Oldham Super League bid

[sheddingswasus]

30 minutes ago, RoytonRoughyed83 said:

It's irrelevant, promotion to a league should be won on the field an oppose to a spreadsheet. Rugby League won grow because it will put people off and alienate fans.

Well, that bit  is in our hands. We play Bradford tonight and York in two weeks. We will have a fully fit squad by the time we hope the play offs ( bar the three ling term injuries). There is strength in depth and we have a couple of lads on loans keeping got. 

[tandle]

the super league clubs voted for the return of nigel woods.

because they can control him.

as they did the last time he was so called in charge.

you dont want somebody who can order you about. 

[PaulB1984]

With the current licensing score I think its fair to say we have an uphill battle to get Super League in the short term, we will need change both in the competition and within the town to give us a chance, there must be patience from Bill and co to let things grow from the ground up. Its going to need a decade of renewal and please no 'boom or bust'.

Game wide issues that will indirectly affect our IMG score around attendances specifically: No true promotion/relegation and play off format means regular fixture can be a bit meaningless for the newbie, no away crowds to speak of, no real distribution of funds to encourage clubs to market/offer school free tickets etc. Summer rugby, people have other things on so routinely attending games is unlikely. Why cant we just have 2 divisions of 16!?

Lets not forget locally we havent existed really for 20 years, thats a generation we need to re-engage with on top of a cost of living crisis. Couple that with a mess of a licenssing structure and its a hard sell.  

 Im sure we will get 2500+ in the play offs and would achieve more in super league, but people need to see a path towards the end goal to buy into it all

[fiftiesremembered]

Excellent, if rather depressing, post PaulB.

A good core of us long-time supporters are on the wrong side of pension age - a long way sometimes !!

and need replacing if the club is to succeed.

 

[tub]

BQ is the best thing that's happened to ORLFC in the past 30 years but therein lies the problem , we've had a generation and more of decline to near rock bottom and getting back will take a lot of time.

I hope BQ is patient but after watching his video this week for more people to attend , I'm a bit worried.

Nothing wrong with the appeal but we can't just magic another 1500 followers in a couple of seasons for a SL bid given all the current headwinds outlined by PaulB1984 in the post above. 

[Oldham Valderama]

3 hours ago, PaulB1984 said:

With the current licensing score I think its fair to say we have an uphill battle to get Super League in the short term, we will need change both in the competition and within the town to give us a chance, there must be patience from Bill and co to let things grow from the ground up. Its going to need a decade of renewal and please no 'boom or bust'.

Game wide issues that will indirectly affect our IMG score around attendances specifically: No true promotion/relegation and play off format means regular fixture can be a bit meaningless for the newbie, no away crowds to speak of, no real distribution of funds to encourage clubs to market/offer school free tickets etc. Summer rugby, people have other things on so routinely attending games is unlikely. Why cant we just have 2 divisions of 16!?

Lets not forget locally we havent existed really for 20 years, thats a generation we need to re-engage with on top of a cost of living crisis. Couple that with a mess of a licenssing structure and its a hard sell.  

 Im sure we will get 2500+ in the play offs and would achieve more in super league, but people need to see a path towards the end goal to buy into it all

Could not agree more with this post!!!

As much as I want the glory days to be back at Oldham and mix it with the likes of Wigan / Saints / Warrington etc I would hate for us to put all our eggs in one basket and for BQ to spaff all his cash away on an ill fated attempt to be a competitive Super League team. 

As myself and others have rightly said Oldham RL basically died in the latter years of the Hamilton reign and much of the old fan base were lost including myself. I have no doubt under the current new fantastic regime the crowds will flock back to Oldham but this will take time, we've only really had 18 months so far and look where we are. Everything the club is doing is pointing us in the right direction and the current owners s/b commended. The real problem here is the RFL who could not organise a pee up in a brewery. If they do decide to make Super League a closed shop of 14 teams with no P/R then so be it, pretty obvious that will alienate the fan bases for anyone not in Super League as everyone will think "what's the point of aspiring for anything" and its pretty clear the RFL do not give a damn about the Championship & League One. 

If BQ has a bottomless bank balance to bankroll Oldham for a good few years in Super League then good luck to him if that's what he wishes to do. Yep I'm happy to go along with that also but on the flip side I've got too much respect for BQ for him to basically bankrupt himself on a dream for Oldham when the club and the town are just not ready.

