@frankg Beaumont said in a recent podcast talk of the three promoted teams not getting central funding was nonsense ....he also stated they most likely won't get the full amount that others do but will get more than the 66% Leigh were given when they went in at Toronto's expense ...think the current number is 1.2m ...so likely be around the 900k mark
@frankg That's the major problem, Clubs just don't know where they are playing until October (obviously apart from teams who haven't applied for a SL place), and so player recruitment, to a certain degree, is on hold. The RFL have created a right shitshow by not making the decision public now, but for a 2027 season start. It's too rushed for my liking.
Paulie xx
Totally agree about the ongoing mismanagement of rugby league and the total disregard of the game outside SL.
This whole process has been rushed, with what seems to be fixed in favour of Bradford. Don't tell me that big Nige is impartial in all of this and is not pushing the Bradford case behind the scenes. Why shouldn't he, to be honest.
Now we have London suddenly getting big money backing. What promises have been made behind the scenes to attract these backers?
Do they really see any future for rugby league outside the mis-named Super League? Do those Clubs abandoned outside SL know what funding, if any, they will get in 2026 and beyond? It is correct that Widnes cannot really recruit for next year. Who will sign for Widnes or other teams vying for SL status, knowing that if our bid is successful, their Championship contract is worthless. Why would any Championship team invest in the team for 2026, when they don't even know - other than assurances from Beaumont - what central funding will be available to the promoted teams, whether or not there will be any funding for those left in the Championship; or whether the SL will be closed to Championship in 2026 and beyond.
To be honest, as many have said, the whole process is a shambles and even if it isn't fixed, it looks that way. There has been no explanation as to why they could not have simply used the IMG gradings to determine which teams get the SL nod; or preferably to have promoted teams based on performance on the pitch.
Will Widnes get the SL nod? Why not, with the right financial backing? As I have said before, York probably deserve promotion by winning the league and then whichever team wins the play-off. London, really a team finishing 10th in the Championship getting promoted? Oldham need to prove that they can attract a decent crowd in the Championship. Do the RFL really want another French team in SL? And finally, other than the backing of big Nige, just what have Bradford got to offer the SL more than Widnes?
So...................
With (difficulty I know) your unbiased hats on, who's gonna get the final nod?
Until the Lockyer intervention darn the Smoke, I said more than once, that it'd be York, Bradford, and Toulouse, with the Pinks missing out, but.............
The Aussie legend is not investing time and money to have my mob on the fixture list next term!
I reckon the Knights are pretty much nailed on, and as Wood's connection at that ground from the dark ages can't be ignored, are they nailed on-ish?
My mate at the 'Yeds reckons they're gonna be playing Championship football in 2026.
Toulouse? They'd still be one of my choices, but I may well yet be booking a flight and a hotel over then again for the forthcoming campaign.
You mob? Sorry, not this time!
Pinks? No chance, and that's not an unbiased view by any means! So..........
I'm now going for York, Broncos, and unfortunately, a team with a BD postcode, and whose financial history is far from unblemished!
Spelly.
Well now the teams applying have been announced it throws up many possibilities
as hull and Huddersfield have applied they must be concerned about their IMG gradings - reckon hull should be ok but Huddersfield could well miss out to Toulouse and York, with salfraud going down ( or out) - they have not applied and surely their IMG grading has plummeted.
then that leaves bradfraud,hudds,Doncaster,London Oldham and us for the 2 independent positions
My money would be on bradfraud and the other one is a complete guess for me.
And so the Soap Opera rolls on.....
I see the Guardian is carrying an article about a potential pause on the headlong rush to expand Super League.
The suggestion is that because of rumblings elsewhere, things may now be delayed until 2027.
What a dogs breakfast all this has become.
How on earth did we reach this point?
The sport doesn't deserve any of the accolades or recognition it receives, and if its main paymaster were to choose to pull the plug as a consequence, then it would have nobody else to blame but itself.
One telling line in the article sums it up for me - In Australia, expansion is planned over many years, yet we have to do it in the space of a few weeks (sic)
How very true.
The fallout from all of this could be very serious for the sport.
It's a farce isn't it? This bit is also telling:
In addition to the quick turnaround there are also concerns about how the expansion will be funded. Sky Sports has made clear it will not increase its rights fee, and there are fears the company will lower its offer when its three-year contract expires next season, having already cut its annual rights fee from £40m to £21.5m since 2021.
“Sky don’t want expansion, and we should be wary of alienating them,” another source said. “Most clubs are losing money, and the main broadcaster doesn’t want it, so why are we expanding? It doesn’t make sense. If the Sky money goes down, then some clubs may have to go part-time."
A return to PT rugby, even at the highest level, seems an inevitability to me.
