Don't the superleague clubs have a meeting at the start of February? So I'd guess we'll hear something not long after that.

You'd hope so. j.c, but it sounds like there is a split between the 'Let's stay at 12 & split the SKY cash accordingly' faction, and the 'Let's expand to 14 and consider the benefits that Toronto or Toulouse may bring to the party' faction. I can't see that being decided in a hurry.

Personally, I'd be happy for them to say round August, that the top team in the Championship gets outright promotion! (providing that team is Leigh of course!!)

That's a new form of Jeopardy....you play all year long, finish top of the league but find yourself in Championship 1 to make room for Boston, New York, Hamilton and a host of other cities with no RL infrastructure and therefore no players but who will further dilute the talent pool.

13 it is then unless Toronto bring their own money then we'll go to 14

It doesn't make any sense to increase to 14 unless the increase consists of Toronto and Toulouse.

You could still possibly have P & R if the highest Championship team other than Toronto and Toulouse gets to compete with the lowest Super League club in a MPG.

The sooner we go to 14 or more the better it has to be the way forward and 1 up and 1 down

Toulouse failed to make the middle 8s last year and will again this year. Last time they was in the championship It was a disaster so what would they offer to Super League what Leigh Fev Fax and London cant

Torronto have not even played a championship game yet and buying a team of over rated granddads is not going to guarantee them middle 8s. If it becomes 14 this as to be top 6 of the middle 8s fairest way of doing it

I don't disagree though I doubt the current 12 SL sides are moved to expand due to a desire to dilute the TV money by accommodating two more sply-supported and skint heartland clubs. Could be wrong though, it might be sheer altruism.

How do you know this? In the off season they have strengthened in the forwards and the halves so they should be expected to do better than last year.



Last time Toulouse was in the Championship was last year. The team's performance last year was hardly a disaster.

London is a different case to Leigh, Fev, and Fax since it is the national capital and has global name recognition unlike the other three. London also can attract talented youth from the south of England (like Michael McMeeken, Anthony Clubb and Daniel Sarginson) who would otherwise be neglected and might never make the professional level.

Toulouse's admission to Super League offers a chance to strengthen French rugby league (which will benefit the English national team), offers the televising in England on Sky of 13 more SL games, offers interesting new foreign travel for many English fans, and creates (as does Toronto) a more cosmopolitan flavour to the currently insular, mostly M62 regional Super League.



Not one of the Toronto team is a grandfather. Nothing guarantees the team a place in the middle 8s other than being a very strong performing team.



Why is it "fairer" to choose the 14 that way? The RFL might, and in fact should, have a higher ambition than just increasing the number of insular M62 teams that offer nothing to the expansion of the game's player pool, fan support and financial well being. Adding Toronto and Toulouse will add to all of these over time.


N.B. =#FF0000Red highlighting represents correction of spelling and grammar.

Quote ="JEAN CAPDOUZE"How do you know this? In the off season they have strengthened in the forwards and the halves so they should be expected to do better than last year. Last time Toulouse was in the Championship was last year. The team's performance last year was hardly a disaster. London is a different case to Leigh, Fev, and Fax since it is the national capital and has global name recognition unlike the other three. London also can attract talented youth from the south of England (like Michael McMeeken, Anthony Clubb and Daniel Sarginson) who would otherwise be neglected and might never make the professional level. Toulouse's admission to Super League offers a chance to strengthen French rugby league (which will benefit the English national team), offers the televising in England on Sky of 13 more SL games, offers interesting new foreign travel for many English fans, and creates (as does Toronto) a more cosmopolitan flavour to the currently insular, mostly M62 regional Super League. Not one of the Toronto team is a grandfather. Nothing guarantees the team a place in the middle 8s other than being a very strong performing team. Why is it "fairer" to choose the 14 that way? The RFL might, and in fact should, have a higher ambition than just increasing the number of insular M62 teams that offer nothing to the expansion of the game's player pool, fan support and financial well being. Adding Toronto and Toulouse will add to all of these over time. N.B. =#FF0000Red highlighting represents correction of spelling and grammar.'" You seem to have a little too much time on your hands. checkoutchorley.com/whats-on/

Quote ="JEAN CAPDOUZE"How do you know this? In the off season they have strengthened in the forwards and the halves so they should be expected to do better than last year. Last time Toulouse was in the Championship was last year. The team's performance last year was hardly a disaster. London is a different case to Leigh, Fev, and Fax since it is the national capital and has global name recognition unlike the other three. London also can attract talented youth from the south of England (like Michael McMeeken, Anthony Clubb and Daniel Sarginson) who would otherwise be neglected and might never make the professional level. Toulouse's admission to Super League offers a chance to strengthen French rugby league (which will benefit the English national team), offers the televising in England on Sky of 13 more SL games, offers interesting new foreign travel for many English fans, and creates (as does Toronto) a more cosmopolitan flavour to the currently insular, mostly M62 regional Super League. Not one of the Toronto team is a grandfather. Nothing guarantees the team a place in the middle 8s other than being a very strong performing team. Why is it "fairer" to choose the 14 that way? The RFL might, and in fact should, have a higher ambition than just increasing the number of insular M62 teams that offer nothing to the expansion of the game's player pool, fan support and financial well being. Adding Toronto and Toulouse will add to all of these over time. N.B. =#FF0000Red highlighting represents correction of spelling and grammar.'" You seem to have a little too much time on your hands. checkoutchorley.com/whats-on/

Jean - before you start using the red highlights to try and put down other posters you ought to be aware that 'illicit' is an adjective not a noun. Just saying.

