I accept your point and I'm not one to disagree. However, for me it is a case of both sides of the arguments. The only way individual clubs are going to get stronger is by getting more of both home and away fans through your turnstiles.

The big lure of a heartland club over one from outside the M62 corridor is that 3,000 fans coming instead of 30 is the financial aspect. In essence, the heartland clubs would effectively be richer, attendances would look stronger. However, you would lose the national aspect, that growth from outside the traditional regions. It really is a double-edged sword.

But I think there is a stretching point. Catalans, Crusaders (although they have brought more this season) and Quins all bring limited crowds. How many more of those sides who bring money to clubs are you going to sacrifice for a club outside the heartlands?

Similarly, how much impact does having a London club in Super League affect the TV rights? Nobody knows - it's all hypothetical. However, the brand image of Super League has changed over the course of the last fourteen years. If it was about London being in the elite, I'd still bet that the most of the people living in the South would still watch rugby league and Super League on TV. I think estimating that TV rights would go down is premature.

Would losing Man Utd from the Premier League and having someone like - no disrespect to them - Wycombe promoted alter the TV rights for football? Probably. However, in that respect would losing someone like Wigan from Super League affect it more than Harlequins? I don't know. A lot of information to digest and the only people that know are Sky.

PS. The RFL's site said 10,577 too....www.therfl.co.uk/~therflc/result ... Warrington

I accept your point and I'm not one to disagree. However, for me it is a case of both sides of the arguments. The only way individual clubs are going to get stronger is by getting more of both home and away fans through your turnstiles.

The big lure of a heartland club over one from outside the M62 corridor is that 3,000 fans coming instead of 30 is the financial aspect. In essence, the heartland clubs would effectively be richer, attendances would look stronger. However, you would lose the national aspect, that growth from outside the traditional regions. It really is a double-edged sword.

But I think there is a stretching point. Catalans, Crusaders (although they have brought more this season) and Quins all bring limited crowds. How many more of those sides who bring money to clubs are you going to sacrifice for a club outside the heartlands?

Similarly, how much impact does having a London club in Super League affect the TV rights? Nobody knows - it's all hypothetical. However, the brand image of Super League has changed over the course of the last fourteen years. If it was about London being in the elite, I'd still bet that the most of the people living in the South would still watch rugby league and Super League on TV. I think estimating that TV rights would go down is premature.

Would losing Man Utd from the Premier League and having someone like - no disrespect to them - Wycombe promoted alter the TV rights for football? Probably. However, in that respect would losing someone like Wigan from Super League affect it more than Harlequins? I don't know. A lot of information to digest and the only people that know are Sky.

PS. The RFL's site said 10,577 too....www.therfl.co.uk/~therflc/result ... Warrington

Still less than quins



As much as all clubs would love to sell 3,000 tickets to away fans every time they are at home, it isn't going to happen. It is the responsibility of the marketing team at each club to sell as many tickets as possible and that is how it should be. Away fans are a luxury, but in an ideal world, Wigan would sell every seat in the stadium as a season ticket.....if they could. It is their responsibility to fill the stadium....not that of the away team.

I am still waiting for a system of how you would monitor the number of away fans? Pre-sale at your home club is one possibility, but what about those who decide on the day and roll up and pay cash? Pretty hard to monitor....and worthless unless it becomes a SL Licence criteria.

Still less than quins



As much as all clubs would love to sell 3,000 tickets to away fans every time they are at home, it isn't going to happen. It is the responsibility of the marketing team at each club to sell as many tickets as possible and that is how it should be. Away fans are a luxury, but in an ideal world, Wigan would sell every seat in the stadium as a season ticket.....if they could. It is their responsibility to fill the stadium....not that of the away team.

I am still waiting for a system of how you would monitor the number of away fans? Pre-sale at your home club is one possibility, but what about those who decide on the day and roll up and pay cash? Pretty hard to monitor....and worthless unless it becomes a SL Licence criteria.

Sorry, but IMO the above is a cop out for being one of the poorest away supported clubs! Every fan of the game loves to be at a game where there is a vibrant crowd and atmosphere made up of both home and visiting supporters. In this era of new stadia that is upon us, how lifeless and dull would games be if supporters of every team took the same attitude and approach where only home support is important??? Fortunately they don't! Otherwise the game would have died years ago before TV....let alone SKY was even invented. Instead when new supporters first experienced that bouncing vibrant atmosphere and chanting between home and visiting support...it brought them back to the game time and time again. Why should that stop now?

When new young players are coming through the ranks, or kids in the crowd dreaming of representing their team...what sort of crowd atmosphere do you think they want to play in front of??? 7000 home plus 50 visiting fans....or 7000 home plus a strong visiting support?? I know which I'd enjoy the most!!

Sadly, we now live in SKY's pocket and all that goes with it where your postcode is more important than your attendance at a game. I'm sure that players play for...and appreciate support on the terraces and as supporters that counts for both home and away games IMO!

Sorry, but IMO the above is a cop out for being one of the poorest away supported clubs! Every fan of the game loves to be at a game where there is a vibrant crowd and atmosphere made up of both home and visiting supporters. In this era of new stadia that is upon us, how lifeless and dull would games be if supporters of every team took the same attitude and approach where only home support is important??? Fortunately they don't! Otherwise the game would have died years ago before TV....let alone SKY was even invented. Instead when new supporters first experienced that bouncing vibrant atmosphere and chanting between home and visiting support...it brought them back to the game time and time again. Why should that stop now?

When new young players are coming through the ranks, or kids in the crowd dreaming of representing their team...what sort of crowd atmosphere do you think they want to play in front of??? 7000 home plus 50 visiting fans....or 7000 home plus a strong visiting support?? I know which I'd enjoy the most!!

Sadly, we now live in SKY's pocket and all that goes with it where your postcode is more important than your attendance at a game. I'm sure that players play for...and appreciate support on the terraces and as supporters that counts for both home and away games IMO!