So we are into April and still in the dark about what the format of the league will be next year. I thought I might start a thread about the rumours people have heard.

The strongest rumour I have heard is that the league will be expanded to 14, I haven't heard what format that will take over the year but all 12 clubs currently in Super League will definitely remain with 2 coming in.

Catalans are already looking to next season and will stick with McBanana and try and give him the squad he wants.

This might be true because Sam Tomkins if true would not play in the championship if they went down would he

personally i am sick of the game hoping and changing the system and coming out with gimmicks, the game desperately need some stability over next few years and in my opinion we should go with a 14 team franchise system and stick with in for 5 years minimum ideal 10 years. if aniseed is not cutting the mustard in terms of crowds or goes into admit they are out and their place given to the next best championship side and let them have a go.
I am not going down the route of naming which sides should be in it, but most of the sides pick themselves. I would like to see a strong stable Bradford side in the super league again and ideally London and another french side. Not sure about Toronto yet, i think they need another 3-4 seasons to prove they are sustainable.

top 6 play offs 26 rounds, scrap magic weekend but encourage some on the road games around the country maybe 6 games a year. season starts end of march ideally early April starting in mid fed is too early.

we should not close the door on lower leagues but make the championship a strong completion in its own right(which we are getting there at the moment anyway.

Challenge cup move early rounds to start of year like we used to. no seeding complete random draw (that was some of the magic of the cup you never new who was going to draw who) also play the final about a month earlier than it is now.

And lets really spend 5 years promoting what we have and making it work.

I know you are entitled to your opinion, but are you smoking something funny?

well this is why nobody comes on these forums anymore. because all you get is smarts or the same posters just arguing amounts them selves.

i put up a genuine post with some valid ideas for discussion and this is the response.

Pipe down and get a sense of humour owd lad.

I do think a license for 3-5 years is a good thing for junior development but I also think there needs to be an element of on-field achievement when the licenses are up for renewal.

We saw the approach Widnes took with the license and it was very much geared towards youth development and home grown players, it still is to this day really (another side who don't seem to panicking about relegation). Whilst that is admirable and the approach has good intentions, how good will these young players ever become if they're getting beat most weeks like they are now? It's great that their starting 13 regularly has 8+ academy products but they finished bottom last year and will be in the bottom 4 again this year no doubt.

Clubs should be encouraged to blood home grown players but a license shouldn't mean you can get pumped every week for 5 years. If you aren't competing in the league then you're license should be under scrutiny.

Nobody's actually considered that we are tied down to a TV contract to the present format, for another 3 years.
For anything to change would rely on all present clubs, And SKY be willing to change any present contract, and starting again. Given that sky are offered less to Football for the next contract. Would it be wise to test them at the moment?

You are correct that for the structure to change sky need to agree to it and the clubs need to vote with a majority backing. However that’s no excuse for not having it sorted. The 2019 structure should have been sorted before the 2018 season kicked off and needs confirming ASAP.

My preference would be 14 teams playing home and away + magic + earlier Challenge Cup entry for all Super League clubs.

If Toronto have to play another 3/4 seasons in The Championship, they will run out of cash.

IF we had stuck with a "franchise" type system, "we" could simply added Toronto and a.n.other to the top flight and carried on, with an expanded comp, which just shows how short sighted the game was when it scrapped that model.

With expansion always on the cards, either with Toulouse or Toronto, there had to be a system in place to accommodate them.

Instead we've had Bradford go bust and then narrowly lose the MPG, KR go down and then come back and Leigh, finally get their chance in SL but fall at the first hurdle.

Was it really worth the change and the nonsense of "every minute matters".

Having said that, the promotion/relegation aspect is probably more exciting for the average fan than the Grand Final but, it doesn't fit with the idea of expansion.

Any club lucky enough to gain promotion under the current system is necessarily thrown into jeopardy the following season, when, to have any chance of a long term future in the top flight, they need protecting.

It's utterly poor that there is nothing in place for next season and quite frankly, if something were to be announced now, it would be plain wrong, therefore, the game should say there will be no change and IF there is to be any re structure, it needs to be for the 2020 season.

According to Hetherington, nothing will change unless everyone agrees to it.

Given that the Champ clubs aren't going to vote to be sacrificial lambs, ditto L1, and ditto some SL clubs, I can't see anything changing until the contract comes up for renewal and Sky put their cards on the table. Oh, and Super League/the RFL go to Sky with a clear vision and plan (I say very much tongue in cheek).

