You've made a sensible post using your troll account mate

Exactly, and those who think that the game would ever kick off in Canada and the USA should ask themselves this question, what happens if it fails,

Another embarrassment for the RFL

You may class me as a troll, but at least, I live in a world of reality and not fantasy like some of here who cannot see the woods for the trees where the game today is concerned, especially with the rival code of Union getting all the limelight now.

Time they faced the fact that there is every possibility that the game with it's lack of finance and media coverage could end up back as a part time professional game like it was prior to Wigan becoming fully professional and the emergence of Super League.

If Sky pull the plug, like they have with Speedway and other minor sports, our game has got real problems and pipe dreams like having clubs in Canada and the USA are not going to solve it.

I had high hopes for Toronto, was looking forward to making the trip back in April (seeing my team play in Canada, take in Niagra Falls.... yes please), obviously it wasn't meant to be. I have had a feeling that our sport has been in a downward spiral for quite a few years now. Like you I felt SKY could pull the plug and the sport would be properly screwed, however SKY have seemed less and less interested in SL as each season passes.

I really thought that having Toronto in the competition (assumed they had sound financial backing) would have added something new to the SL, their crowds looked amazing on TV for Championship matches, a real buzz not seen since the early 2000's.
I thought SKY would latch onto this new interest which would reduce the risk of them 'pulling the plug'.

I've seen that SL clubs have voted for 12 clubs again next season. I bet SKY are rubbing their hands with excitement at the thought of Featherstone Rovers entering the competition.

Doomed.

I’ve slept on it and come up with the following;

If we are to expand in America it can’t be just an RFL thing, it has to be a joint enterprise between RFL, NRL and the IRFL (who ultimately should have the responsibility). Pump money in to the league (which has been up and running for nearly 20yrs), attract investors and innovators such as Perez. Sign players from Australia/England/France whilst also creating youth pathways for Americans. It’s a slow, methodical and lethargic process which ultimately could take 15-25years but that’s the only way we’ll get anywhere close to making ground in the USA.

I’ve been lamenting Toronto’s expulsion but I also said that it was not a long term option, that the ultimate aim has to be a pro American League. There’s already teams in Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Boston, Orlando, Washington, Los Angeles and Cleveland (or so I recall). Build on that, invest in it. That’s the only way we can sustain a professional league. The standard won’t be great and our top amateur teams would give them a hiding (I went over in 2011 and we hammered Jacksonville by 40 odd) but it would eventually come good.

Otherwise it’s pointless. SL can’t sustain long term a transatlantic side, never mind 2/3.

thought the league went bust last year in America?

If you were a supporter of Featherstone Rovers who were runners up to Toronto Wolfpack in the last played Championship Play Off Final of 2019 and the club were not promoted to the Super League, I don't you would be very happy about it.

As members of the Rugby Football League, they have as much right as any club including Wigan to be in the Super League.

they dont as the RFL and SL are seperate

if i were the Wolfpack owners I'd be fuming and on the phone to the lawyers asap. Any ideas if they have threatened legal action yet?

No they don’t

Perhaps you can explain why?

Toronto Wolfpack have only been voted out of Super League Europe by a democratic vote of the majority of the eleven other clubs.

It was obvious from their results prior to the lockdown in March that their squad was not up to the required standard in the Super League and also with the current financial situation of clubs due to the pandemic and the cost of travel and accommodation etc, that may be why the majority of clubs including Wigan voted them out.

Perhaps when things return to normal, their involvement in Super League Europe or the Championship/Division One can then be reconsidered.

They were voted out because they have no money and would potentially be a financial liability on an already struggling sport.

They can apply back to L1 but given the above probably wouldn't get the green light there either.

Happily. Ahem. They didn’t win the promotion game.

But they were still the 100% runners up!.

They still didn’t win.

Ergo they don’t deserve any preference. When Melbourne were ‘de throned’ as NRL champions the runners up weren’t given the title.

You have to win it to be in it. They didn’t win. They’re not in it. And the sad sorry day Featherstone are brought into SL over Toronto will be yet another nail in RL’s coffin in the UK.

I hope it's Toulouse that gives 2 nice destinations for away games

SL are only going to decide in December and give reduced funding to whoever comes up.

What is the point? Self interested clubs once again. And we have the audacity to sit and call football clubs greedy

Serious discussions around Bradford being the 12th team. I honestly despair at this shambles sometimes. You just cannot make this up.

Utter madness if they get in..other than big Nige Wood having a stake in the club what reason..oh wait im kind of answering my own question there.

Bradford would be the biggest draw of all the names listed, but their off field issues of late must be a huge red flag. The last thing we need as a sport is another club in trouble which given reduced funding and no signs of any income may well happen.

I'd like to see either York or my preference Toulouse as two French teams would make for a stronger French national side