Great news. Catalans have partnered with Global Heavyweight broadcaster, beIN sports who will be televising all Catalans home games.

Yep done without any help from Elstone

The deal being what?

Cant see any mention of much money changing hands but, at least we'll be able to watch the Catalan home games (assuming of course that they take place in France)

No cost to Sky then?

I'm sure that someone is paying but, there is no mention of anything in the article.
Donny is sure to know, he's all over the overseas scene

Probably not as lucrative as the free pizza and £20.99 a year SL signed with sky

So you have become a WUM then?

If the French TV deal doesn't come with money, one has to ask if SKY would pay more if say Bradford were in Superleague and not Les Cats.

No doubt people will say it doesn't matter, but they ignore the fact SKY need subs from English fans. Bradford have a lot of fans who can subscribe to SKY

Saying it doesn't matter enables so called expansionists**** to suggest a Superleague league in which Catalans and Toulouse can be joined by Ottawa and New York. But as has been said by McManus we lose the TV deal if SKY lose the content they want.

****How is kicking out say Wakefield for Toulouse expansion??

Over to you??

Bradford fans already have Sky subs, we established that this time last year.

This place is like an echo chamber.

tbf, I actually thought that you may know the detail as you are so bloody quick to throw in the negatives.
As for kicking clubs out of SL, no and never.
You will remember that Trinity were kicked out when SL was formed, it was a cr4p decision then, just as it would be now.
The whole ethos behind "Super League" and the move to summer rugby, was to involve a French club and to be different from what we had and of course, secure a TV deal, to rescue the game from the overspending of certain clubs, which had taken the game to the financial brink.
Ironically, we seem to be heading that way again.
Perhaps a "new" venture will come along, with an all English league, playing in winter and only including clubs form "Yorkshire" and "Lancashire" and to qualify, clubs must be no more than 10 miles from the M62 and while we're at it, let's bin off Internationals and the World Cup, just to ensure that our sports profile can match that of "shove ha'penny", another great Northern past time.

The game is on its booty and "we" really do need to find a way to reverse the current trend.
RL will have lost a years intake of kids, who will be playing football and the sport desperately needs some profile, which is shrinking faster than an ice cube in a tea pot.

Over to you.....................

we was hardly kicked out of super league when it wasn't formed we just wasn't invited like Paris Saint-Germain and Londons jump from division two the season before, I think it was down to rebelling to the ridiculous idea of merging that made it easy for them both us and fev was ignored since we gained promotion we have got under their skin

Kicked out is close enough for me.
The announcement of the move to summer rugby and the inception of SL was rushed in.
Clubs were informed part way through the season that, it wouldn't be 1 club relegated and that it would be 6 and this was to accommodate Paris, Crusaders and London (who were promoted from 4th spot in the old 2nd division).
I agree that the unwillingness to merge with Cas and Fev meant that Wakefield, along with Fev, Salford, Widnes, Hull and Doncaster were dropped from the top flight but, "merge or be relegated" isnt exactly much of a choice.
There was certainly no place for Wakefield Trinity so, "Kicked out" is a fair description.

It seems bizarre now, that Hull FC were also kicked out/relegated, as they are one of the stronger and best supported clubs in the current SL. Also strange, is to see that Workington and Oldham were in the first SL.
How their fortunes have changed !

It's not about me, leave the personal stuff out you are better than that.

The reality has always been survival, I think you would agree with that. In 1896 when we broke away from Rugby Union we had the same high hopes we have now and are no further forward with them.

Involving the French in 1996 was to try to [i"move RL out of it's provincial, Industrial landscape and into the metropolis"[/i. this is why London were also an important part of the plan. What Lyndsay wanted was clubs in places like London, Paris, Cardiff, Barcelona and Rome - Remember it was Super League Europe wasn't it?

Trinity were not really kicked out they just happened to come 13th. in the old First division when Workington Town did the double over them. Paris lasted a season and a half and by 1998 we were back to what we were in 1898.

The "current trend" is as it ever was which is surviving on it's "booty" on the regional support of the M62 public and business communities who historically went for the breakaway and who have generation after generation continued to buy into Rugby League. Somehow you talk as though we are at an all time low. Do you not remember how bad things really were around 1970?

Come on Donny, the reason i said "you" was because "you" have used any and every opportunity to forward the case for getting rid of Catalan and therefore it clearly is your opinion, which of course, like everyone else, you are fully entitled to have and to put forward.

The current trend is that the sport is going backwards and ways need to be found by all involved to reverse this trend.

Retracting fully to the M62 corridor, for me, would be another failure and we've had too many of those over the years and kicking Catalan out (for what ever reason) wouldn't exactly mean a rush of new investors into the game, indeed, it would potentially see the reverse.
The sport needs some profile and having Catalan involved in SL definitely helps with that.

Their victory in the Cup a few years ago, gained more positive column inches in the media than any time in the 2000's.

Elstone's tenure has definitely been forgettable and it was clear from day one that he was being massively influenced by McMannus and Lenegan and the sport has gone into sharp reverse.

