I quite like the idea but was trying to think of a system that would make progression possible from the lower divisions without impossibly large hurdles to overcome.

I wouldnt put any hurdles in the way, you get a decent business plan and youre in, pick a conference haah

Yeah balance is a bit of an issue but that can easily be sorted by just swapping a couple of teams, when I did it last night the first groups were just on the basis of ah local teams and derbies then the balance didn't end up being right - swapping Fev & Leeds round for an example evens out the East a fair bit.

No, as someone else said, it would be a 'tarted up' Championship. Castleford, Widnes, Wakefield and London (assuming they are the clubs that would miss out on the 10 team SL) are all at roughly the size where they could operate either at Championship or SL level without looking out of place. If they were demoted, they wouldn't be big enough to provide enough of a boost to the other, inferior teams that would make up the league, and over time their standards would slip so that they would effectively settle at a similar level to the current top Championship clubs. The point is that clubs like Featherstone and Leigh aren't ever going to be big enough to compete at any sort of elite level. Of the current Championship clubs, Sheffield look like they might have the business strategies and potential for growth to potentially make a fist of it in a hypothetical SL2, and possibly Halifax and somewhere like Barrow might also be able to improve the required amount to allow them to compete at a similar level to the likes of Cas now. Apart from them, I can't see any Championship clubs that would be anywhere near good enough to be in any sort of 'Super League' by any definition. If clubs like Leigh or Featherstone were competitive in such a league, it would almost certainly be through a lowering of the overall standards rather than through those clubs raising them.

Your model also assumes that Sky would be interested in providing funding and coverage of the 'SL2', when the reality is that they would almost certainly treat it like they did with the Championship when they had the rights. Effectively we would just be relegating four current SL sides.
By adding teams to Super League when they are ready. I never said it would be a quick or easy process, but it's better than attempting quick-fixes and putting structures in place to try and allow substandard teams to artificially compete. Like I said earlier, the crux of this problem is that virtually none of the existing Championship clubs have the potential to improve enough to compete in Super League. It's tough on the fans who might not want to believe this, but that's just the way it is. If we introduce any sort of system to try and allow these clubs to compete, then we will inevitably be lowering standards rather than raising them.
Really? I can't think of any examples where a promoted club have been given a one-year stay while other teams have been allowed to be relegated. Either way, it's an absolutely stupid idea and one that I don't think anyone would want to see.

What potential are these clubs missing?

The potential to be an SL club

And what potential do you need, to be a SL club?

You need the potential to be an SL club. There are many facets to this and you would hope they are getting ever harder to meet as that would mean SL was improving

Such as?

Sound financial footing. (Bradford)
Top notch stadium (Castleford, Wakefield)
Big crowds (London, Salford)

You mean like Halifax's top notch stadium and big crowds?



Seriously, because of 1 new stand why do people think that The Shay is good?

Actually 3 new stands since 1998 and also an old one converted to all seater.

I don't. Halifax should be nowhere near SL.

Neither should about 4 SL clubs.

I agree

Some people think it's OK. SL club Huddersfield played there last year. Castleford even borrowed our kit because of their SL professionalism.

The kit directive Cas had showed that Cas were supposed to wear white and they didn't receive the updated list (nor did the RFL website for that matter until a week later).



I'd say 2 at most, 1 if Bradford don't end up in admin.

So Cas is a given - whos is the other team?

Actually - it's not that they shouldn't be SL - they should - [icurrently. [/i

What i mean is that there's about 4 clubs that aren't really "super" and are just making up the numbers. There isn't a club in the Champonship who can better them either so it's as you are for the forseeable future.

Well using that condition, there's probably 10 teams not good enough for the league!

Yeah - bit vague, soz.

It may seem lame but i think another 10 years of franchising will really paint a true picture of its success or failure. In the meantime Championship clubs should concentrate on their own lot and try and improve the fan base. The league is certainly competitive.

We can't still be using an honest mistake like taking the wrong kit as a stick to beat Cas with are we? Hardly deliberately breaking the salary cap!

Do you think that none of those clubs has the potential to have those things?

That is true

Which brings us back to option 1 , the Championship clubs need to massively increase their marketing and community work localy to build the clubs local support, they have neither the staff, money or expertise to do this, that is where the RFL should be spending heavily to help the clubs, combined with realistic marketing to improve the competitions themselves , rhather than the rubbish ideas we have so far seen

I agree that there isn't a championship club (at the moment) that would be anywhere near good enough to be in "any sort of superleague". But that's the point, the gap between SL and "the rest" is too big. Make no bones about it, the saviour of the "elite" clubs was Sky money, without it RL was heading for trouble. Even so, there are clubs that are still in the brown stuff because they don't have what it takes to compete at the elite level. An SL2 with funding would allow them to compete at a level higher than the championship and make the jump to the elite level more attainable.

If they were just dropped into the existing championship, then I agree that eventually their standard would drop rather than raising that of the rest. But that is not what I have proposed. My scenario shows a funded SL2 who would be able to retain some players on a full time basis and be able to market themselves more effectively and raise the quality of the on field product.


If you read my post you will see that I admitted this was the difficult bit. But then Sky were sold on the original concept of SL because uncle Mo found someone with vision to write the proposal. Remember, the concept of a European superleague playing in the summer was unproven and sky were taking something of a gamble. It would again require a good negotiator and someone who could express a vision of an improved product that could gain audience and sell more sky boxes.


Under the current system we would wait for ever to see 20 full time clubs of SL quality.
You talk about "potential to improve". The only potential that some of the current SL clubs have is the potential to buy players through the cheque book of a sugar daddy. Not exactly long term security. Even then , some can't muster a half decent crowd.


I believe I said "exemption is not a new idea" not "exemption of a promoted club is not a new idea". It was a tongue in cheek comment made because the pro franchise lobby seem to think the 3 year format is somehow aimed at protecting newly promoted sides. If this was the case, then no one would object to exemption to protect a promoted side. As I said earlier, the real purpose of franchises is to make existing SL clubs stronger.

Incidentally, you seem to imply that "dropping" sides to a lower division is a "no go" so what happened at the start of SL?

You talk of ideas being "stupid" but I seem to recall many saying the same of summer rugby and the "European" Superleague.

Personally, I want the [iwhole[/i game to improve not just SL. I would like to see the intensity of the [ireal[/i elite to improve to match the Aussies and as things are at the moment that will not happen any time soon. I want to see British talent and true Aussie stars in our elite and our lower divisions to prosper.

I'm quite prepared to accept that you, or anyone else disagrees, but that's what a forum is for, isn't it?