You just couldn't make this up. At the 11th hour, there seems to be a change of mind in some quarters about the expansion of SL.
Have some Chairmen and Chief Executives suddenly realised that the Sky pot divided between 14 clubs will mean less money for the existing 12. That is, of course, unless the funding is slashed for the rest of the game outside SL!
Another ill-thought out plan from RFL, seemingly pushed by two people. Nigel Wood and Derek Beaumont. I will leave others to consider their motives, albeit I am not sure that many would disagree that the loop fixtures just don't work. To be fair to Beaumont, he has been successful with Leigh and has a lot of ideas on increasing funding for the game
The fact is SL is not really that super and there are too many uncompetitive games. It does need a long-term plan to address the future direction of the sport as a whole, not just run for the benefit of a few clubs
Personally, I think they should go ahead with the expansion to 14 Clubs, based on the process in place at the beginning of the season ie IMG gradings. The promoted Clubs should be given the same funding as other Clubs. If that means, some Chairmen having to dip their hands in their pockets for more money, so be it, or has been suggested, Clubs having to live within their means.
Perhaps task Beaumont, supported by others in the sport and a professional team, to come up with a vision for the future of the game and a strategy for increased funding and growth of the game as a whole. Surely, in future, promotion and relegation should be primarily based on performance on the pitch, with a requirement for promoted Clubs to meet a minimum standard ie grade A or B in IMG gradings
One final point, assuming that two promoted Clubs (or maybe 3) will be promoted by Committee, can someone explain to me what Bradford can offer to SL more than Widnes, providing that the financial criteria can be met?
In terms of what Championship clubs can offer SL, surely the main things are (1) a fan base, (2) a decent ground, (3) a viable financial plan as to how they will operate in SL.
How they've performed this year in the Championship is largely irrelevant as they'll be binning the majority of the squad.
In terms of what Championship clubs can offer SL, surely the main things are (1) a fan base, (2) a decent ground, (3) a viable financial plan as to how they will operate in SL.
So looking objectively (but I am a Widnes supporter!!!)
(1) I would say that there is little difference between the two Clubs, but the crowd we got against Warrington in the Cup game shows our potential.
(2) Bradford ground way past its best and a ground that barely meets the required standard. Widnes has a modern ground, but could improve facilities for fans and not sure about the plastic pitch.
(3) Presume both Clubs can produce viable plans for SL.
Unsurprisingly, my vote goes to Widnes, being objective of course.
My honest view is that the criteria for selection this year should be what we started with at the beginning of the season, that is the IMG gradings. Sadly or, depending on funding, luckily, this will exclude Widnes.
There should be promotion and relegation in future years based on performance on the pitch.
Realistically, there's not much difference between Widnes and Bradford is there? I guess Lancs clubs would prefer Widnes in, Yorkshire clubs would prefer Bradford. The fact that they're Yorks and Wood is part of the decision-making process would make them favourites.
Toulouse and London bring their own plus-points but neither has a fan base, London doesn't have a ground to speak of, not sure of either's finances although London's 'plans' are obvs out there in the press .... Most tellingly, both have already had a shot at SL recently and failed to make it work. Why would things be different next time? The London model has had 45 years to work and still hasn't.
York tick most boxes but have no fan base. Oldham shouldn't be in the running.
Clearly, we're biased and probably delusional. But there are merits in considering us, the Warrington game in the cup being the perfect example.
IMO Toulouse will get their fair and square on the IMG gradings.
@gpo1971 It was reported today that RL commercial lost £300,000 on tv deals last season. They must be doing a good job 🙄
I reckon Toulouse and York will be in on IMG gradings - probably dependant on who wins the playoffs
salfraud, shuddered down for those 2, then 2 places to go for
probably bradfraud and London but who knows
Reading that several SL clubs have mounted a legal challenge against the proposed increase in the number of clubs in SL to 14; and calling for the decision to be put off for a year.
The concern is that a detailed financial analysis of the expansion has not been carried out; that Sky have indicated that they would not fund the expansion; the continuing uncertainty around the Sky funding when the current contract expires next year; and the Panel appointed to select the two (or possibly three) additional Clubs has not been given enough time to assess the applications for SL
It does all seem to have been rushed through and led by Nigel Wood (no interest there then) and Derek Beaumont, who seems to have unilaterally decided that the promoted Clubs will get at least 66% of the funding other SL clubs receive.
Looks like some owners have had their calculators out and realised that sharing the central funding between 14 Clubs rather than 12, will mean they will get less and therefore have to stump up more cash to keep their Club afloat.
It would have made more sense to have addressed potential expansion in negotiations for the sale of television rights in 2026, but this is rugby league
The words piss-up and brewery and RFL come to mind. Well done Nigel, the knighthood awaits!!