Applications to League 1 Open

[newbe]

Why should any of these clubs be accepted unless they have a major sponsor. Hemel owned there club had all the facilities, but there was no player pool of any quality. The operating are horrendous. Once again "rose tinted glasses " come to mind. But good to there endeavours. 

[Eddie]

It may be worth seeing what the clubs are proposing before dismissing them? 

Edited July 3 by Eddie

[DoubleD]

2 hours ago, Archie Gordon said:

Hmmm. Not great. None of these look to have potential to me and I'm still not clear what L1's purpose is. 

Unless any of these have £millions behind them, they'll fail - hopefully not taking down the community club with them.

More broadly, joining the UK's pro RL ranks is obviously an unattractive proposition right now. Not a surprise.

Joining the UK’s pro ranks, with less than 6 months notice to prepare, is unattractive. I’m sure more of the 11 expressions of interest would have submitted a formal proposal if they’d had a decent lead time.

I’m amazed any bids have been made, on a hiding to nothing 

[Hello]

What about not allowing any teams fron new areas to try and participate? And then continue to watch many traditional arras decline? Yeah, that sounds like a solid plan. That seems to be the plan that other sports are going for.when we observe the worldwide decline of football, union, cricket, basketball, ice hockey etc in recent decades.... Rock on RL with it's "go for it" ideology 

 

 

Edited July 3 by Hello

[langpark]

9 hours ago, up the robins said:

Let all three in  more the merrier and let's all get behind them maybe encourage super league teams to take a young squad pre season to these places, I'm sure fans would relish the chance to visit a new ground.

Can't believe people are saying this? Do you want forfeits galore and teams not completing the season? That would be disastrous. It is called due diligence and absolutely needs to be done. 

[JM2010]

1 hour ago, langpark said:

Can't believe people are saying this? Do you want forfeits galore and teams not completing the season? That would be disastrous. It is called due diligence and absolutely needs to be done. 

Completely agree. I’m all for expansion but it’s got to be done right. Although another club in West Yorkshire isn’t expansion, I think that Goole are the only viable club out of the three. They have lots of junior clubs and ready made players on their doorstep.

How many junior clubs are there in Bedford and the Norwich area? If there is no foundations or junior pathways then I can’t see how the other two clubs can work long term. They’d be much more beneficial to RL if they stayed as community clubs

[The Future is League]

12 hours ago, Impartial Observer said:

Why was it a golden opportunity? Didn't they fold as soon as they got turned down. Seemed to be no substance to them?

 

They couldn't see any purpose continuing to reach their aim of playing in League 1.

All their ducks were lined up.

Rugby League has a history of missing golden opportunties and this was another.

[Guest]

12 hours ago, newbe said:

Why should any of these clubs be accepted unless they have a major sponsor. Hemel owned there club had all the facilities, but there was no player pool of any quality. The operating are horrendous. Once again "rose tinted glasses " come to mind. But good to there endeavours. 

Hemel also only had one tiny temporary stand (which they dumped directly behind a flood light) and almost zero marketing locally for games (not even a sign on the main road outside their ground advertising matches).  Bedford seem light years ahead of Hemel in marketing skill at the very least.  But I agree, it's very difficult for Bedford (and even more difficult for Anglia) to attract the quality of player needed at that level.  Goole should find that much easier, but it's a small town with not much population surrounding it.  

Edited July 4 by Tre Cool

[Griff]

3 hours ago, langpark said:

Can't believe people are saying this? 

Is that a question?

[Griff]

2 hours ago, JM2010 said:

Completely agree. I’m all for expansion but it’s got to be done right. Although another club in West Yorkshire isn’t expansion, I think that Goole are the only viable club out of the three. They have lots of junior clubs and ready made players on their doorstep.

How many junior clubs are there in Bedford and the Norwich area? If there is no foundations or junior pathways then I can’t see how the other two clubs can work long term. They’d be much more beneficial to RL if they stayed as community clubs

Goole's not in the West Yorkshire bin-collecting area.

But it is in the West Riding.

[del capo]

19 hours ago, Eddie said:

I’d be interested to know who the eight that expressed an interest but dropped out are. 

