My point entirely.

It would send a huge message out as well if we dropped the word "rugby". The cynics that are our own fans will see it as a "defeat", but I'd say it's a message of intent. We don't want to be associated with the other code. We don't have any intention of "merging" to become one code. We don't want to be considered a "code" of rugby. We are our own individual sport.

Unfortunately I think we'd struggle to get a name that everyone would agree on.

it's negative talk that like that makes RL go nowhere.

If you like RL, you'll get behind it, promote it, and make it distinct from anything else. It's far to easy to simply sit back and say "naaaah, what if it doesn't work?"

I actually like that.

Rugby League was re-named in 1996, and is now called [i"Super League"[/i.

The name [i"Rugby League"[/i still exists at the lower Championship level, but that is dying by the day and is regarded by Super League chairman as [i"a waste of time and money"[/i anyway. Pretty soon (20 - 30 years) the term [i"Rugby League" [/imay only exist at an amateur level.

Nothing outside of Super League has any importance or meaning any more. Even the Challenge Cup is quickly losing its lustre.

Very rarely do I use emoticons, but post such as these usually deserve the following two:

Rugby League is pretty much all about Super League, at a professional level. Below that we are losing clubs and seeing the rest struggle to survive. You may regard that simply being dismissive is a reasonable riposte but, to me, it simply underlines the arrogance and flippant attitude to the game outside of Super League and actually proves my point.

I dunno, there seems to be interest/hope in Championship 1 expansion.

That really isn't going to make much difference to struggling Championship clubs. It is just more likely to put an even greater strain on them, though extra travel costs and little or no away support.

Championship clubs are struggling to entice anything but the die-hard supporters, because there is no P&R and a system that will always be rigged in favour of expansion clubs.

This may well be the way to go for RL, but try and tell that to the supporters.

My initial comment may have been a little tongue in cheek, but it isn't too far wide of the mark. Rugby League [iis[/i Super League now.

Is that because it is the only professional level?

Below the top level we have always seen clubs struggling to survive and we have lost plenty of clubs over the years. When are these halcyon days of a healthy second and third tier of financially stable and growing clubs you are remembering?

So all these threads about the Four Nations are discussing Super League? I would have said they are discussing International [iRugby League[/i

Lower league clubs are struggling far more these days, with 2 or 3 clubs going into administration or out of existence every season. We are now in a situation where there is no P&R, and even being the best team doesn't gain a club access the the top flight. That does affect the way you can sell it to the public.

I am only stating the situation as you have done yourself, that lower league RL has become irrelevant. Well that is finally filtering down to the support of lower league clubs, and we are looking to be in a position when RL, outside of SL, will be played exclusively by amateur clubs. Without some source of significant central funding, it just doesn't look sustainable, even at semi-pro level.

There are clubs that have been at this level whom, via P&R are now contributing to Super League. Those days may be at an end soon.

I am not saying that the licence process is wrong for the sport as a whole, it could be the only route left open to us (I do admit that I prefer P&R though) I am merely stating the situation as I see it.

Aye, such as it is

I think that is massively disingenuous to pretend 2 or 3 clubs are going into administration every season since franchising, we have had only 3 and they have, unfortunately, coincided with a massive worldwide recession.

I have never argued the lower leagues are irrelevant and in the next few years we will have more clubs playing semi-pro RL not less.

Play it indoors , give them ' blades ' and motorbikes , along with metal studded gloves

ROLLERBALL



They could franchise it around the world to places Like Houston , Tokyo and Madrid



Stupid thread

Oikball.

Whenever I talk to anyone about RL I always say rugby no matter what fan of any sport they are.
It's what I and I would say the majority of fans have grown up with so we obviously call it rugby.

Very appropriate.

open rugby

I bet there are more RL fans in the world that call it footy, since that's what the Aussies call it and that's where the most RL fans are.

Except in Australia, where RL is biggest.


Last time I checked, we were gaining clubs. Clubs have been struggling in the lower leagues for years, in all sports, at semi pro level. Can you name a significant amount of time when they weren't?

All it proves is that some fans will look so hard for something to complain about that they'll actually make up facts to back up a point that isn't there. It's called being a cynic.

Why do you so often use such exaggerations ? There was never a global recession let alone a massive one, there was a slowdown not strictly the same as a recession. If as you claim there was a global recession why were China and India themselves would have been experiencing negative GDP growth.

Geoffrey

Although RU is named after the school whose rules were adopted, they were adopted at a meeting in a Pall Mall restaurant.
So, we should tell them to change theirs to Pall Mall Ball.

RL was called League because it was played in Leagues, which RU wasn't, they were a bit picky about stuff like that, you had to play for the sake of playing, winning was an incidental and, as for having a league table ... well, that would have been beyond the pale, old boy.
(That's "beyond the pale" comma "old boy" ... not "beyond the pale old boy"icon_wink.gif.

If we dropped the League part of the name, the RU crowd would swoop it up pretty damn sharpish to describe the league structure of their divisions.

I say we keep League.
And we keep Rugby too because it evolved from the Rugby rules game.
And we keep Football for the same reason.

But RL did the "playing in a League table" bit before RU did.

So how about "Original Rugby League Football"? ... and compel the BBC to call it by that name.
They'd have to keep saying "Original" over and over again.

Brilliant.

I astound myself sometimes.

League Rules Rugby
Northern Rules Rugby

How about "League Rules Rugby" and then let Union call themselves "Rugby"! It would then be both a name and a statement of fact.