true but they have places where you can develop top clubs which down the track will develop juniors

Home fans are important. Away fans are not. People need to realise this.

Home fans are important to a clubs development. Away fans are a bonus.

No, they have enough players for one compettitive SL side - remove all the imports and sign a couple players from outside our Squad and we could compete in SL without the likes of Bell ...

However it IS true that there are not enough players for 3 sides and not enough development to add two new sides at once. Personally I think Paris is a pipe-dream. I could see SL going to 15 if there was French TV money to include TO.

The Super League is a European competition with a majority of English teams in it. Don't get confused between the two. Super League is not an English competition. Otherwise, I could argue for the last few years that SL has been primarily a Yorkshire competition.


What do SL clubs make more money from? TV money or away fans buying tickets? If you can make more TV money from having a better spread of clubs, then it doesn't matter how many away fans you get.


Catalans replaced Leigh. Leigh may have taken roughly between 500-1,000 fans to away games, compared to Catalans 5-10.
Leigh averaged 4,700 in their one year in SL. Catalans averaged 6,500 in their first season, and 9,100 last year.
If Toulouse can come in and do a similar thing by replacing someone like Salford (who average less than Leigh and take less to away games) then how are attendances dropping in the league as a whole?

Away following means squat if these clubs aren't bringing in any home fans.


No, you're saying this as a fan of your club, not a fan of your sport. You want to follow your team wherever YOU can, which is a pretty selfish attitude to the growth of the game. You don't want the game to outgrow your club.

Just be glad your not a football fan. How many trips to London? Champions League, you're having a laugh?

If you only want to watch games that are close to you, go watch the Pennines League or something.


I'd rather see my side win a competition with credibility than a small-time North of England competition that's why. Why do you think Man Utd would rather win the European Cup than the Premiership?

If the other clubs aren't pulling their weight then do they deserve to be in the competition?

Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but yours is very narrow-minded it would seem.

Personally I don't think there's enough quality players to support a 14 team league. Certainly not enough for a 16 team one. The current rules about home grown players are all very well for trying to encourage the growth of junior players, however the overall quality of the competition has, imo, deteriorated over the last few years. Yes certain clubs are closer in terms of competition but those teams have lowered their standards to the level of the majority rather than other clubs improving.

the truth is we don't have the playing numbers that something like football has in this country. so without those numbers we can't compete on an international stage (which is surely a major goal of the game an a reason for expansion).

I've made this point before but I'll make it again. If a player is good enough he WILL break into the 1st team. The perfect example of this is Sam Burgess. Overseas players are a benefit to our league, not a detriment.

I don't think I'm alone in wanting to see a SL were all teams don't need to recruit overseas players or that if they do recruit an overseas player it's because that player is the cream of the crop.

As it stands however, the RFL's rules are there to promote mediocrity not excellence

I don't think Quins would survive as a Championship side. It's hard enough to get a decent crowd for a Superleague match.

Pedantic I know but best to get it right , Les Catalans replaced Widnes , not Leigh , they were replaced by Cas

As for the situation of away fans , they do add a great deal to any sport , they help to provide atmosphere , not saying they are as important as the expansion of the sport and the TV revenue , but they are important if RL wants to grow

So where exactly can Quins ' survive ' , and if that is all they can do , is that enough ?

I don't think 3 French teams are enough to form their own 'super league'. They would have to play each other about 13 times each.

All fans are important , people need to realise this

TV Money talks really big in sport these days

Sky tells football clubs what day and time they can play and Superleague is right behind them for their live TV games.

Sky also features a Thursday night Championship game and if your fixture is chosen, you play on that night.

The BBC has also told Hull when they can play Leeds in the Cup. Saturday afternoon at 2.30.

So.............if the inclusion of another French team means serious extra TV money, I suspect it will happen as money talks.

Thats got to be one of the most stupid posts I've ever read on here!

When people talk about Crusaders, Quins and Catalan they bemoan the lack of away fans. It is up to the clubs to fill their stadia with fans from within not rely on travelling support.

Exactly.
At wire from three home games I think we're averaging about 11,500 and thats with playing Quins and Crusaders.
I reckon you'd get more if the south stand was bigger

They manage perfectly well in the SPL


Seriously though, that must be the main aim... to have a professional French league, whether we'll see it within the next millenium though is another question...

Can't you tell that there is a 'feel good' factor with Lefty here.

All fans are important and you cannot beat a good following of away fans in any particular sport.

Warrington is a big Town, and should be averaging at Least 12000 in SL, but warrington had a good side in the 80's and was still a 'big town' getting very poor attendances. I recall games against Leigh, Saints, Wigan and Widnes packing the Railway end at Wilderspool. You are happy for this to cease ?

Rugby League is losing 'honesty' and is being raped and pilaged by TV. SL is on a big downward spiral at the moment. Lack of P&R is killing the sport, and 12 more months of Salford, London and the Crusaders getting pasted week in and week out will not help the sport one bit. SL should be 10 clubs, with the more 'honest' divisions below it !

Put Warrington in the French elite league I say. Lefty doesn't want the Derbys anymore against inferior sides from small Towns (especially the ones with better stadia !). I am sure that you can afford a fornightly trip on the odd plane to see your beloved side.

Living in Warrington and seeing your contribution to this thread so far, I am sure my neighbours (and true wolves fans) would shake their head at almost everything you have said.

Like it or lump it, RL is a Northern sport and unfortunately light years behind its National rival. With all these silly changes to rules, leagues etc etc, it will be for years to come !

Yeah, that's clearly the case.



Seriously, had you been drinking when you wrote that post? Thank God people like you have no influence in our game, and are ignored and laughed at by everyone.

Obviously what I said about Castleford and Wakefield was a little tongue in cheek. However I am deadly serious about away fans. Why in Rugby League we feel that some clubs owe us an away support is ludicrous.

Clubs have a responsibility to increase their crowds within the town they are situated, bemoaning teams awarded a franchise based on a crap away following is silly.

I am aware that the average attendance at Warrington should be much higher and a lot of work is being done to address that, currently we are seeing signs of that. Much of the increase can be accredited to the Challenge Cup victory however the work that goes on behind the scenes at Warrington is not to be underestimated.

I accept the argument that home clubs shouldn't rely on away fans for attendances to a degree, but your attitude to away fans is quite frankly ridiculous. there are few things better than being at a game where there is a decent away following to keep the atmosphere bubbling away. watching games against les catalans (whilst i accept their inclusion) is often very subdued as there is no-one for the fans to bounce off of. If we move to a league with 3 french clubs then more and more games will become devoid of any significant atmosphere imo and long term this needs consideration.
In your world lefty we might as well move to playing behind closed doors with it all on pay per view TV

than at larger all seated stadia quarter filled with a quiet home support and little away following

last time I looked away fans paid the same as hoem fans to get in. A customer is a customer!