I honestly think this will be almost a back to year zero for the championship. SL will continue shortly and fulfil the sky contract championship clubs will be left to their own devices, and this is the chance for them to grasp the nettle and Create their own competition, get a tv deal and stick 2 fingers up to SL, some clubs will rapidly come crawling back to join (Salford,wakey,kr,HUD’s) then twp,cats,New York,Belgrade can crack on
Wonder if an under pressure BBC would bite at a TV contract with the Championship? There seemed to be plenty of interest in the old CC games shown as ‘fillers’. Comes down to Rimmer getting of his butt and taking things on I suppose.
I agree with all of the above. If the RFL offered a package, including Championship/League 1 games and CC games, this may well be attractive to the BBC. I think the problem may be that Championship and CC games are included in the Sky package, although they choose to largely ignore those games.
The RFL/SL need to decide if they want to pursue the international big city dream at the expense of the wider RL game in the UK or to promote RL in the UK. If the former, then let SL go its own way and leave the door open for those SL clubs who will inevitably fall by the wayside - potentially all of them, other than Catalan, Leeds and Hull.
Just read Beaumont's screed on possible actions and consequences. A lot to take in but at least he has put his thoughts out there, more than our RFL leader!
Much depends on the consequenses of cancelling wrt the furlough cash plus the loan.
Just read Beaumont’s screed on possible actions and consequences. A lot to take in but at least he has put his thoughts out there, more than our RFL leader! Much depends on the consequenses of cancelling wrt the furlough cash plus the loan.
What he doesn't say is that he has invested a lot of money in the team with a view to getting promotion to SL this season and does not want to waste that investment. I thought that the Government furlough scheme had been extended to the end of October, with salary costs shared with the employer from August.
It will be for the clubs to work out the costs and savings for themselves to come to a view whether or not it is viable to play the games behind closed doors. He dismisses the difficulties that Toulouse may face in travelling and playing home games, but this must be a serious consideration for clubs and the RFL.
As has been said, at least he has put his cards on the table (even if for selfish motives). It will be interesting to see the response of other clubs. Would he still want a play-off between the top 5?
Agree that he has a motive, plain and simple, but as you infer there needs to be a clear understanding by club and RFL just what yhe strings are, if any. Working with govts is not easy, and this one is notoriously slippery. Cash is paid out to resolve the emergency, then the rules are revised, without discussion. Councils get this regularly without a come back!
Just atm stability is vital for us, trying to rebuild the club's financial base and give back the economic strength that is needed if you don't have a Beaumont to splash the cash. I still hope that the powers that be will make the right decisions to revise the overseas situation. We wont get this chance again!
I think you do the Championship a disservice in the Challenge Cup. In the early rounds this year Hull KR only beat Leigh 22 -19 and Wakefield beat Bradford 17 - 14.
Last year Halifax made the semi final, losing to Saints 26 -2. A great day out for the fans at Bolton in the double header, live on BBC and that Saints side beat a lot of SL sides by more than 24 points. Also Bradford beat Leeds 24 - 22 again live on BBC, in a great derby game. Fax beat London 24 - 16 in an earlier round and Hull KR only beat Leigh 14 - 10.
Like I say, if the Championship season doesn't restart and players are on furlough you cant just throw them out of the Challenge Cup and carry on regardless with the competition.
Unless the Championship can restart without bankrupting clubs the CC or 1895 are lost to those clubs. Somehow I cant see the SL clubs paying us to play behind closed doors, just to make the cup games 'valid'.
There are clubs looking at the options and ee wil have to wait for their deliberations I guess.
I cannot see the Championship playing again this season. The costs of corona19 testing in football are £150k for each club below their championship level for 10 or so games. We have more or less 20 games left so costs for testing alone will be prohibitive. There is then the question for the championship clubs including the Vikings on whether they will reimburse season ticket holders. I doubt we could cover that loss having had no season ticket income last year. I can personally afford to lose that amount but no doubt there are many supporters that cannot so more problematic decisions to be soon made.
Beaumont is in cloud cuckoo land saying the season has to be played but it is because he has personally invested a small fortune once again with no success so he is desperate.
I expect SL to go ahead eventually as the SKY money is the incentive but some of the lower clubs there will struggle with the costs. T
I suppose we could be getting to the point where wealthy and others split. I still think that SL has put itself out on a limb with the TWP/ NY adventure which could now be in question for this season.
Maybe, if the season is abandoned, clubs could consider a cut price season ticket next season to reflect savings by not playing. That would depend on if there were savings of course!
Not owning the ground could be a big help.
The impact on clubs cannot be equal though. For instance we have virtually all our payroll paid for and presumably the stadium rent at least delayed. We must be in a much better position than a lot of other clubs.
Totally agree Rafe.
The fact that we are working on what is virtually a skeleton staff when the games are on will certainly cut our outgoings to the bone.
There is so much in the game overall that needs sorting to make the sport stable, let alone progressive! I just don't trust our game managers Rimmer and Elstone to do the job. To be even looking at some sort of inter-continental weekly game is too much.
The pandemic has shaken a few trees though and maybe some good will come out of it in the end.
Meeting this week with the RFL to discuss and hopefully confirm the blueprint of Super League's return back in August, I'm sure you've all seen the proposed three possible scenarios that has been pitched to the clubs.
If anybody thinks that Sky/BBC are going to offer much more than a mars bar and a couple of bags of crisps for T.V. rights to the Champ/Champ 1 then you're deluded.
If anybody thinks that Sky/BBC are going to offer much more than a mars bar and a couple of bags of crisps for T.V. rights to the Champ/Champ 1 then you’re deluded.
I think the Sky deal already includes Championship games, but they choose not to show any.
Have you seen the sport shown on BBC these days? I would hope that this is one potential - and I agree unlikely - income stream which the RFL have considered. They could use the offer of a mars bar and two packets of crisps as a starting point in their negotiations! I am not sure what live sport that BBC show on a Saturday afternoon (if any) and it may be a way of promoting RL outside the dizzy - and often disappointing - heights of SL.
If anybody thinks that Sky/BBC are going to offer much more than a mars bar and a couple of bags of crisps for T.V. rights to the Champ/Champ 1 then you’re deluded.
I think the Sky deal already includes Championship games, but they choose not to show any. Have you seen the sport shown on BBC these days? I would hope that this is one potential – and I agree unlikely – income stream which the RFL have considered. They could use the offer of a mars bar and two packets of crisps as a starting point in their negotiations! I am not sure what live sport that BBC show on a Saturday afternoon (if any) and it may be a way of promoting RL outside the dizzy – and often disappointing – heights of SL.
That't the point though Frank. If a company with about 10 sports channels to fill, plus red button options deems it unworthy to show any games (Bar the big bash unless I'm mistaken?) then doesn't that show how much it's valued?
BBC are awful, as shown by the fact they reverted to re-running commentaries during sporting events rather than any archive footage during lockdown!
BBC would probably show Tiddlywinks, but I would argue that Champ/Champ 1 rugby is as much a niche market as that unfortunately. Would love that not to be the case, but it is. How many people would watch it? There is no money in rugby league and they're not going to send loads of crew and production staff to cover this. Absolute pie in the sky, especially when most of the matches are played in stadiums that are about a quarter full at absolute best for even a big game.
I can see Our League doing subscription fees for Live Games and maybe a highlights/magazine show on a lesser freeview/sky channel.
The Play Offs/Grand Final and 1895 semis/final could be broadcast live somewhere: they have more value than a regular Championship game.