Just been told there will be no northern rail cup in 2014.
Firstly is this true?
If so wtf is going on?

Apparently Mark Taylor and Gareth Walker have put on twitter,there is to be no Northern Rail Cup next year,

Heard the same

me too

WTF are the RFL doing they seriously don't care about the game below SL & even then they can't even do that right


I hate the pr1ck$

To be honest it's always been a non-event and seen by many as friendly matches before the season starts. Would anybody on here be bothered if we'd been knocked out early on last season, instead of winning it?

After finally establishing the competition as one worth winning (after quite a few years of it being denigrated) they bin it. Genius.

Is that backed up by crowd figures? Genuine question, not meant to be facetious.

The writing was on the wall after they switched the final from Blackpool and with it the momentum that had been built up in making it a show piece event in the calendar.

The 29 league games in the new structure is far better

Saddened if true.

But we should get to keep the cup forever - like W*g*n did with the old First Division trophy when SL came in.

Put it in the safe =#FF0000 NOW , Rob !

Now out in the press

[urlhttp://www.loverugbyleague.com/news_13573-northern-rail-cup-scrapped-for-2014.html[/url

Its sad to see the end of the N.R.C. the new structured league is still up in the air with the S.L Clubs not wanting to make any decisions until the World Cup has finished.

The format of the N.R.C.has always caused issues and not been a good money spinner, especially in the early rounds. Maybe a Floodlight Cup type comp would be a far better idea with a straight forward Knock Out.

A number of Championship Clubs are are staging World Cup Games with loads if tickets being sold,why cant we try and force the R.F.L. and S.L to make a decision over the league with the threat of these games being cancelled.

As i see it we have nothing to loose and plenty to gain, its probably the first time in ten years since we have had something to bargain with. We are just asking them to have their vote before the World Cup which was supposed to happen anyway.

If they vote after the comp and choose to go it alone then our future with no promotion will be doomed and all the hard work and money the new board have put in will be in vain.

Apparently the clubs were informed by email and it appears without any consultation.

Doesn't need consultation if there is no sponsor.

Don't need a sponsor to have a comp

The NRC was a second rate competition with a sponsor, it wouldn't even be that without prize money.

Quarters semi and final last year probably netted the club £55k after costs, who fills that gap?

My view is RL since licenscing has been going backwards in terms of attractiveness to teams fans outside the top 4 or 5 clubs and now it seems to Sponsors.

This decision is not good for Championship clubs and the Wigan Chairmen and' the other currently top' Superleague Club chairmen need to understand that unless licenscing is scrapped Sky might pull the plug soon too.

A sad thing to learn is this announcement. I know how I have felt every time Leigh have got to this Final.

A competative sport needs promotion and relegation and why the Wigan chairman can't see that astonishes me quite frankly.

Which of course won't now be voted until after the World Cup. IMO it's very premature to scrap the NRC and have nothing to fill the void (and revenue) from the missing games if the SL clubs leave everything as it is now.

Our BOM, and I'm sure other championships clubs boards, will be basing next seasons revenue with these fixtures included (even if it's just the group games) and once again Championship clubs are missing out on much needed revenue while the SL clubs continue to milk the great Sky cash cow

Cannot understand this decision at all. A possible "away day" even in Halifax is great for clubs, especially those who get knocked out early in the CC. If you are struggling in the league, you might at least have the cup to play for. And the final in recent years has been a great advert for the game.

Bring back the Lancashire Cup?

From Fev chairman - [i"We make money on the games, so we will lose valued revenues."[/i

Can't see how Fev have ever made money from the shared gates they announced for games against us!!

Unless of course they under-stated those gates!

But there certainly won't be a 29-game structure in 2014.

Perhaps the SL clubs have voted it out, in a fit of jealousy that Championship clubs were actually participating in a SPONSORED competition?

One word, WHY?

Surely the RFL haven't just acted on this without uttering a word, I would imagine at some point they will have asked clubs opinions on it.

If we go back to RL being a sport where each game counts again then I suppose the void can be filled with the meaningful fixtures, have to say though rather than scrapping it altogether what was wrong with having it as a low league competition played midweek that was a straight knock out ?