Perhaps Sky are holding a bit of cash back to re-fresh the wardrobes of Clarke and Wells?
Spelly.
Of course there is s further option, that envisaged at the start of SL with mergers of Championship clubs and their SL neighbours!!! Lindsay’s dream! A variant of that would be association between SL and Championhship, with us becoming Wire’s second string, giving them player development etc and us financial support. I could never become a Wire supporter, but if its a choice between having the Vikings or not I’d take association!
To be honest, Lindsay's plans talked about mergers, but in reality it was all about cutting the number of clubs in the SL trough. Did anyone really believe that Widnes fans would suddenly turn their support to a rival team on the dishonest pretext that it was a merger and not a take-over?
The other model of feeder clubs is an option in Australia, but not sure that many SL clubs could afford to run a feeder team, let alone keep themselves financially viable. Would there be any affinity of Widnes fans with a Warrington feeder team that happened to be based in this area? Probably not.
The game as a whole is in a downward spiral and those running it seem to have no long term strategy, other than hope that one day big money will come in from a tv deal, with no alternative strategy. If BT or BBC have shown an interest in the game, the RFL should go cap in hand to them and look for any kind of deal for games outside SL, including the Challenge Cup. Those teams in the Championship and below may be better breaking away from SL and actually start promoting Rugby League.
You should ask Derek Beaumont about the future of the game and his back-up plans to ensure Leigh's future if they are relegated this year. He went into melt down last time about reduced funding. They are likely to be in a worse financial position this time around with the reduced funding below SL. The same question can be asked of the owners of Salford, Wakefield, Huddersfield and others in SL outside the top 4 teams.
The rugby league family my arse.Up until 1996 maybe and then it became sod you.I wouldn't mind so much but the standard is mediocre.Boring spectacle.
With you in spirit Frank, but a breakaway is unlikely without someone like Beaumont to lead it.
My comment regarding a merger type re-organisation could well appeal to the RFL/SL as a say to cut admin costs and retaining two divisions.
If the game as a whole can't find enough cash to keep it alive it will die as a professional game or a semi pro game, it really is that serious imo.
Just retaining SL will not retain supporters from the Championship who will find something else to do. I get more out of the NRL games and their presentation than the SL with its mass of presenters/ commentators/ gurus etc.
RL is a very small pool. Outside of SL things are going to get very interesting.
The only commercial value in RL is SL - sad but true.
We have a governing body with no teeth at all. It's almost as if the governing body of the sport begs for funding for itself from SL. It's the world turned upside down!
No one wants Champ or L1 or if they do it would be for a pittance.
RL is a very small pool. Outside of SL things are going to get very interesting. The only commercial value in RL is SL – sad but true. We have a governing body with no teeth at all. It’s almost as if the governing body of the sport begs for funding for itself from SL. It’s the world turned upside down! No one wants Champ or L1 or if they do it would be for a pittance.
A lot of truth in what you say. Non-SL could well become virtually amateur with maybe a few quid if the fans stay in the mix. Many clubs are already totally dependent on SL handouts as a few have commented.
Just thinking mind, the new American League will need players so maybe the released players from SL go there
Could do.
There is precious little club loyalty now its just a job, respond to the highest bidder! That is what professionalism gets you.
Said many times, breakaway from SL – funding from sky will be minimal, set up a championship contract with terrestrial tv – will not be big bucks but gets exposure. BBC 2 on a Saturday afternoon would be ideal, each home team getting the same as they are paid for challenge cup( not sure how much but in region of £30K?) there will be a huge fallout of players from SL next year
Why would any terrestrial channel want to televise, say, Featherstone v Widnes? Let alone pay money for it.
The Championship is more likely to get a deal with the likes of Freesports (remember they had the amateur games about 3 years ago) than the Terrestrial companies.
I can see there may be mileage in a Terrestrial company paying for the Final as a one off (were we not on Granada v Oldham?) but not to any greater extent than that.
