Why not a SL comprising 16 Clubs and Championship comprising 18 Clubs (or the number of Clubs surviving beyond this season), with a fairer distribution of central funds between the two leagues; a limit on the number of overseas players; and promotion and relegation based on performance on the pitch?
You could also integrate the IMG gradings system to ensure minimum standards for eligibility to both SL and the Championship, with Clubs being given time and support to achieve those standards.
@frankg There's no way that the SL Clubs are going to pass down any of their central funding to Championship Clubs, and why would they? It would only weaken SL squads. Would you if you were Wigan give up some of your budget to NWC....or even Widnes, and send home Bevan French? Not a chance they would. Utopia doesn't exist in reality.
Paulie xx
They won't even give up their money for other clubs in SL i.e. York and Toulouse. There's 0% chance any of it is coming to the Championship.
@gpo1971 and there lies the problem. SL was bringing in £40m a year from Sky 10 years ago. Now its just £20 million, when you factor in cost of living increases the drop is even worse. Thats down to terrible management from the RFL. Look at how darts has overtaken RL on Sky at the same time with the crowds, prize money and TV deal.
The RFL are weak and have no strategy, why on earth do SL chairmen such as at Leeds, Saints and Leigh have so much say in how the wider game is run. Clinging onto an ever shrinking pie in desperation. The Championship used to get £300k per season to run a decent squad.
@pauliewalnuts Sadly you are right, there is no way that SL Clubs will give up a share of the ever reducing Sky money, but maybe they should ask themselves just how much a success have the RFL made of managing the game and how is it going to change.
Maybe McManus, Danson, Moran, Beaumont etc will be happy to continue "investing" £1m-£2m a year to keep their "star" players. Does McManus think his money has been well spent on their imports at St Helens? What about Ken Davy? Is he happy with his investment in overpaid imports?
As it happens, Field and French are just two of the few imports that have stood out in the game. Interesting that Wigan are leading the change to develop their own players from youth programmes. Maybe Widnes will become an integral part of the Warrington Youth Development Programme?
If Utopia means clubs depending on a rich benefactor to bring in average imports on high salaries to produce an average team, perhaps we should avoid it and just accept our position as a feeder club.
I will always believe that the RFL should be looking to grow the game in the UK at all levels from grass roots to SL. It seems to me that the concentration on a few teams at the expense of the rest of the game has not worked. In my view, this needs a competitive competition with promotion and relegation based on on-field performance; a salary cap fair to all clubs, which would not preclude investment by a rich benefactor; a fairer distribution of central funding, with incentives for success on the field ie league position, cup success etc and local community development; a limit on overseas imports, but allowing the signing of marquee players; and a requirement for Clubs to have a youth development programme, integrated with the local amateur game and schools.
This may well be just wishful thinking and never going to happen, but I would be interested to hear what plans the RFL have for the future direction of the game. At the moment, we are paying £400,000 to individuals to head the RFL, who seem to be clueless and only plan is to protect the finances of a few rich benefactors; look after the interests of a few favoured clubs; and plan a week-end in Las Vegas once a year.
@gpo1971 and there lies the problem. SL was bringing in £40m a year from Sky 10 years ago. Now its just £20 million, when you factor in cost of living increases the drop is even worse. Thats down to terrible management from the RFL. Look at how darts has overtaken RL on Sky at the same time with the crowds, prize money and TV deal.
The RFL are weak and have no strategy, why on earth do SL chairmen such as at Leeds, Saints and Leigh have so much say in how the wider game is run. Clinging onto an ever shrinking pie in desperation. The Championship used to get £300k per season to run a decent squad.
But on the flip side, why should Championship clubs get the funds generated by the Super League TV deal? Let's get it right, the fact that happened for 20+ years just led to complacency among all clubs, and now instead of actually trying to generate revenue themselves they moan at the lack of handouts. Now that's dried up, everyone's floundering, because they were spending money that they took for granted, and when it's gone, they had no plan B.
@jdgsport -- and there was me thinking that the RFL represented the whole of the game from grass roots to SL.
I can see now that SL is an entirely new game which started in 1996 and nothing whatsoever to do with that other old fashioned game started in 1895. I must keep up to date.
Why do you think that only Championship Clubs are surviving on handouts, when most SL Clubs are depending on hand-outs from rich benefactors? Quite insulting to Clubs like Widnes, with a decent fanbase and a long history and ambition to get into the top league. Are you suggesting that we don't offer anything to the game?
