Supporters of franchising are rare.

They truly believe it is the way forward for our game.

Now is it working ? Is it wanted ? Who are the people who support it ? One in Scarborough one in Exeter and one or two more.

I go to games home and away wether my team is winning or not and I loathe its' introduction and always have done.

It has to go .Fans detest it. We want our game back RFL.



See sense before the pro game is history.

I am happy with franchising now frank.

Next time Andy.

It appears to me that frank has posted a rather sarcastic bit of sense, P&R is needed its what keeps the hope going and the excitment of sport, I only get to watch Aussie NRL and Superleague now and I am fast going off superleague as most teams don't seem to be bothered about get a tonking, except in the challenge cup because it matters!!!!

In superleague if you lose now you gain nowt lose nowt because your safe, administration doesn't matter wait till next year and start again, lay another brick down on your preposed stadium or ensure your in a developement area, god it annoys me!

There needs to be something for the clubs outside SL even the reinvention of the regal trophy another chance of playing against the big clubs their day in the sun.

Memories!!!!!

The current ridiculous licensing situation means that clubs have no hope for 4+ years. There is nothing to play for and it is almost impossible to gather momentum and attract new fans and investors. Are we supposed to bumble on heading towards sub 1k gates and listen to patronising SL fans ad infinitum feathering their own nests?

I can see several NL clubs re-assessing their future is they think there is no hope. Breakaways perhaps?

Could the Championship clubs take the RL to court, challenging them for preventing the opportunity to progress and increase revenue etc. etc. etc. Perhaps asking them to break up the SL's monopoly on the game?

They could , but why would they ? , how many clubs are realistically affected by no P and R to SL ?

Probably 4 at most , so unless you can convince the other 17 that it is in their interests to take the governing body to court , not for getting that those clubs rely on central funding to operate more than the 4 interested in SL do , not going to happen , an individual or group of clubs could do it on their own of course , if they wanted a 2/3/4 year break from playing anything

I havent read all of this, its been done to death however just to answer one of Frank b's initial sarcy points.
People are comparing the couple of years post licenses to pre licenses while forgetting one major major major player, especially in the working class towns in which RL is played.

The recession.

There I used it, that word everyone blames everything on. Clubs struggling for fans/finances/blah blah I brought this up 18 months ago on the warrington board and no one seemed interested in discussing the fact that maybe we had lost money because many fans couldnt afford to go. When money's good and everyones in a job 15 quid at the weekend or whatever is no issue, you can even afford a couple of pints but when it comes down to you having two pints at the rugby or taking the whole family out for a meal on a sunday afternoon out.....

I know what many of my friends/relatives/colleagues are choosing to do.

Most sensible post of yours I've read on here. Well done. Keep it up.

I genuinely believe RL is in for a big boom period 2013 onwards. We've got to move with the times however and im mightily impressed to see the ptb quicker this year. by 2017 almost every decent chp club will be in an extended SL anyway.
IMO of course.

Answering the point at the top of this page.
Can you balls sue them; the only thing you can do is breakaway and form your own RFL if you will.
Any of you clubs fancy it? no? no? get back in yerr line

See you can be a big boy now stay within those parameters and everything will be Ok

You are completely right the recession has hit hard , and it has hit even harder down here , but if you are suggesting that no promotion isn't an issue for clubs like ours , you are wrong , it is a huge issue for what you would term our ' occaisional or fairweather ' fan , those that will come to the more interesting matches like Widnes,Fax or Fev , or a play off and final , it is those that are no longer bothering , and more and more are going the same way

As for your suggestion we will all be in an extended SL in 5/6 years time , you are in dreamland

Or if the RFL continues with this ridiculous closed shop with ambiguous 4 year cycles, we could threaten to re-join the RFU or Magners League - and then let the RFL bid to keep us

It might even be 9 years time but I believe it will happen; either from a conference system or a 2 tier system.
I've never suggested that no promotion hasn't hindered things somewhat, but its a new system, give it time. Next time I believe that 2 teams will be promoted.. you watch the scramble to tick boxes on/off field then, the competition will be there.
The problem you faced this time is that SL should really have been 15 clubs, or Widnes instead of one of Wakey/Cas (imo of course). As a club they were so far ahead of everyone else it wasnt funny and they have sat on their laurels for 2 years.. its created a bit of a dead rubber.
The merits/cons of P&R have been discussed to death, you have your view, I have mine and so there's no point discussing it further however there is one last point I feel deserves raising.
In the last decade or so clubs like Hull, Hudds, Wakey, Cas, Salford, KR have all spent time in the Championships. Now these clubs are big clubs and crowd pullers for the most part (compared to current chp clubs). On top of that SL has also been extended. You take 2 of these clubs, throw them back in the Chp and watch your attendance void fill, if there has been any negative effect at all? I dont have the previous say ten years av chp attendances to hand on most working days



Lobby.... of course you can.. judas

It would be a last resort of course. However I don't want our club (and others) to wither and die at the hands of the RFL. At the end of the day most of our fans want our club (est 187icon_cool.gif to be a top rugby team playing in the top tier and accepting our fate in a no-mark second tier with no promotion is not an option in the long run. Otherwise we might as well be an amateur team (for which we already have two of the best in the UK)