Said many times, breakaway from SL – funding from sky will be minimal, set up a championship contract with terrestrial tv – will not be big bucks but gets exposure. BBC 2 on a Saturday afternoon would be ideal, each home team getting the same as they are paid for challenge cup( not sure how much but in region of £30K?) there will be a huge fallout of players from SL next year
Why would any terrestrial channel want to televise, say, Featherstone v Widnes? Let alone pay money for it.
Have you seen the television schedules on a Saturday and Sunday afternoon? Why not a RL Championship show, whether on terrestrial or any other channel? Would the clubs be any worse off if they could agree a small deal, just to bring in some income to cover what will be lost from the Sky deal?
I understand that the RFL are said to be in "positive conversations" with several broadcasters regarding a tv deal for the Championship/League 1 games. The RFL need someone with the skill and enthusiasm to actually try and sell the game at Championship/League 1 level, possibly including the Challenge Cup which has been relegated to a side show by SL. Are the existing incumbents capable of doing this, or are they too busy hanging on to SL and their big salaries?
Perhaps Eddie Hearn was right in his summing up of the game and the people running it.
Terrestrial needs name recognition: were any of the Challenge Cup games in the preliminary stages on the main channels? No.
I agree with you in principal that a) Championship Rugby is a good product and b)I would rather watch that than a Bargain Hunt or a Chase repeat!
However, as much as it pains me, Widnes v Oldham isn't going to get the limelight, compared to the World Championships of the likes of Snooker and Badminton which the BBC have on.
The BBC have got the Hundred Cricket, which has ripped up the Counties in favour of the monstrosity that is Manchester Originals and London Spirit, amongst others......
Not seen any Championship RU on TV this season either: is that an indication that lower league stuff that is not football is not that in demand?
Terrestrial needs name recognition: were any of the Challenge Cup games in the preliminary stages on the main channels? No. I agree with you in principal that a) Championship Rugby is a good product and b)I would rather watch that than a Bargain Hunt or a Chase repeat! However, as much as it pains me, Widnes v Oldham isn’t going to get the limelight, compared to the World Championships of the likes of Snooker and Badminton which the BBC have on. The BBC have got the Hundred Cricket, which has ripped up the Counties in favour of the monstrosity that is Manchester Originals and London Spirit, amongst others…… Not seen any Championship RU on TV this season either: is that an indication that lower league stuff that is not football is not that in demand?
Yes, I've read that saying that BT Sports were favourites.
Next day I read that BT Plc are looking to sell BT Sports with ITV looking at buying them.
So an extra subscription of £29.99 to get BT sports on Sky. If that happens, that'll be the cancellation of my Sky Sports subscription
Toying with the idea of getting rid of Sky Sports anyway. The football has been boring for a long time and I find myself missing most Super League games now as that too is rubbish more often than not.
I really don't know what the long-term future holds for RL. You have about 4 or 5 clubs who are looking to take that next step to secure and perhaps increase their financial stock, you have about 5 or 6 clubs who are just happy to hold onto the coat-tails of the 'big' 4 or 5, then you have all the other clubs who are eking their way through life struggling to survive. Not a good model, some parallels with what's happened in football lately.
The only other places for the bigger clubs to go to is a world league, which won't happen, the only interest happens Down Under and they won't jettison their own clubs for ours. Or to somehow align with Union. I wouldn't be surprised if some hybrid (in other words, Union assimilating League) discussions happen again in the next few years. Returning core RL to a part-time M62 corridor sport. Which wouldn't be the end of the world IMO.
I know there’s a lot of people who are passionately connected to RL commenting on this thread but I have always consistently said it, why would RL deserve a slot on BBC over a sport such as Boxing, Basketball, Cricket, Netball, Rugby Union, Ice Hockey, all these sports probably have the same or higher commercial appeal as RL.
I think it’s arrogance to suggest that RL should be on BBC etc.
Eddie Hearn would be completely incompetent at running the RFL, what has he done to warrant such attention? His boxing empire was built on Joshua and outside of Joshua his events are largely unattractive. He has done well with Darts but Darts is a completely different sport to Rugby, in Darts you control the event whereas in Rugby, you are just an administrator.
The RFL gets unfair flack, the issues within the game, are down to the clubs in SL who have monopolised the game, writing the rules to ensure they always remain at the top.