Swap Salford for Toulouse

[The Daddy]

17 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

France has had a SL club for nearly 20 years - it still hasn’t got a tv deal that pays cash

Perpignan is a catchment area of 300,000 inhabitants, it's not a major city. Did you think SL was gonna get a tv deal in France on the strength of one club being in a catchment area of this size? 

France RL needs more work that's all, but the problem is that people like yourself can't look beyond the present situation. 

There seems to be an incorrect notion that the success of French RL hinges on whether a French tv company pays for broadcasting rights. The correct approach should be to have a clear strategy and appropriate ground work put in that will eventually lead to this ideal situation 

Edited January 17 by The Daddy

[Dullish Mood]

1 hour ago, sweaty craiq said:

France has had a SL club for nearly 20 years - it still hasn’t got a tv deal that pays cash

Have Leigh got a TV deal that pays cash?

[Trojan Horse]

On 16/01/2025 at 18:42, Rene_Artois said:

Assuming a lot there.

We can’t all see into the future. Us non mystical beings have to offer up opinions. 

Edited January 18 by Trojan Horse

[The Phantom Horseman]

8 hours ago, The Daddy said:

They're not any less ready than Salford or Castleford. You're really overestimating the current level of SL both on and off the pitch and the fact that the only thing that separates the health, ambition and success of most RL clubs is whether someone wealthy is prepared to bankroll it. 

Do you think that without Ken Davy Huddersfield would be any better than the Championship clubs you claimed aren't ready for SL? 

Do you think that if Hull FC hadn't found benefactors they would be in any better health than those Championship clubs? 

Wakefield were on the brink before someone came in to rescue them recently. 

Fact is most SL clubs without the generosity of a benefactor are not sustainable and the current level of most SL clubs aren't much greater than the top Championship clubs. That's the current reality. 

I don't disagree with any of that, in fact I've argued along similar lines many times. As I said in my post, I was talking about teams being ready right now to replace Salford.

[owls]

11 hours ago, sweaty craiq said:

France has had a SL club for nearly 20 years - it still hasn’t got a tv deal that pays cash

Maybe  if they had 3 or 4 French teams in the league it would be worthwhile  for a French tv channel to do a deal, that argument does not hold water imo.

[The Daddy]

3 hours ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

I don't disagree with any of that, in fact I've argued along similar lines many times. As I said in my post, I was talking about teams being ready right now to replace Salford.

Ok fair point 

[Father Ted]

One of the main aspects of Toulouse is the sheer wealth of the place.

Sizeable population and pretty wealthy. HQ of Airbus!

RL is strapped for money. Promote Toulouse with a three year exemption from relegation and the club would be very successful both on and off the field. 

[The Future is League]

32 minutes ago, Father Ted said:

One of the main aspects of Toulouse is the sheer wealth of the place.

Sizeable population and pretty wealthy. HQ of Airbus!

RL is strapped for money. Promote Toulouse with a three year exemption from relegation and the club would be very successful both on and off the field. 

The RFL can't think one year ahead let alone three.

[The 4 of Us]

12 hours ago, sweaty craiq said:

France has had a SL club for nearly 20 years - it still hasn’t got a tv deal that pays cash

Always an odd argument. How many individual UK clubs could obtain their own TV contract? 

Catalan give much more than they take and are now actually contributing towards costs of others.

Imagine the howls of indignation if any of the usual suspects were asked to give to other teams. 

In any event, my understanding was that the rationale, from the days of PSG was always about growing the game in France, or at least not allowing our only northern hemisphere “pro” international team disappearing.

The fact that they haven’t developed has been more to do about SL in the UK’s own navel gazing and making sure the same SL clubs over and over again can blow their own noses, facilitated by the same incompetence with the RFL. 

[DEANO]

14 hours ago, sweaty craiq said:

France has had a SL club for nearly 20 years - it still hasn’t got a tv deal that pays cash

But would they have had if they weren’t ring fenced

[DEANO]

14 hours ago, sweaty craiq said:

France has had a SL club for nearly 20 years - it still hasn’t got a tv deal that pays cash

But would they have had if they weren’t ring fenced

[sweaty craiq]

Some proper cyclopses on here today. Our future is 2 FT tens with 4 French clubs in the 20, and P&R between them but money drives that and we don’t have it. We need something hypothetical to sell to UK and French broadcasters, like we did with middle 8’s

[The Daddy]

21 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

Some proper cyclopses on here today. Our future is 2 FT tens with 4 French clubs in the 20, and P&R between them but money drives that and we don’t have it. We need something hypothetical to sell to UK and French broadcasters, like we did with middle 8’s

You thought the Super 8s were something good to sell to broadcasters? 

[The Daddy]

3 minutes ago, The Daddy said:

You thought the Super 8s were something good to sell to broadcasters? 

Our future is 2 tens. But not in the way you describe. 10 UK clubs and 10 French clubs with a 3rd European Club Championship competition with the top clubs from each leagues/pools playing each other. 

