There isn't any stands or cover to protect the spectators from the elements at Toronto Lamport stadium surely this stadium fails to meet the RFL minimum standards criteria for a professional rugby league ground

Not sure if the standards actually say anything about the stands having to be covered! Just talk about capacity

Money paid as parachute payment is only any good if it’s Spent wisely AKA Leigh! Even with an extra hand out they not stay up.
Think the whole central funding issue is one of the big problems in the game that will not be resolved unless there is a radical shake up.
If that means franchise again! Then Toronto tick a lot more boxes than us!

There isn't any stands at all at the Lamport Stadium

Ok if you wish to be pedantic. Don’t think there is anything that says the designated seating areas have to be covered.
What do you want to call the two structures either side of the pitch at lamport stadium. What ever you wish to call them they have the ability to seat 9000 plus
Besides they are Canucks they have big coats and boots to keep warm

So are you saying visiting teams supporters should take various types of clothing to cater for any type of weather conditions they may encounter at the game.

Cover or no cover on the stand in Toronto. The weather would prevent any games being played before April at the earliest on the pitch.

Average temp in Toronto in March 5 deg
Average temp in Manchester in March 7 deg.

Worse month for snow in Toronto is Jan, Feb yes they can get a bit but on average in Feb they get a total fall of about 10 inches with snow on about 9 days f the month!

How much snow did we get in the UK this year? The country ground to a halt. Difference with the Canadians is they know how to deal with it.

And Geoff, yes am saying visiting supporters if it’s going to be cold take a coat, a bit like they would if they were going to Batley

Bosty I agree severe weather may prevent games being played on the pitch, just like it does here when it snows

How much snow did we get in the UK this year? The country ground to a halt. Difference with the Canadians is they know how to deal with it.

Maybe because every year without fail north america knows the percentage of snowfall and therefore investing in a great amount of machinery to cope with this is not economic suicide as it would be if we did that. They have it down to a fine art because as sure as eggs are eggs it is the same year in year out but our weather is sparodic to say the least.

And Geoff, yes am saying visiting supporters if it’s going to be cold take a coat, a bit like they would if they were going to Batley.


You dont have a weight restriction on luggage, or have a number of days clothing to go to Batley you pop the case in the car and come home next day.

Bosty I agree severe weather may prevent games being played on the pitch, just like it does here when it snows

Does this mean the next excuse to play half a season here and half a season in Toronto save them using their energy on travelling.

One way or another I would like to see them go up. It will be good for RL.

It is not snow that would be the problem, it is ice.

Scroll down the link below & count the number of UK towns & cities with populations above 50,000 that dont have a professional Rugby League team. worldpopulationreview.com/countr ... on/cities/

Scroll down the link below & count the number of UK towns & cities with populations above 50,000 that dont have a professional Rugby League team. worldpopulationreview.com/countr ... on/cities/

Bosty, what’s ice got to do with it!? Do they get more ice than normal?
Itsmeagain, so you agree, the Canadians know how to deal with snow, ergo it’s should not present any problems.
As for taking warm clothing on a flight, 1000s manage it every year, and nothing stopping folk wearing the big coat, when it’s 7 deg in Manchester airport maybe that’s even a good idea.
The reason they didn’t play first half of the season in Canada this year was nothing to do with weather!

Think really the discussion is focussing on the wrong thing.
If Toronto win next week and they go up, they have the financial backing, they have the support of the RFL, they have a stadium that can handle 9000 fans, they have a playing surface that is all weather. They have the ambition. They have a core squad signed. They are pulling gates of decent numbers
The sad fact is, and don’t forget I am actually a broncos fan.
If we win next week, and I hope we do, But!
Not sure we have the financial oomph! Not sure the RFL give a damn about RL in London anymore (I am involved in community level Rugby remember), even if Trailfinders could get a second New temporary stand, for SL Vallis road is not great and capacity would be 4000ish max.
We have a core fan base of maybe 400.
How many contracts signed for next year?
How keen are the club to actually go up, and spend the money needed to stay up?

