Promoting those 3 would make it a 17 team league

Why would you want Championship RL on TV?

Ha, sorry! Bad math.

Well it's on tv now in it's current form. Would possibly increase it's exposure and if the RFL didn't give the rights away for free it would introduce revenue into the league. Lower league RU gets on there at the moment.

Do the Championship RU clubs get paid for the coverage ?

Not sure. Do they?

Just out of interest what would you like to see happen in 2015 regarding teams?

Either reinstatement of P and R

A 2 x 10 team re structure

A continuance of Licencing but with more work put into the Championships to build the clubs in them, and stricter rules for the SL clubs regarding finances

I can't see P&R ever returning, hence my suggestion of putting the 3 teams into SL.

I think splitting SL into 2 could potentially work. But would a tv broadcaster be interested in SL2?

I think this feeder team project that they have in place for the Championships will emasculate most of the teams and stifle any dreams they have of SL or promotion. They will become surrogates of their respective SL affilated organisations. I agree with MP that the best independent CC teams should be moved into a bigger SL, prefereably Conferences rather than two tiers. I would add Sheffield and maybe a Cumbrian club to the three, Leigh, Fev and Fax to make the SL almost a 20 team league so the two sections could be workable.

Whether or not it could be sold to a TV broadcaster is the 64,000 dollar question.

Fax, Leigh and Fev have all stated that they aren't going to partake in this idiotic feeder scheme.

What do you mean by Conferences? You mean NFL style?

This is how my suggestion would look:

Super League (17 teams):

Warrington
Wigan
St.Helens
Leeds
Bradford
Wakefield
Hull FC
Hull KR
Catalans
Castleford
London
Salford
Huddersfield
Widnes
Leigh
Halifax
Featherstone

Championship (17 team, not included teams that have been added recently):

Sheffield
Batley
Keighley
Dewsbury
Swinton
Hunslet
York
Doncaster
Barrow
Workington
Whitehaven
Rochdale Hornets
Oldham
London Skolars
Crusaders
South Wales
Gateshead

I think the biggest draw back with the 17 team SL is the fact you'd have a 32 weekly game fixture list. Adding play-off games (play-offs kept in it's current top 8 format) and Challenge Cup games into the mix it would mean some teams were hitting potentially 40ish games a season, which Jamie Peacock wouldn't be happy with!

Yes, two conferences of 10. Play esach other h and a in your own league, 18 games and the other league once, 10 games equals 28 games.

The championships would not be included, although you could have licencing or even p and r to get into the top level.

We played in Blagnac in 2009, then at the Stade Minimes in 2010 and 2011. Those of us who were there know where we played

Thats what I put on page 4 , I was there in 2009 , so is the Minimes a better stadium than the one at Blagnac, I did walk through it to get the busses they provided for us, but it didnt seem as good to me, although much more central to the city

In terms of the stands, Blagnac is much better but Minimes is a far better base given it's location and the clubhouse, plus there's a certain amount of room for expansion.

There is a tiny Ernest Argeles stadium in Blagnac, which holds 4,000. It has been used for Championship fixtures because the crowds were so small. There is also nearby Ernest Wallon, which is not far from the airport at Blagnac, and which holds 19,500. Ernest Wallon is the home of rugby union powerhouse Stade Toulousain. However rugby league international games have been held there in recent years.

Stade des Minimes which is Toulouse Olympique's home ground will hold 10,000-12,000 when renovated (not sure if the number has been decided yet) and will be suitable for many Super League games, but not as I said, for the visits of the big glamour clubs if TO becomes a successful competitor in SL. It is the best located stadium because there is a metro station right there.

Looks a decent SL standard ground!

This is the 36,000 capacity main stadium of Toulouse. The Stade Toulousain RU club have only used it for games against their major rivals, in previous years mostly the Paris club Stade Francais (which is now very weak). It has also been used for rugby union internationals.

If Toulouse Olympique joins Super League in 2015 it will not need to use such a big stadium for the forseeable future, because big SL games will be in a better atmosphere at 19,500 seat Stade Ernest Wallon.

However if Toulouse joins Super League in 2015, then the French national team can develop, and [imaybe[/i that big municipal stadium could be suitable for international rugby league in ten or fifteen years from now.

2 Conferences has to be the way forward in the form of SL Europe & SL UK. Promotion and relegation from conferences in alternate years, 2v3 playoff to play 1 for conference final with winners to play GF.

If we want to successfully expand, France is the best place to look. They already have a number of clubs there that have great potential. If they had the TV money, RL could really take off there. If we can build it up, we could look at a conferenced SL.

We should try and build towards a 6 team Eastern, Western and French conference.

Can you be more specific?

I can try to guess what you mean.

Eastern:
1. Hull FC, 2. Hull KR, 3. Leeds, 4. Bradford, 5. Huddersfield, 6. Wakefield

Western:
1. Wigan, 2. St. Helens, 3. Warrington, 4. Salford, 5. Widnes, 6. London

French:
1. Catalans, 2. Toulouse, 3. Avignon, 4. Lyon, 5. Paris, 6. Nantes/Mille/Montpellier/Bordeaux


Is this your rough idea? When could you imagine that we could establish this new structure? 2018? 2021?


Maybe we can even think about a 24 team competition for a few years after that 18 team competition is established?

