cap with multiple dispensations designed to maintain an unequal playing field, they very opposite of what it should do.

And an IMG-based distribution of funding which just further increases the inequality.

[Taffy Tiger]

2 hours ago, PREPOSTEROUS said:

At the risk of being unbearable, the content coming out of the club these days is superb, and the link below is fantastic. I can envisage this is exactly what IMG were looking for when they devised the push for social media interactions. 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGVSSI5sH7-/?igsh=MjhldXVtbzh2MnR0

sooo unbearable !! 

[Worzel]

34 minutes ago, Wakefield Ram said:

Then it's not really a sport, it's just a business. The problem with businesses that are static, same clubs playing the same clubs every year and only a handful with any realistic possibility of ever winning anyway is that over time, SL will stagnate. It will become nearly impossible for any Championship team to score more points than a SL club. 

If all that matters is how many fans you might bring to an away game, then be honest about it. But that just sums up the small town mentality like forcing Catalans to pay travel costs because they're not on the M62, the lack of an international programme, the salary cap with multiple dispensations designed to maintain an unequal playing field, they very opposite of what it should do.

And an IMG-based distribution of funding which just further increases the inequality.

Professional sport is a business. If you don't want it to be a business, then in rugby league we have other competitions clubs can play in. The revenues are what pay the players, support the pathways, and (if we can ever get back to having enough money) is what can support the non-professional community game. 

It isn't about Championship clubs being able to score more points than Super League clubs. That looks at this through the wrong lens. It is about growing the revenues of the sport, enabling us to have MORE clubs in the elite league. A 14 team league is a far batter pathway for Championship teams than promotion & relegation. That's how the NRL does it. That's how pretty every sport on earth that isn't the behemoth that is football does it. 

I agree with you on the international game, and Catalans travel costs, and that away fans are not what clubs should focus on. You'd find IMG agree with you too. It's the less progressive, pessimistic, lowest-common-denominator clubs who aren't on the same page on those things. 

Edited February 21 by Worzel
Typo

[Worzel]

Yet more new business investor engagement at Hull KR. Interestingly this time two former players, now succesful entrepreneurs, joining the board. Good to see. 

https://hullkr.co.uk/news/jack-and-sam-latus-join-hull-kr-s-board-of-directors

 

[marklaspalmas]

Considering "every thread ends up getting merged into this one", I find it outrageous that this is hidden away well off page one, gathering dust.

NRL > IMG these days obviously 

[Gav Wilson]

It's a good job that the NRL and IMG already have a working relationship... 

CLICKY

[marklaspalmas]

1 hour ago, Gav Wilson said:

It's a good job that the NRL and IMG already have a working relationship... 

CLICKY

Can't see anything about Super League there.

Here's a piece:

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/img-reveal-stance-on-nrl-takeover-of-super-league-with-clear-message-sent

[Gooleboy]

IMG thread page 400 incoming!

[Angelic Cynic]

How embarrassing that IMG accepted the opportunity to raise the profile of rugby league in England,Wales and France and despite a working collaboration with the NRL neglected to suggest both Super League and NRL joining together.

The IMG representative then admires the work of others for what was achieved without IMG input.

Unbelievable,Jeff.If only it was...

 

[marklaspalmas]

11 minutes ago, Angelic Cynic said:

How embarrassing that IMG accepted the opportunity to raise the profile of rugby league in England,Wales and France and despite a working collaboration with the NRL neglected to suggest both Super League and NRL joining together.

The IMG representative then admires the work of others for what was achieved without IMG input.

Unbelievable,Jeff.If only it was...

 

That's pretty much how I read that, without the Kamara reference

[gingerjon]

1 hour ago, Angelic Cynic said:

How embarrassing that IMG accepted the opportunity to raise the profile of rugby league in England,Wales and France and despite a working collaboration with the NRL neglected to suggest both Super League and NRL joining together.

The IMG representative then admires the work of others for what was achieved without IMG input.

Unbelievable,Jeff.If only it was...

 

"How about you work with some Australians with no knowledge of the UK market before having done any work yourselves to make yourselves decent potential partners ...?"

Honestly, some people really do believe it's all white knights or one simple trick.

[Worzel]

Just 6 or 7 more comments needed to crack the 400 folks 

[dboy]

Is it 6 or 7?

