www./feature_1659- ... or-sl.html "A possible scenario would undoubtedly be a Cumbrian franchise with Barrow, Whitehaven and Workington acting as feeder clubs - however, would these clubs be happy with this scenario?" Has to be the way forward - would be brilliant if Cumbrian RL could reach their potential. The indivdual clubs have to put their own agendas to 1 side for the sake of the game!

www./feature_1659- ... or-sl.html "A possible scenario would undoubtedly be a Cumbrian franchise with Barrow, Whitehaven and Workington acting as feeder clubs - however, would these clubs be happy with this scenario?" Has to be the way forward - would be brilliant if Cumbrian RL could reach their potential. The indivdual clubs have to put their own agendas to 1 side for the sake of the game!

We haven't had this one for at least a month now.............

Welcome to the last 15 years.

The odds of the various Cumbrian clubs setting aside their own ambitions to work together for the good of the game in the area are pretty lengthy.

You've then got the issue of where a Cumbria franchise would play - folk from Barrow won't go watch a team based at Whitehaven and vice versa. You can't take games "on the road" as you would need each venue to be up to SL standard which would cost a forrtune.

And move the towns in question closer together, and find more people to live in the area, and improve the terrible road that links south and west cumbria.

Other than that yeah, its just the clubs agendas to worry about.

What are the populations of the various towns and how far apart are they from each other?

Workington to Barrow is 60 miles. Setting aside the distance the roads are atrocious and it can often take 2 hours to travel between the 2 towns. I can get to Wigan, St Helens or Warrington from Workington in much the same time as it takes to get to Barrow.

Barrow could be in Super League off their own bat come the next licences.

Rather than merge, Barrow simply have to get there and fill the other towns with scouts/dev officers/whatever and basically take their best talent. Still a Cumbrian side and might struggle for fans.

The entire population of Cumbria is similar to that of Bradford, around the 500,000 mark. Unfortunatley for Cumbria this is spread over a massive county.
All rugby League fans would love them in, but its no use having them if they cant compete on and off the field. Cant see any of the 3 making a longterm go at it on their own nor agreeing a compromise in the near future.

What's the population of London? How many turn up to Quins games?

Dont compare our good friends from Cumbria to Londoners!

I can't see 'county' teams working in RL just because of the rivalries. The yorks/lancs thing never worked because most side's main rivals are within their own county.

As far as the cumbrian clubs go, why does everyone think that its super league or nothing? A strong cumbrian presence in the championship and below of well-run clubs with good attendances and productive youth systems will still play a major part in the development of the sport.

And what makes people think that barrow/workie/whitehaven fans will stop watching their team and start watching a super league team. ?Is it something they put in the water in super league or something?

If a cumbrian side does get in to super league, it needs to be one of the existing ones.

How will they get there? Wait for it - and don't be scared - by being promoted to replace the worst team in super league.

Bit left field i know, but it does happen successfully in more minor sports to rugby league, like football, cricket, rugby union etc......

Does anyone else think they are (Barrow) already in?

I just wondered if Des Johnston let it slip when they interviewed him last week straight after the game on sky.Rod Studd asked him about applying and he said "we are already in arent we". A slip or tongue in cheek i wonder.

I'm sure super des could arrange it!

Aren't Barrovians really from Lancashire !

The ones born before 1974 are.

As for Des's quote on the TV after the final......I think he was making a joke about the fact that we had just won the Grand Final and in other years that would've meant promotion to SL.

Once again, self interest kills the game.

They are already in the application process by way of appearing in the GF. The need for a new stadium/current revamp now stands in the way of a successful application.

I could see Barrow making the grade, re-branding as "Cumbrian Knights" and there being another club started called Barrow (probably amateur).
I could also see younger/newer/occaisional fans of the other Cumbrian sides starting to support this "new" club as their SL club, even if it only extends to a club shirt and follwing them on SKY.

I can't really see that happening.

Your opinions probably do just as much damage to the game over here.

Well my widely distributed views and opinions on the horrific state of the game are meant to crush the spirits of the British nation as a whole.

The game itself is just part of the collateral damage.

I could see your drug habit turning into something dangerous.
I could see you finding your way onto a computer and coming up with even dafter ideas than this one.

Neither Whitehaven nor Workington will ever get into SL, and I think a lot of their fans not only know that but also don't seem to mind it. Barrow won't make it either, there are other cliubs in front of them despite their fantastic improvements this year.

Given the distance from Barrow it's probably safe to exclude them from this and concentrate on haven and town.

About a year ago I was trawling their fans websites and opinion seemed to be split 50/50 at both clubs regarding a new, independent, club being set up to play in SL with haven and worky playing in the championship. The hardcore fans of those clubs seeing it that way is interesting because they are the ones you'd expect to be most against it.

However the opinion that really counts from a business perspective, and will make or break any potential SL club, is not the combined 3,000 or so that follow those clubs at the moment but the 165,000 people living in Copeland and Allerdale that don't go and watch them. Everyone knows how popular RL is in the area, and that the amateur scene still produces talented players, but people are unlikely to go and support a neighbouring town in SL at the expense of their own. If that love of RL can be translated into support for a team that doesn't step on the toes of traditional loyalties then there is the potential for a strong SL club in West Cumbria.

And if it turns out that respected and influential members of the local amateur RL scene are involved in this project (which seems to be the case) then that surely would only increase it's chances of success?