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Thread: IMG thoughts

  1. #26
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    There is an interesting piece within that article that says

    "This work will sit alongside other workstreams being led by IMG and other parts of the Endeavor network to maximise the commercial potential of the sport and build deeper relationships with fans and new audiences. These include content production and innovation, domestic and international distribution of media rights, digital transformation powered by IMG's digital sports arm Seven League, brand strategy delivered by Endeavor's cultural marketing agency 160over90, streaming through Endeavor's OTT platform Endeavor Streaming and data collection, betting product development and streaming rights via its sports data and betting technology business IMG Arena."

    All of the highlighted companies are part of the IMG/Endeavour portfolio. They will certainly have some skin in the game to make sure that RL is profitable and properly marketed.
    But as with the Sky deal at the end of 12 years then we will be so embedded with IMG and their companies that having the option to exit that partnership will be made almost impossible.

  2. #27
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    So if they go with licensing who gets an "A" rating
    I would say
    definite
    Catalan
    Leeds
    Saints
    Warrington
    Wigan
    Maybe
    Huddersfield
    Hull FC
    Leigh
    Probably B
    Cas
    Hull KR
    Salford
    Wakefield
    Toulouse
    Featherstone
    Bradford
    Widnes
    York
    Newcastle

    There are a few in that "B" category that need to up their game to get in SL
    Last edited by st. etrigan; 28th September 2022 at 15:53.

  3. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by st. etrigan View Post
    There is an interesting piece within that article that says

    "This work will sit alongside other workstreams being led by IMG and other parts of the Endeavor network to maximise the commercial potential of the sport and build deeper relationships with fans and new audiences. These include content production and innovation, domestic and international distribution of media rights, digital transformation powered by IMG's digital sports arm Seven League, brand strategy delivered by Endeavor's cultural marketing agency 160over90, streaming through Endeavor's OTT platform Endeavor Streaming and data collection, betting product development and streaming rights via its sports data and betting technology business IMG Arena."

    All of the highlighted companies are part of the IMG/Endeavour portfolio. They will certainly have some skin in the game to make sure that RL is profitable and properly marketed.
    But as with the Sky deal at the end of 12 years then we will be so embedded with IMG and their companies that having the option to exit that partnership will be made almost impossible.
    yes but unlike the Sky deal the IMG deal involves them taking a stake in and future profitability, in other words IMG will help to grow the game on the understanding that they take a share of the extra profits. So unlike Sky IMG have a vested interest in growing the profitability of the game.

  4. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bostik Bailey View Post
    yes but unlike the Sky deal the IMG deal involves them taking a stake in and future profitability, in other words IMG will help to grow the game on the understanding that they take a share of the extra profits. So unlike Sky IMG have a vested interest in growing the profitability of the game.
    Absolutely agree - but Sky did have a vested interest to grow the game as they sold subscriptions on the back of their "complete sports package" - but somewhere along the line it has got lost

  5. #30
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    The press release is vague and without detail, which is expected and understandable at this stage. There’s plenty of questions and many of those will likely centre around distribution of central funding to B category clubs and how a 2nd Division B Category club competes with a Super League (that title wasn’t used - I wonder if it’s curtains for that name?) B Category club.
    St Helens Rugby League Football Club

  6. #31
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    Bit more information here showing a bit of the ideas around league structure, loop fixtures, MW game, areas of focus and team makeup for the day of the match

    Further to the proposals set out, IMG have also recommended the removal of loop fixtures, including the Magic Weekend, bringing the Challenge Cup final back to May and having increased focus on international breaks.
    They say that, the issue for the sport has been too much focus on the format and structure itself rather than the product and are promoting a renewed focus on fan engagement and matchday experiences.

    In order to put these proposals into action, IMG say they have had consultation with the NRL and IRL about putting international rugby league at the forefront which should be helped by an aligned global calendar for the sport.

    Outside of the format of the men's competition, France, London and the women's game identified as three areas of focus for growth.

    However, the number of clubs outside of the UK would also be capped at two with a minimum number of domestic players in a match-day 17 among the participation criteria.

