surely the main contributing factor in the competitive nature of the championship was the promotion of the top salford and crusaders thus leaving a lot of teams at a similar level.

personally just dont think the salary cap works.

however if the teams have no real ambition to grow and merely want a competitive competition that is fine.

surely the likes of leigh, halifax etc have more ambition than being forced slowly towards the part time ranks?

Utter bollox

Entitled to your opinion , even if it is utter bollox

Already part time , have been for years

We do have ambition , but we dont have 1.2 million a year , something you might find out about shortly

Post of the Year, completely agree, a fully integrated competition should be the aim.

Full of holes though , lots of them , supply answers to them ?

Interesting that it was posted by a fan of the club that will not be in the Championships by March

Those are the problems

When i answered, i did so with the view of how i would want things should Widnes be in the Championships. Its a very real Danger for Widnes given the RFL's track record.

And if the league was re-structured in a way similar to what i have posted i would not be nearly as dissapointed as i would be if we were rejected and things were left in the current format. But Obviously my idea of what will drive us forward as a group of clubs and a sport, will not be the same as most other peoples.

Yes you would , only one thing would be on the agenda , just human nature , your circumstances dictate your opinion , just like myself and all the rest of us , as I have posted , too many holes that need filling , those are the ' upset ' holes

Tony you posted this as a reason for a single competition



Do you not think that when we were all playing for a SL spot , that had more to do with bigger attendances , plus we didn't have our biggest ' money spinners ' on live TV on a midweek either did we , I attended that boxing day match at Widnes back in 2000 , what was the crowd that night ? , 6,800 all paying spectators , what would we give for an attendance like that this year ?

They havent figured it out yet , thats why they are asking

Neither is SL in it's current form and clubs because of it and being in it have wilted and died or very near death!!!!

See under Oldham, London, Workington, Wigan, St Helens, Bradford, Widnes, Leigh, Gateshead etc., etc., etc..

That match this year will probably be at 7.30 on a rainy Thursday night in Leigh and will be on TV, just like the last 2 years meaning our 'biggest' match of the season is as flat as a bloody pancake

Meaning we lose out on lots of fans and therefore money as well as ruining the atmosphere. Good vocal derby matches are also the ones most likely to entice new or part time fans to come more often. They are probably one of the best adverts available to a championship club to those part-time supporters but if they are at home watching on TV then this chance is lost. Its not like we (Leigh) have many Derby matches in this league anymore.

Just for a change I'd love for us to play Widnes at 3pm on Easter Monday and have a good derby match with a fairly big away support. Last season our Easter 'derby' was tolouse for gods sake.

The fixture list planning for our league has been an absolute joke for the last few years and I really hope they have put more thought and time into it this year.

The Championship fixtures are out one day this week aren't they?

That aint going to happen who would want it?

Sky do a great job with the Thursday night games. How many NL1 union games do you see a season?

Correct , nobody would want it , and the question is , do we want it ?

It's a fair survey, Be honest with the RFL.

Yes it will allow them to say what a ' vibrant worth winning in it's own right competition ' , it has become

couldn't agree more with this idea - it would be good for the C/C1 game if it became available to terrestial viewers - great publicity in a minority sport
as someone brought up in a non-rl area (the wilds of norfolk) but as a sports nut all the same,my only access to the greatest game was on the beeb with saturday afternoon rl plus the Floodlit cup etc
problem is,would the beeb (or other) be interested in investing in this type of entertainment again ?

remember,RL IS A MINORITY SPORT - it will remain so as long as the diehards (ie Starbug) want to keep it 'oop north - at least the RFL are trying to expand the RL network !

What exactly am I a ' diehard ' of ?

the insular attitude of wanting to keep the game confined to the traditional rl heartlands in the belief that the game 'belongs' there and has the best chance of survival if it is restricted to these areas instead of spreading the game as the RFL & associated euopean bodies are trying to do.
I can understand your reasoning,maybe the strength of the future of the game has to be in the heartlands to survive but as i've said on numerous ocassions (ad nauseum !),i'm NOT from an rl area (couldn't be further from it !) but am totally engrossed in the game and have been since my first visit to St Helens in the 60s - the potential viewers/fanbase IS out there and I believe better marketing of the rl product plus more exposure on terrestrial tv can only help

You are being completely unfair to starbug, offensively so, and also startlingly short sighted. Being worried about the health and long term viability of the game below the top level does not equate with wanting the game confined to the north of england, and neither does questioning the means with which the game is being spread. Starbug, and others accused of such nonsense, have often offered their own suggestions on more viable options in spreading the game only to be described in very negative terms for it. The fact remains that the game is not thriving as we would all like it to be and worrying about the state of your heartlands is indicative of a game which is taking too many unaffordable risks.

Bottom line is expansion is about increasing what you have, not gambling what you already have on a risky relocation.

, they would potentially then improve their national team and possibly become future coaches in their own country ?

All paid for by the RFL , I originally suggested something similar for players from the French Elite one as a better preparation for Catalans inclusion in SL

dear oh dear,seemed to have ruffled a few feathers ! WHY isn't the game thriving in Widnes,for example ? with about 50000 potential fans to draw from why are the gates so low ? Whatever the mighty Vikings are doing to attract the paying public obviously isn't working so,what is the answer ? I,like yourself & Starbug and all the other like minded people don't have the answer - maybe there isn't a solution and the game will continue to diminish as a serious sport even in the traditional rl areas
The easy way has always been to blame the RFL - they probably caused the Vietnam war if the truth be known - All we,the fans can do is support our teams and try to spread the word though 'expansion' of what we have ISN'T increasing is it ?
The game needs all the support & help it can get and,with respect I can't see the suggestion of getting more terrestrial coverage as a 'negative term'
Sorry for any offence caused to Starbug by the way - he sounds a decent guy with the love of the game close to his heart but it doesn't mean I have to agree with him,or you.

No.

He means your inability to doff the cap.

He's a saboteur.

Ask him about Hosepipegate. Nothing decent about that little episode.

funny though

Apart from the fact I couldn't go to the original game but could go to the re-arranged one