It will take time to get to that point but that's the best scenario for the medium term 

Edited January 18 by The Daddy

[M j M]

1 minute ago, The Daddy said:

You thought the Super 8s were something good to sell to broadcasters? 

It clearly was, whilst lots of other things were happening that was one of the hooks that saw the game's largest tv deal being signed.

[Dave T]

9 hours ago, The 4 of Us said:

Always an odd argument. How many individual UK clubs could obtain their own TV contract? 

With respect, this is also a weird counter. UK RL has a multimillion pound deal and did before Catalans. The French clubs didn't. 

And it's a bold statement to claim that Catalans put more in than they get out of it. That just isn't true. Catalans benefit massively from being in the UK pyramid. In the French league they are a tiny club with no money. In the UK pyramid they are a £10m annual turnover operation.

Catalans need SL, without it we know what size they are.

It's possible to champion Catalans and French RL without attacking the UK game. 

[sweaty craiq]

1 hour ago, The Daddy said:

Our future is 2 tens. But not in the way you describe. 10 UK clubs and 10 French clubs with a 3rd European Club Championship competition with the top clubs from each leagues/pools playing each other. 

It will take time to get to that point but that's the best scenario for the medium term 

Going that far ahead it may well be 2 x 12 or 2 x 14

[Wakefield Ram]

On 15/01/2025 at 22:00, dboy said:

A Bradford/York/Fev would probably take the invite to step up to SL.

It wouldn't be about being competitive on the field, it would be about the IMG gains they can make - crowds, digital, media, turnover...

Unless they are getting hammered every week.

[dboy]

Of course they'll get hammered every week, but I reckon the fans would understand than and would ride that out, knowing the IMG gains are worth it. Maybe.

All moot - it won't be happening.

[JohnM]

22 hours ago, The Future is League said:

The RFL can't think one year ahead let alone three.

Agreed.  If only they'd come up with ..hmm ..let's see now...maybe a 12 year project...

Oh, whats that you say? They HAVE? Why didn't they say? 

[owls]

13 hours ago, Dave T said:

With respect, this is also a weird counter. UK RL has a multimillion pound deal and did before Catalans. The French clubs didn't. 

And it's a bold statement to claim that Catalans put more in than they get out of it. That just isn't true. Catalans benefit massively from being in the UK pyramid. In the French league they are a tiny club with no money. In the UK pyramid they are a £10m annual turnover operation.

Catalans need SL, without it we know what size they are.

It's possible to champion Catalans and French RL without attacking the UK game. 

He wasnt attacking the UK game imo, just pointing out that no single English club could  individually land a tv contract either, so how on earth  can a French club, Super  League was set up to be a European league not a rebranded division 1, there should have been 2 French teams from the very start,  without super league we know what size Catalan are you say,  that could apply to many teams not fortunate enough to be  in Super  league, I believe Catalan bring a lot to the league, just my opinion,

[sweaty craiq]

3 minutes ago, owls said:

He wasnt attacking the UK game imo, just pointing out that no single English club could  individually land a tv contract either, so how on earth  can a French club, Super  League was set up to be a European league not a rebranded division 1, there should have been 2 French teams from the very start,  without super league we know what size Catalan are you say,  that could apply to many teams not fortunate enough to be  in Super  league, I believe Catalan bring a lot to the league, just my opinion,

I’ll just point out that Cats have exclusivity to find a deal and recently 2 French clubs were in SL.

You can only expand with cash on the table not visions of utopia in a land of milk and honey.

[Poptart]

I'm not sure why we are so hung up on French teams and tv deals.

If Catalan are better than the 13th team in our own criteria then they are in. Same with Toulouse. Same with Dewsbury

If we make SL marketable and entertaining the French supporters will want to watch it.

If a tv company wants some of that they'll do a deal, whether French or actually Sky, which would give us a better negotiation stance.

If they don't then make the Super League app French friendly and bring the money in ourselves.

We could even do a deal with NordVPN so they can watch ?!?!

 

Edited January 19 by Poptart

[owls]

59 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

I’ll just point out that Cats have exclusivity to find a deal and recently 2 French clubs were in SL.

You can only expand with cash on the table not visions of utopia in a land of milk and honey.

If St Helens went to play in Australia, do you think any UK  national tv channel would give them a tv deal,  i would bet my mortgage no one would be interested, i will say it again, if there where 4 French teams in a super league of 16 clubs then a French tv would be a possibility, an isolated 1 club can not do that no matter how popular they are, 

 

Edited January 19 by owls

[The Future is League]

2 hours ago, JohnM said:

Agreed.  If only they'd come up with ..hmm ..let's see now...maybe a 12 year project...

Oh, whats that you say? They HAVE? Why didn't they say? 

They had to bring in IMG for that project as they was incapable of doing it themselves.

I don't blame them entirely as I think Rimmer has a lot to answer for, in my opinion.