[Tommygilf]

14 hours ago, gingerjon said:

"How about you work with some Australians with no knowledge of the UK market before having done any work yourselves to make yourselves decent potential partners ...?"

Honestly, some people really do believe it's all white knights or one simple trick.

It really is worrying how simple some folk think it is.

And even more worrying that this is almost certainly the level of some of the discussion taking place at the Strategic Review meetings...

[Dave T]

Whatever we think about free speech and  'telling it like it is' etc. It just isn't an SL players role to be calling the comp horrendous and slating our biggest partner.

That is bringing the game into disrepute.

There is nothing smart, nuanced, clever about what he is saying, and as much as the likes of Davidson like to be negative, claiming Keary is being brave is a joke.

[Damien]

1 hour ago, Dave T said:

Whatever we think about free speech and  'telling it like it is' etc. It just isn't an SL players role to be calling the comp horrendous and slating our biggest partner.

That is bringing the game into disrepute.

There is nothing smart, nuanced, clever about what he is saying, and as much as the likes of Davidson like to be negative, claiming Keary is being brave is a joke.

In a parallel universe if all of the people knocking SL this year had instead talked it up I do wonder how different the narrative would be around the game here. Make no mistake when it comes to sponsors, TV deals etc the constant talking down of the sport is, and will be, hugely damaging. Why the hell will Sky give us a £30 million a year TV deal next time when so many key RL figures just keep repeating the myth that the game is dying and is a disaster.

There have been absolutely loads of positives this season, far more than the negatives. In many ways it been a dream season so far and will end in a huge high with the Ashes. The only real fly in the ointment has been the goings on at Salford. We are just failing to sell the positives and have let the crazies control the narrative. It's hugely damaging.

[marklaspalmas]

7 hours ago, Damien said:

In a parallel universe if all of the people knocking SL this year had instead talked it up I do wonder how different the narrative would be around the game here. Make no mistake when it comes to sponsors, TV deals etc the constant talking down of the sport is, and will be, hugely damaging. Why the hell will Sky give us a £30 million a year TV deal next time when so many key RL figures just keep repeating the myth that the game is dying and is a disaster.

There have been absolutely loads of positives this season, far more than the negatives. In many ways it been a dream season so far and will end in a huge high with the Ashes. The only real fly in the ointment has been the goings on at Salford. We are just failing to sell the positives and have let the crazies control the narrative. It's hugely damaging.

It must be incumbent upon IMG to help clubs/the RFL take charge of the narrative that flies through the media.

ATEOTD, I imagine what will make our break IMGs 12 year contract will be how much SL gets in the next TV deal.

[Tommygilf]

7 hours ago, Damien said:

In a parallel universe if all of the people knocking SL this year had instead talked it up I do wonder how different the narrative would be around the game here. Make no mistake when it comes to sponsors, TV deals etc the constant talking down of the sport is, and will be, hugely damaging. Why the hell will Sky give us a £30 million a year TV deal next time when so many key RL figures just keep repeating the myth that the game is dying and is a disaster.

There have been absolutely loads of positives this season, far more than the negatives. In many ways it been a dream season so far and will end in a huge high with the Ashes. The only real fly in the ointment has been the goings on at Salford. We are just failing to sell the positives and have let the crazies control the narrative. It's hugely damaging.

I think this is a key failure of leadership, nobody has controlled narratives. It is so important and influential a topic, not good that nobody seems to have a grip. RLC on the one hand just seems to be a place for Sutton and Jones to hide behind.

That said I don't think anyone across the sport appears to be that good at this either.

[Tommygilf]

19 minutes ago, marklaspalmas said:

It must be incumbent upon IMG to help clubs/the RFL take charge of the narrative that flies through the media.

ATEOTD, I imagine what will make our break IMGs 12 year contract will be how much SL gets in the next TV deal.

I agree on the TV deal, though the message from Sky in that will be important too - presuming that is where the vast majority of the TV deal will come from.

I'm not sure what IMG are exactly supposed to do with the clubs/RFL vis a vis the RL media. They have media teams, they have CEOs, other than giving them a script its not entirely clear what else is worth doing?

And that is before we get to half the problems coming from the clubs themselves!!!