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Post by JJR on Sept 14, 2017 12:48:06 GMT
How many wasted years and how many wasted teams in both Wales and London; sadly I feel Toronto may be on a similar track.
The good thing is that the amateur/ semi pro game seems to be developing throughout the land. To me it would be better to put the energies into those who could prove they can step to the plate and get into the effective 2nd division. In that way the borders of RL could expand with winners throughout the UK.
As for Cumbria I think it needs a step change and investment in a SL Cumbria team with the 3 existing semi pro teams and the good amateur teams as feeders.
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Post by russ on Sept 15, 2017 3:37:49 GMT
Toronto v Kells is not a stark choice that either needs to be made or used to pull at the heartstrings of League fans.There are choices to be made at all levels of the game to move it on and make it prosper. This is not and never will be an either one or t'other problem for RL. It needs both to be done effectively and pretty drastically.
Getting the game beyond it's limitations in this country demands being able to shake the media out of it's stupid and unwarranted attitudes to our game and giving it the coverage it deserves. No amount of Barrows, Whitehavens or Leigh miners can achieve that for us and if they could we wouldn't be having this debate.
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Post by ayresrock on Sept 15, 2017 12:25:53 GMT
Some interesting comments on here about both subjects.
Toronto - I think this will be a big success story for RL in years to come and the expansion of the game. To be gathering 6K to games in any sense at League 1 level is a big step in the right direction. A good season next year, even if not making SL (ala Toulouse) it will only strengthen their resolve as a club to survive. Hats off to them for what they have achieved so far.
Read a few things the past week about a NY team and then Eric Perez saying in an interview a likely US/Canada team starting in 2020 in League 1. There is an appetite for the game it seems. I'd rather see our sport begin to spread like this than it being Rugby Union. I am sure in time as the sport takes off more and more the dream is to have a US / Canada League operating on it's own 2 feet but without these steps now with Toronto playing in the English upper tiers, the sport over there would never get quite the same traction it is.
In relation to Cumbria. However you paint it a pro team in Cumbria will never take off. 3 semi-pro teams, all with rich histories in the game not willing to let that go (and nor should they). The situation is almost identical to Salford, Oldham, Rochdale and Swinton. Only difference being one of those is professional in ourselves. The other 3 clubs would not want to merge to become a Manchester team and the chances are that support would never get going for the new founded team because it's not there team.
These teams were well supported once in the past, however, as times have changed the support is not there locally as much for these as there used to be and likely never will be again. Small communities that won't follow a new "Big team" because there they hold no identity to it, just as a lot of us are saying over this proposed name change and move. We dont identify with a team that doesn't originate from where we come from. The amateur game does well in Cumbria and these villages associate themselves more to them with national conference games attracting massive number of fans from those villages (circa for derby games over 2,000 attending).
The game is clinging to a history of small towns who are not big enough to support full-time professional clubs and needs, unfortunately, to be played in big city's because it's the only way the game will move forward. It's sad but unfortunately true. Turning the game fully pro in this country would it seems, turn out to be the death sentence we are witnessing slowly over the past 20 years.
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Post by JJR on Sept 15, 2017 17:35:21 GMT
I see your point re smaller parochial teams but when you look at the top teams on this side of the Pennines i.e. Wigan and St Helens they in aren't major cities, in fact the only city is Salford. In my view the RL lost it in the original franchise system. They should have insisted on say Hull and Hull kr join, Leigh Salford Swinton join, maybe Rochdale and Oldham join, the Cumbrian teams join etc. Individual teams could be feeders. More like the US system. They didn't and now we're left with a half way house which has not created major centres of RL.
I can't support your view on overseas teams. If/when we get 2 French teams, 2US/ Canadian teams and whoever other foreign teams in SL it'll create no travelling support and teams coming and going as in the past. Chaos when the funds and enthusiasm dries up. By all means develop RL in those countries but I'd rather see the effort put into a much better franchise system in the heartland with major centres and feeder teams. But it needs brave franchising with strict rules......not allowing Castleford, Wakefield, Featherstone all existing with minutes of each other fighting for small resources for grounds.
I'd be happy for Salford, Swinton and Leigh to join together to create a major fan base with their own ground and 3 individual feeder teams!!!!!!!! Ouch!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2017 19:37:38 GMT
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Post by russ on Sept 17, 2017 12:38:08 GMT
What's not to like? It's bypass, a ring road a detour around the coverage that has held our game back for so long and TWP may wake up some clubs out of their apathy when it comes to marketing The Greatest Game. |
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Post by russ on Sept 23, 2017 11:33:04 GMT
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Post by JJR on Oct 1, 2017 18:00:38 GMT
Noble's been spending somebody big bucks again; Westerman £150,000. Assume it's his usual cut.
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