Don’t think that many Canadians turned out for the “historic” game when they played at Skolars last time out! Give skolars credit they did get a reasonable crowd but don’t think that many were N Americans. Personally I think they should be covering Halifax costs! This game sensibly should be being played within easy travel distance for the fax fans.

Take a bow sir, take a Bow!

I will be refering to them as such from this day forth (moderators permitting)....

Toronto have moved that many goalposts in 12 short months that you'd think the SL chairman will see beyond their bluster, smoke and mirrors. For all their owners Billions of AU$ it does seem to the casual observer that the purse strings have been somewhat tightened this year. I know they have pitch issues in Toronto, but surely Perez could have taken a few games to Hamilton or Boston.....seeing as he's dead set keen on those cities having teams, but the cynic in me sees the ability to play all those games in 2 chunks of home and away, points very much to the "sponsor" not getting any traction or return on their free flights for a logo on the shirt scenario......and very little need to cover the teams accommodation costs when they are away as most of them can have mums home cooked meals.......

Or, and this is purely speculation and not stuff coming from within the RFL to people I have good relationships with -

* Perez has gone, has been gone a while now and the marketing machine is now being run by 'Honest' Martin Vickers, that guy who left Salford and Swinton in such good order. If he was still there do you really think they would have not had merchandise on sale since November? Replica shirts released in March, 4 weeks into the season at least? The guy went mental last year because they were only ready for Christmas day and not two weeks before. The current people are not driven by trying to save Argyle's money, they are just on the gravy train and turning their attention to the easier stuff.
* They have always intended to play as many games in the UK after realising last year that life outside of SL is very expensive and with no real sponsors it is even harder. Whilst players are in the UK they are housing and feeding themselves and costing the club less. I did say on several platforms when Ackers went that the homesick thing would become clear.
* They are asking the RFL already for 2019's money and contrary to popular opinion they are in fact getting money from the RFL now.
*They have failed to submit last years Cap yet.
* They are fully aware now, as are others in the game, that if they got to the point were the SL Chairman need to decide if they should let them in the answer will be no. For some reason most of them dislike the Wankpack and would rather have Leigh, London or Featherstone in, clubs run by like minded people to themselves. Because they have realised there is no chance of them getting in they have come up with a solution of getting all cosy with Mr Koukash and his Bradford club which will be a great way for them to get out of this embarrassing mess they are in which is getting worse by the month.

Now this could be a load of pony but why would a global sporting super power like them not be able to convince a club in the same City to allow them to play some games on their pitch if they really wanted to? As you have said, they could have taken it on the road. They are minted, they have more money that the Queen, why didn't they go to Miami, New York, Jamaica, China? Even if they thought it was better to play in England are they honestly expecting us to believe Skolars was the best option in London? Supposedly chosen because the Canadian Embassy is sponsoring the game and there will be Mounties on horse back. Argyle could have rented any ground he wanted in London for a game that could have sent shockwaves through the sport. Nah, 'lets go to Skolars, it is ideally located for all of the Ex Pat Canadians who we want to entice into the sport'.

How come if they are so rich they owe so many people money? The list is growing daily. Mind you, that was something 'Honest Mart' was really good at when he was at Salford and Swinton. As their poor fans will testify.

To be fair there are some really good journalists with far more questions than this, it will be an interesting few months.

“The Broncos game and subsequent home matchups June 16 against Dewsbury and June 23 against Barrow fall before the city’s projected June 29 end of construction. There is also a June 30 game against Leigh.”
So latest projected end of construction date given by the city of Toronto has changed since the discussion we were having earlier in this thread. It’s a city council project I would be gob smacked if there is an early completion bonus, so why would any contractor want to finish early.

Anyone booking flights yet? Wonder where they will re schedule our game somewhere sensible? Newcastle thunder ground maybe? Looking at that press report they could go the whole regular season without playing at the home ground, and no mansion of an alternate stadium.
Hope woodsy is looking at that with his review.

