It’s odds on that Toronto will be back in SL, too much “face” will be lost by our North American expansionist leaders if they’re not.
However, to answer spelly’s question about a suitable replacement, it’s got to be between London and Toulouse and I’d go for London.
Toulouse are most likely to win the next Championship and gain promotion that way (a swop with Hull KR?)
If, and it is a big if, Toulouse were to be promoted, would it be a good idea for clubs to play both French teams consecutively and then fans would be able to make a weeks break and take in both matches for a similar sort of price as going for one match.
The obvious downside, though , is that even in the era of summer RL, some fans would draw the short straw of a winter break.
If, and it is a big if, Toulouse were to be promoted, would it be a good idea for clubs to play both French teams consecutively and then fans would be able to make a weeks break and take in both matches for a similar sort of price as going for one match. The obvious downside, though , is that even in the era of summer RL, some fans would draw the short straw of a winter break.
You would have to pay for staying for a week in France or Spain and the travel between the two venues, which some could not afford or would rather have a week elsewhere.
TWP will be in SL in 2021 and, in a few years time, you can spend three weeks in North America watching games in Toronto, Ottawa and New York.
But, why do that when, next year, you can spend 3 weeks in Yorkshire watching us play Bradford, Batley, Dewsbury and Featherstone!!
I see the new Toronto owner is Carlo LiVolsi , a Toronto businessman who owns Wolf products, who were last season's suppliers of grooming products to the wolfpack.
Mr LiVolsi is associated with several companies at board level and other than being described as an entrepreneur, little seems to be known of him.
Whilst it is always nice to see new money coming into the game, I can not say I am comfortable with the Wolfpack going straight back in SL. This being said, Toronto being readmitted with a big points penalty would probably be the best option for a championship club to be promoted, as a Toronto with a similar squad would walk the championship.
I see Brian McDermot has been peading their case for readmition to SL .I can not remember, did they have a different set of circumstances than every other professional RL club or just an owner whose wallet that could not cash the cheques his mouth promised.
I may be wrong, ut in the last week , I think the players are now into another month without pay.
The antipathy towards TWP on here is obvious, I just wonder how many other superleague clubs would be in the same position had they all not had 2.25 million central funding each
Or if they had all , except for Catalan not been able to furlough their players for months
I think in fairness it comes down a little bit to your philosophy on the game.
I am a Widnes fan first and a RL fan second.
I am not bothered about the bigger picture nearly as much as I am about us.
At the end of the day, if the new Toronto type club are the future and we fade away, then I won't watch RL anymore and I am quite happy with the Football, Cricket, Golf etc.
Brian McDermott did himself no favours with his pathetic attacks on northern clubs and specific attacks on Widnes last year, I could not care less whether they survive. Simple as that.
The antipathy towards TWP on here is obvious, I just wonder how many other superleague clubs would be in the same position had they all not had 2.25 million central funding each Or if they had all , except for Catalan not been able to furlough their players for months
I agree that other clubs in SL not bank rolled by a multi-millionaire would have struggled without central funding and the furlough scheme. The point is that TWP entered the league on the basis that they would not take central funding - and supposedly had a billionaire backing them - on the basis that they had a tv deal themselves (?) and the lure of a massive NA tv deal which has not materialised.
I see the Players Union are backing the return of TWP to SL and to be given central funding. I wonder if this has anything to do with their vested interests in players' wages, rather than the good of the game in the UK.
Carvell says "We have the World Cup next year and it’s our chance to showcase the game by cementing Toronto into the league. North America and Canada are vital markets if this game wants to grow and whilst ever that opportunity presents itself, we need to grab it.” I have asked several times for someone to explain just what value TWP have brought to the game of RL in the UK or in Canada for that matter; and that hotbed of RL in North America is not even represented at the World Cup. Have the RFL/SL tied up a lucrative NA tv deal to promote the World Cup in NA?