If the RFL actually ran things properly and allowed up and coming clubs like Oldham to develop in the championship, get a good financial footing, fan base, off the field areas up and running etc so that IF promotion was earned they could be sustainable in Super League then I'm sure the state of Rugby League in the UK would be a darn sight better than it is now. IMG is a joke and now the RFL are making a mockery of that as well if clubs like Bradford / London / Toulouse are destined to be shoe horned into Super League (Odsal is nothing more than a bomb site and no matter how many times its been tried who actually watches London, hardly anyone so why should London be more deserving of a place in SL than say an Oldham, Featherstone or Widnes for arguments sake??). For me with the greatest respect to our current owners I'd hate for Oldham to get to Super League via the back door, BQ to basically bankrupt himself trying to put out a competitive team which a lot of fans would consider mercenaries looking for a last pay day (this year i think its been done right with a mix of young and not so young, JD as an example who is pure class), for me whilst I'd go along for the ride it would make me feel a bit uneasy.

I applaud the ambition of BQ / MF I really do, I feel they have done a fantastic job but if we continue to go at 100mph in a vain attempt to reach the promised land then i feel at some point without continuous huge financial backing it could all come crashing down. Personally I'm happy to wait a few more years in the Championship competing at the top level, becoming financially sustainable and hopefully when the RFL change the rules about P/R again which they are bound to do Oldham are ready to go on a sustainable footing to take the jump into Super League.

If you read this BQ it may sound like I'm being negative, trust me I'm not, you have been a godsend to Oldham RL and I can see what it means to you. The money you have invested we could only dream off a few years ago and what we have now is fantastic. THE FANS WILL COME BACK but it is unfortunately going to take time as you have started from basically below rock bottom and look what you have achieved, its fantastic. We all want the same thing, Oldham to be back at the top of the tree but if the cost is you basically bankrupting yourself that is a high price to pay. The RFL are a joke and it should NOT cost you your life's work and all that you have earned just to try and get Oldham a place at the top table. 

Edited July 18 by Oldham Valderama

[Tim G]

No one really knows how many fans the club can attract following 25 years of stagnation and despair.  I do believe however that we have to think outside the box.  To start with,  ask your neighbours,  work colleagues and relatives to attend a match.  For your nephews birthday, buy him a ticket for the match.  We as fans must follow Bill's lead and become ambassadors for the club.

If I was running the commercial department,  I would go back to basics. Leaflet distribution is a must.  Knocking on employer doors for sponsorship and selling tickets to employees.  The digital world we live in can cause a great deal of lethargy.  You have to get people interested in the first place and that is best done on a face to face basis.

There are many more examples of generating interest in any product as I hope this current commercial team are aware of.

Remember,  less than 1% of the towns population attend games.  What an opportunity awaits a successful recruitment drive.

Edited July 18 by Tim G

[tub]

Agree with the above posts ....would rather BQ  invest  his money into grass roots and our own ground ....like a Batley style stadium ....  start from scratch on the right side of town ... walking distance for many  .... have our own revenues.

The JR stand is fine but there is little to no atmosphere....it's a library ..... think I'm dreaming of Sheddings again   ... but why not !!

Edited July 18 by tub

[RoytonRoughyed83]

Didn't even know he had done a video until I read above. How does Bill Quinm expect people that he is appealing too, to see it? I'm guessing a very high % of  people who watch Roughyeds TV go to games when they can.

[Enk27]

I really hope that BQ isn’t thinking of walking away. There is a sleeping giant here but it’ll take time to awaken it.

I honestly don’t think that bringing in lots of ex-super league players is the answer to move the needle. Yes get a team capable of winning, but for most casuals a team that’s mid-table with close games is fine.

What casuals do want is a game day experience which sadly does seem to have gone backwards a bit this year e.g. no dancers at half time. 

PS - thus far we have brought 5 newbies to games (at our expense). They enjoyed it and will be back, but like many, they will watch when they have time as opposed to make time to watch. Hopefully that changes eventually.

PPS - I will say a massive turnoff for me personally is the fact that nowadays in RL players seem to move so often. It’s hard to get behind a team when every 1-2 years pretty much all the players are different. 