There are a few I know who have booked either packages or Flights and Hotels. We have accommodation booked but we can cancel that. We have held back on booking flights and will await concrete confirmation before we do commit.

I would love to go, but to be honest am not willing to risk it at the moment with flights that cannot be cancelled.

Toronto is a really nice town as well

It does make you think that TWP may not play in Toronto at all this season. Is this stadium thing just a smoke screen?

Renamed Manchester uni Wolfpack next year

Makes me wonder if this is just another smokescreen in a series of ever increasing problems for the Wolfpack....House of cards????

According to nobby out of the 1500 that watched the Skolars Toronto game last year 1000 of them were Canadians hence the decision to play the fax game down there

...that'll upset the 10,000 season ticket holders as well as a few Breweries and a hot dog factory too.....

That was another comment from nobby, the 10000 fans. Would be great if it was true but it’s pie in the sky figures.

Toronto Wolfpack gates in 2016 were neither here nor there.......even at 7k they will not be self sufficient...they need a TV deal and they ain't getting one unless there are more NA teams in.......so we have a chicken and an Egg scenario......do we let them into SL and wait for NYC/Boston and Hamilton to join them and see if they can muster a TV deal inside the next decade, or do we simply let them in and see how long their owner will throw cash at the experiment as happened with us?

Interested in your suggestion then Dog.
Not many clubs in any of the leagues who are actually self sufficient, so they nearly all need cash thrown at them by a generous benefactor to keep going, without those benefactors there is no sport, and it’s not just RL in that position either.
Another comment from a previous post, you say TWP dilute the talent pool. That then raises the other question, so what if they dilute the talent pool? You only increase that pool by expanding, in sport to expand you have to accept the pool of better players will be spread thinner to get other players to that standard, if as a sport you are not willing to do that you can never grow.
Do we (nothing to do with us) let them into SL? If they earn that right then why not, but it has to be earned, I am not a fan of franchise and buying your place in the top flight per se, for me, and yes it’s my opinion the only way up should be promotion and relegation. Yes I know in effect with spending on recruitment TWP are still buying there way in but you can’t really change that unless you go NFL route.
But along with that you have to have a financial structure and player contract protection that does away with the current impact of losing the million pound game.
Are TWP a good investment for the sport? That’s up to woodsy to decide

I think a well run organisation would put Delloite, PwC or similar through them to see how the business is run and is being propped up etc. Are the fit and proper???

If not we may well be embarrassed again

It’s not just us though, it’s probably most sports clubs in the country, very few could survive on gate receipts

As we have seen on these very boards over the years, Harlequins RL was into Mr Hughes for about £2 million a year (definitely during the period 2009-2012). At the time I believe a ST woked out at £15 a game and walk up was £18 or £20....but to be sure, let's just assume it was £17.00 a ticket per game.
9,050 fans paying £17 a game over 13 matches a season is £50 over what Mr Hughes was putting into the club. That is of course 9,050 fans over and above the ones we had, so in 2009 that would have been a 12,500 average to break even and in 2012, 11,850 to break even..........that's with the SKY cash and income from Tickets and also includes any commercial income we had coming in at the time.......yet we did nothing to attract new fans to games.



As Toronto will soon discover, 10,000 Canadians will need to pay considerably more than the £5 a ticket that was on offer last year for Toronto to be anything other than a money pit.....they are on cable TV.......and I don't mean like Virgin Media are cable, more like "waynes world" cable. Their sponsor seems less than happy with the return on their flights for logo on a shirt deal and they will now have to essentially re-launch their offering some 10 months after they last played at home.......I applaud the bluster and bravado, but I do worry that they are being built on very very flimsy foundations which SL Chairmen will not be fooled by....well, maybe Adam Pearson, but not anyone who counts.

You mean subject them to the same scrutiny by an accountancy firm as in the 2011 licencing bids? The one where the firm charged with auditing the applicants gave Crusaders a clean bill of health?