The most frustrating thing about the salary cap is that it’s been held at around the same level throughout Super League, so in real terms is well down from its previous level.

I’d like to see a formula introduced linked to the tv deal and number of home games. For example 80% of tv money +£50k per home game. So if the next tv deal gets SL clubs £2m per year each and they have 14 home games the salary cap would be £1.6m + £0.7m = £2.3m

Clubs cant afford 1.8m whats point in raising it to 2.3m??? Im totally lost

It should be raised by 10% per annum for at least the next 5 years & clubs should be obliged to spend at 85 to 90% of the cap level. Failure to spend should result in reduced central funding the following season.

I haven’t suggested increasing the cap to £2.3m, I’ve suggested creating a salary cap formula linked to the tv deal and the number of home games.

That’s a recipe for disaster though. With clubs forfeiting spending on infrastructure in order to meet the 85% rule.

For me it has to be a cap tied to income. It ensures clubs should be relatively financially sound and encourages increasing income.

As ive said before its easy for Leeds fans in a city the size of ours to say the cap should be based on income and others clubs should grow their income if they cant compete. Would you say that if you supported clubs like Salford, Huddersfield and Cas?

An income based cap wouldnt be a level playing field which is supposedly the whole idea of a salary cap.

We need to go back to licences and more importantly mergers. Then we can run the cap the way it should be, which is higher. We can’t compete with our number one competition globally because of it, so do something about it, don’t make it worse.

That’s all very well, but how would you like it if we were told to merge?

We wouldn’t. But regardless that is irrelevant, I would have the same view if I was a Wakey, Cas, or Salford fan. Licences should require a minimum standard, and if you can’t reach that as a single club, the other option should be explored.

Think we are heading into fantasyland again.....

Which club could merge with Salford to make them a sustainable enterprise going forward then???

If Cas and Wakey dont meet minimum requirements how would merging help? Sure they would have a bigger catchment area but nobody would be in the slightest bit interested in whatever name they come up with. They still wouldnt have a decent stadium to play in either.

The idea of merger assumes that there are other town /cities willing to take the place of one of the merged teams. there has een no evidence of this in the uk since the last licensing, only Toronto have come on board and we are at present unsure of their sustainability, mergers were rejected in Cas /Wakey /Fev, Hudds /Fax, Cumbria, Widnes /Leigh. The Hull /Gateshead was a disaster. Licensing did not work last time.

RL in common with all other sports including soccer and RU has been struggling for years to attract new players and spectators. The RFL recognised this over 10 years ago and identified one of the key problems as the amount of competition for the “leisure pound”, i.e. so many “new” ways for people to spend their time and money. Like other sports it hasn’t managed to react. What most have done is sell themselves to tv which in turn leads to decrease in live gates. It’s a vicious circle.