Championship 2025 Onwards

[Griff]

42 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

There is NYD too although fair enough, but what happens in the months of Jan and Feb? Low crowds I assume and are you suggesting this is weather related?

You'd have to ask the folk who are staying away. We can all speculate. But we might draw different conclusions.

[Sports Prophet]

20 minutes ago, Griff said:

You'd have to ask the folk who are staying away. We can all speculate. But we might draw different conclusions.

Are these low crowds from the pre SL era across all divisions or are you talking specifically of the 2nd division football post SL?

I am not trying to be obtuse or troublesome, I am trying to ascertain the era of failure as you put it and I don’t know if 2nd division football previously continued in winter while SL moved to a start in Feb.

So when you say failed. What was tried, tested and subsequently failed?

[Griff]

3 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

Are these low crowds from the pre SL era across all divisions or are you talking specifically of the 2nd division football post SL?

I am not trying to be obtuse or troublesome, I am trying to ascertain the era of failure as you put it and I don’t know if 2nd division football previously continued in winter while SL moved to a start in Feb.

So when you say failed. What was tried, tested and subsequently failed?

A December start was tried for a few seasons from 1999/2000. Short lived.

[Sports Prophet]

4 minutes ago, Griff said:

A December start was tried for a few seasons from 1999/2000. Short lived.

Ok. I assume you mean the Championship started in December while SL started later (per 99 SL Rd 1 was March 5).

If we can’t make assumptions or speculate on why the crowds stayed away, then we are equally making assumptions or speculating by labelling the short lived project “failed” because of the December start date.

We have to make some assumptions here but more on that in a sec. 99 - 00 is a very “short lived” project. An accusation far too often pointed at our governors and rightly so. Based on history, I have no confidence that there was a strategy behind starting the 2nd tier early other than “hit and hope” and surprise, surprise, the immediate results were not what owners and governors expected and labelled the idea a failure.

There are plenty of examples of professional outdoor spectator sports succeeding with crowds in December and January (if crowds is in fact what we are basing our definition of failure and success by). Whilst you are welcome to have the opinion the 2nd tier should start later, with all due respect, I don’t think you have a fair sample, let alone a fair understanding of the small sample, to label a Boxing Day opening round for the Championship as a tried, tested and failed experiment which should not be revisited. Certainly not when we are a quarter of a decade further down the track in markedly different conditions.

My theory surrounding taking advantage of exclusivity and utilising public holiday dates in a period where the general population are festive and engaging in social agendas are facts which you have agreed with. Your suggested difficulty is keeping the momentum throughout January and February which I am open minded enough to agree with you as being the challenge, but I am a long way away from deeming that as an insurmountable challenge.

[Griff]

6 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

Ok. I assume you mean the Championship started in December while SL started later (per 99 SL Rd 1 was March 5).

If we can’t make assumptions or speculate on why the crowds stayed away, then we are equally making assumptions or speculating by labelling the short lived project “failed” because of the December start date.

We have to make some assumptions here but more on that in a sec. 99 - 00 is a very “short lived” project. An accusation far too often pointed at our governors and rightly so. Based on history, I have no confidence that there was a strategy behind starting the 2nd tier early other than “hit and hope” and surprise, surprise, the immediate results were not what owners and governors expected and labelled the idea a failure.

There are plenty of examples of professional outdoor spectator sports succeeding with crowds in December and January (if crowds is in fact what we are basing our definition of failure and success by). Whilst you are welcome to have the opinion the 2nd tier should start later, with all due respect, I don’t think you have a fair sample, let alone a fair understanding of the small sample, to label a Boxing Day opening round for the Championship as a tried, tested and failed experiment which should not be revisited. Certainly not when we are a quarter of a decade further down the track in markedly different conditions.

My theory surrounding taking advantage of exclusivity and utilising public holiday dates in a period where the general population are festive and engaging in social agendas are facts which you have agreed with. Your suggested difficulty is keeping the momentum throughout January and February which I am open minded enough to agree with you as being the challenge, but I am a long way away from deeming that as an insurmountable challenge.

Lovely.

I suggest you get on to the RFL and put your proposal to them.

Edited January 8 by Griff

[Blind side johnny]

Many comments have been passed over the months about the difficulties of Championship clubs in gaining promotion to SL. Nothing has yet been said about the increased difficulty, for this season at least, of C1 clubs getting promoted to the Championship. If you look at the details of the play off structure I reckon it places the lower league clubs at a disadvantage.

[Barley Mow]

4 minutes ago, Blind side johnny said:

Many comments have been passed over the months about the difficulties of Championship clubs in gaining promotion to SL. Nothing has yet been said about the increased difficulty, for this season at least, of C1 clubs getting promoted to the Championship. If you look at the details of the play off structure I reckon it places the lower league clubs at a disadvantage.

Yes, it really does place L1 teams at a disadvantage. Although that will change slightly following this year once the Championship is reduced to 12 teams.

[Griff]

11 minutes ago, Blind side johnny said:

Many comments have been passed over the months about the difficulties of Championship clubs in gaining promotion to SL. Nothing has yet been said about the increased difficulty, for this season at least, of C1 clubs getting promoted to the Championship. If you look at the details of the play off structure I reckon it places the lower league clubs at a disadvantage.

Hunslet showed that that advantage can be overcome.

[Sports Prophet]

On 08/01/2025 at 14:52, Griff said:

Lovely.

I suggest you get on to the RFL and put your proposal to them.

Having read the difficulties posted on the “Friendlies” thread, I am more open minded to the difficulties of a weather induced stagnated start to a season than I was previously.

In saying that, if sold correctly, I still think the opportunity can profit over the risk. 

Anyways, I feel we won’t agree on that front but, back to the aim of the thread. Any ideas yourself for the Championship and its clubs to commonly succeed?

[Griff]

1 hour ago, Sports Prophet said:

Having read the difficulties posted on the “Friendlies” thread, I am more open minded to the difficulties of a weather induced stagnated start to a season than I was previously.

In saying that, if sold correctly, I still think the opportunity can profit over the risk. 

Anyways, I feel we won’t agree on that front but, back to the aim of the thread. Any ideas yourself for the Championship and its clubs to commonly succeed?

No, we're not going to agree.  Nothing wrong with that though.   I didn't give much of a response to your last post because I would just have been repeating what I've already said.

Fewer games.  Start no earlier than March 1st or the nearest weekend to it.  There - I'm repeating something else I've been saying for years.