Quote The RFL has confirmed that, subject to fulfilling their minimum criteria, at least one Championship club will be awarded a Super League spot next March. The RFL has also confirmed Super League will stay at 14 clubs - leaving the current teams facing an anxious wait. '" news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_l ... 885900.stm Quote The timescale for awarding the next round of licences is also designed to assist the Championship. The chosen club will be told in March 2011, giving them extra preparation time for the 2012 Super League season, with the remaining applications not being considered until April and awarded in July. '" www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/georgeriley/ ... _will.html

Quote The RFL has confirmed that, subject to fulfilling their minimum criteria, at least one Championship club will be awarded a Super League spot next March. The RFL has also confirmed Super League will stay at 14 clubs - leaving the current teams facing an anxious wait. '" news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_l ... 885900.stm Quote The timescale for awarding the next round of licences is also designed to assist the Championship. The chosen club will be told in March 2011, giving them extra preparation time for the 2012 Super League season, with the remaining applications not being considered until April and awarded in July. '" www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/georgeriley/ ... _will.html

MEOW

that means its curtains for the wildcats.

its a sad day on a personal note that my stray friends willhave to go through this

Can we bin Crusaders, or is it too soon ?

Why guarantee one will drop out? It seems stupid to me if they are going to be stronger than the club coming up. If not then fair enough.

'At least one' is interesting - we shall see.

Because they don't want more than 14 teams at the moment but want to assure people that a route to the top flight still exists.

Are the 5 criteria:
1 Commercial, marketing, media and community.
2 Facilities.
3 Finance.
4 Governance and business management.
5 Playing strength and player performance strategy.

the same as headings used for current 10 areas then?:

Capacity of 12,000
Premier competition standard ground
Average crowd of 10,000
Operating at 40 per cent full
Turn over £4million
Solvent
Contribution to competition
Junior development
No salary cap breaches
No club within 20 miles

?

From the BBC story linked to

The whole point of franchising is to get the strongest clubs into Super League. Surely the reason everyone as to hand in an application is so that The RFL can decide which fourteen applications are best and give them the fourteen places. If they are going to give a place to a Championship club regardless of whether they have one of the best fourteen applications or not, then the application process is irrelevant and the point of franchising as been forgotten.

I would say no. The headings seem to include more scope.

I'd agree, by and large. I think they've made a rod for their own – and possibly others' - back with the statement last year that at least one Championship club was be guaranteed a place.

I think the RFL have set a rod for their own back. By all means - issue criteria - BUT make them guidlelines. Don't go making silly definate promises which may bite them on the bum in three years time. They need to make the system really vague in order to give them an easier passage through this horrendous minefield.

They'll learn next time.

Please God no - me and thee do NOT think alike !!!

The 10-point system was never used, it was made up by Angela Powers.

Well it was used to grade licenses once awarded, but no it wasn't a '10 points on offer from these criteria, get X amount and win a place in super league'.

Only one club meets the championship club criteria anyway. Coincidence?

No, absolutely not. That's fate mate

So, they will decide which Championship club WILL be promoted to SL in March - several months before they consider and decide upon the existing SL club applications.

Thus leaving the clear possibility that worst SL application is still better than the lucky promotee. Which I fancy would easily be worth a quick lawsuit, as perverse.

They don't even bother to explain why they have "confirmed" this certain promotion, let alone address the (obvious) potential legal morass it will raise. I find it unlikely in the extreme that the unlucky SL club that gets the boot will either agree that its application was inferior to the promotee, or will go quietly.

Especially as by "next summer" when it learns its fate, the said SL side will already have entered into contractual arrangements not least with players, sponsors etc which won't change the day they learn they are out and will all still need to be paid.

What a ludicrous and predictable mess.

The criteria, whilst at first glance looking rigid is actually quite subjective. Whose to say whose youth program is better than the other? The finances - can the losing club match Steve O'Connor's millions? etc....etc...

The RFL knew with a racing certainty that Widnes would be in a position to beat at least three current SL clubs.

The RFL certainly won't be making that promise again though.

Exactly Rich they'll know who they want in and will have compared that to a few 'at risk' SL sides and decided yes there better!

Plus the SL side will be told later so they don't lose sponsors & fans early in the season!

All playing contracts etc will be subject to holding SL status.... any clever SL club knowing they may be at risk will have done this... if not proof there not upto scratch really?

The race for oblivion is probably the most hottly contested competition in Super League at the moment, which is a sad state of affairs.

