Quote ="The Ghost of '99"Can you name any other sport in which a segment of the fanbase is absolutely determined to kill off a bunch of clubs for "not pulling their weight"?
It's gone beyond some sort of strategic thinking (which generally shuffles mythical clubs and mythical fan bases around) to genuinely believing that the problem with British RL is that we have too many clubs. It's insanity of the highest order. The big clubs have failed to grow their audiences and revenues and have taken that out on the smallest ones, which in turn offer the most pound for pound value in their communities.'"
The problem is the bigger clubs have sacrificed income to support clubs that simply cannot survive without it - many of these clubs have been in existing for decades yet struggle to achieve crowds of 1,000 - how long do you go on putting good money after bad? Everyone suggest Cumbria is hot spot of RL yet none of the three clubs can attract a reasonable crowd.
The clubs can no longer compete for the talent with the NRL so we now attract second level players rather than the likes of Buderus, Lyon, Gidley, Barrett etc. It is no surprise that Sky want a reduction as the quality on the field is no what it was - so a smaller pot needs spreading even more thinly and we are on a downward spiral to no SKY and part time rugby. The championship has seen there is no broadcaster who is willing to pay to televise their games - Sky is the only game in town.
Maintaining as much money as possible in the Elite level is surely the best way of protecting full time RL - it is the only serious revenue stream the sport has. Its a simple choice protect the likes of Leeds/Wigan/St Helens etc. or spend the money on the likes of Hunslet, Keighley etc. Spend the money on developing young players of provide a resting home for players who can't make it at the top level or who can no longer cut it at the top level.
