With you Spike Island, as I said at the begining of this post the games best years were part time, players effectively doubling their wages by playing. Players maybe bigger and better fed but but their skills are no better imo.
A return to that system would make it more affordable at club level and players would play just as hard!
They have never watched it then!
True!!!!
Looking like the championship may get some exposure, on C4 or C5
Really? Not heard this myself, any source for this? Be beneficial for the game to have it on any terrestrial channel as long as the production valves are good. Doubt we'll see much revenue from the deal though.
Meeting on Wednesday discussing the future of Championship and League One clubs in light of the reduced funding.
Some clubs have previously suggested one league outside of the SL, but that apparently was rejected.
Currently 24 outside of SL, would we see the idea mooted some months ago of a conference system revisited?
Personally, quite like a 14 team Championship with a Top 6 Play Off, it is the viability of a 10 team L1 with lots of travel which would surely be the issue.
Is it time to be ruthless and demote clubs to the amateur/regional ranks? Especially if they are getting sub 500 attendances regularly.
Union and the NRL will be licking their lips. From our perspective though, perhaps the moans and groans about the academy etc from people (including myself!) will actually be shown to be good forward planning as it would seem to me that the Championship will get practically nothing and well ran part-time sides will flourish…..
How will any form of the game flourish if kids have stopped playing and spectators have stooped attending ? How is the open age amateur game going in Widnes at the moment ?
I think the death of SL and a severing of the link with Sky would be potentially very beneficial to the long term future of a supportable semi-pro / amateur game but it will take a lot of hard work from the top down to make it happen.
As others have said, do the SL teams actually care whether or not the game dies below SL level? I guess not, but to be fair, from a spectator point of view, if Widnes was still in SL how many of us would be demanding a greater share of the Sky money to go to Championship clubs?
However, the owners and people running the game should be concerned about the future of the game at grass roots level. Where will future players come from? What happens when SL clubs start struggling and fold? What happens when Sky decide SL is not a viable competition? Will they eventually finish up with a SL comprising 4-6 teams ie those not solely reliant on Sky funding?
As others have also said, perhaps the time has come for Championship/L1 clubs to give serious thought to setting up a separate competition and bring in some business expertise to promote the game at that level and seek sponsorship and possibly a television deal. Just let SL jump into bed with Sky and leave an open invitation for failing SL teams to apply to join the new competition in the future, that is if there is a future for the game of rugby league.
"How will any form of the game flourish if kids have stopped playing and spectators have stooped attending ? How is the open age amateur game going in Widnes at the moment ? I think the death of SL and a severing of the link with Sky would be potentially very beneficial to the long term future of a supportable semi-pro / amateur game but it will take a lot of hard work from the top down to make it happen"
I agree that it is not good at all reducing the number of clubs producing players and therefore the player pool.
What I meant was more maybe the board has seen what is coming and is positioning the club to be in as good a place as possible when the reduction hits home.
At the end of the day, has Super League succeeded? No.
I would also ask the question how many non-SL Club fans watch SL every week on Sky compared to 10 years ago?
I barely watch it. 10 years ago, even 15 when we weren't in it, I would still watch 80-90%, even the dire Wakefield v Celtic Crusaders type games. Watch far more NRL now.
No argument in general but I would try to boost travelling support by giving discount to travelling ST supporters. We need to promote our crowd involvement throughout the Championship league.
As said any TV contract would only need to pay what we got from SL clubs to maintain our current expenditure.
Elstone resigning.....what a shame....another crony of Maurice Lindsay.....
Hang on a minute Ditton, his salary might be handed over to the Championship clubs!?
No, I'm only joking!!!
Big question is do they replace him or contract into one board now and run the game as a sport should be run? I would hazard a guess that the ones with their noses in the trough will hang on to as much of it as they can. If the game contracts from below the base for SL will fold and they will be looking for recruits from amateur clubs and competing with RU for talent.
It is interesting that two of the 'six nations' are coached by well respected ex RL players. They will be followed by others in time and they know where they can find well-skilled youngsters.
Logically, now SL and the RFL should combine, and distribution of the SKY money could be back on the table
Exactly! At least Rimmer knows what the game is like at the lower levels but I'm not sure that he has the clout to battle with the Lenehan's etc.
The game is in a very serious turning point, particularly after Covid, and it needs level heads at the top to manage the reducing funds. Limiting high cost imports could be a start.
We need money to stay in the game in this country or our youngsters who used to be with Academies, will be lost to sign NRL 'stars'. The Sky game show is expanding, ask non RL supporters what SL is and they will say Women's soccer. Set to replace our game in the Sky game show list imo.
The SL/RFL should merge under one managing body, with strong leadership able to stand up to the vested interests of SL teams and look to promote rugby league at all levels. Not sure that Rimmer is the man to do this. Perhaps they need to start again from with someone with new ideas and the ability to push those ideas forward.
I've always said the game will go full circle and return to how it was pre SL.Has the standard of RL here ever been better than 89-94 ? I would argue not.Also we had some great tussles v the Aussies.The last ditch try by Meninga for instance that levelled the series at Old Trafford,the win at Melbourne, the 12 man GB win at Wembley and the World Cup Final as examples.That level has never been matched since the advent of SL.