As many people may know the Championship Tiers of rugby are to be Renovated in 2013

[urlhttp://www.therfl.co.uk/news/article/23820/bold-future-awaits-new-look-championships[/url
The RFL have noted that;


With the RFL's confirmation of World Cup Venue's including Bristol, Limerick & Avignon, this lead me to believe, that atleast 1 teams from within each of these 3 regions will be instated into the Championship 1 in 2013, as well as Toulouse Olympique.

I started to do some research into Rugby League teams in these area's and have come to the conclusion that

Avignon;
Sporting Olympique Avignon XIII - [urlhttp://www.soavignon.com/[/url
Currently 2nd in the French Elite 2011-12

- Quote from [urlhttp://www.soavignon.com/rubrique/141-historique.html[/url

Bristol;
Bristol Sonics- [urlhttp://www.bristolsonics.com/[/url
RLC West Midlands Division: 2007, 2008
RLC Midlands Premier: 2011

- Quote from [urlhttp://www.therfl.co.uk/news/article/bristol-make-rugby-league-world[/url

Limerick;
Treaty City Titans - (no current Club website(of my knowledge))
Irish Elite League Winners (4): 2005,2006,2007,2009

- Quote from [urlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limerick[/url

I base my selection of Toulouse Olympique on the fact they have previously played in the Championship (past few seasons)

What are your Views on this? Am i reading to far into the selection process of the RFL? Did i let my own personal excitment get the better of me?

You must have missed when this was announced about a month ago, along with the 7 potential expansion clubs.

I know that they had released the statements about expanding the Championships but i must of missed the announcement of which clubs have been selected to enter the Championships.

Do you have a link?

sportinglife.aol.co.uk/rugby-lea ... ship-plans

sportinglife.aol.co.uk/rugby-lea ... ship-plans

Cheers mate.

Kinda makes the playoff final for Champ One next year a bit redundant. Both teams go up either way!

Can see your point but surely a team would still rather be promoted as champions rather than runners up

The champions (league leaders at the end of the regular season) have not been involved in the Championship 1 play-offs, which has been used purely to decide the second team to be promoted. Effectively the play-offs will now be used just to decide 2nd & 3rd place, with both teams promoted, together with the champions and a fourth team.

Sounds good. Expansion can only be a good thing if we get it right.

LE reported this week that Northampton are set to be the first 'franchise'.

You'd think for next year CC1 would have a play-off for the Champions then.

Maybe someone should email the RFL in this?

This a death sentence for the existing CC1 clubs who do not make the four next season.

I know winning fees, what a pain. I remember Highfield (I think) sacking their coach because they broke a 23 game losing run and the directors had to pay £110 winning pay each.

Your lot will be alright. The Championship 1 is a struggling comp anyway, this could spark some life into it.

Travelling to all four corners of Britain to watch what is in effect a back door way of being relegated to the amateur ranks is just what we need.
The RFL have tried to cure the lack of meaningful fixtures in CC at the expense of CC1.

Am I missing something here? I'd have thought an increase in numbers to Championship and Championship 1 would be a good thing as more fixtures can be played to increase revenue, along with expanding the game from the bottom up.

Or are all the traditionalists on strike today?

If they were to suddenly replace Leeds,W1g4n,Hull and Warrington with ( no disrespect to these clubs inteded ) Dewsbury , Rochdale , Workington and Doncaster into SL , would it improve things ?

Would attendances rise ? , would clubs be able to bring in extra sponsorship on the back of these clubs inclusion ?

Well that is essentially what they are going to do , all at once

Growing the sport will always be a good thing as long as its done right unfortunately they've gone about it the wrong way until now. good luck to all the new clubs that join the pro ranks and may the best clubs win on merit.

Who is going to be replaced?

The 4 clubs ( all probably heartland going off last years results ) that will be ' promoted ' to the Championship , leaving 2 ' historic ' clubs in with 8 Expansion/New clubs

So you think that the difference between the four promoted Championship 1 clubs and the four new teams will be equivalent to that between Wigan and Rochdale? That's ridiculous even by your standards.

I don't understand some of you, there's always cries to expand and build RL in this country yet in the same breath condemn any actual plans that attempt it.

I don't see how this is anything like replacing a SL giant with an unknown, nobody is being replaced at all as far as I can see. Promoting more clubs into a higher division at the expense of none is hardly a bad thing, is it?

Well yes actually , I do , ridiculous as you might suggest , it is , we have clubs that essentially have a hundred year history , and small but loyal fan bases , being replaced by clubs that haven't , ok change who for who , then , Batley,Keighley,white haven and Leigh into SL ?

I'd hardly describe , Dewsbury,Dale and Workington as ' unknown ' , let alone Doncaster

It just seems to be perhaps too much all at once , yet again a knee jerk reaction , rather than a long term plan

Ideally you have a pyramid structure to sport with small steps between levels , but this will further open up gaps within the sport

That's the plan, all tied in with the move to summer in the community game.

Right. So despite the fact that many of the clubs operate on a shoestring budget and play in tiny towns in front of sub-1,000 crowds, they are somehow more important because they have 'history', and even though that history has seen them get absolutely nowhere and they still play in tiny towns in front of sub-1,000 crowds, this means that the impact on them leaving the league would be equivalent to Wigan leaving Super League and being replaced by Rochdale.



FWIW, three of the ten CC1 clubs this season have a hundred year history. You're just talking absolute garbage as usual.