Can someone please enlighten me for all I see is promises of riches from a dream of a super duper big city international league, with no plans or vision as to what it will look like or any thought about the impact on the game in the UK on the traditional community clubs like Widnes.
I have asked several times for someone to explain just what value TWP have brought to the game of RL in the UK or in Canada for that matter; and that hotbed of RL in North America is not even represented at the World Cup. Have the RFL/SL tied up a lucrative NA tv deal to promote the World Cup in NA? Can someone please enlighten me for all I see is promises of riches from a dream of a super duper big city international league, with no plans or vision as to what it will look like or any thought about the impact on the game in the UK on the traditional community clubs like Widnes.And without labouring it, just a simple vision of how the expansion plan looks would be a great help! As it stands the management of the game are just bamboozled by numbers of fans and bundles of dollars just waiting in NA to be picked up. If our managers had any real vision and believability they could have put their heads together with the NA people and forged a real NA project. Now that might just have lit the fire for co-operation and international development.As it stands I am with CJ91 regarding TWP. I wish them well but I blame our management for the arrangement that disrupts the non-SL game while they play their way in.
If, and it is a big if, Toulouse were to be promoted, would it be a good idea for clubs to play both French teams consecutively and then fans would be able to make a weeks break and take in both matches for a similar sort of price as going for one match. The obvious downside, though , is that even in the era of summer RL, some fans would draw the short straw of a winter break.
You would have to pay for staying for a week in France or Spain and the travel between the two venues, which some could not afford or would rather have a week elsewhere. TWP will be in SL in 2021 and, in a few years time, you can spend three weeks in North America watching games in Toronto, Ottawa and New York. But, why do that when, next year, you can spend 3 weeks in Yorkshire watching us play Bradford, Batley, Dewsbury and Featherstone!!
There is always the option of just going to one...
Let them back in by all means if that is what the other SL clubs want BUT it would be wrong if they were not penalised for going into Admin. I don't know of any other club who have not been penalised by a Points Penalty in the next season. Even we were docked 12 points for it, Wigan were docked 6 points if I remember correctly. It would be setting the wrong precedence for the future.
What it does is make every decision a 'one-off' . There are no 'rules' any more if that happens, just precedents which can be considered or not.
With regards to the TV deal as I understand it their initial pitch of not taking central funding was on the basis they would negotiate and receive the proceeds of any North American TV deal. This plan was somewhat undercut when the Super League sold the North American TV rights for a pittance prior to Toronto being promoted. That deal is up in 2022 I believe so they cannot negotiate any deal until then.
No central funding remained the stipulation once they got promoted, if everyone can recall the farce after last years million pounds game when there was a lag of weeks (?) before SL confirmed Toronto would be accepted, it's clear they didn't want them but thought, "hang on we can divide the money between 11 clubs instead of 12 if we play this right".
There's no great story of intrigue and deceit here it's just greed from the SL side of things and risk taking from the Toronto side. Add in a global pandemic and well, that's it.
I'd like to see them back but not at a cost of integrity to the competition. They should get a deduction equal to administration others have received. If the SL were truly interested in keeping Toronto around, I imagine they'd scrap relegation next year also and move to a 14 team league and negotiate the Sky deal accordingly. Whether the SL clubs or Sky would show any appetite for that remains to be seen.
Just a thought, but if there is such a demand for RL in NA and they want to showcase the game, why haven't some of the World Cup games been scheduled to be played in Ottawa, Toronto and New York? Perhaps they have and I missed it.
That is the sort of pro-active approach that I meant. A chance to really market the game in NA.
Toronto couldn't raise a squad for this season, do you remember the farce before covid, where after 5 games they ran out of players and had to sign Tony Gigot on a 'free' trial. Most of their players have signed for other clubs, will they return next season after wages and rent have not been paid for 3 months? And how will they attract new signings after the way they have treated players.
Ottawa in League 1 with half the Widnes squad on full time contracts is just as bad, lessons not learnt.