So, was having a conversation about this yesterday.

Why are clubs allowed to negotiate contracts with other clubs players in May?

We are 1/3 or a bit more through the season only.

Also, you have teams like us and Cas who at present look to be at serious risk of relegation.

Because of this (again) we are likely unable to agree contracts to players and likely certain players won’t entertain our offers for 2024. This imo seriously puts clubs like us under pressure. Also it’s likely we would have to pay overs to convince players to sign.

It’s great for those consistent top teams ofcourse who I suppose get the pick of the lot but is this actually helping the sport as a whole?

Why can’t we open contract nagotiations at the end of regular season when the play offs start?


We would know the relegated team. Every team can guarantee SL the following year so there’s no apprehension and it’s fair to all 11 clubs (and also the promoted team to SL).

Just wondered why it’s may? When you look it seems heavily weighted to keep the top clubs sweeping the top players as they can offer security.


Why not Just move the window?

The current club has to confirm with the player whether or not they are looking to renew/review or extend the current contract, this has to be done by the end of April, this allows the players/agent to look for a new club. Without this you are then leaving a glut of players in limbo, they also need to know where their next pay cheque is coming from and you could argue that the individuals requirement for their future is more important than the club.

So if we take Crowther for example and issue a letter to renew is he unable to be spoken to by other clubs until a later date? While I understand what you say about the players future we are talking the season ending in August/September and pre season doesn’t start while January and season March. I’m not sure why 4/5 months isn’t adequate to secure your future/contract as a player.

In my eyes the club is more important of course the players future is more important to them personally which I get.

It still doesn’t change what I mentioned that it puts clubs at the wrong end of the table and promoted clubs on the back foot though.

If IMG are wanting a stronger comp then clubs like us facing uncertainty and having to delay and effectively pick up what’s left when we are safe isn’t strengthening the competition at all but just maintaining the rift between top and bottom.

Any player out of contract can talk to other clubs from now whether they have been/will be offered another deal, told no decision has been made or told they are no longer required.

The season ends mid to late September for non play off teams, the players contracts run out at the end of November, so it's just a five or six week gap before they are unemployed. And most teams pre-season is underway by early November at the latest, ours this year started on halloween. These are guys with families to feed and mortgages to pay just like anyone else so if we can't guarantee their future then it's perfectly reasonable that they seek more secure employment if they have the chance. Anybody would do the same and i don't see a problem with it. This is the idea of the grading system that is being brought in, become a grade A and clubs will have that security in the top flight and the problem you mention, which is correct, won't be a problem anymore.

But won’t it? It’s great for the top grade A clubs to be able to guarantee and continue to sweep up all the best talent in the league available. Clubs are graded on performance and having the pick due to offering security which other clubs aren’t only strengthens the A’s doesnt it?

So the clubs with B grade in SL will be left to pick up the rest and some will miss out on the top talent that’s gravitated towards the handful of grade A’s. The Bs will remain under the A’s in league table results and due to this it will be harder to attain the marks on performance won’t it?

We could effectively end up with two tiers in one table. A clubs miles ahead and the B clubs low/ mid table.

I don’t think the licensing will sort it at all. It will make it worse for the cat b clubs who can’t offer that security.

I understand what your saying on players but it’s heavily weighted towards players as it stands.

If the season ends in September and the pre season starts in December. Then that’s 2/3 months. Why not just open the window on 1st August? Why May? That’s all of August/Sept/Oct/Nov so 4 months to secure contracts.

If the players are good enough they will get a club and contract no problem.

Well the theory is that eventually all super league clubs will be a grade A so there wouldn’t be any tiers. Short term yes a divide will remain but the aim is it gets less and less over time until it no longer exists.

And as i’ve just said pre-season starts earlier than December. The players want security, and fair play to them, it’s their main source of income. The date is later for the lower league i think where most are part time. Hell in the NRL they can negotiate 12 months before! Now thats over the top. Yes it doesn’t help us as a club and even if by some miracle we survived this year we’d be back down the bottom next as most of they quality will be elsewhere when we go shopping. But it is what it is for now and it won’t be chsnging anytime soon.

That is what it is all about keeping the big clubs at the top .Think most of our supporters know we are down this season.What gets to me is that any decent player we have for S L ,when signed up by a S L club ,will not be giving is all for the club because he does not want to get injured for next season ,E.g. (Tom Johnson last year ,as soon as he had signed for Catalan we did not see him again .) Yet there is half a season to go

Remember this only applies to out of contract players.
If the clubs don't want to be in this position they need to give longer contracts or at least renegotiate shorter contracts earlier.

The cut off is rightly in favour of the player imo

No issues with the cut off, it is the clubs responsibility to be in a position to be able to plan for the future so it is nobody's fault but the club that we are in this position every year

It’s not the retention but the bringing in of new quality players that’s the issue for clubs like us and potentially B clubs.

Retention can be managed but to bring in a quality players asking them to sign for 2024 and beyond even we can’t guarantee SL (potentially with a couple other clubs) it really does for the most part rule us out of signing those quality players in the market.

