Given how the RFL bent over backwards to help Bradford out of the mire, I reckon they can afford to cut us some slack.

If they want one in the south why not Portsmouth I live 10 miles away and I have been trying for all of the 7 yrs. of living down here to convert people to rugby league and I have got a few watching on telly now come on dump London try Portsmouth there is a amateur side in Southampton 30mins away so they might send some supporters

It IS ridiculously expensive to live in or around London. There must be a massive difference in the cost of running a Super League club.

As a point of comparison, I was living in 'rough' area of Surrey (Woking) and paying 550 for a ROOM in a shared flat. My sister was paying the same for a HOUSE in a nice area of Blackpool. As someone who'd been teaching for three years, I earned about 28 grand...my sister did the same job and earned about 23...and, she could afford a MUCH more comfortable lifestyle in the North than in the South....I was so tired of the extra expense of living in the South (where you're competing against people in the private sector with BIG salaries) that I seriously thought about going back North....but then jacked it all in and moved to China, where everything is cheap as chips. If Broncos want to relocate here, they'll have one fan at least! 10% is not London weighting....it might just be enough for the 'fringe' weighting that people in places like Surrey get. And yes, the further you move away from London, the more wages and living costs start to fall in to line with the rest of the country....Hemel Hemsptead and Watford would be more in line with the rest of the UK, but living costs would still be marginally more expensive.

I don't know what to suggest re. Broncos. I feel for the long suffering fans, who, yes, whilst being small in number, do exist. There is no easy solution and every possible one you could suggest has already been debated, at great length, by fans and by the club themselves. What I take issue with (and I've to correct my Warrington-based dad on several occasions about this) from Northern fans is this fallacy that the club have been bailed out and given preferential treatment. They haven't. Indeed, many other Northern clubs HAVE received the preferential treatment and RFL aid that London supposedly have had (e.g. Bradford).

As for the the current situation, I can't see London existing next season. If any new team is to succeed, they need an area where they are not swamped by competition from other local sport, they need some success on the field, some big signings and, importantly, lots of money dedicated to marketing the game. I think the Crusaders had some of this and I think this is why, initially at least, they had some success in Wrexham. How to do that with London, I don't know....I think the RFL/the rest of the Super League has to stump up the cash and make a go of it. If they don't want to do that, then, fair enough, back to the M62, Home of a 'national sport', Rugby League!

Thats the kind of attitude that has gained the RFL a no confidence vote. I would like to see a team in Cardiff given salary cap exemptions for 5-8 years with the correct financial backing, more and more welsh people i speak to are starting to follow rugby league.

And who us going to provide the "correct financial backing"?

well Salford have a Marwan Koukash and its not inconceivable to think there are other groups out there looking for sporting clubs. Cardif FC owner is one of the richest in Malaysia he might look for a new venture for Cardif if pitched properly.

, just let the club go without making some effort. What a waste of thirty years.

If it's so good for Media down there ,the RFL should move their GHQ there.

Not a bad idea.

In some ways it's maybe not as daft as it sounds, but I'd guess the cost of HQ down there would dwarf what they pay in Leeds, anyway, modern communications really make it unnecessary.

You need to be close to the market makers to understand the markets as my boss says - I would imagine its as true in media

If the rfl maintained an office in London it would remove the pressure of a London team in the top league and help maintain relationships with media boss' as opposed to regional journalists

Would be more expensive than Leeds, but there are quite a few new development areas in London that if the rfl got in quickly enough wouldn't be too extortionate

I believe the RL did once have an office in London until quiet recently and it was closed. I may be wrong, I am sure Gutterfax would know or be able to find out.

2 staff apparently based in an office on the Thames ,,,,,,down from as many as 25 development people last year. Interestingly, the development work in London was sponsored by sports cafe........ Big bad nasty lenagan at his self serving worst again??????

Really don't get your thrust here. I remember Widnes being given £900,000 by the RFL in the mid 2000's when they got into bother. I remember Hull being given £1M to merge with Gateshead, and I remember all the assistance given to Bradford last year. The one club that has never been on the receiving end of such largesse (despite all the myths) is London
What gets the RFL into disrepute is that they make lots of nice sounding statements about having a club in London, but have never backed it up with action or practical help.
Don't think I'm asking for the RFL to just lob money at London now, the current management of the Broncos couldn't run a bath and wouldn't know how to use the funds effectively. But if all those statements about the importance of SL in London had not been such hollow words, it would never have got to be such a mess.

Anyway, the original question was why we shouldn't be stripped of our franchise? And I'll go back to my original post, until such time as we're not able to honour our fixtures.
And if you weren't clamouring for Bradford to be stripped of their franchise last year, I suggest you hold your tongue. I'm not asking for special treatment for London, I'm asking for the same treatment that others have received.

But the point is, why should the RFL have to give London financial help? Why did they help Bradford? Why should they help any SL club?

SLE is very fond of telling everyone "We are an independent company, the Sky money is ours, not the RFL's, and it is up to us how it is distributed."

Fair enough. So why is it left to the RFL to bail out SL clubs whenever they are in the financial mire? Why don't the rest of the SL clubs help out the failing club from SLE funds? Because they're all too self-interested and greedy is why.

If they hadn't helped then its a good bet that both Bradford and Wakefield would have been wound up. Or at least put in a much more damaging position. With so few clubs in RL, why shouldn't they help?

When did SLE say that? It's been a long time since they decided how anything was distributed. SLE is pretty much existing in name only. The SLE company is run by the RFL.

SLE funds are effectively RFL funds, the RFL decides where they go. In Bradford's case there were clubs willing to help. Did your club help out others when they were in trouble?

Where do you think the money loaned to Bradford came from? Where do you think the loans to any SL clubs come from? Advances of the TV money perchance?

Why do the RFL help Keighley and Rochdale in the same way? Why is it ok for the RFL to own Cougar Park and Spotland but not Odsal? Why are they allowed to own grounds at Normanton, Underbank; Hensingham; Maryport and Buslingthorpe Vale when they are amateur clubs under the BARLA banner rather than the RFL banner but helping and actual RFL member club is heresy?

You might be thinking of the Hard Rock Cafe, which part-sponsored 2-year East London project that ended September just gone and sponsored the Origin series for the past few years. Lenaghan and sports cafe never had anything to do with development work in London.

I am Widnes fan and dont recall Widnes ever being given any financial assistance from the RFL, the only thing I can remember is being given a 9 point deduction for entering administration and a ready made excuse for not being granted a licence in 2008.

One year you're flavour of the month, the next year they throw you to the dogs.

My Bad



Still, Harlequins RL were "sponsored" by Sports Café and Workplace Systems long after IL was told to leave the club by the RFL, so I would counter he has had something to do with development, given it was his cash that set up and funded the academy that has started to churn out SL players (notice I didn't say SL standard)

Are they still in SL next year then? :\

depends on how much money is left after the RFL bail out Bradford.....AGAIN



Honestly roofs, my communications from the clubs management dried up last week, so I am none the wiser. I'd say if we are in SL next year it will be with little or no investment and as cast iron favourites to drop down (if there's relegation).

I'm not against the RFL helping out any clubs when they can. It is however a little two faced and hypocritical to claim membership of SLE and abrogate the Sky funds and refuse to share ANY with non SL members but when falling on hard times get out the begging bowl for assistance from he very organisation they refused to share with when pigging at the trough of Sky and SL.

As well as being massively financially hit when 1. Being booted out of the original Sl and 2 and 3 being forced into relegation twice when not in a relegation spot.