    Those clubs must also subsidise incremental travel costs of UK clubs until a central contribution can otherwise cover them.

    The aim by 2026 is to have a top flight with 14 teams and 14 teams in the Championship in 2024. League One remains flexible and there are no plans of merging clubs.

    The criteria for grading will be announced before the start of next season and will be introduced on an illustrative basis in 2024 before being rolled out fully in 2025. Category A are in top tier, Category B in top tier when space available and Category C will be in the second and third tier

  7. #32
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    Would love a Superleague with the following teams, we would get some decent away support from the local teams. Maybe just 12 teams 22 games + magic. and a top 5 play off. Mini break mid season with 2 international games.

    Saints
    Wigan
    Warrington
    Widnes
    Leigh
    Salford
    Bradford
    Hull
    Leeds
    Huddersfield
    Hull KR
    Catalan

  8. #33
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  9. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by st. etrigan View Post
    Very interesting times ahead.

    I know the salary floor was something McManus championed when the cap was first brought in, its only taken him two decades but I admire the persistence! interesting to see if we do move to a minimum with no maximum, or how marquee rules may change...

  10. #35
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    Thoughts off the top of my head:

    - I like the franchising system and wish the RFL had the balls to push it through all those years ago. Clubs that don't meet a set criteria shouldn't even be given time to turn it around. We tried that and we still have to visit places like Cas and Wakefield many years later. They simply ignored the need to develop their stadia. Somebody mentioned Widnes and Tolouse as cat B clubs, but if stadia are a requirement they are certainly ahead of the clubs listed here.
    - We, the RL community, have to give up what we know and like to move the game forward and compete with other sports. Any change is difficult, but it needs doing.
    - I hope IMG will help clubs do more around ticketing and the match day experience. Even at Saints, the 4 times champions, a few cheerleaders and a bloke in a dog suit is shocking. Somebody mentioned US college football games and what they produce - it is fantastic. Fanzones are a must.
    - Ticketing has to be part of the solution and another poster mentioned the idea of 500 tickets. I would go further and offer all away fans free tickets to away games if a system can be set up to support it. An empty away end it a lost opportunity and okay the club doesn't get gate money, but it will get revenue in food/drink and local businesses will also benefit.
    - RL banked on SKY been in it for the long term and as a broadcaster they have, however, their investment and commitment has declined over time and if IMG are willing to go all in across their business portfolio, why wouldn't we listen?
    - Salary cap changes - yes

    There are probably loads of other things

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    Quote Originally Posted by STIDDY View Post
    Would love a Superleague with the following teams, we would get some decent away support from the local teams. Maybe just 12 teams 22 games + magic. and a top 5 play off. Mini break mid season with 2 international games.

    Saints
    Wigan
    Warrington
    Widnes
    Leigh
    Salford
    Bradford
    Hull
    Leeds
    Huddersfield
    Hull KR
    Catalan
    Widnes quite poor support base, even back in the day.

  12. #37
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    News just in… the main criteria for Cat A is….is the club in Yorkshire

  13. #38
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    Not a lot to get your teeth into at this stage but it’s broadly positive from this proposal, for me. It hopefully holds clubs accountable whilst still allowing for clubs to move up and down the leagues and talk of a calendar that isn’t devalued and a waste of everyone’s time for the most part, barring the final ten games.

    The movement of the Cup Final back to May is an interesting one. I’d hazard a guess that they’re potentially keen on taking it away from Wembley. Wembley is jam packed with football in May, typically, and we don’t have much hope of getting in there during May, so I wonder if they’ve seen people speak positively of Tottenham and want to move it there or move it to whoever will bid the most for it.

    The clubs in Category B will have the most questions, especially those who are B’s who are in the Championship around how they become better than the Super League Category B teams when most don’t have Academies.
    St Helens Rugby League Football Club

  14. #39
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    Well shoot me dead they are suggesting a genuine hybrid PR/licensing system. People have been calling for it for years.

    Just the clowns at the RFL always had to cave and give up some half arsed different flavour of P&R.

    If you are a top team that has definate value to SL you are in. The rest can fight it out for the remaining spots via P&R This is the best solution we have had in years.

