[url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbulls/4760258.Hood_in_swipe_at_BBC_as_TV_debate_rages/Link[/url



Seems a lot of what he's saying is to try and earn brownie points with fans as well as looking to increase revenue for the game

The Challenge Cup early rounds to replace the "winter" Super league rounds, and the final back in May, would suit me just fine.



In fact, I reckon it's a brilliant idea. Not only would the tradition for a CC Final at Wembley in May be resumed, but all the clubs could hit the SL ground running after the early full-blooded Cup encounters.

I liked the final in May. April would do fine too.

It'd be better in a shorter format because it would feel more like a real tournament. Surely it'd be easier to sell to broadcasters on that basis too.



Amateur clubs taking part in the early rounds would be at the peak of their season when it begins too which would give them a shouting chance to get into the slightly later rounds when the semi-pro teams come onboard.



Also I hate the gaps when you go out of the cup and don't have another game for two weeks.

For once I agree 100% with you on this

hoods actually talking a lot of sense in that article. Imo cup has lost its appeal a lot since it moved to august. was much better in may and meant we had competitive pre-season games and a faster start to season proper.

So do I.



Gotta say though I agree pretty much with Hood on this one .

People are looking back on the cup with rose tinted spectacles, part of the reason the competition was moved back was that it had almost become a glorified pre season competition with low key, low quality games being played out in front of low attendances in often terrible weather.



The change has done nothing to arrest the decline in interest in the competition, and the decision to remove the final from the protected list means we have an ideal opportunity to scrap the cup once and for all, and move the start of the SL season into a more favourable spot.

Who's that, then, and what are they seeing?



So no rosy tints after all, then?



"We"? What a dumb move, to scrap our prime occasion and consign all its history to the dustbin. What a dumb move, to have just one single competition left, and nothing else at all to play for. I also reckon that you are one of those who is talking only about the final stages of the comp., and forgetting that practically every amateur team competes in the early rounds.



Could be done perfectly well without scrapping the Cup.



What has gone wrong with the Cup is marketing pure and simple. People can be persuaded to attend the semis in decent enough numbers and the Final speaks for itself, so the reason is not the competition itself.

To be honest I always worked on the principle that the tradition of the CC final came as being the big finale at the back end of the season, rather than the fact that it took place in May.



So its traditional place for me would actually now be in late September (so as not to clash with the GF). The logistics of the play-offs do prevent this of course. Not really sure about using the cup games as pre-season fodder, I seem to remember we`ve tried that and ditched it before?

I'd be all for the CC being on Sky instead of BBC. It would mean I'm getting more value for money out of the fee I'm essentially paying for Superleague and a little bit of football



I'd als prefer a May cup final as I've only made one cup final since the move to august



Add to that the half hearted coverage by the beeb, points more to this being a good idea IMO

Can't argue with the point about added value for those who have Sky.



Whether or not it's good for the game as a whole is very questionable IMO.

I subscribe to Sky too, but the point to me is what is best for the game, and not my own narrow financial interests. And I am firmly of the view that truly national exposure, whilst it may not be worth so many ££s to the RFL, is nevertheless worth its weight in taties for the sport.

:25qdb0mg

I tend to agree. Much as Sky do a terrific job in broadcasting SL, putting all the eggs in one basket isn`t good for business. Much as the BBC don`t [i:25qdb0mgexactly[/i

I used to think like that but now I think, we get just as much good publicity for the game by it being on in the pub on a Friday/Saturday night as we do from the BBC coverage.

As someone who's lived outside the heartlands for 25 years, I can assure you that we get virtually no publicity via the Sky games on a Friday night - you'd be hard pushed to find a pub that shows them in many areas.

.... is the point. You don't even have to travel that far to find Burton Albion v. Altrincham, or Parma v. Parmesan on the TV instead of a SL match.

The other aspect to the possible loss of terrestrial TV coverage ( I have SKY - no chuffin pubs down here ever have the RL on >icon_surprised.gif ) would surely be the potential impacts on the loss of exposure for sponsors . . . . and what implication that could have medium/long term.

Yep, would Carnegie want to sponsor the Cup if it doesnt have the same kind of exposure? Or at the very least on reduced terms you would imagine. IIRC the RFL were struggling for a suitable sponsor for the Cup when Carnegie took it, it'll be even harder to find one when its exposed to a far smaller audience.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!



. . . . . I must be turning Rhino!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's ok you're only human, its a natural reaction.





[size=25Post 2003 anyway

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