[sheddingswasus]

We were talking over this issue last night and it occurs to me that as much as I like Sunday afternoon rugby, we need to change to Friday nights. Our growth target audience are young rugby mad kids and their parents. Herin lies the problem. These rugby mad kids play their games on a Sunday and games start at 10am and matches can still be going on into the afternoon. If these kids are on Wigan or Warrington say not a chance they will be back. How many more people would we get then in a Friday. ?

Thoughts? 
 

 

[Bert Street]

7 hours ago, sheddingswasus said:

We were talking over this issue last night and it occurs to me that as much as I like Sunday afternoon rugby, we need to change to Friday nights. Our growth target audience are young rugby mad kids and their parents. Herin lies the problem. These rugby mad kids play their games on a Sunday and games start at 10am and matches can still be going on into the afternoon. If these kids are on Wigan or Warrington say not a chance they will be back. How many more people would we get then in a Friday. ?

Thoughts? 
 

 

I would say that could be viable.

We need to form habits.

On a sunny , Sunday afternoon, we will be every uncommitted fans second or third choice.

Take last week. Championship rugby Vs Sheffield or the Wimbledon final, Test match cricket, all the local cricket, junior rugby,family stuff in the sun ?

We also have the unavoidable problem of the annual pitch renovation at Latics. We get the season going and then no home game for five weeks. Even worse that was bookended by a 5.00pm Saturday kick off Vs Toulouse and an away home game at Sedgeley Park.

Friday night is worth giving a go.

 

Edited July 19 by Bert Street
Extra point

[shrewsbury roughyed]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jul/28/super-league-to-add-two-clubs-and-return-to-14-team-competition-for-2026
 

no mention of Oldham, surprise surprise. 

[shaw llewellyn]

A committee !!!!!!

It's either performance on pitch or top  14 IMG points.

In this case I guess it is Bradford given Woods relationship and London given Hetheringtons recent curious move from Leeds.

Seems like a farce in the making.

[shrewsbury roughyed]

26 minutes ago, shaw llewellyn said:

A committee !!!!!!

It's either performance on pitch or top  14 IMG points.

In this case I guess it is Bradford given Woods relationship and London given Hetheringtons recent curious move from Leeds.

Seems like a farce in the making.

A farce indeed. As we knew it would be. 

[clifford]

It's all about getting rid of salford and getting london york and Bradford in. Having heard woods on a couple of podcasts it came across that toulouse wont be in super league.  Moreover i feel that there is a clear conflict of interest given woods close ties to Bradford. 

Hetherington must have been given some guarantees before heading off to London in Dick Whittington fashion.

No wonder RL had little credibility when it's run by club chairman / women.

There is no independence governance because each one of the clubs will vote for what's best for them.

And the super league clubs bully all the other clubs into what they want. As we saw a few years ago.

The Super League clubs employed img to reform the structure and when the Super League clubs didn't like the reforms they ignored them and carried on regardless. Paying thousands for the privilege.

 

 

[wozzeryedhead]

IF we got promotion then i think Bill and Mike would have the players in place for it it's probably still the same thing us against them but fingers crossed we can do it, if not another year in the championship which isn't so bad as I've really enjoyed the standard of rugby, c'mon owdam 

[jroyales]

Consideration has to be given to the viability of Bradford, London and Toulouse being in SL.

Bradford's ground can't meet IMG standards - it's a dump, London failed IMG that's why they were relegated before a ball was kicked so what's changed and Toulouse what do they bring to our game.

To be forward thinking and to gain credibility, SL MUST elect teams that will offer something to SL. They must consider York and Oldham, two teams that are moving forward and will offer more than the Bradfords (with NWood), tried and failed London (with Hetherington) and Toulouse who have given nothing to our game.

Hopefully common sense prevails but I don't hold any hope.

[Simon Hall]

17 hours ago, shrewsbury roughyed said:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jul/28/super-league-to-add-two-clubs-and-return-to-14-team-competition-for-2026
 

no mention of Oldham, surprise surprise. 

Why would there be?

Oldham are in their first year in the Championship and rebuilding well after many years of poor management. Just cos your owner has a few quid to chuck around on signings doesn't mean you're ready to be put into SL yet. Give it a few years of being at the top end of the Championship and there's no doubt Oldham will be pushing for a place.