    Grade A: In SL
    Grade B: P&R
    Grade C: Jog On.
    Last edited by Noel Cleal; 28th September 2022 at 19:19.
    I could agree with you but then we would both be wrong.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dos Cervezas View Post
    Not a lot to get your teeth into at this stage but it’s broadly positive from this proposal, for me. It hopefully holds clubs accountable whilst still allowing for clubs to move up and down the leagues and talk of a calendar that isn’t devalued and a waste of everyone’s time for the most part, barring the final ten games.

    The movement of the Cup Final back to May is an interesting one. I’d hazard a guess that they’re potentially keen on taking it away from Wembley. Wembley is jam packed with football in May, typically, and we don’t have much hope of getting in there during May, so I wonder if they’ve seen people speak positively of Tottenham and want to move it there or move it to whoever will bid the most for it.

    The clubs in Category B will have the most questions, especially those who are B’s who are in the Championship around how they become better than the Super League Category B teams when most don’t have Academies.
    I have seen a suggestion that the cup competition be turned into the same format as the womens cup. Which is like the Champions League in football. Groups of 4 followed by a knock out stage.

    This has some clear advantages;

    It guarantees lower league clubs some sort of high profile game(s) vs SL opposition. Giving them much needed funds without hand outs.

    2. It in all likelihood replaces loop fixtures and allows for a shorter, more intense, meaningful SL.
    I could agree with you but then we would both be wrong.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Laner View Post
    Thoughts off the top of my head:

    - I like the franchising system and wish the RFL had the balls to push it through all those years ago. Clubs that don't meet a set criteria shouldn't even be given time to turn it around. We tried that and we still have to visit places like Cas and Wakefield many years later. They simply ignored the need to develop their stadia. Somebody mentioned Widnes and Tolouse as cat B clubs, but if stadia are a requirement they are certainly ahead of the clubs listed here.
    - We, the RL community, have to give up what we know and like to move the game forward and compete with other sports. Any change is difficult, but it needs doing.
    - I hope IMG will help clubs do more around ticketing and the match day experience. Even at Saints, the 4 times champions, a few cheerleaders and a bloke in a dog suit is shocking. Somebody mentioned US college football games and what they produce - it is fantastic. Fanzones are a must.
    - Ticketing has to be part of the solution and another poster mentioned the idea of 500 tickets. I would go further and offer all away fans free tickets to away games if a system can be set up to support it. An empty away end it a lost opportunity and okay the club doesn't get gate money, but it will get revenue in food/drink and local businesses will also benefit.
    - RL banked on SKY been in it for the long term and as a broadcaster they have, however, their investment and commitment has declined over time and if IMG are willing to go all in across their business portfolio, why wouldn't we listen?
    - Salary cap changes - yes

    There are probably loads of other things
    Totally agree on several of your points. Surely a part of wanting to make the game more attractive is the perception to potential fans. A decent stadium with decent crowds on the telly makes a huge difference. It always makes me cringe when we have a 'big' game on the the BBC at an awful ground with a poor crowd. This was. like you said, bottled last time with certain clubs allowed to continue on a promise that they never kept. RFL needs to take this on board and be ruthless...but will it happen?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Noel Cleal View Post
    I have seen a suggestion that the cup competition be turned into the same format as the womens cup. Which is like the Champions League in football. Groups of 4 followed by a knock out stage.

    This has some clear advantages;

    It guarantees lower league clubs some sort of high profile game(s) vs SL opposition. Giving them much needed funds without hand outs.

    2. It in all likelihood replaces loop fixtures and allows for a shorter, more intense, meaningful SL.
    With the removal of loop fixtures, they’re looking at dropping from 27 to 22 games and I can’t see, certainly in the short-term, clubs being willing to take that drop, so I suspect that there is something to replace those games. I’m a bit old school and like the cup as it is, Whitehaven was great and seeing the amateur sides do well is always nice.