Just pointing out Halifax run an academy an example of one of are academy lads is Nick Rawdthore
Halifax also have a better stadium fans would increase as would money on promotion to super league
Toulouse and Torront are hardly offering anything to the completion at present
Halifax v Toulouse at the summer bash was a disaster looke dpoor on sky etc. you expect fans to travel to france I can see why you wont travel every other week but the summer bash is a one off I counted 2 French fans who proably came witht he players.. IT does not work

looking like no one will be relegated come the end of this season

the million pound game will be a dead rubber

Nick Rawdthore, is that the biggest success story you could come up with? A 22 year old with 4 SL appearances under his belt..

Not rubbishing the lad by any means, i`ve seen him play and he is a decent young player that may come good but there are plenty of them all across SL and the championship.

I thought Toulouse Elite 1 side had its own Youth system? Which feeds through to the club.

Ok then Halifax v wire in the middle 8s

MOM went to chester butler one of the fax academy lads plenty of upcoming players in are youth team which most the sl clubs refuse to run

Castleford
Warrington
Widnes
Leeds
Wigan
Wakefield
Hull FC
Hull KR
St Helens
Warrington

All have youth teams that`s 10 out of 12 Are you saying that you class 2 as most of SL? Think your getting mixed up with a reserve grade which is a different conversation.

I think you're making 2 points here......maybe 3......it's hard to tell.

1. In the Academy league of 13 sides, London Broncos moved from 13th in 2016 to 8th last year with a W9, L9, D2 record. They took the scalps of teams of the standard of Wigan who were last years winners......I have no doubt that Catalans (4th last year) would disagree that IT doesn't work in terms if development.......

2. The other point you were trying to make (I think) was about "away fans"......I believe that in 2017, many Championship 1 sides had their biggest gates v the Wolfpack and none had their smallest gates.

Skolars v Toronto 1,542......
Other gates last year..... 287 v Bears, 362 Hemel, 335 Whitehaven, 291 v Oxford, 374 Barrow, 367 Hunslet, 225 South wales, .........
Average without Toronto 324.
So, in the case of Toronto, London pulled in 1,218 paying fans for their game v the "bring nothing Wolfpack".

Keighley averaged 687 at home, but got 1,128 for the Canadian game....Workington 628 average with 835 for Toronto.......Doncaster 557/943.......can you see where this is going?

3. Halifax were in Superleague.......you ended up with an average gate below 3,000, which for a side CLOSELY surrounded by other SL sides like Huddersfield, Castleford, Wakefield, Leeds and Bradford is terrible.....you brought little then and probably even less now.

I am no fan of the Business Plan of Toronto which seems to be chasing the SKY cash as a pre-cursor to world domination, but I've just shown that they DO bring fans, I've shown that expansion sides DO run academies and I've shown that Heartland clubs aren't assured of success when they are at the top table......

Hooligan is making the point about reserve sides. The problem with academies is when players start reaching their potential (particularly forwards) they run out of teams to play for. Fax are very proud to have a reserve squad, and having seen them in the pre-season friendlies, there are definitely a couple who could make the grade at a higher level.

Our last season in SL was a complete disaster. We won one game, which was the first game of the season away at London. We'd be really happy with an average crowd of 3000 now! The two crowd figures for the Fax vs Toronto games will be interesting this season. Our home game for the reasons you allude to above, and the other because it won't really be a home game for Toronto (albeit we don't know where it will be).

FWIW, I would expect a few more Fax fans to turn up for a Toronto game, but no more than when we play the likes of Leigh.

Its a strange one,without doubt there is some kind of aura around them which isnt really justified.Maybe its just the name "Toronto" that grabs the attention ? Anyway any club that doesnt try to exploit it is a bit daft

If I remember correctly London Skolars exploited it pretty well! Made it into an event at the New River Stadium. Granted it was Toronto's first league game ever but Skolars certainly benefited from it! Pretty much 5 times their average gate, plus all the takings from bars, food etc. Very profitable day for Skolars.

It should be a very interesting Championship season this year, I for one will be watching as much as I can on Premier Sports and also other games/highlights online. Looking forward to the Leigh/Toronto/Fax/Fev games this year.

Good point.

Well done for running a reserve team, but it was the frequent use of the word academy that through me....easy mistake to make. Also, there are plenty of sides for these reserve grade players to move onto.....I'd say currently the top 24 sides in the top 2 tiers would be better than Fax reserves.....then there's NSW/QLND cup sides, a couple of Elite 1 sides and our buddies in North America who have no forwards of their own.

Point was your average over 8 seasons in SL was 4,837 and that was wth visits from sides a bus ride away.....and that sort of figure is the one delivered by sides like Salford who get grief for it on a regular basis.......



Fax (as the other sides should) should market the hell out of the Toronto game.....and the visit of London and Toulouse, because if the trap door is pulled up at the end of this year, we'd better pray Bradford get buck up!

Toulouse brought nothing to the summer bash it looked daft on sky. Its ok fax filling one end when we have no fans making a noise back as it is totally empty this is getting stupid. Yes its expensive to travel week after week but this was the summer bash weekend and they can not even travel for that.

This stupid expansion needs to stop. Its like some of these championship 1 teams e.g hemel stags etc which the rfl through together. Put these against siddal I know who my money would be on and it would not be the so called championship 1 team

Ralph Rimmer has confirmed no decision will be made on promotion/relegation and the number of teams in 2019 in the foreseeable future. Unbelievable to start the season in this way.