These "bigger issues" are important yes, so as there is a drop in TV funding then the Bulls back in Superleague would help towards a rise in the SL average gate.

As for the drop in players game wide, and quality players for Superleague then again a Superleague Bulls academy may turn up a few gems that Salford or Catalans aren't turning up.

So you can't get away with trying to brush the idea of Bulls back in Superleague under the carpet not being an issue, because there are other OBVIOUS problems. Bulls in Superleague can help alleviate problems of player development and monetary income into the game.

Don't you see that



Or are Toulouse going to boost the playing roster, the TV income and the crowds??

Is this a "bigger issue"?

I agree that the 3 x 8's did add some intrigue.
However, the destabilising effect that it had on both, the top sides from The Championship and the lower half of SL were too great.
The bottom line with any restructure, is that, ultimately, it's just another attempt at a quick fix and far from making the game more attractive to supporters and sponsors, it makes RL look desperate.
Is RL so mickey poor that we have to shake up the bottle every few seasons to try and get some "fizz" back into the game ?

Has anyone stopped and asked, the fans, TV companies, sponsors, club chairmen etc, what they want to see from the game.
The new "covid" rules, whilst quickening up the game have taken some of the punctuation points from the play and made the game even more one dimensional.
It was great for a while but, it isn't helping the appeal of the sport.
-I absolutely accept the changes were and still are neccessary but, they shouldn't remain indefinitely.

If we go down the 2 x 10 route, where do we go after that.

To keep reducing the number of clubs whilst theoretically making all of the games of higher quality, actually takes away even more of the diversity within the sport.
Where do we go when that fails to bring any increase in revenue, reduce again to 8 clubs or 6 ??

Unfortunately, the game has been in a ever quickening downward spiral for some years now. At the beginning when SL was first mooted, and the club Chairmen of the day fell head over heels to receive the pot of gold, some clubs faced mergers, and all of what happened then and since, I feel that the fans have never been consulted, and now, the game I feel is really dying.
Some people think the games saviour will be the B Bulls and their fan base, and if they are welcome to SL if they can achieve this on the field. I don’t have the right answers to the game’s problems, but I can use common sense to decide if any proposals make good sense to implement. Sadly, there’s not been many good ideas recently,

Nobody thinks the game's saviour will be the Bradford Bulls. Literally not one single person. Or if that person exists it is a greater reflection of the state of the game than it is the Bulls. However many do look to the period when the Bulls played to 10k+ and produced good player for the international team as a period when the game was stronger than it is now and more attractive to TV audiences, national media etc. They were one of of 5/6 clubs who could sell 10k for a semi final and 20k+ for a final. And compete with Wigan, Leeds, St's over the entire history of our game, not just SL. It is one of the biggest names in British rugby league and rise and fall of SL almost perfectly mirrors the rise and fall of the Bulls.

Had any of the expansion clubs brought the above, the game wouldn't be dying as you say. If York or Newcastle could grow year on year, then this would be a huge plus. If London had a stable home..... Even now, after every disaster that has befallen the club, fighting for 11th place, the Bulls would be better supported in SL than most of the clubs in it. And that. In a nutshell is why SL is in decline.

1.The TV company, and the club chairmen have very recently sat down and discussed what they want for the game. How come you missed that?

2. Going to 2x10 has been favoured by the big clubs in the lead up to and after the talks with SKY .

SKY like to show the big games amongst the big clubs and fans do respond as well and will turn out for 3 league matches against each opponent.

SKY get nothing much out of the French clubs who bring nothing much to Superleague

So it's obvious that what SKY, the top English clubs and their fans want.

Wigan Leigh
Leeds Bradford
Saints Wigan
Hull HKR
Cas Wakey

5 major derbies three times a year, higher average crowds. plenty for SKY to show it's subscribers, and the ten clubs get a bigger share of a smaller TV deal to mitigate losses.

That's glaringly the best deal that can be done given the size of the playing pool and the limited fan base. You got something better??

As for the idea of going down to 8 you made that up??

DYING ???? in 1995 average attendances in the top flight were 5,500 and few clubs had rich owners It was dying for sure until SKY TV and a host of Rich owners came along and secured big TV deals. Of course it isn't dying......... SKY are still there, the rich owners are still there and the crowds are far bigger than 1995 even with games being on TV.

Does the resurgence of Warrington, Hull FC, Castleford and even Salford have zero effect ??
The game is in a spiral nose dive but, cherry picking the sides in the top flight, wont make any difference to the plight of the game.
It very likely would have the opposite effect.

RL is supposed to be a sport, with results on the field of play deciding who prospers and who doesnt.

Even IF we had everyone's "favourite" RL clubs in the top flight, there would be one club winning the GF and one club picking up the wooden spoon and the likes of Wigan, bending the rules to try and gain advantage over the rest.

Sky subscriptions would increase if there weren't so many people watching SL "from overseas", through legal but slightly dodgy connections.
Having said that, the advertising etc, is still watched, even if they are getting their Sky content (and not just RL) for less than £100 a year.

Can you PM me with details of obtaining these legal slightly dodgy connections. Purely for research purposes of course

I dont have that connection. but, there are plenty who do.

1) What do the club chairmen,and the TV company want for the game? I missed it.Did all the club chairmen agree? Did the naughty journalists put it in the public domain?
2) Which BIG clubs favoured 2x10? Do tell...
3) How very little,nay infinitesimal, do Sky get from those nasty French clubs who bring not very much to Super League? What smaller per centage is it in comparison with those mighty,juggernaut,M62 clubs?
4) What is obvious about what Sky,the top English clubs,and their fans want? Have they paid for their Private Equity involvement yet? I thought one big club wanted the sport to join some rabble rousing,anarchist political group...
5) Could you just run through how fewer clubs playing the same sides,repeatedly,will increase the player pool and the attendances and the sponsorship?