    The downside of such a move is, would we be willing to lose a home game against Wigan or Warrington and the financial benefits of that through hospitality sales, especially, and have it replaced by a game against York or Dewsbury?
    St Helens Rugby League Football Club

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    Does anyone know how well the sport did out of this seasons tv deal with channel 4? In typical RFL fashion did we give it away for the benefit of advertising the sport to terrestrial television viewers? Or did the sport actually get a few quid out of it?
    I imagine channel 4 did ok out of it.
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  19. #44
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    We obviously need to see more detail but I quite like the early proposals.

    The season is dead currently. Too many games with clubs just jockeying in position for the Play Offs. Magic weekend has also killed the Challenge Cup competition. SL clubs used to come in alot earlier but now they come in for the last 16 and you need to play 4 games to win the competition. How on earth can you build much momentum with so little games all spread over a large part of the season? No wonder nobody cares anymore. There's just way too many meaningless games currently. It should be a premium competition, not an afterthought.

    P&R doesn't really work because of the disparity between SL and the Championship funding hence the constant yo-yoing. The category based system sounds interesting but it needs to be very clear how to progress. That should hopefully give clubs longer to build and to be competitive in SL.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Blobbynator View Post
    We obviously need to see more detail but I quite like the early proposals.

    The season is dead currently. Too many games with clubs just jockeying in position for the Play Offs. Magic weekend has also killed the Challenge Cup competition. SL clubs used to come in alot earlier but now they come in for the last 16 and you need to play 4 games to win the competition. How on earth can you build much momentum with so little games all spread over a large part of the season? No wonder nobody cares anymore. There's just way too many meaningless games currently. It should be a premium competition, not an afterthought.

    P&R doesn't really work because of the disparity between SL and the Championship funding hence the constant yo-yoing. The category based system sounds interesting but it needs to be very clear how to progress. That should hopefully give clubs longer to build and to be competitive in SL.
    Having had 10-15 Magic Weekends and being able to watch their team and as many or as few other teams, is anyone going to suddenly go to a Cup Final made up of one game, if it isn’t their team? I can’t see a massive uptake like the old days.
    St Helens Rugby League Football Club

  21. #46
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    I read they were keen on a title rebrand, I think its needed. The Women's football WSL has overtaken us the media interest stakes so we need a new competition title.
    British stance = Betfred (sponsor) RL Championship
    American = RFL Men of Steel Big League

  22. #47
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dos Cervezas View Post
    Having had 10-15 Magic Weekends and being able to watch their team and as many or as few other teams, is anyone going to suddenly go to a Cup Final made up of one game, if it isn’t their team? I can’t see a massive uptake like the old days.
    I think I agree. I can see the romance of the cup and Wembley has all that history but going down to London doesn’t appeal to me. Maybe it’s because I drive a lot for a living. Plus because of the cup draw weak teams can make the final. I get that the magic of the cup is it gives every team a chance but what neutral spectators want to travel to London to watch a one sided final or two crap teams.
    Maybe it should be seeded so that the top 4 teams from the previous year are kept apart up until the semis. Another option is bring it away from Wembley. We could move it around the country but not as far as london. Play it at a big stadium somewhere in the Midlands. Give away a small percentage of the tickets away to local schools and sports clubs in that area to fill the stadium and attract new supporters, some of which may have caught a few games on channel 4.

    I dunno. I’m sure those of our posters who know a bit more about the marketing side of things will see flaws in these suggestions.
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    More coverage here...https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/63063549
    It's interesting that they are talking about 'new markets' and a club in the capital being vital.
    Deja vu anyone?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Paul Newlove View Post
    I read they were keen on a title rebrand, I think its needed. The Women's football WSL has overtaken us the media interest stakes so we need a new competition title.
    British stance = Betfred (sponsor) RL Championship
    American = RFL Men of Steel Big League
    ‘ERL’ European rugby league.
    I said a few seasons back we could do worse than distancing ourselves from the word rugby altogether. It’s just a word. Let the other code have it.
    ‘LEAGUE13’ maybe?
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  25. #50
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    Quote Originally Posted by fishy3005 View Post
    ‘ERL’ European rugby league.
    I said a few seasons back we could do worse than distancing ourselves from the word rugby altogether. It’s just a word. Let the other code have it.
    ‘LEAGUE13’ maybe?
    Interesting, could work that

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