All in it for themselves

It really is self interest when Lenehan is shovelling half a million in every so often to balance the books, Beaumont on his mission to be recognised as a wealthy owner. Others will be doing the same of course, and I suspect that if we had a sugar daddy we wouldn't really be worried about those who didn't!

Like soccer the game has become too wide between the top and the rest. I firmly believe that in a relatively short time Women's SL will overpower our static top level for support snd TV will follow it.

Our support pattern is the only way that I can see for smaller clubs to survive. Costs rise and prices will have to follow and if supporters drop off the game will die, or at least reduce to true amateur playing on public pitches.

In all honesty the days of true amateurism is dead. If you want to succeed as an athlete you look for sponsorship from the govt channels and if you're not a potential medalist you won't get it! The picture for the future is depressing tbh. SL tends to be repeated competitions between pretty much the same teams. The supporters of the top six, at best, will stay interested but many others have dropped off already. I prefer NRL  these days because there is more variation from player movement.  There are those who think that including more teams into S L would create interest but the big six won't want to cut their Sky cut, but that would be inevitable if the league were to be more evenly financed.

It really is self interest when Lenehan is shovelling half a million in every so often to balance the books, Beaumont on his mission to be recognised as a wealthy owner. Others will be doing the same of course, and I suspect that if we had a sugar daddy we wouldn’t really be worried about those who didn’t! Like soccer the game has become too wide between the top and the rest. I firmly believe that in a relatively short time Women’s SL will overpower our static top level for support snd TV will follow it. Our support pattern is the only way that I can see for smaller clubs to survive. Costs rise and prices will have to follow and if supporters drop off the game will die, or at least reduce to true amateur playing on public pitches. In all honesty the days of true amateurism is dead. If you want to succeed as an athlete you look for sponsorship from the govt channels and if you’re not a potential medalist you won’t get it! The picture for the future is depressing tbh. SL tends to be repeated competitions between pretty much the same teams. The supporters of the top six, at best, will stay interested but many others have dropped off already. I prefer NRL these days because there is more variation from player movement. There are those who think that including more teams into S L would create interest but the big six won’t want to cut their Sky cut, but that would be inevitable if the league were to be more evenly financed.

It really is self interest when Lenehan is shovelling half a million in every so often to balance the books, Beaumont on his mission to be recognised as a wealthy owner. Others will be doing the same of course, and I suspect that if we had a sugar daddy we wouldn’t really be worried about those who didn’t! Like soccer the game has become too wide between the top and the rest. I firmly believe that in a relatively short time Women’s SL will overpower our static top level for support snd TV will follow it. Our support pattern is the only way that I can see for smaller clubs to survive. Costs rise and prices will have to follow and if supporters drop off the game will die, or at least reduce to true amateur playing on public pitches. In all honesty the days of true amateurism is dead. If you want to succeed as an athlete you look for sponsorship from the govt channels and if you’re not a potential medalist you won’t get it! The picture for the future is depressing tbh. SL tends to be repeated competitions between pretty much the same teams. The supporters of the top six, at best, will stay interested but many others have dropped off already. I prefer NRL these days because there is more variation from player movement. There are those who think that including more teams into S L would create interest but the big six won’t want to cut their Sky cut, but that would be inevitable if the league were to be more evenly financed.

It really is self interest when Lenehan is shovelling half a million in every so often to balance the books, Beaumont on his mission to be recognised as a wealthy owner. Others will be doing the same of course, and I suspect that if we had a sugar daddy we wouldn’t really be worried about those who didn’t! Like soccer the game has become too wide between the top and the rest. I firmly believe that in a relatively short time Women’s SL will overpower our static top level for support snd TV will follow it. Our support pattern is the only way that I can see for smaller clubs to survive. Costs rise and prices will have to follow and if supporters drop off the game will die, or at least reduce to true amateur playing on public pitches. In all honesty the days of true amateurism is dead. If you want to succeed as an athlete you look for sponsorship from the govt channels and if you’re not a potential medalist you won’t get it! The picture for the future is depressing tbh. SL tends to be repeated competitions between pretty much the same teams. The supporters of the top six, at best, will stay interested but many others have dropped off already. I prefer NRL these days because there is more variation from player movement. There are those who think that including more teams into S L would create interest but the big six won’t want to cut their Sky cut, but that would be inevitable if the league were to be more evenly financed.

I am no expert on the nrl but the fact that Gold Coast finished bottom out of 16 teams last season and is now third favourite to be crowned  champions, perfectly illustrates that point.

The top teams remain at the top because they set the rules, it’s almost like American politics where one party can remain in power indefinitely by simply changing the voting boundaries. Case in point, Koukash wanted to increase the cap in 2015, big teams said no, they knew Koukash would blow them out of the water. After a few years, Koukash leaves and suddenly Wigan want the cap enlarged.

If Wakefield, Castlefield and lets say Leigh won trophies and increased their attendances as a result, that would grow the game more than just the top 4 competing every season.

No doubt Beaumont is doing his best but if he succeeds the big boys will squeeze harder to stay at the top. Not a healthy competition for the game as a whole.

Thinking back to Sheffield''s cup winning under John Kear, could that happen again? Highly unlikely these days imo, much to wide a gap in club financial standing.

Where did it all go so terribly wrong for SL and RL in general in this country ? SL is nothing more than a disgusting pig trough for a few chairmen to gorge in. Let's face it, the game of RL is on it's arse. Sky seem to treat it like a plaything that they once liked, but now they are just bored with it and want rid. Interest in RL seems to be dropping like a stone, the amateur game is losing popularity and participation at that level is declining at an alarming rate. See what's going on in Hull as an example. The likes of Lenaghan have no interest in putting the game first, they are merely concerned with how much money is coming their way from Sky. Well make the most of it Ian, because I've got a feeling the gravy train is approaching the final stop. As for the clowns that claim to run the game, the less said the better. I fear for the future of the sport, I really do.

You're not alone in your concern CC. The idea that SL is so far above Champs etc is false, it swings on FT and PT tbh. The money spent on stars from the NRL doesn't build our game but it reduces spaces for our youngsters.

The situation in soccer means that so many 'suporters' see the game on TV only. The vast sums spent on foreign players turns the game into a tv gameshow rather than a domestic sport, which is where SL is, and declining. That was the whole aim of TWP and the rest, to try to make the game to a wider TV audience - for Sky's benefit of course.

To level the game out will be resisted by the top clubs, but there seems to be no help for smaller clubs to generate interest. Denying us our Academy 'winnings' was typical. When allowing the struggling club would have helped us survive. It was as if the RFL was looking to kill us!

The World cup could be an interesting exercise to see just where we stand in the wider game.