[tandle]

17 hours ago, shaw llewellyn said:

A committee !!!!!!

It's either performance on pitch or top  14 IMG points.

In this case I guess it is Bradford given Woods relationship and London given Hetheringtons recent curious move from Leeds.

Seems like a farce in the making.

i agree with all you say shaw its a set up.

its between bradford / london and toulouse it stinks.

its as you say hetherington as not gone to london broncos for the weather.

just think, the wages he will be on.

, 

[Oldham Valderama]

The whole Super League set up at present absolutely stinks of "its who you know" and as much as I want Oldham to get to the highest level at this moment in time I'd stay well clear and not bankrupt ourselves.

I agree with what most people are saying, Bradford & London are a shoe in even though both are pretty undeserving but like I say when its "who you know" there's not a lot an outsider can do about it.

Then its a toss up between Toulouse & York, for me as much as i don't agree with the whole system then i think it should be York. They like Oldham are going about things the right way and would probably bring a lot of benefits to Super League. Toulouse for me do not fit and not sure what they would bring to the competition. 

Its probably all irrelevant anyway as even if Bradford & London do get promoted not on merit they will probably go bust in a couple of years. Bradford always seem to need a bail out and RL in London will never work, it never has and never will. If i was Oldham, plus the likes of say Widnes & Featherstone who have good infrastructure if financially possible I'd bide my time in the championship for a couple more seasons, try and build and get on a good stable footing and then when it eventually all goes pear shaped again in Super League these clubs are in a damn sight better position and can genuinely say "eh what about us this time getting a place??"  

The whole thing is a farce from top to bottom!!!!!

[Jimmy DoNut]

39 minutes ago, Simon Hall said:

Why would there be?

Oldham are in their first year in the Championship and rebuilding well after many years of poor management. Just cos your owner has a few quid to chuck around on signings doesn't mean you're ready to be put into SL yet. Give it a few years of being at the top end of the Championship and there's no doubt Oldham will be pushing for a place.

Correct, let's be frank, we are not Super League ready yet. We need to consolidate at the top end of the Championship, maybe go to Wembley in the 1895 Cup  and not try to run before we can walk. And results on the field have shown we are still behind Toulouse, Bradford etc & despite that freaky result on the opening day, York as well. 

But with all the wonderful work Fordy & Bill are doing off the field - Netpar Training Centre - as well as bringing quality players to the club, the future is very, very bright. 

UP THE YEDS!

[shaw llewellyn]

8 minutes ago, Jimmy DoNut said:

Correct, let's be frank, we are not Super League ready yet. We need to consolidate at the top end of the Championship, maybe go to Wembley in the 1895 Cup  and not try to run before we can walk. And results on the field have shown we are still behind Toulouse, Bradford etc & despite that freaky result on the opening day, York as well. 

But with all the wonderful work Fordy & Bill are doing off the field - Netpar Training Centre - as well as bringing quality players to the club, the future is very, very bright. 

UP THE YEDS!

Agree 100%. We haven't finished our first season in championship yet and need to build on our progress to date on and off the pitch. 

I just have very little faith in the RL with this crazy idea and wonder what happens in 12 months time.

Closed shop, promotion and relegation,  IMG criteria, super 8 playoff or names pulled out of a hat at random?

[RoytonRoughyed83]

B

3 hours ago, shaw llewellyn said:

Agree 100%. We haven't finished our first season in championship yet and need to build on our progress to date on and off the pitch. 

I just have very little faith in the RL with this crazy idea and wonder what happens in 12 months time.

Closed shop, promotion and relegation,  IMG criteria, super 8 playoff or names pulled out of a hat at random?

I actually think there will be an NRL Europe. Wigan, Warrington, Hull and KR, Catalans & Toulouse will start something backed my Australia. After what has happened this summer you can't blame them.

[bosman69]

It takes time to build the infrastructure needed for super league.

The club is making large and rapid strides of course but at the moment we are only running a first team.. no academy, scholarship etc and no ladies side. 

Our first team has made good progress but any championship squad would need a major rebuild to compete in super league. 

No harm in going for it of course and if we are not successful then this will highlight areas for development as we continue to grow as a championship force.