Not a debate for morality or how it would happen just curious if after coaches have started to come out and comment on it if people believe there is more substance?

Doesn't the RFL have final say anyway? They seem keen on phrases such as "the integrity of the competition". I'd say it's unlikely. Whatever, I hope they clarify asap.

Well, I think SL is staying the same for 2018 with a restructure in 2019, possibly with a return of some form of structured licencing but given a different name and trying somehow to keep an element of jeopardy.

I think there will be a restructuring of League 1 in 2018 to make that environment more viable for the smaller and expansion teams.

Where I'm unclear is if this restructuring of League 1 for 2018 and then SL in 2019 will mean a restructure of the championship in 2018 or 2019 and what form it takes.

But there is clearly something happening, and given our unerring downwards trajectory its unavoidable that we'll be caught up in it and people will use it as another stick to hit us with no matter what the actual reasoning and effect good or bad on us and the game as a whole.

TBH I don't care one iota what ignorant fans of other clubs think.

oh I agree, might make your moderator job a bit trickier mind

Bring it on!

Im with you on this. The idiots are all so ignorant to the situation we are in and cant see past their own vendettas thinking we have actually been helped by the RFL. If we get a reprieve might even go on their boards wishing them luck when they play us

I'll be there with you.

Nobody in RL truly gives a stuff about any other team except their own. This includes those in charge and running said clubs. We learned this years ago with the central funding farce.

If we end up staying in the championship because of a last minute restructure I won't agree with the decision, but then I also didn't agree with the decision to [ikeep[/i us in the championship this year either.

Yes

Taking your various posts on this at face value, a couple of questions you may or may not want to answericon_wink.gif

1. Will this mean Bradford Bulls playing in the 2ND tier in 2018?
2. How do you know this?
3. When will we all get to know officially?

Ta.

I don't actually doubt there will be some re-organisation as there's been too much talk to think otherwise, but whether it is at the end of this season is maybe more open to doubt. Maybe it will kick in sometime around next April? The first seems somehow appropriate..

I have said no simply because I am usually always wrong about these things. If I say no then it will happen and we stay in the Championship.

No.

Don't particularly care. The game is boring on the whole. Has been for a long time.

I've never known anything so amateurish. Can you imagine any other sport being run like RL is?

But Bulls for champs surely? Not Bulls for Champs 1

The question was will restructuring happen - the obvious answer is of course it will.

RL is a sport in decline and needs a rethink, licensing will come back and I have no idea why it was abandoned - other than for a clamour for manufactured P+R, which achieves absolutely nothing when there are only 3-4 clubs outside of SL capable of sustaining top flight rugby.

If a team with a rich owner comes along now and then and they want a ticket to the party, manage their entry and expand the league to accommodate them, so many examples of successful expansion in other sports - but there are only so many players to go around.

True enough, Frank.

On there, "only being enough players to go round," I think the idea is that totally new clubs, from areas outside the usual 'heartland' areas first become established within their own communities and then start to recruit locally. Obviously this won't happen overnight or even over a 'a few' years, but the hope is that when new areas, or countries, take up the game as a spectator interest then interest in playing the game will naturally follow. Whether we can cope with the interim period is the big test, particularly if we try it in too many new areas at the same time.

Hearing that two divisions of 14 for championship and league 1, to be announced after the championship shield final.

I don't what that means for the Bulls, neither did the chap who works for the club who told me at today's game.

He also suggested SL will expand to 14 teams under licencing, from 2019 with all teams required to run Academies and Reserve teams and meet minimum stadia standards - hinted that some merger discussions would be encouraged by the RFL to make some teams stronger.

Back to the future eh!

IF it goes to 12/14/14 then you'd have to think there would be no relegation from the Championship. Relegating the Bulls and Oldham and promoting Whitehaven and York would seem a bit silly, frankly.

Obviously still an IF...

So basically reversing all the changes they made over the last 5 years


What a shambles.

A 14 team championship, Bulls saying at least 13 home games next season. Are the jigsaw pieces been put together yet

Well was speaking to a friend of mine at our game yesterday who knows and used to play with jas. he was speaking to him and said that he was adamant the bulls were t going down. Make of that what you will but if the chairman is going round making such noises surely there's something in it

Is your 'n' key broken?

Has someone been clearing the Gregg's bags off of Nigel's desk and found the original SL plans?