Indeed, and this is why a long-term perspective is needed, rather than knee jerking and calling for Featherstone to be promoted to Super League.

Exactly, the work thats being done in schools and at amateur level in London will bear fruit in years to come, just as it will in Wales with the Crusaders.

Shouldn't have been allowed.

Thankfully again TVOC proves to be the voice of reason and adds some statistics to the debate.

Can't believe this has 4 pages already.

I'm delighted the RFL have taken an expansionist stand as without it I fear for the long term future of RL. How long would Sky continue to put money into a game that's based soley round the M62 corridor?

I can't afford to do the 400+ mile round trip to watch Leeds every week and get virtually every Friday off work. But with Quins, and this is purley on a selfish level, I can still watch top quality RL live.

I was at the match last night, and whilst there weren't huge numbers there, the atmosphere was better than I've experieced sat in the North or Carnegie stands at Headingley.

My reaction is far from a knee jerk my friend, I have held these beliefs since visiting Brentford in 2004 when there were more Leeds fans than Broncos.

From that point to today I have wondered what ‘London’ have brought to the party.

Impressive, Leeds must have bought over 2500 supporters that day then. I was at that game actually on the Leeds terrace - it wasn't even full.

Have another read around this thread and maybe you'll pick up on a few things to justify our existence.

Ok so I may have exaggerated a little but nothing that has been said on here will currently swing my opinion.

After nearly 20 years of existence you have failed to produce ANY credible English (GB) representatives. Your visiting attendance is poorer than heartland clubs and your away support is appalling.

There are far more worthy contenders for a franchise place than Harlequins RL.

Here's my take on it :

1 - Get the name 'London' back in the team name, even if it is London Harlequins

2 - Get plugging the game with the 60K or so Aussies who live & work in London. They even have their own magazines that are distributed free and London hardly ever used to use those to promote themselves.

3 - Brace yourself for this one ....Get a SECOND SL team in the Captial. It is too big for one and Quins sink without trace due to wendyball. Reckon there'll be a decent crowd on Maunday Thursday Vs Bradford ... You betcha ! Even with the patchwork season both teams are having, there'll be thousands there because they're local rivals and 'hate' each other. You can't hate your local rivals who are 190 miles away.

4 - Support the lower professional levels of the game in London, such as Skolars and get Hemel Hempstead in to the NL2 structure. This at least gives players who can't progress at the top level the option to still play professional RL, without having to move north.

5 - Stay playing Test Matches in London in a regular basis, but make them 'cheap' to attend for fans in the heartland .... Lots of people + full grounds might make the media take notice

6 - When it comes to London media, start pushing at ES level not the local shopping centre rag.

7 - Make the London weekend an 'event', just in the same way that the Catalans game is something you make a weekend out of rather than just for the day.

8 - Undertake a few Crusaders style publicity stunts .... Any Union players kicking their heels in London, who might make a few headlines by signing ?

9 - Stop stupid kick off times in the captial (Sky could help here) by not making games end when it is impossible to get home by train.

10 - Get their own ground ... How about putting in for the Olympic Stadium after 2012 ?

No I am not but it was something I was told whilst out last night in the company of a few fans of various clubs. The person who told me is usually reliable and not subject to hyperbole.

Must resist urge for cheap joke.....................

Righto.

Who?

Yes.



No, for a number of reasons - we don't have any Australian players to "draw" Australian supporters anymore. Print media is still too expensive for us at the moment. We need long term supporters, not transitionals.



Yeah why not, can't see it ever happening but a fun idea anyway.



Can't disagree with this either, it's already been done though, our link up with the Skolars provides our club with very little but helps them out.



100% agree.



ES level?



This is why I find it is frustrating that the club choose 2pm on a Sunday for the majority of our games to be staged.



We're skint already, even after getting rid of Robinson at the beginning of the season. Nice idea, but it won't happen in the forseeable future.



Well its not impossible for home supporters, who we should be focusing upon as they should make up 80% of the gate, minimum.



No no no no no. Moving again is NOT an option. Our ground is one of the best in SL, I do not see any benefits in moving elsewhere.

In my eyes there is a single contender in Widnes, maybe Halifax, but not this time round.

Ditto.

Evening Standard ... You do live in London, don't you ?



If not the ES, then one of the other free-sheets looking for a different angle ?

Ahhh yes! Doubt we could afford that either. Sadly most options that are there are not viable down due to our woeful finances



Our marketing needs to be far more integrated, rather than just trying blind advertisements in random publications.

Quote ="Dave Lister"maybe Halifax'" As poor as Harlequins have been for most of this season to date I don't think they would lose a must win home cup game to the Hunslet Hawks. Northern Rail Cup - Cross-group match Halifax 36 Hunslet 42 ..... Att: 1,771 www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/results/

Quote ="Dave Lister"maybe Halifax'" As poor as Harlequins have been for most of this season to date I don't think they would lose a must win home cup game to the Hunslet Hawks. Northern Rail Cup - Cross-group match Halifax 36 Hunslet 42 ..... Att: 1,771 www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/results/

Catalans are a disgrace, kick them out and get leigh in now. That NRL is a bloody embarresment as well, total failure.

Who says anything about 'afford' ?

As for the marketing in random publications, they've been like that since I lived down there 10 years ago ....

When it comes to ex-Union players, there's nothing to stop some smart PR on the back of some players only to withdraw at the last minute. Ellery Hanley to American Football, anyone ?

Barrow (when new grounds built), Widnes, Halifax?

Hunslet, Wigan St Judes, Leigh East, Milnrow, Thatto Heath, Shaw Cross, Dudley Hill, Moldgreen.

I joke but you get out collective point.

I would love to see Cumbria have a team in sl

A Cumbrian franchise for a start.

Edit: Must read full thread before wading in.

Yeah and does it actually work? We were sponsored by TNT and that didn't do us any good! It doesn't work, especially in today's society.