But it would never happen. Too much interest in P&R from media, and fans. Unlike RL as mentioned further back.

So RL fans and media are not interested in P and R

But league fans are interested in P&R. How many at that Wakey-Cas relegation game a few years ago? How many at the Leigh-Whitehaven NL GF? How many at the Hull KR - Cas games??

Could also read, "because the money coming into the RFL is only shared in any consequence with 14 out of 32 member clubs the game can no longer be recognised as a true sport in the british tradition"

The government/Sport England will soon see this and the game will be excluded from possible grants and funding. European SL, christ they only play to any extent in France. Sorry but my message to DH Lewis is allez en avant et multipliez-vous

Oh and I will also add this. IMO Mr Samuels is already cashing in and gettying ready to pull out with the money in selling the lease on Brewery Field for half a million. They should be able to afford better players with that money, but i suspect that money has not and will not go anywhere near the club.

Even the European comps in football are separate from the Englsh/Scottish and Welsh Leagues, so why not in RL. With all the money in football its more feasible/affordable for a European League, but no one is interested, and if the truth be told the same goes for RL. We have effectively been press(SKY)ganged into it.

If it takes decades then so be it, but at least it would be built on solid foundations. The trouble is that [ieverything[/i in RL is a short-term solution, rather than building a Welsh League up over time to provide a solid breeding ground to develop players. After all, they've got virtually exclusive picking of an entire nation's playing pool.

Well the money that Rugby League was awarded recently from Sport England was £39 million.That is the reason there is no Great Britain anymore because they would have not got the grant otherwise.The money is being spent on monitoring the chosen players they have just anounced for the England squad. I do believe the monitoring is extreme where they are being wired up most of the time the intention is to beat the Aussies ,will any of this money filter down to the lower clubs ?Well what do you think.

The Sport England money is all allocated to grass roots development projects. It has nothing to do with England RL, SL or elite level sports (except in the context of player pathways).

:1wfh3jft

Why would the superleage teams share the money they get for there comp with teams not in Superleague, dosn't happen in football.

:1wfh3jft

The RFL have just got a better deal from sports england, more money for development of the sport.

:1wfh3jft

To compare Football and RL is plain stupid, football is played by more people than any other sport, they have more teams and intrest in those teams to alow for the leagues in Wales,Scotland,england...etc

They haven't but he has.

Typical SL fan full of their own self importance and stuff the rest of you attitude. Ahem, Championship on SKY for which the home team only gets £4000 from the Co-OP sponsorship, the club also has to spend ALL said £4000 for that game. The game is as rotten as your ground.

But how do they compete with say Leigh on same rules as us ?

But I can provide evidence showing opposite to this. What you have done there is picked out a one off Cas-Wakey which is a very rare possibility of that situation happening again. You have chosen Leigh/Haven GF which is 1 game in a season, when rest of league games approaching this final was poor for us. Should we just have 1 game seasons ?


You have chosen HKR - Cas who are both well supported anyway and deserve to be in SL with enthusiasm there supporters showed in following their clubs. They was actually intersting encounters in an otherwise poor league. Give us 10 more clubs like these in our comp, and P&R would still be with us me thinks.

SL is separate competition - ridicule the name which I know you do, but its fact. Look on beeb website for the table and look at categories for example

Never happen again at the moment. Doesn't matter who it is, relegation and promotion battles add excitement/interest and much needed income. With the game being run as it is Leigh will NEVER be in SL, it obviously doesn't bother you but it bothers plenty of others. Sky show on average 2 SL games per week and one Championship/Championship1/NRC game per week. Now forgive me if I have missed this but is the TV money shared out 2:1 or even 7:1

Both Comps have there own tv deals, so money isnt split, same as it is in football, prem league has a TV contract Cola Leagues have thre own

It is £4000 more than you got afew seasons ago when the RFL offered to pay Euro Sport to show your games. What is the £4000 that leigh are spending that has got you in such a tizzy.

This discussion is so boring, own tv deal......don't make me laugh. This "TV deal" is only in place to stop other braodcasters showing Championship rugby thus making it impossible to get a proper TV deal.

Nothing has got me in a tiz by the way, was just pointing out the millions we make from our TV deal. Since franchising started both Rochdale and Doncaster have had serious problems, many more will follow over the next few years.

No point debating this issue,its been done to death. I won't agree with you and you won't with me...are you DickHead Lewis in disguise

Too many years watcing Blackburn Rovers with the ex wife, and living for about 20 years in an area over run with the vermin fans that they have. Landlord of my local pub (a Preston fan himself) used to say that if there was ever an argument between Rovers and Burnley fans, it would ALWAYS be the Burnley fan that would throw the first punch.
Although they did give me my favourite football moment about 10 years ago. When Rovers beat them in the cup, they did their usual trick of going on the rampage and trashing the town centre. Only problem was that it was played in Burnley not Blackburn...

Thick thugs covers it.

Next question.

Nik is right the Burnley fans have a terrible reputation

Like you said the truth wold not have hurt as much as the sham they had all the clubs go through...thats why the clubs outside super league are dieing a death....no future simple as

SO have saints sorted out there finances yet? or are you still losing 200k a season winning everthing and appearing in all major finals?


me thinks a pie collapse is on the way


what goes around comes around

Why do you think this ?

Also nobody is doubting its exciting to have a nail biter game that involves devasting one team and ellation at surviving for another . You could add even more tention and excitement by having a rule that the team that gets relegated also gets shot. We would have world attention then too. Don't mean its right

Its a slight exageration.

Go on you tube, search for 'Rocky Mills Burnley' and try not to laugh.

Go on then, provide evidence.

Cite me some examples of relegation or promotion matches with something resting on the result in which the attendences were lower than the average for the home side, or lower than the higest average of the two teams on a neutral venue.

What I have done is picked games in a P/R context where the result made a difference to which division the teams played in the following year. Show me your evidence to the contrary.

I choose the bread and butter games - the league games and play off knock out stage games, where most are involved. I did give you examples already but I will do it again - our poor league games crowds in 2004, we'll leave 2005 out, Batley home in playoffs 2006, Donny at home 2007.
Crowds have gone down in P&R era for us especially. What you mention is a example of 1 game plucked from a season where there are actually 20odd games in a season, and well over 100 fixtures in any given season. highlighting a couple of games out of that lot is not proof enough IMO of enough interest. And certainly not proof enough that a PT club should replace a FT club - similar to relegating a premier league club and putting say Northampton in there.
We all experienced 2004 GF - you couldn't have written the the script. From being on the brink of disappearing to finally getting the holy grail with a match of high drama. The feeling was awesome. I know what its about. But looking back, it was one game, a season where had we not gone up would have most probably been curtains. Was it really worth the risk ?

We will never agree about this and I actually do respect your views but you are very selective when quoting examples as per above.

Lets face facts. RL is a regional sport it is not soccer, and, although it,s not my preferred sport ie soccer we need to be realistic.

We have the same potential as 4 clubs currently in Non relegation League and I,m not talking about Harlequins or Celtic Crusaders. One of those clubs is currently second in that league.

For professional sport to prosper, even a regional sport, you have to give every team the opportunity to reach the top level. Franchising cannot and will never, achieve this.

Demon.s point about the pittance paid by Sky to Championship clubs is spot on but the ignorant smug Saints fan,who is not typical, don,t have a clue about real RL.