We get little to no national coverage as it is in the media, we go back to being a purely northern sport watch how quickly the southern based media dump RL even further down their priority lists.
The only way to get national recognition is to get a national side that wins trophies.
The only way to win trophies is to beat the Aussies.
The only way to beat the Aussies is to expand our player pool.
The only way to expand the player pool is to expand the game.

I'd say better utilise the game we have. For every player we secure at youth level theres generally another sat at home on the games console (either sex) Engage the parents in the club, we get both kids. Keep those kids engaged to adulthood, we get their kids too.

it's for the clubs that have the money at the top to do what it takes to be successful. When they have sufficient capital to support feeder clubs the money cascades. It's a simple model and it works in ARL and RU across the board. Question is, are any of the moeny men in the British game forward thinking enough to try it, and is the British RL fans willing to buy in?

Let's ask a question. If GH built an establishment such as the one in my link above. Would you use it exclusively knowing you were doing your bit for the club. (Open question to all those nearer to HQ)

Considering its location, I daresay it would be a student haven and as such probably very rarely empty.

I'd agree, but we have to expand as well simply to get the bigger national recognition, the media doesnt take note of anything until its going well in London or if the rest of the country are playing it.
If we simply stay as a sport around the M62 we'll never be taken seriously.

Ok let’s just get this right.

I’m not an anti- expansionist at all – I simply believe that the limited resources/income that the RFL have should be concentrated on an established market instead of unproven markets.

With unlimited finances I’d love to see RL as a national sport and love to see it played in every school in the country but as there is such strong competition in Football and RU I just think we’re setting ourselves up for a fall.

My last words on the matter, so there

I was at a Halifax game where they had a crossbar challenge, but you had to hit it twice in three attempts from forty yards. The bloke hit it with the first one, but missed with the rest.

Thanks for that.

They have a crossbar challenge in football (on Soccer AM) and all you win is a bloody t-shirt. And even then, it's not a supporter who has the chance to hit the bar.

Agree with all of that.

LS16 -Mate, you are in the minority here and I agree with everything everyone is saying.

We do have to remember some things about our game and these are the things that the RFU and IRB are most worried about. Our game is the better spectator game and is more consistent in the delivery of its product to that audience especially at club level. RU is a little more accessible as a game and can be played at an amateur level by a broad a range of abilities shapes and sizes and is in many cases the only choice at school. Also RU is complicated when it comes to rules and even people at a high level in the game don't know all of the rules. RL is easier to learn and play but gets tougher to play as kids get older unless you are, in general, large and quick!

We also have to remember that up until just maybe 4 or 5 years ago the top flight of club RU was attracting less people to watch than SL and RL was the countries second biggest weekly spectator sport after Soccer. Even now it is not by much the the Zurich Premiership beats SL in terms of average seasons crowds and we do this based on far less national media coverage and limited areas in which the game is played.

The biggest issue we do face is that until 15 years ago we did face almost institutional prejudice and persecution. However, that has gone now and it is going to take a long time to shake that off and also convince a London centric media we are worth talking about.

I have no doubt we will get there and also that if the RU is to continue to develop as it has in the last 15 years, then the game needs to become a better spectacle at club level. The Aussie RU know this and that is why they want the rules changing. I do believe that we will end up with one game again and it might take another 100 years but I also know they will be playing a game nearer to RL and not the game we RU now... so do the RFU!

Any time.

This one time, at band camp......

Yup. The missing punchline is that the quail in the announcer's voice when he hit it first time made me think that perhaps the Halifax club hadn't got all its ducks in a line for the prize. But overall, I think it's best if we all move along now.

I wonder if this will happen when I go to the Leeds Carnegie game on Sunday



[size=59I am only going because its free.....[/size

I played Union for years and hardly saw any fights. I had a couple when I played hooker, but it was all handbags. Having said that the first time I went up to watch our local club play the opposition prop was clearing out rucks by punching players on the floor and our 10 got sent off for t@ing him. Seems to have been a bit of a one off though.
I palyed against Warrington RFC once and they had drafted a few local RL players in the team. I never got tackled so hard - or so high.

Had the same at Widnes RU many moons ago - i think it ended up at an ironic 13 aside.

I've had as many fights playing RU as playing RL.

May be a regional thing though

In fairness to the RL lads I've played against, they hit harder and higher, but that was it - no nasty stuff.
I would have like to have played more league, my style suited it better I think.


Funnily enough my 6 year old lad has just come home from school with a flag from the aforementioned Saracens match. His mates Dad went last night and got him one!

On thats because you're a gobe and have a punchable face.

The system in Australia cannot be copied, but its not the 'clubs' that make the money, its the so-called 'Leagues clubs'. These are non-profit organisations attached to league clubs often only due to historic reasons. They make absolute bucketloads of cash via pubs and poker machines, and yet as they are non-profit they have to spend their money on things - generally sports and similar. The link is sometimes very strong but sometimes not - I know for a fact that the Penrith Leagues Club tried to sell off the Panthers some years ago. Most NRL teams would not survive financially without support from their Leagues club. Its one of the main reasons Souths went out a few years ago - they have no strong leagues club to prop them up.

Penrith Leagues Club in Sydney virtually owns their suburb. Up here in Queensland Redcliffe Leagues club own most of the sports grounds on the peninsula and sponsor heaps opf other sports as well as running a very good standard semi-pro team.

I understand that the number of RU teams run is very impressive - I think what we're lacking in the heartlands is accessing quality athletes, who aren't necessarily going to union at all - more likely they keep trying to become football stars or simply do the classic British athletic kid thing - sweet FA. I'd be willing to bet that if you went round schools in Leeds for example you could find a heap of big, strong and fast kids who aren't playing a sport to any level at all. Get some of them into the game via a pro club and you may see results - see Ryan Hall for what can happen even later than that.

BTW you cannot ignore the TV money when discussing the income of the game as a whole. That money would almost certainly be far less impressive were Cats, Quins and in the future Celtic not involved but replaced by the likes of Leigh and Widnes. And I'd bet that for most - if not all - clubs that Sky income is the by far the biggest and most certain form of revenue they get every year.

not sure I've ever taken a punch in the face on a rugby pitch. I must have a good duck

& at headingley we are reducing the opening of the southstand social club

Genuine question - where do the profits generated by Mr Eccles' Fine Ales Emporium go?

Is it owned by Leeds CF&A, Leeds Rugby Ltd or the brewery?