But it was the Board of Directors that voted Leigh to gain a reprieve wasn't it?

Well the last process was a bit of window dressing to promote Celtic. Franchising is nothing more than a way of the RFL being able to cherry pick their 'faves'...
Let's get back to Promotion and Relegation!!!

We have not been ' reprieved ' , we were relegated

It is a re organisation of the leagues

Either way this is not the place for this argument , there are bigger issues to discuss here

, quite simply whoever gets the chop will be set back years , possibly forever

And while fans can accept what happens on the pitch because it has happened in front of their eyes over a season , a decision behind closed doors will decimate their fan base

Progress

The RFL board , which is not a specific group of club Chairmen/Directors

somebody is going to be sacrificed

Is it a good thing , well ?

So how does this all fit in with an honest licence criteria being the method of promotion and relegation?

Is there any longer a reason to trust the integrity of the current system?

Well here,s my contribution.

Any heartland club kicked out of Non Relegation League will be on a downward spiral from which it would be hard to recover.

I don,t see much point in guessing who it could be or who would replace them.

Any team leaving the Championship would be one of the better supported clubs and this would impact on all other Championship clubs from the view of average attendances.

The RFL have introduced franchising and must give it the 3 years allotted. After that they can admit their mistake abandon it and go back to Promotion and Relegation.

This would give all clubs something to aspire too and might stop some going out of existence.

I have nothing against expansion but a new club should start in Championship 1 and build that way.

It would also be a good idea for the Championship leagues to start 2 months earlier than Superleague. That would give the club at the top of the Championship enough time to negotiate contracts unlike the scenario we were faced with when we won admission to the top league.

Dont be stupid Frank

The trouble is they haven't given it three years, in the interview he states a club will go down. So what is the point of a club applying for a licence if it has already been decided.

Who are 'Celtic'?

If you're talking about 'Crusaders Rugby League', you may want to consider that we are currently playing in a ground that will be fully redeveloped by 2012. So, if we don't get our own shiny new stadium, we have a contingency plan.

You may also want to consider our development system. Our Under 18's won the National Youth League last season (and have only lost one this season), our Reserve team won their league the previous season. Then there's the small matter of Elliot Kear, Ashley Bateman, Lloyd White, Gil Dudson, Ben Flower, Geraint Rhys Davies, Lee Williams and Lewis Mills. All products of the Crusaders short four year stint as a club, all Welsh, and all European Champions.

I'd hate to see Wakey or Cas out of SL by the way, I liked both sets of fans down at ours, and enjoyed my only away trip this season up to Wakey, but stop posting such drivel.

Very true, how can Lewis decide someone is going down before any applications have been put in. It hardly sounds like that the powers to be will viewing the applications neutrally. If I was the chairman of several under threat SL clubs I would be seeking legal advice in anticipation of the worst case scenario.

I really wish we would scrap the franchise and bring back P/L. At the end of the day it's a competition, things should be decided on the field of play, not behind closed doors by a few business men.

The RFL have been clear from the start that it was likely that a team would be demoted - unless the SL was being expanded - subject to suitable clubs from the champonship applying. all SL clubs know this and accept it. No legal action is likely.

In Harrogate this week the SL clubs will have the chance to discuss the Licence procedure etc. If wakey have a probem with it I am sure they will raise it.

A club , which will be decided by the franchise applications

Just in the same way that what was the point in Widnes applying last time when after assurances to the contrary that their previous financial problems would not be held against them , they were the reason given for them not getting a SL place

Touloooooose?

Why ? they finished next to bottom with a team full of 4th rate aussies...mind you they would fit in well in super league on that point alone

If Salford were to stay in SL I would only be happy if they were to move from Salford to here; www.sportcity-manchester.com/pages/arena.asp with a view to increasing the capacity of the arena. Its in Sportscity, so the facilities there are phenomenal! Its next to the Eastlands football ground, so it would tap into those who know that iconic venue. My own view, though controversial, is that Salford should change its name to Manchester with the move. Being a resident of Manchester I know that the residents of Manchester will not go to Salford for a sporting event and little or no people know about the City Reds because it is in Salford. If RL is to successfully tap into the Manchester connurbation it needs to embrace the Manchester identity, which includes a move to a Manchester-centric venue and it needs to have a venue that has world class facilities.

