Lots of heated debate on the VT and social media this week regards the million pound game between Toronto & London.

Just after some feedback from other Wigan supporters about the potential visit to Canada next season, where they have come in two years (and how they have come about it) and what it could mean for the game in general if they win at the weekend.

Just another game that most supporters can't and won't travel to, for me.

I am old-school, and still don't understand having French clubs in an English League, but even though I have to accept that the "European Super League" shoud involve French clubs - Can anybody tell me precisely which part of Canada is in Europe?

Which part of Canada is in Europe? Quebec of course, they wish!
Perhaps TWP could pick up some higher standard Canadian Union players if they are good enough. Their squad are mainly Championship quality players and they need to recruit real SL quality to stay up. Danger is they don't and go down in the first season. The automatic one up one down failed totally when it was last run creating nothing but yo-yo clubs. I do hope they succeed but it will need some inspired signings especially at this time of the season.
Fares to and from Toronto vary enormously from May to July/August.
Like the idea but could be expensive. I do hope they succeed.

my heart says yeah, but head says its just never going to work, and will just bring more bad PR to RL.
unfortunately, whether it be London or Toronto that go up, I cant see anything that makes me positive for the future. One just looks like a Koukash repeat, and the other just like another potential yo-yo club a la Leigh.
The bellyaching about costs started weeks ago for Toronto, which does not auger well for the future.

I bet it's not £11 a pint like Montpellier was eh Matty

For me it’ll be one less away game to find money for I’ve no interest in going over to watch a game there tbh

I genuinely hope they make it work but don’t see how they can without protection from relegation and time to build. From a purely selfish point of view I hope London go up as that’s the easiest ground for me to get to. I miss my annual trip up there.

I don’t think I’ve ever sipped my pints as slow as I did that weekend! Robbing gets!

London coming up next year isn’t an attractive prospect for me, their ground I just don’t understand how it could pass as a SL stadium?

I like Toronto. They play good rugby and the support they have attracted in less than two years is remarkable. Okay there may be a little numbers massaging going on (happening here at the DW these last two years as well), but people are turning out to watch them.

I don’t get this ‘its too far away’ I won’t ever go to a game, but there will always be good numbers from Wigan. We took thousands down to Sydney earlier this year!

2019 could be a great year for travelling Wigan fans, Catalans at the Nou Camp and then Toronto with Niagra Falls within a couple of hours drive away.

The one thing I do like about Toronto is the marketing team they have, 29k followers on Facebook, network television deals and the partnerships with local businesses, amazing progress in such a short space of time. They have created a buzz, I do hope they are in it for the long term and that a template has been created of ‘how to do it’.

Although they will never be fully embraced, too many pit villagers stuck in their ways will see to that which is sad. The sport at least needs to try, it’s definitely gone backwards in the last five years.

hit the nail on the head pal, they are doing it the right way and the way that it needs to be done to save the sport.

I agree with pieman and wish them luck. A period of safety in SL like Catalans had would have helped, but we are where we are. One up, one down isn't fantastic, but it's still better than what we had. Canadians and rugby league are clearly a good fit; we'd be daft not to give it a good go.

One of few things that look positive about our sport. We could learn a lot from them in terms of how they market themselves. Their home fans are the most fanatic, and the post match is brilliant. People stay round the beer and food tents for hours afterwards

A bit like the Stoop which IMO was the best day out in RL.

Look what happened there

Regards EW

Please don't let it be London, London is not the way forward, It's already been proved that it will not work in London, not even when Branson was in charge, Toronto all the way for me

One thing as well on top of their social media and business bits, i'm sure i saw an advert last night on sky sports for Transat which said in partnership with the Toronto Wolfpack, with their logo on it.

Don’t agree to be fair having a Canadian team in super league just looks daft be yet another home game with no away fans ! Rather London come up

TO be fair when London had a decent team there home support was quite good just that they didn’t carry on the progress they were making

The owner of toronto wolfpack has said in the press this week that if they get promoted they will be looking at bringing their first 4 home games to europe (i assume it will be too cold in toronto.) Copenhagen and Dublin were mentioned. Should be interesting.

Wouldn't be just as cold in Copenhagen?

I hoping the Denver tests and Toronto will spark an greater interest in rugby league.
Demand for sport in the USA is very high IIRC they get 100k attendances for college football games!
Getting into RL would be a ‘cheap’ way for a benefactor to get into elite sport, there are many mega rich people in the USA who could do this thing as a whim or a hobby.
Long term a north America league would be great and a WCC from 3 continents?

Why? cos London will bring thousands?

I think the biggest problem RL has in this instance is that people are questioning the merits of this game and how Toronto marketing themselves properly will save the game. Ridiculous notion, and it's up to every team especially in SL to pull finger's out of proverbials and stop blaming things like structures for a decline in the game.

The only merit a team should play in a top level comp is performance on the field, if they warrant it which both teams do as they have gone through the playoff system then up they come. 50/100 away fans at a Wigan home game next year will add about 0.0001% revenue to Wigan, but a strong presence in London or Toronto could have much more a positive effect on RL in general. The real catch is for RL clubs and the RFL to capitalise on either teams positives and strategise a marketing plan accordingly.

Good news is however, imagine a game in Dublin

i guess we'll find out now how serious the Toronto owner is.

well done London.