I don’t know if it’s the RFL spending money on Odsal to improve the stadium, but someone must be. There was an item on look North recently, regarding Stock Car racing returning to Odsal next year. It will take a lot of money to make spectator viewing safe. Do the RFL own the place or just the lease?. I do hope the RFL are not pumping more money into the pit, they have a lot of other clubs who contribute to the RFL coffers, those clubs should have say how that money is spent.

I would go more long term thinking 14 clubs maybe a little less to go around but clubs would have to look to developing young players instead of signing so many average overseas players
End relegation to allow clubs to build solid foundations
Add 3 one definitely a Cumbrian side followed by two from York, Widnes, Halifax or Featherstone

Long term thinking’s definitely what’s required (but is also, sadly, what the RFL tends to lack).
But your suggestion sums up exactly why going to 12 teams next season is fraught with difficulties.
a) why definitely a Cumbrian side? Why not definitely a French side? Or a London side? Or a Midlands side?
b) which 2 teams from York, Widnes, Halifax or Fev? Why those four? Why not Newcastle, Toulouse, Bradford and Leigh?
What I’m saying is, the RFL can come up with criteria to judge teams against but those criteria can’t help but be skewed in favour of some clubs and against others. That will lead to protests, appeals and threats of legal action from clubs that feel aggrieved their bids were rejected. Chaos and more bad press for the game. On top of all this, ending relegation and, presumably, promotion, will kill the Championship stone cold dead.
We should stick with 11 teams in SL next season and move to 14 teams from 2022.

A Cumbrian side sounds great in theory but, none of them would ever come close to generating the number of fans needed to make it viable.

Although there have been some noises that BT may be interested in bidding for the TV rights, the deal is lightly to be reduced and with Toronto gone (who didnt get any TV monies), there is already an extra mouth to feed. Less cash and more clubs just doesn't seem to work, although it would be nice to see the back of the loop fixtures.

Correct.

A Cumbrian super team has always been one of those fantasy moments RL fans are prone too.

Whitehaven isn’t much bigger than Fev, however unlike Fev it’s nowhere near anywhere else. Ditto Workington on a slightly bigger scale. Only Barrow has any potential, but that potential is similar to Mist Championship teams ie not much.

Worse still whilst the two W’s could possibly play as a joint team Barrow really couldn’t and without them it’s a non starter for me.

Cumbria is one of the least populated areas in England, that really tells you all you need to know.

However on a positive it’s a great breading ground for players and if SL teams like Warrington and Wigan weren’t so obsessed with Aussies and diverted some of their cash to supporting what used to be a thriving amateur league the you’d see Cumbria come good.

As I keep saying RL cannot just be about SL, an area can be a total success without having a team in the top flight.

rl in Cumbria is in dire straits vasty, it’s dying at a rapid rate. The interest in the game the player participation at open age and above all junior level is falling rapidly. It’s not the only area struggling but the RFL have no idea how to rectify it.

I know that’s what I said.

However it’s not just the RFL. There is no reason why Wigan, Saints and Warrington couldn’t pull together and drive a initiative to save the amateur game. They don’t even need to have a noble aim, self interest should suffice.

This is where the NRL and the Aussie clubs crucify us. They understand grass roots and they invest. It’s not just about money it’s about the will. Little things count.

Say all the teams I just mentioned do the following. Pick a club to support and then insist that their kit supplied gives that team a full set of kits from young kids to open age. That’s nothing to these companies but means a lot to an amateur club.Run coaxing seminars, help with transport and above all help find and recruit match officials.

It won’t cost nothing but pound for pound it’s money well spent imho.

8 clubs eligible... https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/54893659

8 clubs eligible... https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/54893659

I wonder if Leigh have been given some sort of guarantee based on the money they are paying on strengthening their squad.

Leigh are the ultimate Groundhog Day club. Every five years or so they rise back up, spend like mad, usually on rubbish, then go bust.

They are a wanna be club who’ve had there chance imo, if it weren’t for their ground I don’t think anyone would give them a second glance.

I’d like to see all the other teams mentioned the chance ahead of Leigh to be honest.

Despite all their previous financial problems I can't help thinking what the outcome of this is going to be......... =#FF0000Bradford Bulls!!!
Wonder what will happen should they enter administration once again.

So, a club will find out in mid-December whether they are in the top flight. That makes very recruitment very hard and will be favourites for relegation.

However, rather than going for the big bang like Leigh tried, they should do what Burnley did in the Premiership. Come up, don't splash out on players. Bank the money and go down again, but with more money to build a strong championship team and build your fanbase. Come back up and do the same again. Yo-yo a couple of times, but when you came up for the final time, you are financially secure, fans back in the ground, and ready to make it a permanent stay.

That’s a sensible strategy but a bit hit and miss. Surely a more planned process would be to give the promoted team protection from relegation for 3 years. Promote from the Championship on the same basis in 2022 and again in 2023 to make 14 teams in SL. From then on, in any given season, there will be 2 ‘protected’ teams. The lowest placed non protected team is relegated. I realise that could be the team finishing 3rd from bottom but that would be 12th position - exactly the same position that gets relegated now.

Mr Carter is showing how to budget a S L team though because of sugar dadys at other clubs we will never win anything.(So much for salary caps) So to me it shows that a team that comes up from the championship .If run right will be able to compete .as most will be ex S L players.On this forum it's been posted that Ca S are 400,000 thousand pounds in set .Pity we can not see how much the so called bigger clubs would be in set with out there Sugar Dadys

Now that we know the runners and riders:
Bradford, Fev, Fax, Leigh, London, Toulouse, Widnes and York, the decision will come down to what "weight" is given to the various factors in whether a club is suitable.
Finance, attendances, development, expansion, history etc, etc.

If they put most weight on expansion than Toulouse, London and York would score highest
Attendances, Bradfiord, Leigh ,m Widnes.

This will all be fixed in the mix before the independent panel ratify the decision

I'd forgotten about Bradford. Would be nice to see them back again if they have the finances.

How many on that list have not had financial issues?

York as a city would be brilliant. Some sort of co-operation with the tourist board could find a way of transporting new spectators to home games and boosting attendances.

Looks like its Toulouse then

Without knowing all the ins and outs, York seem to have been building really well on and off the field over the last few years and seem to make all the right decisions, I would give them a chance over the likes of Bradford the only question I have is, is it too soon for them? There board certainly don`t think so...

As others have said it is wholly dependant on the criteria and the weightings of each of those criteria's.

As good as it would be, its a bit of a nightmare to get to their new stadium.
Think it might be a season or two too early for them.

Yep...as much as I'd like to see them in too, I think the likes of London or Leigh are more likely to get in.

Really? In all my years of visiting Monks Cross I have never viewed access as an issue, quite the opposite really, it is about 2 minutes off the A64 and has great public transport links too and from York Centre - Unless of course you are referring to the A64 itself, in which case the M62 is just as bad on a Thursday and Friday night for congestion.

None with as many or as serious as Bradford's I don't think, Rick.

Agreed but Leigh must be close.

I don’t think Bradford are ready just yet. Any idea people have that this is the same Bradford as fifteen years ago need to think again.

They have lost their youth set up, their commercial set up by alienating the local business community and a huge chunk of their fan base.

All can be won back but it will take much more than a promotion to SL for that to happen.