Thats not bad then

I despair of RL fans, they would find some complaint no matter what.

Great figures, great information and hugely positive from the RFL

RL Fans whinge - the games biggest threat is its own fans.

We're Northern, of course we complain

History shows us that some believe anything they are told because they want to believe it, no matter what evidence unfolds before them. Those questioning the propoganda at the time are often persecuted and ridiculed, but ultimately proved right.

The report says 'cost controls are working but sales are poor in comparison to our competition' as a result I would be asking why are sales so poor, and questioning the capabilities of those driving them.

Some people accept mediocrity, some want to be the best they can be. Maybe that's the RFL's problem and those blindly supporting them on here. We are in a competitive market, we do not need non producers leading us.

You haven't answered the question, is 4% of revenue enough for sponsorship or would that be poor as well?

If you haven't noticed there's a recession going on, with a sport based primarily in poorer areas of the country do you think that recession may have an effect? Or is that the RFL's fault too?

They've made record revenue and you're b|tching and whining and calling it pathetic. It beggars belief.

Oh and which non-producer are you talking about? Richard Lewis or Maurice Watkins?

I answered it, you're just thick.

RL continues to have a poor perception across the great unwashed as a small game played along the M62 watched by a few poor northerners. Without money to change that we won't attract the blue chip corporate support. Bit of a chicken and egg.

Can't access that report, what was the other 18 mill spent on?

So you think they just put that comment in the report with the intention of doing nothing about it? Given they're reporting a revenue increase of nearly 20% do you think the same sales teams should be given that opportunity?

I would say most definitely inadequate. we don,t really have any big global sponors on board, next year could be showing up worse with the Stobart and Elonex no show on real monies.
Our sporting model is a disgrace compared to ther sports and I wonder if we will catch up EVER.
We are at the bottom of the scale, in league 3 or 4 or 5% sponsor values are in millions, in other sports 3 or 4 or 5 % are heading towards billions.
If we start catching up on Union with marketing, media and sponsors I would be happy, but its not the gap is widening to the point our game has very little significance as a global sport.

RL Fans astound me sometimes, a very good news story about the governing body making record profits, whilst in a recession has some how turned into a bad news story and something to have a go at the RFL for. I honestly feel the doomongerers and miseries are getting worse, and this forum is all the worse for it.

Heinz and Gillette are both international?

Does anybody know who is the marketing director of the RFL.

My apologies for any misunderstanding, that was my interpretation.
Our nearest sport to benchmark against is RU, pro rata the turnover and 13% sponsorship would equate to £3m more revenue - so why are we incapable of hitting that percentage number?
More money is now available from Sport England etc which we seem to be getting more of in £ terms but when it comes to selling the product to the competitive world we are clueless, or so the results seem to indicate.
You look at two non execs at the RFU in Miles Templeman and Andrew Higginson, compare their backgrounds and contacts with those of Lewis or Wood etc and you start to understand why we are so far behind.

There is also Ian Ritchie from the RFU, who as I understand it has seen a weakness of league in Manchester and is presently doing a fact finding mission of promoting the game to a further level in the area.

Andy Hewitt

How similar are the different demographics between the two sports? What are their jobs and how much money do they earn because they can be very significant determinants in who wants to sponsor these sports i.e. McCain's might sponsor RL, Range Rover union. How rich are the areas that the sports operate in? Is there more money in St Helens and Leigh than there is in Richmond?

Rugby league is the women of sports. We have to work twice as hard as anyone else to get the same pay and level of recognition for what we do.

I,m not too sure, did he leave the post last year.

The Stobart and Elonex deals will have no impact on the RFL financial results.

Using that analogy then we should be looking at Ford as opposed to Land Rover, or ASDA/Tesco as opposed to Fortnum and Mason, or Yorkshire Bank as opposed to Coutts. I cannot see any reason why in monetary terms we cannot be securing 25% of the RFU sponsorships ie £4m pa, maybe its because of how the sport is seen as divided and club focused.

As for women, life of riley the lot of em - all they do is look after the house and kids whilst we are at work, cleaning, ironing and cooking, but mainly watching daytime tv.......

What? By advertisers? Half of them probably don't even know where Leeds is never mind how our sport is structured lol.

Could be true, they might even think Red Hall is in China.

Or maybe it's because whilst we view it as the greatest game, the money people in business see it as a minority sport played mainly in the north.

But the population of that area is greater than Wales, Scotland or Ireland.

That population shop, buy food, use banks, credit cards, mobile phones, interenet, insurance, ale, etc We will not hit the £16m sponsorship of the RFU but surely 25% of that is achievable for the second highest watched sport on Sky?

Nobody is saying that there isn't value in what we can offer in terms of exposure just that it isn't as easy as turning up at XYZplc demanding sponsorship. If you're a national company you're more likely to plump for national advertising because that's your market. If you limit yourselves to the M62 there may not be as much benefit unless you have a specific strategy in which isolating the Lancashire/Yorkshire markets was critical e.g. Waitrose launching in the north (used them as an example because there aren't any around this next of the woods).

Again, nobody is saying no but sports like cricket, golf and RU have strong representation with old boys etc at senior corporate levels which means sponsorship goes looking for them more than it does RL. Those three sports have spectator bases which have more disposable income than the RL fanbase. Given that the RFL have grown the business from, what? £7m to nearly £30m in ten years is no mean feat and I don't for one second think the sales teams we have are sat there twiddling their thumbs because that growth suggests something is going right doesn't it?

Excellent point! Never mind the RFU in England, if we could match the sponsorship incomes of the rubgy unions in those nations we'd be doing a lot better.

There are 3 in Leeds.