Still not convinced it will make the game better and bring in big money and sponsorship, even more so after listening to the CEO on the red button after the game yesterday, as I said these ideas were floated by Scottish Football, why was Nigel Woods ever asked to complete a review of the game when he is part of the current failure, the problem is he is CEO and in discussions too many creep up to him and he tried to creep up to Jon Wilkin yesterday in the debate.

The game needs a Jon Wilkin or Robbie Hunter Paul to be in charge, someone who has played the game and has a modern approach to sport and RL in particular, the work Jon is doing with the players union may be good stead but we need someone now, the old brigade who have allowed RL to deteriorate sponsorship, media coverage, running of big games need to go NOW before any change is even taken one step further!

He wasn't it was Maurice Watkins that reviewed it and gave his recommendations, these proposals have come from that report.

A well thought out post.

It makes me wonder why the RFL renewed the Sky deal so early with only a small improvement in the cash, as these plans require a new format of funding.

Current SL Teams that fail to make the split i.e. the bottom 4, and don't get into the top 12 the following season will find it impossible to stay full time you only need a re-building period where results are poor.
Perhaps it could work if the new format starts when the sky deal ends and then we could look to Premier as well as Sky, and perhaps the BBC for the lower divisions.

Option 2 won't work without extra dosh either as the two teams which go to "SL2" having to share their Sky money with the rest is a non-starter.

Maurice Watkins did the governance report which was completed in July 2012, but structure etc just completed has been very much in the hands of Nigel Woods.

Whoever did the report the first conclusion should have been it is time for Change and someone with fresh ideas and competence to take over the running of The RFL.

www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/spo ... eadership/

www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/spo ... eadership/

I imagine the concern of many is the way the governing body is controlled at the highest levels by individuals, who did not inspire confidence at their respective clubs. Ralph Rimmer formerly Huddersfield is basically an enforcer for Nigel Wood ex Halifax. The framing for the future forced clubs to improve stadium facilities which would have been a good initiative if it was consistent, however it seems only to have been foisted upon the Lancashire clubs. Little improvement has been made to Yorkshire grounds and that strategy now seems to have fallen away. Influential owners with significant investment seem to be driven into a corner by the majority of clubs who still lurch from crisis to crisis but understand that safety is in numbers and do not want change. That is why some form of promotion and relegation is vital even if it does require defined criteria to be met. The top eight especially is reward for failure and does not and will not work. The Championship play-off cannot see Leigh play Halifax or Fev every season to win a cup and ten grand but then same as you are next year boys.

I've just stuck that on the VT as I thought it was worth discussing across the board although knowing the kind of comments that tend to arise on RL Fans I might be indulging in some wishful thinking!

Why I tend generally to stick to here!

TS is spot on though. I'm sure Saints feel the same way too.

The one thing about Tony is he understands how the game works or doesnt

There is merit in what TS says, however, in his questioning of the leadership, he comes back with not being sure about a leader that gives 3 options, rather than just telling people the way it should go.

I take a bit of an issue with this, because it's fine to say show leadership, but SL is set up to negate the leadership of the RFL.

The chairmen make the rules. The RFL would look very weak to come out with a plan, only for a majority of the SL clubs to eject the plan. The RFL is a strong advisory body to the SL chairmen, who in the end are the decision makers and the sole people responsible for the state of our game after many years of SL.

SL clubs harp on at the RFL as it's an easy target. They can direct fans fury at the RFL as the governing body, but fail to set up and take responsibility for voting in all these systems.

As for the comment about us needing a John Wilkin in charge. Please no! On that forum yesterday, he was talking about watching other sports and how tight the marketing was, and how RL needs more of that, then said, I've no idea about how that would be done.

That's basically what fans do. We need this, we need that, we've no idea how to fund it or what effect it will have,, but we can shout from the side lines and say we need it.
I need a million pounds, I've no idea how to get it, but I need it!!!

He said he didn't have any idea about marketing. However, he is very good at communications. He is a natural in front of the camera. Whenever the RFL wheel someone out, with the exception of Blake Solley, they look and sound like they work for accounts in the local council. Jon Wilkin would be a superb communications man for the RFL.

We have got to move away from the flat cap image those running the game are stuck in! I said in my response on the Warrington Guardian website last night, Jon may not be ready yet, the final product, but as he brings his playing days to an end he could be training ready!

Back in the late 80's early 90's I did an Australian postal sports marketing/admin correspondence course with the late Peter Deacon ex Bulls & then Union, the report I did was taken up by Wigan and though I had a great job in radio I went for an interview, but even Maurice at that time did not want to move so quickly and catch up with the Aussies who were light years ahead.

Something has to happen now to get rid of the old brigade, we need fresh blood with imaginative ideas who will be excited in what they are doing, staying like we are plodding along is No Longer an Option!

I've no problem with Wilkin as a front man, but I would not have him as an idea's man. He speaks very clearly, but it's a bit different being asked your opinion on something as a pundit and being questioned and asked to come up with idea's, that can be funded.

It's the difference between those politicitions who are out of power and promise the world and those in power, who have to fund promises, which means finding the money or taking the money away from someone to give to someone else.