Eastern:
1. Hull FC, 2. Hull KR, 3. Leeds, 4. Bradford, 5. Huddersfield, 6. Wakefield, 7. Sheffield, 8. Gateshead/York

Western:
1. Wigan, 2. St. Helens, 3. Warrington, 4. Salford, 5. Widnes, 6. London, 7. South Wales, 8. London II/Hemel/Gloucester

French:
1. Catalans, 2. Toulouse, 3. Avignon, 4. Lyon, 5. Paris, 6. Mille, 7. Montpellier, 8. Nantes/Bordeaux/Lille


For the French conference to work it needs good TV money as you say, whether there are 6 or 8 French clubs. Bein TV is now on the scene so it is possible. But the problem is finding enough French players. We have enough French players to add Toulouse to SL in 2015, but I think then Toulouse must be very successful, especially with their junior development, if we are to have enough playes for more French clubs. I think that the French TV and some local governments have to provide money for junior development in the less developed rugby league areas of France, with the clear understanding, agreed by the RFL and the FFRXIII that we will soon have the professional clubs established there. If Toulouse works with Catalans in SL then I think anything is possible to follow in terms of this plan. But in my opinion we will have to work very, very hard to make the 6 team French conference, so no point to think about the 8 team French conference at this time.

Do you think that the RFL and the English fans would like this idea, especially of the 6 team French conference?

How would we structure the playoffs?

I think the RFL and real fans would like this if viable, if it strengthens the game it must be good. For playoffs I think the top team in each conference are seeds 1, 2 & 3, similar to American sports, best record is highest, second in each conference 4-6. You the have 3v6 & 4v5 in round one. 1 v lowest and 2 v second lowest for places in grand final. You could bring in a rule that you don't play a play off within your conference before GF, not sure that is important.

It could work well, but sadly I think it is many years away, still we can dream

Something along those lines, yes. Although not sure about the French teams picked. Seem a bit "pins on a map". No Aude team? Paris? Aren't Lyon on their *rse? And unless something has significantly changed since I visited two years ago, Nantes are nowhere near.

When do I imagine such a structure could be established? Totally depends on France. The 12 UK teams are there. France have already got the established clubs. But for what would in effect be their own mini league, they'd need TV backing. If Bein Sport get behind the game, then the game will grow as much as they're willing to invest. Had they put in money ten years ago, who knows where we'd be.

The RFL are the only ones with the power at the moment to give them something worth buying into. The FFR13 don't have that power to offer them a decent product at the present time. They can't offer games featuring Wigan and Leeds and Saints, etc.


Pipe dream. We don't need 16 English clubs, and won't be able to afford them.


If they're built up one club at a time, and each in produces its own players through an academy, I believe the player base will grow. France is such a large place, they won't be stealing each others junior players.

All comes down to money in the end though.


I think you'll always get some whinging English fans that don't like change or the foreign! But most will see the benefits of growth.

He RFL won't like the idea unless there is extra TV money.

The playoffs would probably be something similar to the current top 8 system.
1st in each conference ranked 1-3 (team with most points 1st, etc)
2nd in each conference ranked 4-6.
3rd in each conference ranked 7-9, with 9th placed team not qualifying.

Pipe dream though if there is no TV money.

There is one wonderful advantage to the 18 team conference plan: we can [ireduce[/i the number of games played each season by four or five, depending on whether you keep the Magic Weekend. (I would think that the Magic Weekend can be done away with, unless you have two separate tournaments with the French weekend being held in France separately to the English weekend in England).

Each team plays the members of its conference twice (H + A) = 10 games.
Each team plays the members of the two other conferences once (H or A) = 12 games

Total games + 22 games (instead of 27 now). We can save a month of winter playing and stop the player burnout that the players complain about.

One interesting change in foreign travel which will be not too onerous for English clubs and much better for French clubs than the current situation: each English club likely to travel to France only three times each year instead of once as is the case now, but each French club will likely travel to England 6 times each year instead of 13 times as is the case now for Catalans (because Home and Away will alternate for each club each year when playing against clubs from other conferences),

It has just been announced by the Mayor of Toulouse, Pierre Cohen, at a meeting of the Toulouse club sponsors, that the renovation of Toulouse Olympique's home ground, the Stade Arnaune (aka Stade des Minimes), will begin soon, and the first phase will be completed by 2014. The total capacity of the renovated stadium will be 10,000. www.to13.com/renovation-stade-ar ... t-demarre/ The RFL representative at the meeting expressed his approval of the announcement. It seems that the prospect of Toulouse's admission to Super League in 2015 is looking quite good now.

It has just been announced by the Mayor of Toulouse, Pierre Cohen, at a meeting of the Toulouse club sponsors, that the renovation of Toulouse Olympique's home ground, the Stade Arnaune (aka Stade des Minimes), will begin soon, and the first phase will be completed by 2014. The total capacity of the renovated stadium will be 10,000. www.to13.com/renovation-stade-ar ... t-demarre/ The RFL representative at the meeting expressed his approval of the announcement. It seems that the prospect of Toulouse's admission to Super League in 2015 is looking quite good now.

Announce now that they are in, give them time and lets all have it out in the open

get rid of Bradford Bulls and give it to Toulouse - what do we have tou louse! Nothing