If this SL cannot generate enough interest to negotiate a better tv deal, do they really think that killing the game off in traditional RL areas is going to make things better? They need to make it an exciting competitive sport, which it isn't at the moment in the Championship nor in that other game too.
I actually thought that the introduction of the IMG gradings was a good idea, to improve standards within the game and set a minimum standard for entry to SL based on financial sustainability, community development, youth development, facilities etc. Having said that I also believe that promotion and relegation should be based on on-field performance not a spreadsheet.
But the TV deal isn't for the RFL, the TV deal is for Super League. I'm not arguing with any of your other points, but when the TV deal decreased, of course the SL clubs are going to look at ways they can cut back. If Widnes were in SL, and were faced at losing (say) £100k a year, would they then decide to close the academy just so that Hunslet etc can keep getting their handouts?
You say if SL can't attract a better TV deal, they think killing off 'traditional teams' is going to help. But the SL clubs might say the same thing in reverse. If Champ clubs can't attract a TV deal / appropriate revenue, why should they get some of the SL TV money?
Do Widnes have ambition to get in to the top league? Is there any evidence of this since they were last in it?
Champ clubs could be better at leveraging money from SL, after all they have been used to develop players through DR and loans. Unfortunately a lot have become dependant on them instead of using them as a bargaining chip. They'd need some collective agreement, but I doubt that is forthcoming
@jdgsport because if funds dont filter down through the game, the game is gone. You have mentioned previously Widnes bringing through the next Danny Craven, Tom Gilmore, Joe Edge, Adam Lawton etc. Around 2001 Widnes had over 10 teams in the town, The Albert, The Tigers, Moorfield, Swan, Farnworth, Simms Cross, Maries, Ball, West Bank. Halton Hornets, Lunts Heath etc. Now most of them have gone. The amateur section on the message board never posted on, Widnes Cup gone, all the pitches on the rec by the stadium that I used to play on now have football goals on.
Its a ticking time bomb, in 10 years where will SL get its player pool from. With a 50% cut in TV money why would an athlete choose RL as a sport and get battered every week for little reward and not enough money to retire on.
It shouldnt be just for 12 clubs to grab as much money as they can to try and survive, you cant sustain that long term and why would owners want to. Without TV funding RL is a part time sport.
Lack of strategy, self interest and weakness have meant since 1996 we have gone backwards. The NRL over the same timeframe has advanced as have sports in this country such as womens football and darts.
Its a ticking time bomb, in 10 years where will SL get its player pool from.
The QLD & NSW cup competitions. That process is already in full swing.
@jdgsport I would hope that the Widnes Board have ambition to get back into SL. At least that is what we have been told with our "six year" plan. Were they serious with our bid last year?
Re the distribution of Sky money, I have no idea of the Sky viewing figures but would guess that games involving Wigan and Hull KR attract more than Huddersfield or York. Do they get Sky in France? On your logic and if I am correct, should Wigan be demanding a bigger share of Sky money.
Maybe any money the RFL get for the Challenge Cup final should only be distributed between the two finalists as well?
My point is that surely those running SL should be concerned about the wider game of rugby league and Sky income should be used to help the game from grass roots upwards, not just a few clubs. Maybe they should ask themselves just why Sky believe the value the SL product has fallen so much? It is certainly not the fault of the Championship Clubs, so why should they face the biggest impact?
Just maybe those wealthy backers who are now bleating about how much it is costing them to keep their clubs afloat, should think why the game is in a financial mess. Is it something to do with bringing in too many over-rated and over-paid average overseas players, when the game would be better investing in the development of our own players?
@jdgsport your right James nearly ten years in this division and how many clubs have overtaken us !! Too cautious and it's driving fans away we already have a old fan base so we naturally lose people every year but we are playing for nothing every season and we never challenge for honours on a league front
they(board) don't realise that it might be prudent to be careful that is not a plan it's just a even slower death 💀
Clubs relegated from SL often vow to bounce back bigger and better.HKR,Leigh,Wakefield.Look at them now,winning trophies or competing at the top of the table with big home crowds.That's not the Widnes way,though.We prefer years of sulking in the doldrums.
Do Widnes have ambition to get in to the top league? Is there any evidence of this since they were last in it?
HKR, Leigh and Wakefield got back in SL because they managed to find a owner who had plenty of money, who was willing to put it into the clubs probably without getting any of it back.
Unfortunately Widnes haven’t managed to find one. We had O Connor briefly, but he decided to leave and go to Australia, and despite rumours, as far as I know, no one else has offered to come on board with the money needed to get us into SL
There’s been people offering money to become a director, but we need more than that to buy players that would give us a chance of getting back into SL