Funding: Although the Vikings had secured additional funding for the next three years, should we have been successful in the application, the level of owner investment to date has been lower than that seen at other applicant clubs in previous seasons
You need someone to pay the bills, simple as that.!!!
I agree with Bradford (lots of fans, proper sleeping giant) & Toulouse (there is a genuine untapped market to grow the sport and we should support League in France because Union wants to strangle it). York is a joke though. They dont have enough fans and it will wither on the vine when the money man loses interest. Pretty bitter its not Widnes, but we probably didn't have enough money to cope up there if we are honest. Still looking forward to watching how we do next season though.
Unless we recruit really well, we're going to struggle.
@begg does our recruitment at the moment shout 3rd ? I'm not sure it does Bradford are releasing players as are Fev and Oldham that's were we need to be shopping if we are serious I'm not sure as bad as this league will be that we can get 3rd on the cheap!!
remember before that run at the end we were looking over our shoulders down the league the next 4 signings need to be good because 5/6th next year could cost Coleman
Can’t wait to see those SL superstars diving into the corner at Odsal to score a try and face planting on the dirt-track! 🤣
@steve stock cars have gone apparently Steve and a full size pitch being laid !!! Probably same contractor as castlefords new stadium 😂🙄
I suspect the coach will be under more pressure next season - we do need some decent signings to help him.
@steve stock cars have gone apparently Steve and a full size pitch being laid !!! Probably same contractor as castlefords new stadium 😂🙄
Best tell them - there's an event coming up on the 25th there 🙂
@spideylizard lol exactly can't believe a word they say to get what they wanted Bradford have manipulated the system very well indeed and that's it's worked shows what a joke it all is
although their season tickets for kids at £13 ages 5-17 is a great incentive something we should look at
I'm actually quite ok with it- Top 3 up, financially stricken bottom team down....almost like you don't need panels and IMG points!!!
From our POV, the club as a package is better than say 2 years ago with the return of a Youth System and the success of the women's side.
London will be the team to beat next year, but I'm not having we can't take on the likes of Doncaster or Oldham.
On London, if attendances stay below 1000 or even 1500, I wonder how long the patience will last from the investors....
The underlying thing for me is that we won't get back up without our own Degsy or Ellis from Wakefield.
@farnworth-viking Totally agree. I have no argument about York and Toulouse being promoted, but there is a stench around the promotion of Bradford; the only promoted Club to get the additional central funding. The hand of Nigel Wood is all over this.
What involvement did he have in the purchase of Odsal by the RFL and the subsequent sale to Bradford at a knockdown price in 2025? What did Bradford pay for the rental of the ground in the intervening ten years? What advice and support did Nigel give on the Bradford data submission to IMG? Has their data been independently verified, bearing in mind it has been suggested that temporary changes were made to meet IMG criteria?
Their IMG grade increased primarily in relation to the stadium and financial sustainability. Other than the RFL selling the Stadium back to them at a knockdown price, just what improvements have been made to the stadium, which has a capacity of 22,000 with gates of around 3,500? The Club's latest financial results, showed a profit of £22,000 on a turnover of £2.1m. What changed in 2025?
Bradford's full IMG results and their detailed data submission should be published and verified by an independent body.
Having said all that, if Bradford have played the IMG game to improve their standing, probably aided and abetted by Nigel Wood, then maybe everyone else got it wrong.
Just how long the promoted teams financial support will last must be in question.
With the RFL obviously fearing that Sky input will fall again they must be banking on the sugar daddies covering the drop. With many established SL clubs already stumping up £1m or more a season that could be a real test.
As far as the Championship clubs are concerned how much, if anything, are they to expect from the central fund?
If we don't receive any central funding our chances of big signatures becomes vanishingly small!
Very few questions asking about the likely Sky package!!!
I think it was spot on other than Bradford being 10th, they should have been 14th with Toulouse replacing Salford.
On the panels notes ref Widnes
The level of investment in the club isn't high enough. Fair, our own coach said our playing budget is about the 6th highest in the Championship.
The playing squad and backroom staff isn't big/strong enough to make the step up to SL and the time period is too short. Fair we are part time, have signed up most of the squad already from last season and finished 7th.
The IMG score wasn't good enough. Fair we are 19th place and SL is only 14 teams. Since the initial grading in 2023 we have gone backwards from 16th place to 19th place on the ladder.
Not a great place to be, but unusually no complaints from me. The way the sport as a whole is being run is awful but on the decision to promote the 3 selected teams, no complaints. It goes to show when all said and done, the teams that have the best squads and finish higher up the table are still the ones to prosper, direct promotion or not.