The start of the rot was Wigan's contract system, out pricing most other clubs and seeking to build a team to boss the game because they could. Sadly others trued to follow, without the financial nous of the Wigan Board, resulting in most top clubs on the verge of bankruptcy. Sky offered them cash to buy them out of their hole and they took it.
The big boys were quite happy then for the smaller clubs to die and merge, making it pretty obvious that the heads of those clubs had no understanding of what 'club loyalty' meant. To them the game was a product to be sold on the entertainment market. The lack of mergers simply proves that they were wrong in their view.
Overseas players were imported to add interest to the UK game but at often at massive cost. The game had welcomed overseas players for years (Bevan, Clues, Mossop, Bath etc) and it had added interest but was quite low in numbers which maintained interest in tour teams etc. Of course TV has enabled UK viewers to see the NRL game and it is no longer a secret!
The UK clubs have been struggling financially for years, and maintained only by private charity from wealthy supporters. The shrinking funds has not stopped clubs signing expensive 'stars' from down under however, which seems to indicate that lessons are not being learned. Even the top clubs were seeing dropping attendance, even pre-Covid.
This point has been made by Leneghan(sic?) of Wigan, still in quite serious financial trouble. Wigan at least seem to be acting by promoting from within for their next Coach.
What clubs, used to a 'free' handout from Sky, do not seem to realise is that they need to trim their club expenses to cope with the situation.
Cutting overseas signings, for instance, would be a start, but trimming overmanned organisations, as would happen in any entertainment industry in a similar situation could regularise things. The future Sky funding should be applied in assisting those clubs struggling to survive, promoting the game more widely in the RL playing areas.
The terminal decline has to be halted for the sake of the game as a whole, both large and small clubs. I just hope that Rimmer and the big noises have the brain to see the size of the whole problem rather than simply that of their chosen club's.
The start of the rot was Wigan’s contract system, out pricing most other clubs and seeking to build a team to boss the game because they could. Sadly others trued to follow, without the financial nous of the Wigan Board, resulting in most top clubs on the verge of bankruptcy. Sky offered them cash to buy them out of their hole and they took it. The big boys were quite happy then for the smaller clubs to die and merge, making it pretty obvious that the heads of those clubs had no understanding of what ‘club loyalty’ meant. To them the game was a product to be sold on the entertainment market. The lack of mergers simply proves that they were wrong in their view. Overseas players were imported to add interest to the UK game but at often at massive cost. The game had welcomed overseas players for years (Bevan, Clues, Mossop, Bath etc) and it had added interest but was quite low in numbers which maintained interest in tour teams etc. Of course TV has enabled UK viewers to see the NRL game and it is no longer a secret! The UK clubs have been struggling financially for years, and maintained only by private charity from wealthy supporters. The shrinking funds has not stopped clubs signing expensive ‘stars’ from down under however, which seems to indicate that lessons are not being learned. Even the top clubs were seeing dropping attendance, even pre-Covid. This point has been made by Leneghan(sic?) of Wigan, still in quite serious financial trouble. Wigan at least seem to be acting by promoting from within for their next Coach. What clubs, used to a ‘free’ handout from Sky, do not seem to realise is that they need to trim their club expenses to cope with the situation. Cutting overseas signings, for instance, would be a start, but trimming overmanned organisations, as would happen in any entertainment industry in a similar situation could regularise things. The future Sky funding should be applied in assisting those clubs struggling to survive, promoting the game more widely in the RL playing areas. The terminal decline has to be halted for the sake of the game as a whole, both large and small clubs. I just hope that Rimmer and the big noises have the brain to see the size of the whole problem rather than simply that of their chosen club’s.
Wigan (probably like most other Super League clubs) are in denial of their problems.
Case in point. Their attendances.
They've been fudging the figures for years, so they get the biggest piece of the Central Funding.
Friday's home game against Catalans Dragons should be well attended, but not because people want to go, but more to do with the fact that the entire workforce of the local Heinz Factory ( which is almost 1,000 strong) are getting 2 FREE tickets to the game EACH! 😳😳😳
Have you read Lenehan 's article? He isn't in denial.
Have you read Lenehan ‘s article? He isn’t in denial.
Yeah, I had a bloody good chuckle reading that 🤣
He may not be in denial now, but it's taken a very, very long time for the penny to finally drop.
Anyway, reading between the lines, he won't be at Wigan much longer.
He's already started sounding out a replacement ...despite the fact he has a ready made billionaire replacement on the board already (Mike Danson).
It seems Danson doesn't fancy the financial commitment, given nobody knows what the sport will be like in 2/3 years time.
Have you read Lenehan ‘s article? He isn’t in denial.
Yeah, I had a bloody good chuckle reading that
He may not be in denial now, but it’s taken a very, very long time for the penny to finally drop. Anyway, reading between the lines, he won’t be at Wigan much longer. He’s already started sounding out a replacement …despite the fact he has a ready made billionaire replacement on the board already (Mike Danson). It seems Danson doesn’t fancy the financial commitment, given nobody knows what the sport will be like in 2/3 years time.
You may well be right - but he will leave a mess for everyone else!
He won't give a damn.
Have you read Lenehan ‘s article? He isn’t in denial.
Yeah, I had a bloody good chuckle reading that
You may well be right – but he will leave a mess for everyone else!
It's the Wigan Way, isn't it?
Since the days of Maurice Lindsay, they've coerced every other club down a dead end alleyway, in the belief that what's good for Wigan, is good for the game.
They maybe the biggest name in the sport, but they don't speak or act for every other Club.
It's time club's got their own homes in order, and start to prepare for a return to part time Rugby.
Wigan will survive & prosper, they always do.
Figuratively speaking, they could jump into a vat of festering fecal matter, and still come out smelling of Roses.