Is there a point at which we'd have to accept that this is as big as RL will ever get .

That few people outside of the infamous M62 Corridor are interested .

And just get on with playing a minority sport in front of a few thousand hardy souls .

Or ........ do we just keep trying to expand forever , in the hope that one day the rest of the world will catch on .

Expect attendances to drop again in the next few years as boredom creeps in

Well that hasnt happened at union yet so i wouldn't be to worried.

I don't see why anyway. It's not like we've had vastly different clubs in the last 15 years in the top flight.

Bitter......very bitter

All that is showing is that clubs are getting lower attendances for games against Salford and Celtic than they were for second home games often against a nearby rivals. Which is hardly unexpected.
Overall attendance is up by about 50,000 so far - but that is due to an extra fixture each week.

Except Union have promotion and relegation , plus a fight for European places , and different teams winning the big prizes .

RL has the same 14 teams for 3 years , Leeds and Saints winning everything , and nothinhg for the other teams to play for .

What we have to accept is that to do expansion right costs alot of money and takes alot of time. There is no such thing as instant success but if you work long enough and have enough money to fund it there is no reason why RL can't expand and grow to anywhere. We always want to rush things (CC are a good example and to some degree Salford who shouldn't be back in yet).

Should some of that cost involve the clubs excluded ?

No I don't see one has to come at the cost of another. I do think that expansion areas HAVE to receive more support and finacial support to grow the game to a level where a SL club would be sustainable but I don't see why any club from the heartlands should not be in SL if they can prove to be a sustainable club at that level. Reality is not all can and not all will.

We should be strategic about it though and decide which areas have the best chance for long term sustainable futures and will add value to the SL. These areas should be targeted and worked on to get them there.

Who mentioned SL , I was talking about survival outside SL not getting into it

Several clubs are going for broke in an effort to get what will most likely be the last chance for any heartland club to get in , little to nothing is being done to improve the off field performance of the clubs below SL apart from encouraging clubs to find Sugar Daddys

The gap between SL and the Championships will continue to grow , I would go as far as saying the RFL dont want strong heartland clubs outside SL as that will make it more difficult to bring expansion clubs through the lower leagues

So you are suggesting a system were certain clubs get more assistance than others in a direct attempt to ' groom ' them for a SL place , and you think this wont have a detrimental effect on the other clubs in the competition

I agree Starbug, I think the gap will get bigger, I think come the next TV deal there could be a big increase regarding money, I think once we come out of this recession SL crowds could boom, especially at the 'lower' clubs with Sheds as grounds currently.
Championship clubs wont be able to compete with this unless they receive their own TV deal.
Sadly I dont think clubs like Leigh, although their stadium is mighty impressive have a chance of promotion and if the Championship becomes a good comp in its own right, it wont do it any favours for its best team to be cherry picked every other year.

Or maybe not

You mean like the one they got in 2008. And the three-year one that replaced it for 2009-11?

I think he means one where the clubs actually get paid

RL – and they wanted the RFL to pay them to put the games on a channel with even less of a footprint that Sky).

If we're entering those realms: I'd like to win the lottery, or at least have my employer give me a 500% pay rise. Both are pretty unlikely, mind.

Whoops.....

I was just explaining what Dico meant

I dont recall any SKY money for the NL's/Championship clubs , Co-op yes , SKY no

Personally I dont think it's worth a carrot being on the TV on a thursday but that's another argument

Rd 24 - CC/Split Rd

CC
Semi 1 Wigan v Warrington 12,975
Semi 2 St's v Hudds 10,638

Total= 23,613

ESL
Salford v Les Cats 3,475
Quins v Bulls 3,112

----------------------------------------------
Rd 19Rd Total = 60,260
Rd Avg = 8,608

Rd 20Rd Total = 53,471
Rd Avg = 7,6,38

Rd 21 Total= 63,645
Rd Avg = 9,092

Rd22 Total=60,192
Rd Avg = 8,598

Rd 23 Total = 67,053
Rd Avg = 9,579

You're a t1t at times.
You know exactly what I meant, you just try and pull people on the literal meaning of everything to try and look clever when actually you're a tool.
Next time you include a metaphor in a post I'll have to pull you up on it

So … when you said "get their own TV deal" you didn't mean "get their own TV deal" and weren't just showing your ignorance of the fact they have their own TV deal? And I was supposed to know this how? Telepathy?

So what did you mean?



?

Maybe I was slightly harsh in my last comment, you did seem rather pedantic.
Considering we see Championship matches on telly every thursday indicates there's already some form of tv rights deal in place, that is so common knowledge my comment should have been taken with the assumption I meant a tv deal that would actually offer the clubs money that would allow them to put structures in place to compete at some form of full time level without an 'O'Connor' if you like.

As you stated that is highly unlikely and that is the point I was trying to make in indicating that the gap will grow exponentially imo between Championship and SL clubs.
I've said elsewhere before I think the Chp will be removed of its best clubs in the coming years for two SL conferences and whats left underneath will be merely a skeleton/feeder league.
If the popularity of RL increases maybe we'll see an increase in Chp interest

de nada

Not sure how the arguments relate to crowds, I don't see a FT status as making any difference to crowds outside SL. Marketing, facilities and entertainment is where clubs need to spend money, not FT contracts, imo.