Is there a better way I don’t know but I’d like to hope their is for a more competitive league.

It's no different to now. Getting a B is probably better than being in the bottom two

Retention is just as troublesome as recruitment, hence why we still have 8 unsigned contract offers to our own players! We will undoubtably lose guys we want to keep.

Would Trinity get £500k parachute payment from Super League when they get relegated? https://www.totalrl.com/super-league-pa ... -continue/

Would Trinity get £500k parachute payment from Super League when they get relegated? https://www.totalrl.com/super-league-pa ... -continue/

Quote ="asmadasa"Would Trinity get £500k parachute payment from Super League when they get relegated? https://www.totalrl.com/super-league-pa ... -continue/'" Not sure whether it’s even still a thing but it is/was linked to the tv contract so it won’t be 500K anymore as the value of the broadcast deal has dropped about 40% since then.

Quote ="asmadasa"Would Trinity get £500k parachute payment from Super League when they get relegated? https://www.totalrl.com/super-league-pa ... -continue/'" Not sure whether it’s even still a thing but it is/was linked to the tv contract so it won’t be 500K anymore as the value of the broadcast deal has dropped about 40% since then.

I believe that this payment was stopped, you go down then you survive on what you can generate or the board contributes however, there may be some additional money from the TV contract but I could be wrong.

Payments like aren't good for the rest of the teams in the division. If you go down you have to cut your cloth accordingly, simple as that

I believe all we will get in the Championsip is £200K per season, same as the rest. With the debt the club are carrying it's not a very nice prospect.

I think it was taken away when the contracts changed.
It was originally there to pay for the Super League contracts still in place when income reduced through relegation.
But now they just cancel the contract.

That figure is dependent on what the new tv deal equates to. If it reduces again so will that amount.

That is the plus about the new stand. We will be in a position to generate revenue that might not be available to other Championship clubs, hopefully increasing the prospect of us bouncing back up.

Exactly.

Potential income from facility rental.
Income from Wakefield AFC activity.
Income from other pitch rental.
Savings on utilities from solar panels and water recycling.

The most important thing is to run the function side like a business outside match day and make it profitable in terms of bookings for Weddings, birthdays, corporate training events etc - I’d be contacting loads of companies ask ing if they wish to book xmas do’s, annual presentations and awards etc.

List is endless from NHS, West Yorkshire police to local businesses like Coca Cola, supermarkets etc. a lot of effort will need to go into marketing but it will pay dividends.

Just thinking about 2024 and recruitment for this.

Who does everyone think we should sign?

I think priorities are the below for me.

A speedy winger who can find the line - there was a rumour of Gareth Gale on social media. He can score a try and is a pretty aggressive unit. Would be decent. I know he is under contract but I 100% would go for Lachlan Walmsley at Halifax. Lad has some pace and athletic ability and has an unreal try scoring record. Worth a fee imo. Whatever league we end up in he would be one of the top targets.

A quality centre - probably worth looking overseas for this.

A quality 9 - I would absolutely look at Daryl Clarke and give him security if 3 years. A quality 9 is a must and would be great for Bowes.

A second row - Andre Sevelio maybe. A big player who has probably gone off track a bit but would be worth a good look.

Anybody else see any players of interest?

The other reality is that we know players would negotiate anyway, except it would be done in some quiet location, with no one really knowing, and then released as a surprise announcement at the end of the season.

It would suit no one if it were done at the end. It would create a mad scramble, with players desperate for an income and clubs having no idea who would be coming. This way, it brings certainty and ends the subterfuge.

It's always been the way with clubs at the bottom. It was the same with franchising (with the model they adopted). The only way to avoid it is to be better at staying in the top half of the league.

We need to avoid the scramble certainly for most of the signings.

I notice Sam wood at KR is out of contract. He’s another centre/wing with some ability and about to hit his prime years. There’s a fair bit of talent available who we can talk to now. Even if we only secure a couple of players who will improve us in 2024 it’s important we don’t end up trying to pick up all our signings in a mad scramble

Josh Simm (Centre Wing) playing same club as Croft in aus and going well.

Simm, Wood, Clarke, Walmsley etc would all be players who would be good and improve us imo.

I notice Croft hasn’t played in QRL last few weeks too. I still think there’s a player in there with Croft if bridges aren’t burnt.

Some wild optimism here surely, given your earlier posts in this thread outlining just why it's hard for Wakefield to recruit right now? Fev are currently 2-5 favourites to be promoted (I think that's too short, but they're undoubtedly favourites) whereas Wakefield are probably about 1-3 to be relegated, so why would Gaz Gale leave his hometown club who probably have a 60% chance of being in SL next season for one that has about a 25% chance?
As for going for Walmsley even though he's under contract...let's say a £30k transfer fee then plus £30k salary, that's a big chunk of the £200k-ish Wakefield will get next year if they're in the Championship just on a wing.
Daryl Clark, who has reportedly already signed for St Helens? That's going to be a hard sell to come and possibly play Championship RL instead.
I think you need to start with trying to work out what your current playing budget is, then working out what it would be in the Championship with well over £1million less in central funding.