Catalans is working in my opinion,decent fanbase,brilliant away trip and lets be honest they have a chance of appearing in another Major cup final.
Purely selfish Reason I know but I would much rather spend a week in Spain and drive to an away game in the Summer sun than another bloody jaunt over the M62.

Cumbria a few years off for me no signs of being willing to work together, no stadium and no appetite to start to think about it really which is a big shame. How interesting it is that Wakey have been quiet on signings for next season nor have they yet renewed any of their contracts. Call me suspicious but.................

Might depend on whether anyone goes into receivership before then though????

Quins for me but they the french and the Welsh are bomb proof in my opinion and Wakey and Cas as much as I love em are doing themselves no favours with this public spat over who plays where!

I dare say cas and wakey should both be worried as it looks nailed on one of them is going, but there's a lot of water to go under the crusaders bridge before the end of the season despite their on field progress, power struggles in the boardroom with wrexham fc, noble's future in doubt and distinct lack of money as their crowds start to drop I'm hearing, they may be bomb proof but they're not forced to exist next year yet.

Er, weekend in London shopping and sightseeing, thanks.

Sadly I have to say seeing what happened at the Quins a few seasons ago I believe the League will behind the scenes bail the Crusaders out!

yes, I kind of thought that was what noble was asking for in the press the other week.

I guess your right Wilf, its not right but i think your correct my old friend!!
Call me old fashioned but in my opinion as much as jaunts across the water and so on are nice SL neither belongs in france, Wales or london...
It is as you know wilf many MDs, fans and players opinions in SL that the game should in these uncertain times concentrate on their core product rather than trying to expand even further a model that simply does not fit outside the core heartlands of RL wether we like it or not!! hence why Cumbria needs SL to get the interest going again up there but as you say whilst ramshackle teams are playing in ramshackle stadia nothing will happen unless a gold mine is found in Whitehaven.
we simply do not have the backing or the cash to take Union on head on so we should concentrate on what we are good at where we are good at it and make sure those production lines of batley, leigh, Whitehaven etc etc all survive and benefit through hard financial times ...

problem is the RFL see it different

I think the Crusaders are a scandal. They were brought into existence to grow the game outside of the heartland, in South Wales, an area with an interest in rugby. But the RFL allowed them to move to a one horse town (were we talking about Hull being percieved as a dump on another thread? try Wrexham) and set up business half an hours drive from Widnes. They need to go back, or be gone.

Don't think SL needs Fax or Featherstone, they belong to a bygone age.

For me its a no brainer. Wakefield have had 12 years to get a new stadium. I believe it was back in 1998 that they were promoted on the promise they would get a new ground or at least spend some cash on their current traditional dump. Here we are just 7 months from the next announcements for 2012 and they are no nearer full filling that promise.

I am sorry for their fans and some of their very dedicated and loyal players and Mr Kear (I don't count Judas in that list) but facts are facts and they are not suitable anymore (if they ever where) for a 21st century Rugby competition.

If Crusaders go then its two teams to come up.

Quins will be given 3 more years but on current form and financial status that will be their last chance and 2014 may well be their last year in SL if they don't start to become self sufficient.

Barrow seem to full fill the criteria so I would give them a shout and Widnes. I suspect a 2nd French team will come into play in 2014. Giving Toulouse a further 3 years to get full equipped and ready for SL.

By 2014 we should see some fantastic stadiums being played in by all the "elite" but unfortunately I see several NL clubs disappearing for good. Probably starting with Wakefield who will struggle outside of SL.

very good well thought out post !!
isnt it sad that its true too

agree about going back to south wales or wrap up completely
agree about Wrexham as a city
not sure about the fax and fev comment, they are the backbone of british rugby clubs like those!!

It will be, but not officially.

You are Gwylim lloyd and i claim my £5.

im going for quins...was talking to a cpuple of guys who i know personally, they have an interest in the quins down there, they was saying how hard it is for them to compete and to sign players etc etc..apparently dorn is there highest earner on a mere pittance compared to most sl players...,,saying that tho, id take afew of there players if they went bust. sharp,LMS, for starters......

Wakefield out / Barrow in for me.

I didn't realise the RFL have guaranteed that one team from the national leagues will be given a franchise. As Carney said on Boots and All, why not just pick the best?

Only four qualify.

yes, but one of those four wil be getting one. My argument is that if the most viable are already in SL, leave them there.

Though I don't think they are.

the RFL do not live in the real world as you know, lovely idea but they go for the one most likely to upset everyone it seems sometimes, criminal that a set up like Widnes is in a lower div than wakey, quins isnt it

Widnes have been in adminstration, have they not?

Wakefield I'm afraid.

You now thats right an all we get from Lancs and clubs further away is that we are out on a limb and hard to get to on a Friday night or even a Sunday afternoon in your case. Fact is every week 3000 supporters from both clubs treck all the way from this 'out on a limb' place to get to away games its nothing to do with location its to do with commitment to your club. I think it should be a point in the Franchise conditions IE the number of away fans a club takes to financially support other clubs.

Very difficult to count and prove. Estimations can vary lots

It is, but you could quite easily have bandings - very poor (London/Catalans/Crusaders), Very good - FC/Rovers/Wigan/Leeds then everyone else with maybe some differentiation in that group.

Individual events could really impact on an ability to travel.

Whats to say if our away end was £10 a game pre purchase all away crowds could increase (clearly excluding Rovers, Cats, Quins and Wales)

What about the time Cas took 3000 to London on the £1 day out tickets?

What if poor followers Udders did that and brought 2500 one game to us? does that make em a good team?