And perhaps more to the point why.

Will the RFL have firmed up their criteria having at first simply floated the invite to see who showed interest?

Would love to see what they needed of any new applicant.

An investment of 150k per year will be essential   ( maybe a million should be allocated ) and that has to be generated from somewhere, without any meaningful return at least initially. There is no profit in lower level RL. Recruitment finance and facilities are all critical. Due diligence will be vital to the whole exercise . And the RFL have made a rod for their own back in that the position has to be filled quickly if their current plan for League 1 is to be met.

Good luck to the three clubs who have applied. They are all new kids on the block without a single player between them of League 1 standard. They appear to be cuckoos without nests of their own. If you don't have the bar many community clubs struggle for income. These 3 will be no different. Vipers landlords  Wymondham RUFC  ( a charity ) were gifted 200k from their own trading company ( the Bar ) last year....bet the Vipers don't get any of that......

Goole Vikings appear to have the best chance if only because they are within a mile of the M62  and play in the backstreets., thereby ticking two of the most important boxes. Their leading light is a Hessle fellow  from down the road. Their idea is to work out of the  downtown Pleasure Grounds used by the FA once a promised  levelling up £2.3 million revamp takes place. 

Are we going to  be getting a Hull Reserves outfit ( as opposed to their first team on current form ! ) entering League 1 ?

Whatever else I really hope that the existing community efforts in these clubs will not fall away but there have to be real concerns

[Hopping Mad]

13 hours ago, Eddie said:

It may be worth seeing what the clubs are proposing before dismissing them? 

According to the chairman (related via a third party) of Anglian Vipers, they're proposing to instal temporary seating at their Wymondham ground - an unenclosed pitch. The guy reckons, apparently, five or six East Anglia-based players will be up to the required standard. The balance, most likely, will comprise London-based overseas players. Recently, the same source advises, Vipers gave debuts to two South Africa internationals.

Edited July 4 by Hopping Mad

[del capo]

1 minute ago, Hopping Mad said:

According to the chairman (related via a third party) of Anglian Vipers, they're proposing to instal temporary seating at their Wymondham ground - an unenclosed pitch. The guy reckons, apparently, five or six East Anglia-based players will be up to the required standard. The balance, most likely, will comprise London-based overseas players.

The midlands based podcast featured him recently. He's an Aussie  with a finger in the sports recruitment business helping  individual cricketers who are not good enough  for the big time but turn out as local club  professionals. No idea of his knowledge of  semi professional RL .

It's one thing for  NCL / Aussie country lads to swap  a couple of months on a different continent  ( they do it regularly ) Quite another to wade through the Governance paperwork needed  for a season in League 1 - just ask South Wales......

[Hopping Mad]

16 hours ago, groundhopper said:

Goole

I went to the first game in Yorkshire Men’s there was a reasonable crowd, maybe 400.

Dropped to about 120, a few weeks later, when I went.

[Guest]

30 minutes ago, Hopping Mad said:

According to the chairman (related via a third party) of Anglian Vipers, they're proposing to instal temporary seating at their Wymondham ground - an unenclosed pitch. The guy reckons, apparently, five or six East Anglia-based players will be up to the required standard. The balance, most likely, will comprise London-based overseas players. Recently, the same source advises, Vipers gave debuts to two South Africa internationals.

Any local adult union players will NOT be good enough, ever, so forget that. Aussies in London on temporary visas can't play semi-pro sport easily so forget that. Just can't see their bid working, but I'm sure the RFL have done their due diligence (cough cough)

[langpark]

1 hour ago, Griff said:

Is that a question?

Was meant to be a (!) but don't let a typo stop you from adding something of substance to the discussion

[OriginalMrC]

2 hours ago, Hopping Mad said:

According to the chairman (related via a third party) of Anglian Vipers, they're proposing to instal temporary seating at their Wymondham ground - an unenclosed pitch. The guy reckons, apparently, five or six East Anglia-based players will be up to the required standard. The balance, most likely, will comprise London-based overseas players. Recently, the same source advises, Vipers gave debuts to two South Africa internationals.