[uCrusaders[/u - After a promising start have nose dived crowd wise and have serious questions over their financial stability given the off field goings on there.

[uSalford[/u - With a new stadium they would be like a completely new franchise. Salford as they are now have about 1,500 supporters, a poor side, a poor youth production line and the worst facilities in SL. It's like their very existence has been geared around losing this fight. The new stadium [icould[/i solve their problems for them. Personally I'd like to see a new identity for them, something fresh and new. 'Trafford RL' sponsored by the Trafford Centre perhaps?

[uCastleford[/u - Inadequate facilities that will apparently be replaced with a new stadium. Political interference from their cousins could scupper their hopes. Crowds are reasonable and perhaps exceptional given the tin pot nature of Castleford the place. Attenandances are roughly 20% of the population aren't they? Doesn't scream potential to me, but they deserve their place if they can get a new stadium, but only if they can.

[uWakefield[/u - An utterly useless club at present. A new stadium could improve things but they aren't going to get one given the recent decision. They for me have got to be forerunners for imposed demotion.

[uHarlequins[/u - Another club who's performance on and off the field begs the question of whether they want a licence for Super League. They are one club in this list of undesirables that have made strides off the field. They have invested heavily in their youth setup and are now producing more first team players from their academy than Wigan. 10 years ago Wigan probably had 4 overseas players and Quins 10, now it's the opposite. BUT that improvement hasn't been matched by improvements to their matchday experience, their marketing and ultimately their attendances. I can't see how they are a long term option for SL as without an incredibly wealthy and generous benefactor they surely won't last long. I'd love to see their accounts, they must be losing hundreds of thousands per season.

[uCatalans[/u - Strong for a franchise operation in terms of attendances and community involvement but again their finances must be questionable. There were rumours of severe financial difficulties earlier this year and their Chairman has repeatedly threatened to walk away from the idea. Their disappearance would be an utter disaster for SL and make it a much more boring place.

For me one club that has gone from certain outs to certainties to stay are the Giants. They've improved their youth system, they've improved their first team, they've improved their crowds. Why can't the other sides listed above (Bar Catalans) at least try?

The Cas and Wakey merger has been muted by their council I believe. Common sense to me if they can come up with a name for it that means something to the people of that area.

My list for the chop:

1 - Wakey
2 - Salford
3 - Quins
4 - Crusaders
5 - Cas
6 - Catalans

Can the Wakefield fans shut the door on the way out please? We have plenty to discuss.

But it also raises the spectre of bringing up a side that deserves their place no more than those leaving. Toulouse whilst a positive for the competition would be fragile and Widnes would run mid/bottom of the table on the same 5/6k crowds and given their location and financial history I don't see any reason at all for them to be brought in.

Nail on head.

The RFL should scrap this pantomime so that fans can focus on the game in their respective competitions. Close the SL plughole and spin shut the Championship submarine hatch. If the RFL then want to invite/kick out a club in future, let them do it behind closed doors and by committee, with short sharp shock announcements.

widnes will replace on of salford, cas or wakefield. i think this is now for certain. those three super league sides have been deemed weakest by most who have an opinion for the past couple of years. the failure of any to deliver a stadium is a big problem for them, despite the state of the economy. salford, it seems have stolen a march on the stadium front, and have started recruiting big name players. it will be hard to chose between cas and wakefield. they have so many similarities, and that will go against one of them. so much store is set on the new stadium these days by the rfl. hkr will have to improve by the time the next applications come around. my thoughts are that we will lose one of the yorkshire sides. which one, as yetits too close to call.

There's only three in danger imo: us, Wakey and Salford

and no, neither the council nor anyone else has mooted a Cas-Wakey merger (well, anyone else who matters, not random posters on here

). The council did suggest one stadium development and a ground share: Wakey said 'not interested' and we responded with 'we'll press ahead with Glasshoughton). The bit question, imo, is what, if anything, happens with those stadium developments, esp Glasshoughton and Newmarket, but also Salford, between now and April. As a minimum, building work needs to be actually taking place (as for instance it will be at Saints

) - but we've known that for three years really.

I know that Cas and Wakey have promised new stadiums, but in the current financial climate this is proving very difficult and if any club were to be dumped just because of the ground issue it would be a lousy thing for the RFL to do. I cannot see why we don't select a NL1 side as indicated and have a 15 team division with a bye round for each. If the ground id the ONLY issue, it should be extended for the next franchise period which will hopefully lead to better financial times and allow clubs longer to raise the cash needed.