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.

I was under impression they continued as Tier 1 Academy ?

I meant they don’t have the pulling power they once did.

Or more likely they don't have the finances to lure the kids anymore.

Same thing really, I do think that the lack of a viable Bradford team has allowed us to pick up one or two juniors we’d have lost in the past. I think it’s shows as well.

The game needs to generate new spectators, younger ones at that, new sponsors and in and around York, there is a rich seam of money with a good amateur base to build on. I hope they don’t pick Bradford just because of the “iconic” “stadium”!,

I am glad we are going to 12 teams .
The rfl will know better clubs infrastructures I know feth are run very well.
Feth, tolouse or York for me.
Are Toronto playing in the championship?