Not sure how this can be true. No East Anglia players will be up to the required standard unless they have a RL background (unlikely). London based overseas players cannot play in league 1 unless they are British passport holders or here on an appropriate visa (unlikely). 

[Dave W]

1 hour ago, Tre Cool said:

Any local adult union players will NOT be good enough, ever, so forget that. Aussies in London on temporary visas can't play semi-pro sport easily so forget that. Just can't see their bid working, but I'm sure the RFL have done their due diligence (cough cough)

Does the due diligence include consideration of C1 clubs' additional travel costs? I see no point in expanding C1 if the extra costs drive existing clubs to the wall. The clubs with the least money being expected travel the length and breadth of the country every other week is a recipe for bankruptcy. Maybe that's the aim, a Darwinian survival of the fittest?

For that reason alone, I reckon it will be yet another Yorkshire M62 club, if at all.

[gingerjon]

15 hours ago, Eddie said:

It may be worth seeing what the clubs are proposing before dismissing them? 

With this, I'm more at the point of wanting to see what the RFL are proposing to support them.

Because, without that, based entirely on what is in the public domain, it's very hard to see success right for any of these right now.

And that's not to be negative about the enthusiasm and commitment of any individuals involved - just that enthusiasm and commitment only gets you so far.

[Lowdesert]

28 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

With this, I'm more at the point of wanting to see what the RFL are proposing to support them.

Because, without that, based entirely on what is in the public domain, it's very hard to see success right for any of these right now.

And that's not to be negative about the enthusiasm and commitment of any individuals involved - just that enthusiasm and commitment only gets you so far.

This is about where my thoughts lie.  Imo starting in League 1 needs to be a year after being elected and an ongoing plan/progress checks by the RFL for the club to achieve in that time.

Of course, any Plan and milestones would/should have been included in the RFL expression of interest.  

[Hopping Mad]

1 hour ago, OriginalMrC said:

Not sure how this can be true. No East Anglia players will be up to the required standard unless they have a RL background (unlikely). London based overseas players cannot play in league 1 unless they are British passport holders or here on an appropriate visa (unlikely). 

Confirms the guy as a fantasist, then. From the same mould as Paul Faires (Kent Invicta) and Dave Parker (Mansfield Marksman).

Edited July 4 by Hopping Mad

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Dave W said:

Does the due diligence include consideration of C1 clubs' additional travel costs? I see no point in expanding C1 if the extra costs drive existing clubs to the wall. The clubs with the least money being expected travel the length and breadth of the country every other week is a recipe for bankruptcy. Maybe that's the aim, a Darwinian survival of the fittest?

For that reason alone, I reckon it will be yet another Yorkshire M62 club, if at all.

It shouldn't, it's a small country and it's a national competition.   

[Lowdesert]

2 minutes ago, Tre Cool said:

It shouldn't, it's a small country and it's a national competition.   

I think the precedent has already been set with Cornwall and others before.  
 

[Lowdesert]

32 minutes ago, Hopping Mad said:

Confirms the guy as a fantasist, then. From the same mould as Paul Faires (Kent Invicta) and Dave Parker (Mansfield Marksman).

Well, you can ask him.  One of which is currently posting on this forum.

[Rowan]

I don't wish to be rude but I don't think due diligence and Rugby League belong in the same sentence. How many development clubs have come and gone in their efforts to expand the semi-to boundaries of the sport.. From Scarborough to Southend,  Chorley to Cheltenham. You simply lose count of all the pins-in-maps experiments that go ahead without any support. Then we had the Rimmer group of Oxford, Gloucester, Northampton (who never even got started) Where are they now? RFL don't even encourage new clubs by offering them the simple things like a development officer, a publicity programme. We all know that there are no - or at least not enough - players in East Anglia with RL know how of lads who have played the game since they were about five years old. In the past they have even kicked out clubs such as Nottingham, Chorley so, in his own words quoted at the time, Maurice Lindsay could get rid of the dross. Has much changed?

Unless Super League clubs are willing to take the new boys on board as Aussie style nursery clubs we might as wel go chasing after rainbows only to find there is nothing there.