And go with Centurions RL at the LSV instead ?.

I think it is.

I accept the current fan base of '1600' will always call the club Leigh RL, but what future does this club have in professional rugby league with a catchment area of 'circa' 50k ?,.

We have an area of about 100k in Leigh and the surrounding small towns which 'i accept, must be our immediate target market, but we're fighting for fans in these towns with wigan and warrington for 'rugby' fans and we're likely to always be third option.

So that leaves us with Bolton,one of the wealthiest towns in England and a very sporty town to boot.

Unfortunately its not an RL town so how do we attack it?.

My opinion is,we need to drop the Leigh name and focus on rugby and the fantastic LSV stadium and surrounding area,i think it needs to be seen as a neutral venue and not as a stadium in a town called Leigh,just a home to a rugby team.

Interesting idea jc, not sure how our current support base would take it

There is no doubt that the junior element of the town do refer to the club as the Centurions , so as long as it is that name that is marketed/pushed then I suppose it could have some merit


Nah sorry john, no chance

What a ridiculous idea.

It'll never happen it'll always need the Leigh brand name , with your suggestion you'll alienate far far more fans than you'll attract from the Bolton area .

Only one sporting team could get away with dropping the place name from their identity and that's Manchester United because if any one asks which team you follow and you reply United they wouldn't think you meant Leeds United , Torquay United or any other Mickey Mouse United would they ? .

So we'll leave it as is for now .

Haha going of this MB the current support base is happy to be wigans bitches,thats not a future i could live with.

Hopefully people think a bit before they respond,Bolton is a massive market.

It might need the 'leigh' brand in 'leigh'

OK so I have thought about it a bit more. It is a ridiculous idea.

Teams like Fev and Castleford, and erstwhile Keighley Cougars have all proven that you can get a decent fanbase from a relatively low population. Then of course there is the Green Bay Packers in the NFL.

In any event, dropping the Leigh association is not going to attract one new fan, of itself, and is bound to lose hundreds. People from Bolton would be much better served going to watch Warrington, Wigan or Saints quite frankly, if they are interested in going to a high quality game with big name players and a good crowd/atmosphere.

The people of Leigh and its environs have been, and always will be, our core market. We don't have the money to spend beyond our borders, we need to do a far, far better job of attracting those close to home for whom the word "Leigh" still means something. When we have got these people coming in some numbers, then is the time to bang the drum and get others to join the party.

Sorry JC....but oh dear....and what would Glow call himself.

Bolton has a stadium 100 times better than LSV and can't get no where near filling it so to tap into that market will be a challenge but one we should at least try.

As for the name Leigh needs to remain!!!

I would drop centurions, and if we were not to be simply lrlfc like Bath, I would go for a name fans could chant and kids would want to be associated with.
I do like LRLFC - The Proud Leythers and market the 'Proud Leyther' brand under the coat of arms

I think there is a helluva lot to do just yet for the 'Centurions' to draw on and stir the imagination of a vast amount of potential support in the immediate 'Leigh' catchment area.

This should remain the number one objective before we even think about losing identity and turning ourselves into the next 'Crusaders RLFC'

The Leigh Centurions have been doing community work and pushing the Leigh Centurions RLC ' Brand ' in Bolton schools for several years, but without the final closing of the deal ( a free invite down to a pre match festival type event then an actual game in large 1,000 numbers ) you are just wasting your time, effort and money

It really is that simple, it isnt where you market, its how you close the deal that will decide how successful you are

It doesn't matter what they call themselves because until they are successful, for which they need a huge injection of money and a professional back room setup, and drop this ridiculous twinning with Wiggin, they will never attract more than a 1000 to the WSV.

I think you have got up too early.

We have had Tom Spencer on loan and one other Wigan player in the Leigh side this season. You never complained when we had 2/3 Wire players in our side under the previous Dual Contract rules.

Maybe you just don't like anything from Wigan ?

There is a big difference between our agreement and what Swinton are doing but you know that.

That is where you are totally wrong yet again.

I have always been against the DC's, ask my lads, and I don't agree with twinning with Wiggin or any SL club.

I won't set foot into the WSV until this twinning is ended. I'd rather watch Leigh Miners.

Why post on here if you want nothing to do with Leigh rlfc?

So many blinkered people, well one or two anyway. If you're all so ashamed to support the club then why bother. When asked who i support the answer is Leigh.

Well said.

It seems there are a few people who have turned their back on our club & yet post on this forum but if you aren't bothered about us why bother posting on here then? If you have not real interested in Leigh Centurions then the only other reason I can see is to make b1tchy remarks and or you have no friends.

Yes well said Derek.

I remember some years ago when it was first muted that clubs were going to be forced to twin with other clubs. Everyone was up in arms. "We're not merging with the pies." "We hate them Wigginers." "I'm not watching Leigh if they merge with Wiggin." There were reams of posts on here. Now, you all just accept it. You've all gone soft in't yeds.

I post on here because I'm born and bred in Leigh, because I've supported Leigh for 50 years, because I've helped Leigh with sponsorship when I could, because I don't want Leigh partnered with any SL clubs especially Wiggin, because I have passion for Leigh.

You all seem to be happy getting into bed with the pies. I'm not happy with the twinning and I know many others who aren't happy with it.

One person telling the truth even though a million people disagree, is still telling the truth.

We all have our own opinions on the matter WYSIWYG, I too am not keen on the twinning lark, but will never turn my back on the club, but if you want too that's your prerogative.

I have not turned my back on Leigh, it is just that I have principles that I stand by. I was gutted the day I read about the twinning with Wiggin. It knocked the stuffing out of me. If Wiggin have their way, we will be there full reserve side in a few years time. If I voice my opinion now and keep voicing my opinion them maybe someone connected with the running of Leigh may take notice.

If I lie down and accept it, then nothing will change and Wiggin will swallow Leigh up. So even though you all think I have turned my back on Leigh, I will continue posting on this board and criticising the Wiggin partnership until it is null and void and Leigh can be a proud club again in their own right.

I'm just a proud Leyther who will have nothing to do with any partnership with Wiggin or any SL club.

Fair do's mate as I said you are entitled to your opinion. I also know you have sponsored the club on a number of occasions and hope one day you will feel like you want to again.

If I won the lottery tonight, I'd be on the phone Monday morning but you'd have to get rid of them Wigginers first :O)

As I said, I know several people who are staying away because of this twinning. How many more have stopped watching because of this. It really does need ending asap.