I'd hardly describe , Dewsbury,Dale and Workington as ' unknown ' , let alone Doncaster

It just seems to be perhaps too much all at once , yet again a knee jerk reaction , rather than a long term plan

Ideally you have a pyramid structure to sport with small steps between levels , but this will further open up gaps within the sport

That's the plan, all tied in with the move to summer in the community game.

Right. So despite the fact that many of the clubs operate on a shoestring budget and play in tiny towns in front of sub-1,000 crowds, they are somehow more important because they have 'history', and even though that history has seen them get absolutely nowhere and they still play in tiny towns in front of sub-1,000 crowds, this means that the impact on them leaving the league would be equivalent to Wigan leaving Super League and being replaced by Rochdale.



FWIW, three of the ten CC1 clubs this season have a hundred year history. You're just talking absolute garbage as usual.

Just heard on 5live that Northampton will be admitted to the Championships next year.

No, I would say he is about spot on.
All the RFL has done is to sort out the lack of fixtures in the Championship at the expense of clubs in CC1 by lumping four CC1 teams straight into the Championship.
The existing CC1 teams who don’t make the cut will be left in what amounts to an amateur league travelling to all four corners of the country with the added benefit of zero away support at their home games.
How many teams will be promoted/relegated in the following seasons after the cut? This could be oblivion for the CC1 teams who don’t make it into the Championship next year.
It’s fair enough promoting teams to the CC1 but four in one go will devalue the competition significantly as the replacements probably won’t be a patch on the promoted teams due to a lack of experienced RL players in their local area.
All this is is a backdoor way of getting rid of the unfortunate CC1 clubs who miss out next year.

The point was that it wouldn't be at the expense of none, it would be at the expense of the lower league who lost the four 'traditional' clubs and got in return four 'expansion' clubs. It is open to debate whether this would be good or bad for the lower league. They lose some local derbies and are faced with longer distances to travel to games but gain a new group of opponents and new fans to the game.

Starbug in negative comment shocker.

These conspiracy theories just get better! By expanding the CC1, the RFL are really means they're trying to shrink it! Fantastic stuff.

It's funny how a lot of these lower league 'fans' are complaining about clubs being relegated to "oblivion" because the clubs in it will have small crowds, next to no away support, etc. but are happy to continue moaning about the lack of P&R between SL and the Championship, where being relegated is definitely closer to oblivion: having to shed the vast majority of your staff, play in crowds 30% of what you've been in, with virtually no away support in comparison, TV funding cut, exposure cut significantly.

Quite frankly it's hilarious the hypocrisy of the people that champion this and disapprove of something less significant.

Northampton confirmed; www.cooperativechampionship.co.u ... p?id=24039

Northampton confirmed; www.cooperativechampionship.co.u ... p?id=24039

I haven't moaned about P&R from SL because it does not concern me or my club. What does concern me is almost half of the clubs in our league being removed and replaced with clubs of a lower standard, less support and far more travelling time and expense. CC1 will have some long journeys this season but the season after it will be crazy. Starbug is correct in pointing out that if four SL clubs were removed and replaced with the top four CC clubs everyone would be up in arms. What gets up my nose is the fact that people supporting SL clubs come on here telling supporters of championship clubs what their teams and leagues should and should not be doing.

Quote ="Chorlton RL"Northampton confirmed; www.cooperativechampionship.co.u ... p?id=24039'" Good luck to them I say and fair play to the RFL. Fans didn't like teams being shoved straight into Super League, so this is the common sense way of expansion. Lower risk, more thought, less aggressive and a slower more long term process.

Quote ="Chorlton RL"Northampton confirmed; www.cooperativechampionship.co.u ... p?id=24039'" Good luck to them I say and fair play to the RFL. Fans didn't like teams being shoved straight into Super League, so this is the common sense way of expansion. Lower risk, more thought, less aggressive and a slower more long term process.

The away support argument just doesn't work for me. How many away fans do clubs in CC1 bring at the moment? I would guess the majority is already under 100 (I know next year there are three teams in the north west so that should see growth in away support in those games) but on the whole it wont make much difference

Looks like they'll be going bankrupt, playing in a dump of a stadium and pootling around in the bottom half of the league and pretending everything is fine and dandy then!

PS, good on them and the RFL for going about things the right way!

Good luck!

The top four Championship clubs? I didn't realise Batley, Keighley, Whitehaven and Leigh were in the top four? Starbug is putting in ridiculous examples to back up a weak point and make it seem stronger.

This is what happens when you expand a league unfortunately. The playing balance changes to cope. Then it settles.

Basically, lower league fans don't like the idea of no P&R at the top, don't like expansion through top-down, don't like expansion through bottom-up (but "aren't against expansion"icon_wink.gif, think there aren't enough fixtures so want a bigger league to cope, but don't want the league to expand because it might leave out some clubs, don't want relegation from that league because it's "oblivion" despite wanting promotion...

I could go on with the ridiculous hypocritical demands of the some of the lower league fans on here that can't accept that the needs of the game are far more important than the needs of your club and sometimes decisions will be made that won't benefit them.

Yes these 'lower league fans' are a right pain aren't they? They just don't see the bigger picture and should accept the fact that if necessary their club may need to be sacrificed for the greater good of the game. Ask them in Gateshead and Sheffield.

Didnt take long did it!

I am not even going to respond to your points as this must be a fishing trip for you

Indeed. He's not bitter at all is he?
S.

Just a few facts for you guys.

Your response suggests you know it

CHOMP

Yep. VERY bitter.
S.

Enjoy your season eh?

We shall.

Bore off Wakey & Cas children, on this thread, nobody cares.

If they took Wigan, Leeds, Warrington and Hull out of SL and replaced them with four clones of crusaders would that improve the competition?

SL fans have no idea how RL runs below SL. In SL, thanks to the Sky money attendances have become less important. Regular Sky coverage means sponsorship is worth more money. Championship 1 has neither of these, the main source of income is the crowd. Taking four of the best teams out of that division will reduce away support, even if only by 100 per game, that is significant over the course of a season. Couple that with the lack of a local derby and the lack of meaningful fixtures as the expansion clubs put their squad together and you have a significant drop in income for Championship 1 clubs.

That is a much better anology