Quote ="isaac1"This debate does raise some serious questions about our game. It was founded out of a unified decision based on justice and fairness. 117 years later and those values have evaporated.
The fanbase of our sport was struggling to finance part time players in most top division clubs in 1995, and Superleague was supposed to bring financial security and a new level of professionalism and growth of the sport.
The international game is now weaker than it was pre SL and the sky cash goes directly into the hands of the now full time players. we are told year on year that crowds are up, but how many of these people pay a full price, or any price?
The move to summer has been beneficial in some respects, but how much more revenue would a proper kangaroo tour enable clubs to earn? is it worth it?
what happens if the sky money stops? our sport would change beyond recognition. With the advent of professional rugby union, how would we survive with all the best young players playing union?
the heart of our game was always the community. am I the only person that prefers going to Wheldon Rd rather than the galpharm, or prefered Knowlsey rd to langtree park?
The sport needs to stop dreaming of a european wide league, and focus on preserving the roots of our professional (or semi pro) game.
If you havent seen them, try and get copies of the two "when push comes to shove" books. Look at the pictures and read the articles. Thats what Rugby league is about!'"
Excellent post.
Unfortunately, because of the advent of the Super League, couple with the growth of the internet, being a Rugby League supporter is not now what it was.
We had a camaradarie other sports could only dream of, and now the game is bitter, divided, and full of accusations of self interest. We seriously need to reassess what values we aspire to.
It's very well spouting the RL is a business line, but the current set up is clearly failing, while leaving many lower league fans disheartened.