If Salford were to stay in SL I would only be happy if they were to move from Salford to here; www.sportcity-manchester.com/pages/arena.asp with a view to increasing the capacity of the arena. Its in Sportscity, so the facilities there are phenomenal! Its next to the Eastlands football ground, so it would tap into those who know that iconic venue. My own view, though controversial, is that Salford should change its name to Manchester with the move. Being a resident of Manchester I know that the residents of Manchester will not go to Salford for a sporting event and little or no people know about the City Reds because it is in Salford. If RL is to successfully tap into the Manchester connurbation it needs to embrace the Manchester identity, which includes a move to a Manchester-centric venue and it needs to have a venue that has world class facilities.

This is, of course, an untruth.

What they were told was that going bust 6 months before would not prevent them submitting an application. No one told them that their application would get special treatment and the clear licence criteria (including the one about a proven financial record) would be ignored in their case and their case alone.

Makes me laugh all these 'glass half empty' merchants who doubt Widnes's ability to get a 10k average in time.

When were last a real force in the top flight, we hit an average touching 8.5k in two successive seasons. Since then the town and it's suburbs population has grown by some 10,000 and also the town's average house price has rocketed making it likely there is rather more disposable income knocking around.

10k? Give us a chance and we'll show ya...

Toulouse and Widnes in. Wakey and Crusaders out.

The success of Widnes and the calibre of players you could put in that team over many years should have drawn crowds of well over 10k for many years ,Not just two imo.

:2gau1b5x

Link

In that regard, St Helens should be averaging 20,000.

But they aren't. In fact, they're barely average 10,000 themselves.

Does it matter?

Get a grip, what do Harlequins offer that Crusaders don't?

Quote ="Chorlton RL"If Salford were to stay in SL I would only be happy if they were to move from Salford to here; www.sportcity-manchester.com/pages/arena.asp with a view to increasing the capacity of the arena. Its in Sportscity, so the facilities there are phenomenal! Its next to the Eastlands football ground, so it would tap into those who know that iconic venue. My own view, though controversial, is that Salford should change its name to Manchester with the move. Being a resident of Manchester I know that the residents of Manchester will not go to Salford for a sporting event and little or no people know about the City Reds because it is in Salford. If RL is to successfully tap into the Manchester connurbation it needs to embrace the Manchester identity, which includes a move to a Manchester-centric venue and it needs to have a venue that has world class facilities.'" like the manchester ice hockey team who went bust, or the basketball team nobody watches. Why even the football team in"manchester" doesn't sell out so it can't be the manchester name that will bring people in.

Quote ="Chorlton RL"If Salford were to stay in SL I would only be happy if they were to move from Salford to here; www.sportcity-manchester.com/pages/arena.asp with a view to increasing the capacity of the arena. Its in Sportscity, so the facilities there are phenomenal! Its next to the Eastlands football ground, so it would tap into those who know that iconic venue. My own view, though controversial, is that Salford should change its name to Manchester with the move. Being a resident of Manchester I know that the residents of Manchester will not go to Salford for a sporting event and little or no people know about the City Reds because it is in Salford. If RL is to successfully tap into the Manchester connurbation it needs to embrace the Manchester identity, which includes a move to a Manchester-centric venue and it needs to have a venue that has world class facilities.'" like the manchester ice hockey team who went bust, or the basketball team nobody watches. Why even the football team in"manchester" doesn't sell out so it can't be the manchester name that will bring people in.

Nothing , in fact less than what the Crusaders offer , at least they will help us get another country to a better level