I not read the hole post on a restructure.
Surely for tv purposes a 12 team SL with two french team makes the most sense moving forward.

Not fair on the French.

If we are to have an Anglo-French Superleague it really has to be six clubs from England and six from France.

We struggled with the Atlantic League because TWP were isolated and had to travel all the time so that sent their owner bust.

But the Americans are on a comeback if you haven't noticed so I'd go for a 12 club league as follows:-

TWP
Ottawa
New York
Florida?
Saints
Wigan
Leeds
Hull
Catalans
Toulouse
Villeneuve

That's 11, maybe we should go for Barcelona for the twelfth? If we are looking for more TV deals we may just get a Spanish one as well??

I am only suggesting the two french clubs because there on the verge of being in super league anyway.
There A two hour drive form each other so a French TV deal you would think would be easier.
So more coverage and less reliance on sky.
And you would hope in time French international game could grow of the back of two SL sides.
Just seems very low risk if you ask me

Hw close do you think you are with this prophecy ??

As for going down to 8, it would be the obvious next move.
After all, we've gone from a 16 club first division, down to 14, down to 12 and there is now plenty of talk of dropping to 10

16,14,12,10...................... its no exactly a wild stretch of imagination to work out the next move.

Much of the reduction has been brought about on the back of "not having enough players" to make up the previous number of clubs.
Jamie Peacock was a strong advocate of dropping to 10 whilst at Leeds, although he quickly changed his mind when he moved to KR.
It's got little to do with the player pool or Sky, the reduction of clubs in the top flight is to ensure that the big 4/5 maintain the size of their TV handout.
Yes, it's always wrapped up in talk of "more competitive games" etc but, the reality is that, the big 4/5 are protecting themselves and not improving the future of the game as a whole.
Has anyone noticed an improvement in "quality" with any of the reductions ?

Btw, who will be your "target" if Catalan (and Toulouse) are jettisoned from the comp ?

Academy licenses have been awarded with Catalan earning one. Further proof of their value to the game.

Quote ="The Silent H"Academy licenses have been awarded with Catalan earning one. Further proof of their value to the game.'" Toulouse Olympique seem to do slightly better than the stuck in the mud,M62 clubs,also https://www.totalrl.com/toulouse-olympi ... portunity/ Why are facts suddenly being typed out?

Quote ="The Silent H"Academy licenses have been awarded with Catalan earning one. Further proof of their value to the game.'" Toulouse Olympique seem to do slightly better than the stuck in the mud,M62 clubs,also https://www.totalrl.com/toulouse-olympi ... portunity/ Why are facts suddenly being typed out?

Quote ="Ornery Optimist"Toulouse Olympique seem to do slightly better than the stuck in the mud,M62 clubs,also https://www.totalrl.com/toulouse-olympi ... portunity/ Why are facts suddenly being typed out?'" The problem comes about when clubs like Toulouse get stuck in the mud.. They have resigned once when the going got tough.What’s changed?

Quote ="Ornery Optimist"Toulouse Olympique seem to do slightly better than the stuck in the mud,M62 clubs,also https://www.totalrl.com/toulouse-olympi ... portunity/ Why are facts suddenly being typed out?'" The problem comes about when clubs like Toulouse get stuck in the mud.. They have resigned once when the going got tough.What’s changed?

The French International side was set up to grow when Catalans joined in 2006, but there were so few quality French players it bombed. What you suggest has been tried and failed

Toulouse joined the league here in 2009 but that made no difference to the quality of French players. You can put six French clubs in Superleague but they will still only sign English and Antipodean players. French sports TV don't rate Catalans and Toulouse enough to give them Millions of Francs, that's already been made clear..

Their poor showing in 2009 that left them in a relegation position facing playing in the third tier of the English game taught them never to rely on French players ever again

English tv don't rate the entire the sport.
BBC only cover the Challenge Cup games.
Any information on the restructure plans?
We know how well the commercially brilliant elite managed the broadcast deal sooo much better than the RFL.
Will those clubs allowed to have elite academies form Super League - and nobody else?
That went well,then...

It taught them you need deeper pockets..

Gausch has deep pockets but has at least been made to spend a big sum on a Catalans Academy to save his SL backside.......

Whilst Folau finds something else to do playing for Southport Tigers.......

Gausch sailed close to the wind with Folau but he's been put in his place and has had to re-open the French academy.....

French academy? I only see Catalans given that respect..

Twenty odd years ago we decided to switch to Summer rugby and have teams in areas merged from one or two existing teams. At that stage we were the best game in town as there was nothing else to televise in Summer. Instead we let the Chairmen come up with a stupid licensing system that was never followed up. Now we are up against Rugby Union that has turned professional, football that seems to only have a 4 week off season (that is when there isn't a World Cup or Euros), cricket has 20-20 and 100 ball competition. Forget restructure. WE had our chance and we blew it.

Seems like their academy has ben granted a license too.
Their position appears stronger by the day. Are you still certain that this particular "guest club" is getting kicked out.
Also you suggest that Catalan have had their wings clipped over Folau and yet, their public position is that they are trying to force him to return.
So, in summary, it doesn't appear that the aim is an all English Super league and that Catalan and their academy are here to stay.