Away fans don't mean anything for expanding sport. If we want a sport full of derbies played in pockets of areas in North of England, and televised on local tele then you are right. But there is no money in that. No money in the game whether you like it or not for SL means most probably PT rugby again. That goes for rest of your "NO" answers.
I would rather Leigh be in 3rd tier of a successful national comp, than in the top league of a weak localised comp.

In all fairness, the Quins are producing the goods now with the likes of Clubb and McCarthy-Scarsbrook. Certainly producing more England internationals at the minute then we are

Unfortunatley that is not what we have , and the RFL dont know how to achieve it or care if we have it

Makes you wonder why the SL on the road "Magic" fixtures are all local derbie games

We have been a lower league RL team without major financial backing from SKY (in its RL payments) or exposure to TV /Additional support for a very long time.

London (in its guises) are a founder member of SL and have been it since day 1 , Even for a Wanderer's fan comparing us to Quins in terms of player development for England is a bad example

richie myler last season well england anyway if not gb

Did he play for the ' full ' England side last year ?

McCarthy whatsit had to go to Hull Academy though to polish his skills

he played when they walloped the welsh at donny, so yeah, it was a full international

But as they've only recently sorted their Academy with a settled structure, it's hardly a surprise that it's only just bearing fruit.

Matt they have had an academy for years I remember going down there to film them V Leigh in the early 2000's, they have had as much money (if not more) than most SL clubs and years before that, if they chose to spend it on dodgy overseas players and other RL rejects thats down to them, but to only produce TWO players into mtheir first team this year after all this time well? as supposedly the South is 'HOTBED OF TALENT' accoprding to them.
Skolars have done as much if not more in their shorter time in the game on only a fraction of the budget.

Agreed about the good work of the Skolars, but from what I can gather their previous efforts with regards to the academies have been a largely token gesture, only sorting proper scholarship routes etc since they become Harlequins.

Broncos definitely had an academy in the first year of SL, cos I saw Stuart Donlan play against them at Charlton Athletic, must have been 1996. It's taken a generation - i.e. 20 years - to produce top line talent in the pro game from scratch, but that's what you should expect. Quins' youth development is pretty good.

Fred is right, Skolars are excellent (and so are Hemel... these two clubs get not nearly enough credit). Skolars benefit from being run by the same intelligent management since their foundation in the early 1990's. How many clubs have that kind of back-room stability??!!

Both Skolars and Hemel have funded themselves by being good businesses, and by following the Ozzie model of a non-playing organisation that funds the rugby activities.

ps over 47,000 saw a "meaningless" game yesterday


The meaningless weekend is what the rfl will call our last weekend of fixtures....again why will there be no money in our game if tv companies see a wigan v leigh fixture with 18k plus on...our game lasted long enough with these so called make no money tv wise before the promise land began.

Remember we use to fill wembley for internationals and hire old traffold for the kiwi games...now we can't fill jjb for a game against the aussies


The other year when wigan were fighting tooth and nail to avoid the drop made great tv...can't wait for this years shoozathon,can celtic clowns or french farce avoid the wooden spoooozzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

This is why I don't buy the Sky control theory over expansion. Sky must have known that adding a Welsh side would have a negative impact on viewing figures and adding Toulouse would make it worse. Eddie tried to big up the first game between two non Englsih sides in SL, but calling Celtic Welsh is a bit insulting. They are based in Wales but most are about as Welsh as someone called Maureen O'Hara.

I await BARB's figures in a fortnight with interest

It was the first time ever I turned a rugby league match off at halftime...it was awful

But you're wrong. Go read Phil Caplan's book "Sperleague: the first 10 years". Sky wanted a Welsh club from the very beginning. I presume they want to increase their audience demographic with yawnion fans from the valleys tuning in, so thereby increasing their revenue from advertising sales. Either way, it is categorically a Sky-led initiative.

How come Leythers are obsessed with crowds when you struggle to get 2,000 at your own home?

The reason is more fans means better players.

Our league home average is second in the division after you but only 2192. Still that will improve no doubt when we start to play attractive rugby.

Away we take more fans than every club in this league.

Not same book I read matey. Who wanted Paris in ? Who wanted the GF/playoff system ?



That book is a good read tho

Not according to a mate who used to work in the Sky Sports programming office

He once said (and I accept it is hearsay) the last thing Sky need is a Welsh franchise because viewing numbers and advertising would drop.

Even a French club makes no sense - Sky doesn't have a French broadcasting arm and the Catalans games are shown by one of their bitterest rivals! I rather suspect that come the end of this season, overall viewing figures for RL will be down this year.