I suppose there is an argument that the new club would be a proper whipping boy, because all of the nine teams above it will be very good. But if you accept the current top nine clubs will keep the squad they have, surely there is a very good team to be had from the best of the bottom 5?

I don't the solution really, but pricing has to be the real problem. You only have to go into a town centre to see how people are not spending money, and so how can RL clubs believe that they can impose 5% and 10% increases on gate prices year on year without suffering? It's so easy to put a quid on here and there, but it accumulates over time. What was it in 2007? Around £17? Six years later, the walk-up price is £22. That's around 30%. Wages have got nowhere near that.

We are insulated maybe because of season ticket deals, and the advance tickets are being marketed well, but it has to be a factor for other clubs, and certainly for away fans

In Cas' case winning about 10 games in the last 50 might have something to do with it.

I can't argue with the financial realities of modern life - for many people, weekly SL games are an expensive luxury that they can choose to do without.

Personally, I'd advocate a much more solid membership offer - the club needs to really sweat its corporate contacts and sponsors for decent membership benefits to achieve that; then whack out an early indication that a ST will cost x for the year (say £250) and it can be paid for monthly over 6 months; attract the early cash that seems to be required to get us through the off-season by offering a 20% discount for people who buy early and in one go.

I'd certainly get shot of all the complicated, time-sensitive pricing schemes that seem to cause more confusion than the benefits they offer, and just make the whole package more attractive; I'd also consider a loyalty card type scheme - earn Wildcats Wonga with every penny you spend at the club, the ground, the shop, its sponsors and potentially, any other Wakefield business who opts into the scheme - fantastic for gathering marketing data as well as building a sense of a civic pride around the club and other businesses operating in the city.

In all fairness to Cas they would never be expected to draw a massive crowd against London just as we wont.

Just as any team wouldn't against London.

If that is truly the case Bren, the governing body should grow a large pair and move to a full franchising system.
They could always have the threat of an axe falling on any club that fails (enters admin etc) and equally offer the carrot of promotion (inclusion) for any club that can prove its value to the top flight.

The worry for ourselves is that they could make a chang but, they may also reduce numbers, which could leave us dangling.

I'm not sure where this reduction in the number of teams in SL has come from, but it's in danger of becoming received wisdom; as far as I can recall, Jamie Peacock banged on about it towards the back end of last season when his knees started hurting again and since then, a few of the wealthier club owners have backed it up - without question, their support for this ill considered idea is born out of self-interest and nothing more. They assume that Sky will pay the same for a smaller competition and that as a result, their own clubs will receive a greater share of the Sky money.

In reality, it would be a step backwards for RL and would give Sky an easy way to reduce the funding it currently provides for a 14 team SL; fewer games, smaller coverage = less sponsorship.

The reduction in numbers seems to get a mention every time one tunes in to either the radio or TV.
however, fewer teams may not = less sponsorship.
If a "more competetive league" creates more intense matches with smaller winning margins, then even Mr Wood should be able to conjure up a decent deal with Sky.
There desperately needs to be some improvement with London, whose crowds are an embarrassment to the sport (closely followed by Salford - although you would expect them to improve in the medium term) and should London drop down a division, who knows what happens to the sponsorship deal, I guess we would find out then, just how much Sky want a London based team in the tiop flight.

Wakefield
24 - 6
London Broncos
Stobart Super League 3rd Jun 2012 KO 15:30 Ground: Belle Vue Att: 5,876
Below average but more than Cas got...

That's because most modern journalists get their half-baked stories by reading Twitter and internet forums; as I said - a thread that gets a lot of hits becomes the basis for a story and before you know where you are, it's received wisdom.

Personally, I don't think Sky give two hoots about competitiveness and intensity; they give several hoots about viewing figures and subscriptions though, and I fail to see how a reduced SL could be sold to them as anything other than less than what they currently pay for. Anyone who thinks they'll pay more to enable a two tier league to operate on a FT basis is deluding themselves - it won't happen.

Far too much oxygen is given to these stupid ideas in my opinion, mostly in the pursuit of self-interest.

FWIW I totally agree with you but, I really wouldnt be surprised at anything that comes out of the current "review".
Of course Sky are only bothered about Sky and if they couldn't sell advertising for the 2 or 3 minutes before the games and at half time etc, they wouldnt sponsor the game at all.
They have to decide how bothered we are about competing with the Aussies (bearing in mind their $billion deal) and about expansion of the game and i'm not sure that there is a plan for either of these issues.

=#FF0080PM's need reading wrencat

Cheers

Let's look at the evidence to support that
2012 - SL sponsorship "sold" to Stobarts for nothing
2013 - Does the league have any sponsorship yet this season?

IMO Mr Wood spends too much time consulting with Peter's Pies and not enough time talking to other potential sponsors.

If you truly believe Nigel Wood could get a better deal form SKY for a reduced competition (even if it was more competitive) you are

To be fair to Wood, he's managed to worm his way out of the issue that SL has no title sponsor. That's quite a talent.