Back on topic, at least we now have some kind of deal to view Catalan's fixtures, which is a (very) small step in the right direction.

Donnyman doesn’t know anything. He just pretends to and then when proven wrong on here he just goes quiet

Just like you then?

Good news. Any extra televised matches is a good thing. Shame all other clubs can't do their own deals for matches not covered by sky. know it's part of the sky deal but we need games free to air if any new viewers will get interested and become season ticket holders in the future. Very few will hunt for SL matches when they can watch netflix prime etc

I can’t see anything that proves him wrong. By all means please elaborate.

[i"Catalans became the first non-English club to win the Challenge Cup after defeating Warrington at Wembley last August. The victory created unprecedented headlines on both sides of the channel but by declining to pay the deposit requested by the governing body there is a possibility the Dragons may be kicked out of this season’s competition.

After Catalans’ appearance in the final drew a smaller-than-usual crowd of 50,672 to Wembley, the RFL was keen to protect against another loss in revenue – the cup final is often the most lucrative game of the season but was almost £800,000 down on projected figures last year – by asking three leading overseas clubs to provide a cash bond of £500,000 to enter the cup in 2019".[/i

The above isn't my opinion.

The RFL themselves came out against Catalans after a lack in interest in the club here when they got to Wembley.

You might like Fairy Tales, like a French team winning the RL cup, but it wasn't a French team and as for "more positive column inches" you made that up. The RFL didn't want them and nor do Superleague. It ain't about me so why not ring Rimmer and put your case to him?? Why not ring Lenegan and argue with him an anglo French Superleague would be a great financial success?

I wasn't talking about the attendance or gate receipts and you know it



I said "Their victory in the Cup a few years ago, gained more positive column inches in the media than any time in the 2000's." and it's 100% correct.

If you read the sports section of most of the papers, RL doesn't get's barely any coverage.
After the Catalan win, it's got heaps but, dont let that affect your bitterness, it's really quite sad, in fact, very sad.

As for making stuff up. Pot, Kettle Black.

Also, looking at the following year, Saints v Wire - two of the games big 5 clubs, from the RL heartlands.
They managed a pathetic 62,000. Yes, it's 12000 more than the Catalan game but, follows an alarming drop off in attendances over the past 5 years. I suppose that must be down to Catalan (or Toronto) being in SL ?

Quote ="Donnyman" You might like Fairy Tales, like a French team winning the RL cup, but it wasn't a French team and as for "more positive column inches" you made that up. The RFL didn't want them and nor do Superleague. It ain't about me so why not ring Rimmer and put your case to him?? Why not ring Lenegan and argue with him an anglo French Superleague would be a great financial success?'" You do know Lenagan likes French clubs,don't you? https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/ ... bond-idea/ He also considers the Perth club,not Perth,Scotland, but Perth all that distance away in Australia ,to be suitable for Super League - https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/fi ... es-future/ Seems French television companies like French rugby league clubs. Oh,I nearly forgot - Perpignan are French.He likes them,as well.https://www.totalrl.com/super-league-wi ... n-lenagan/

Quote ="Donnyman" You might like Fairy Tales, like a French team winning the RL cup, but it wasn't a French team and as for "more positive column inches" you made that up. The RFL didn't want them and nor do Superleague. It ain't about me so why not ring Rimmer and put your case to him?? Why not ring Lenegan and argue with him an anglo French Superleague would be a great financial success?'" You do know Lenagan likes French clubs,don't you? https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/ ... bond-idea/ He also considers the Perth club,not Perth,Scotland, but Perth all that distance away in Australia ,to be suitable for Super League - https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/fi ... es-future/ Seems French television companies like French rugby league clubs. Oh,I nearly forgot - Perpignan are French.He likes them,as well.https://www.totalrl.com/super-league-wi ... n-lenagan/

He was hardly being personal.

Anyway, after all the personal insults you throw at me, glass houses and all that

Quote ="Ornery Optimist"You do know Lenagan likes French clubs,don't you? https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/ ... bond-idea/ He also considers the Perth club,not Perth,Scotland, but Perth all that distance away in Australia ,to be suitable for Super League - https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/fi ... es-future/ Seems French television companies like French rugby league clubs. Oh,I nearly forgot - Perpignan are French.He likes them,as well.https://www.totalrl.com/super-league-wi ... n-lenagan/'" Been digging in the archives have you, one 2 yr old and the other two 3 yr old, lot of water under the bridge there pal not got anything recent have you or are you edging your bets on Perth now for your expansion

Quote ="Ornery Optimist"You do know Lenagan likes French clubs,don't you? https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/ ... bond-idea/ He also considers the Perth club,not Perth,Scotland, but Perth all that distance away in Australia ,to be suitable for Super League - https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/fi ... es-future/ Seems French television companies like French rugby league clubs. Oh,I nearly forgot - Perpignan are French.He likes them,as well.https://www.totalrl.com/super-league-wi ... n-lenagan/'" Been digging in the archives have you, one 2 yr old and the other two 3 yr old, lot of water under the bridge there pal not got anything recent have you or are you edging your bets on Perth now for your expansion

shut up you muppet you deserve it