I don't mind a laugh and have a great sense of humour, not even bothered by your stupid meme, but after posting it just then add something decent to the discussion otherwise its just rude and disrespectful.

Good point about widnes and player development, but with the constant threat of relegation, it hard to recruit 3-4 top class players to mive you up a level. With a five year license it makes it more attractive to players to but into a clubs linger term plan.

The trouble with fast tracking Toronto is they may run out of cash in two years anyway even in super league. We have tried fast yeacking sides before, Paris bust after two years. Gateshead two years. Crusaders two years. Catalan being the exception. But they had 2-3 years to prepare for super league. Toulouse will go well in super leadue and the game needs another french club.

Ok, franchise has been tried and failed. Now, if you can come up with something new, and with a good structure that works for all,then fair enough.

I think you missed the point. The TV contracts till 2020 or 21 (can't remember exactly), for this format. 2019 season is still under this contract for this format. So the 2019 season will be like this season with the 8's.
They only need to announce anything if there are going to be changes. And by the looks of it there aren't going to be any.

Agree with some of your preferences. But personally would get rid of magic weekend. As it's not being used for what it was originally brought in for, and has run its course in my opinion. Like the early challenge cup entry for all SL clubs.

Just a point about the so called franchise saving. Didn't Celtic Crusaders fold last time? and Bradford and Wakefield go into administration?

I'm not sure what the best system is (personally I'm a fan of the current system, which is the best out of what we've tried since SL started in my opinion), but I certainly don't think that franchise's is the answer.

It was tried but t did not fail, it simple was not given long enough, plus Rfl bottled it by not giving under performing clubs the boot. There were at least 2 sides that should nit be playinf in super league back then and a couple of clubs aggrieved that they did not get a place.

Once you have a closed shop ,the rfl will move the goalpost to suit the system in order to justify it's working. We then end up with far too many meaningless games, No P & R, and clubs outside of SL will have no incentive to invest in a club that has no chance of reaching the promise land. Franchise is a big massive NO NO.

We had 6 years of licensing, which is more than governments in the UK get to work with. As a supporter of probably one of the most aggrieved clubs (awarded a license but not a place in SL), I have to say that it still leaves a bit of a sour taste in the mouth about what happened in 2011. Crusaders had folded, and Wakefield were in financial difficulties, with one of the main issues being their ground - which they still play in with Fax sharing a pretty decent ground with FC Halifax Town.

Fax lost out on a licence apparently because their submission was flawed as a business plan. Maybe (supposition) it's more because they were being too realistic?

Dont stop there pal.

Celtic moved to North Wales and crashed.

Bradford when under twice,brown envelopes n everything

Wakefield who after going under got a new owner who didnt need to pass a fit and proper owner test, who then went on and took them to the brink of administration again, until Carter came in and took a large wedge of money from the RFL in the form of a loan.

Salford were finish without direct intervention from the rfl.

David Hughes at London demanded a way out of the licenced league or he'd shut them down.

Its amazing how many people still try to paint a pretty picture of licencing when it was nothing less than catastrophic for the whole of rugbyleague

Just to add for those that love the fictional world of super dooper licencing.

Potentially the most important club in Northern Hemisphere rugbyleague came into being under this P&R system and Toulouse are the strongest theyve ever been.

The basic point is that IF "we" want to start to include another French club and some North American clubs into SL remember, I said IF), they will struggle to develop under the constant threat of relegation (as will ANY other promoted club (just ask Leigh and maybe KR).
So this is the $million question.

Do we want to expand the game or stick as we are ? and this will tell you whether there needs to be any re think regarding league structure.

Why come into a structure of P&R if you dont think you can survive relegation from Sl should you make there.

The point of opening the door to North American and French club should be to strengthen the sport not to provide protectionism

But then is having a few American and French clubs over hear actually expanding the game, or just SL interests?
For me, to expand the game we should be doing everything to help the Elite League become stronger, in setting up an American league. Trying to promote the sport in other countries (magic weekend in Italy for example),help establish it there. Introduce a proper international calender, play the WCC in Hong Kong, Dubai etc. On the road games taken by SL clubs around the UK and Ireland.Doing this will expand the sport far more than a few foreign clubs over here.
And though some will disagree the excitement of P&R is one of the few things that could attract casual fans, and maybe get them to games.

As for any relaunch of league structure. It will happen when SL clubs work out how to get more money from sky for themselves. Till then I expect more of the same.
Which the way this season's shaping up, Especially with regards the championship and the top 4 places there. Might not be a bad thing.