Do I want us to win next week? Of course I do! Out of the 2 set ups of us and Toronto who is in better position to go up though?

Geoff, not sure what your point is with your link!

I dont understand the logic in having a professional team based 3500 miles from the UK,if you read the link you can see how many UK towns & cities haven't got a professional rugby league team yet the RFL keeping telling everybody what a great product they have but they seem unable to market & sell the product to the majority of the UK.

The logic is pretty simple, someone in Toronto with the money the vision and the drive put a team together and applied to play in the English league.
Unless you have someone who is willing to do that, makes not a jot what the size of a town is, the RFL don’t set the teams up.
The advantage they have in Toronto, it’s something new, try to set up the same thing in lots of UK towns you already have life long prejudices ingrained.
The logic is they made the effort, same at Bernard gauche in Perpignan, then put the money in to make it happen.
Don’t think anyone in here wouldn’t love to see the game boom in london, Bristol, Birmingham, Newcastle but it does not happen by magic

Richard Branson had the money & the vision what went wrong?

I think the whole idea is actually bonkers, but it s what it is, they are here and they have earned there place in the MPG. Will it achieve anything? Who knows. Could the game take off in N America? Be good if it did! Would that result in an improvement of the game in UK? Not sure it will. Should the priority be the game at home? Certainly, but expansion in England is not really working in its current guise, look at Wales, Oxford, Coventry, Nottingham, even London to an extent, so why not embrace something like the Toronto experiment and see if it reaps rewards here.
Pretty sure al, those years ago when a pro team in london emerged there were lots of folk asking similar questions but on a smaller scale, ie what’s the point of a team 200 miles away.

Branson was a sponsor, he didn’t give a hoot about the sport, all he was interested in was exposure of his brand!
That’s not vision or ambition. It’s will this make my company money. He quickly went away when it didn’t.

Doncaster to Whitehaven is 166 miles a round trip of 332 miles
Doncaster to Toronto is 3453 miles a round trip of 6906 miles

Was Branson any good for the Broncos? It is questionable. He got involved for his son and as in all things he does. To promote himself and Virgin as a brand.
He did spend a few bob and bought in some good players. In truth the club also got some good publicity from it. I do not think he could believe his luck that we made the cup final. He milked that for all he could.
But remember that we sold thousands of tickets to the final, but got no data for further marketing. Nobody thought to gather that information, how poor was that?
What did for Bransons involvement was 9/11, His main business at that time, Virgin Atlantic suffered terribly and he looked to rid himself of London Broncos to save money. Up stepped David Hughes who had refused to sell his stake in the club to Virgin when they took over. David saved the club at that time.
Branson only ever attended games when cameras were present. We sat in the directors box in those days at Charlton and whenever he attended a flock of virgin Atlantic stewardesses attended, they sat near us, which was very nice.
To be honest. If it was down to a choice between Richard Branson or David Hughes as owner of the club, give me David every time. However I would choose former owner Barry Maranta over both of them.

Branson was a business man that’s it.
Geoff not sure what your getting at, using haven and donny as success in RL is a bit of a laugh.

Toronto are here, they have money and they have fans, something donny and haven have very little of.
Nobody in here is going to argue with you, on what expansion should look like but so far in the south, in wales it’s not worked, so do you deny someone like Toronto the chance? So far they have done more as a team expansion wise than any club in wales.
Every team has the opportunity to do do what Toronto have done, Toulouse have gone a similar path, do you think they are a waste of energy as well.
It is what it is Geoff, will they be around in 10-15-20 years that’s the test.
As for other expansion, Bristol? Given the opening, what’s happened?

I'm not sure about that. I sat in-front of him in the main stand at The Stop one Sunday afternoon. He was there with his son. Saw him in Richmond afterwards.

I remember a Virgin plane flying over the Stoop and wondering what his thoughts were.

I was using the distance from Whitehaven to Doncaster as a comparison to the distance to Toronto. In the recent past how many teams in the UK have the RFL let die, regarding Bristol the only thing I know about Bristol is Adge Cutler
If people dont turn up in numbers to the game in the UK maybe the product needs altering.