That's what I mean about marketing, it's fine to say we need better marketing, but someone has to get paid for doing that, if better marketing costs say £1million, that has to come from somewhere either a new revenue stream or taking it away from someone else ie the clubs. If that marketing only adds a few thousand here or there, is it money well spent??

The money for increased and better marketing has to come from increased sponsorship! which Nigel Woods & his team have failed miserably in the past few seasons to understand how to sell. The only serious money coming in to the game currently is from Sky, we can't survive that way. The way we handle national media is a joke, every time we stage an event say the Super League season launch it is so amateur. Until we get real professionals this side will never improve and it the same people who are coming up with crazy ideas to restructure the game, it is no wonder the stick they have come in from in the weekly RL media today, but they seem like Teflon that it does not affect them in the least and the club let them continue to run the game of RFL??

Really good point but the art is to have the majority of clubs on your side. The Yorkshire clubs protect the Leeds powerbase. The governing body would be better based in Huddersfield the birthplace or even Manchester with no club link.

What we need is a man with vision like Dana White. He took a failing sport with no commercial TV worth, adjusted and turned MMA (UFC organisation) into one of the most exciting and highly sought after sports in the world.

There is only one way RL will stay relevant and that is to mirror the Aussies, somehow we need to convince the broadcasters that a vastly increased TV deal is needed. The game needs money to keep its best British players and it needs money to attract the best overseas players. The problem is do we have the ability to convince Sky, BT, Premier Sports, ESPN to see the benefit of SL being the Premier League of RL? It's never going to happen but that's the only option for our game if it is to survive as a competition of any quality. With all due respect, the top clubs can't possibly justify £25 a game to watch a team of Chamionship quality players, which is where we could end up inside 5 years.

I still think we need to push a shortened version of the game. For me the issue is reach. We cannot reach a wide enough audience when there is such a geographical gap between the game and the audience.

People want to be able to get involved and for me the shortened version of the game is the key to this. I know that die hards will say the product we have is good enough, but just like in cricket a shorter sharper version of the game is something you can take on the road and get people to buy into.

The big issue is players. Who would play and will the clubs release them?? If you want innovation then you have to accept changes and as the option 3 idea shows anything that requires a change away from the norm gets blasted by coaches and fans.

But with a 7's game you could take it on the road, play it indoors. There are various options open to it. Just like boxing you would get several quick games on the card. But you have to free it up to allow the players to keep some of the money. That's where the issue is for clubs. If the players are earning in the shortened game does it threaten the larger game? That's why our current 7's tornements are held in RL heartlands on a wednesday night with no great players playing.

Except RL plays 9s.

What a load of tosh. The ONLY way to get more sponsorships is to make the game more competetive and entertaining. You cant sell a turd !!!! or a shortened version of a turd !


3/4 of the season is irrelevant and it shows. Appart from the top 3 nobody is interested in hub and cup because they know its impossible.

80% of clubs can't invest because they simply dont have the money

Whilst youngsters need to be developed and some will excel they can't be the focus of top tier rugby.

My opinion ( after all thats what a forums about)

1 Get rid of Stevo and the Club Call.

2 Get back to a situation where the referees apply the rules and not their opinions. There is only 1 interpretation (Stevo). Its based on writen english and why rules are written.

3 Change the TMO rules so that refereees have to be specific about what they are questioning and limit the TMO to that specific question, its ridiculous that TMO's replay the last play and referee the whole thing again. If the ref missed it. He missed it

4 get back to a league being a league that means something scrap the playoffs

4 Create a super cup for the top 8

6 Change the distribution of cash from sky and league ( not sure how this currently works):- so

6a a proportion of the money is means tested and payed according to need. Including a proportion to support the youth development.

6b a proportion of the money is performance related and payed on results

7 Return to promotion and relegation for those clubs that can provide the necessary facilities

Then maybe in a few years we might start to compete with football and RU.

I stopped reading the second time you appeared to insist that Stevo runs the game. Sorry to break this to you, but he's a tv commentator.

There is nothing wrong with the current set up. There is promotion and relegation, it's just that the RFL have not had the balls to relegate either Cas or Wakey. If a SL had gone in either of the licencing periods, there would have been a clear gateway for Championship clubs to get promotion.

The three year licencing period has allowed teams like Wakey, Cas, London etc to give youth players a chance rather than fill their squads with journeyman Aussies like they did when they were under yearly threat of relegation.

My thoughts would be:

Drop the league to 12 and have the top 6 play off (though I still think I preferred the 5), this rids us of the ridiculous club call.
To ensure that every game remains competitive, have one of the relegation criteria as average points per game. Lowest contributes to relegation, that should go a way to stopping teams coasting towards the end of the year.

Just get rid of Wigan, that would lift the dark cloud covering the sport.

You don’t really mean that, who would you slag? I wouldn’t want a league with you men. It’s a love to hate thing. By the way, that rain cloud you’re on about, it’s not rain Saints can feel, its Wigan doing something else on you.

Meh. The lovely roof on our brand new stadium (that we own all by ourselves) keeps the rain out very nicely thank you. You're not getting too cold sleeping under that box are you?