We need some proper professional management and people with know how to grow the game the NRL fits that bill. Our game is dead if we bring in another yorkshire club eg York or Featherstone of god forbid Bradford.
Learned comment from The Don
I don't think York is too bad an idea, a separate part of the country, but even their fans say they are not ready yet. Any west yorkshire team (possiblity expecting Halifax) will not match Widnes or Leigh in both on and off field crtieria so if it can't be a Lancs team then is shouldn't be a West Yorks team.
I would like it to be Touluose
BUT I am worried that it will be Bradford, maybe Gary has realised that no big neighbour rivaly has been detrimental to Leeds, and his atempted take over of all the West Yorks fans is impossible.
Nothing shows how far Rugby League in this country has fallen like today's announcement from the Government about Covid support for sports affected by having no crowds. £330m handed out to various sports including RL and RU. 10 or so years ago the two sports were level in terms of TV deals, with our's if anything slightly edging it. Now their TV deal dwarfs ours and Union today got a payout of £135m in comparison to £12m handed out to Rugby League. Add in the £16m we got previously (I think) and it's £135m v £28m. That is the valuation of the impact on the sport. There will no doubt be a posh-boy in Government office adding to the bias and a North-South divide will always happen with a Conservative Government, but still it's a pretty shocking discrepancy.
Hopefully the RL people will get out and kick off about this and get some extra coin, but I doubt it. The RFL and Elstone are probably already working out what of Bradford's costs for re-entering Super League they can bill to that slush fund.
Give it 5 years and Rugby League in the UK will be semi professional with all but a few players working jobs alongside playing, possibly with no TV deal or a self-run internet based one. The flat cappers will be delighted "Rugby League is small and Northern and we need to remember that expansion doesn't work.... wah wah wah".
Great post.
Regards the Expansion, I don't agree with how we try to do it. It has failed by & large. However, if it was done properly, then I'm all for it. Toulouse should be put into super league as it's clear they've got a decent, stable set up in place in a bit of a rugby league hotbed in south east France
But I think it will be Bradford
The RFL were asked how much they required and gave the figure of 12m, which they were obviously happy with judging by a tweet I've seen..
The government haven't just decided who gets what.
For example another traditional middle to upper class sport cricket has received no extra funding.
On another note, it's part loan, part grant, so not a complete handout
The RFL being happy doesn't fill me with confidence. I highly doubt they have even done any research into how they could use the money. How much of it is a loan is a big thing. If it's 50:50 say, that's a £60m investment in Union we'll never get, easily bigger than our next TV deal.
We need the management teams of both the RFL and Super League to go. The sport HAS to change direction or we'll be semi-pro with a few teams gone completely by the new TV deal.
If its to replace crowd revenue, would it have been based on income in previous years less the matchday costs.
Bradford should be kept away from the sport until they've proved a minimum three years viability in the Championship, especially so since all the creditors that were burned by their financial failures. If I was one of them I'd be furious that they are even been considered and blackball any future involvement in the sport.
Apart from them not bringing any fans, I think it should be Toulouse. The promotional video they put together was probably better than anything the RFL have ever put out. I know that they are going to show a polished view of it, but they seemed to have everything: Full time professional, reserves, juniors, surrounded by local amateur teams. A 20k modern stadium. local business backers, close to airports and highways. If they don't get in, will we be told why not?
Whilst Toulouse tick all the boxes it wouldn’t surprise me to see the yawkshire mafia push for Bradford or Featherstone.
Suppose London don't really bring many fans either, if we want fans obviously Leigh are great for us.
York are probably a good balance for 'expansion' and supporters, it may just come a bit early in their development.
Featherstone are probably deserving too and seem a well run club.
As nice as it would for Bradford to return, they've a big history of being poorly run, and is odsal an image of modern rugby.
Personally I think Toulouse is worth the risk for the reasons mentioned above. Catalans may lose a bit of away travel, however it'll create a bit of interest in France, with a French match in super League
Agree with your points. As Toulouse already full time professional with no central funding, and with the city being so much bigger than Perpignan, I wouldn't be surprised to see them surpass Cats within a few years. However I say that with no knowledge of their balance sheet.