"SL1" and "SL2" is just tarting up the Championship - you're still technically relegating 4 teams and promoting some Championship teams. Here's what I'd go with: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=528438&tsmp=1337947392 No splitting the league into "1" and "2" have them running alongside each other at the same level and the grand final is the best of the 2 divisions playing each other. More teams but Less league games (or 27 still if you have a 3 match all star game series) and more weeks off so the players get more rest. There's even scope for individual sponsorship of the leagues, something like the Engage conference in the Stobart Super League etc.

"SL1" and "SL2" is just tarting up the Championship - you're still technically relegating 4 teams and promoting some Championship teams. Here's what I'd go with: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=528438&tsmp=1337947392 No splitting the league into "1" and "2" have them running alongside each other at the same level and the grand final is the best of the 2 divisions playing each other. More teams but Less league games (or 27 still if you have a 3 match all star game series) and more weeks off so the players get more rest. There's even scope for individual sponsorship of the leagues, something like the Engage conference in the Stobart Super League etc.

Quote ="Gronk!""SL1" and "SL2" is just tarting up the Championship - '" No it isn't. It's providing funding and the oxygen of a degree of "proper" TV coverage to allow there the be a balanced step to the elite level. A side that gets into SL2 can make itself much more ready to make the "leap" into SL1 thus making failure less likely. A demoted side isn't dropping as far so does not have to go into a free fall spiral downward. SL2 could be made attractive enough that sides with less ambition are happy to remain where they are. Quote you're still technically relegating 4 teams.....'" So what's new? Isn't that what happened at the start of SL? Quote Here's what I'd go with: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=528438&tsmp=1337947392 '" That looks very interesting but has uneven conferences. I could see SL happening all over again with the best becoming an elite league and the "rest" being cast aside. Quote There's even scope for individual sponsorship of the leagues, something like the Engage conference in the Stobart Super League etc. '" In the format you have shown, two of the conferences look most attractive and would garner the lions share of deals.

Quote ="Gronk!""SL1" and "SL2" is just tarting up the Championship - '" No it isn't. It's providing funding and the oxygen of a degree of "proper" TV coverage to allow there the be a balanced step to the elite level. A side that gets into SL2 can make itself much more ready to make the "leap" into SL1 thus making failure less likely. A demoted side isn't dropping as far so does not have to go into a free fall spiral downward. SL2 could be made attractive enough that sides with less ambition are happy to remain where they are. Quote you're still technically relegating 4 teams.....'" So what's new? Isn't that what happened at the start of SL? Quote Here's what I'd go with: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=528438&tsmp=1337947392 '" That looks very interesting but has uneven conferences. I could see SL happening all over again with the best becoming an elite league and the "rest" being cast aside. Quote There's even scope for individual sponsorship of the leagues, something like the Engage conference in the Stobart Super League etc. '" In the format you have shown, two of the conferences look most attractive and would garner the lions share of deals.

You do it east and west, simple. Yorks, Lancs, anything and anything but 2 x 9 and so forth

I don't agree. SL2 would not be the championship under another name, it would have more funding, more TV exposure therefore the potential for more sponsorship and likely have half a dozen full time players. It would be halfway house between the full time elite division and the part time championship.


How will we ever achieve 20 full time teams under the current system?


Exemption is not a new idea, it was used under the pre-franchise system also. I mention it only because the pro-franchise lobby seem to hold it as being an essential requirement

I quite like the idea but was trying to think of a system that would make progression possible from the lower divisions without impossibly large hurdles to overcome.

I wouldnt put any hurdles in the way, you get a decent business plan and youre in, pick a conference haah

Yeah balance is a bit of an issue but that can easily be sorted by just swapping a couple of teams, when I did it last night the first groups were just on the basis of ah local teams and derbies then the balance didn't end up being right - swapping Fev & Leeds round for an example evens out the East a fair bit.

No, as someone else said, it would be a 'tarted up' Championship. Castleford, Widnes, Wakefield and London (assuming they are the clubs that would miss out on the 10 team SL) are all at roughly the size where they could operate either at Championship or SL level without looking out of place. If they were demoted, they wouldn't be big enough to provide enough of a boost to the other, inferior teams that would make up the league, and over time their standards would slip so that they would effectively settle at a similar level to the current top Championship clubs. The point is that clubs like Featherstone and Leigh aren't ever going to be big enough to compete at any sort of elite level. Of the current Championship clubs, Sheffield look like they might have the business strategies and potential for growth to potentially make a fist of it in a hypothetical SL2, and possibly Halifax and somewhere like Barrow might also be able to improve the required amount to allow them to compete at a similar level to the likes of Cas now. Apart from them, I can't see any Championship clubs that would be anywhere near good enough to be in any sort of 'Super League' by any definition. If clubs like Leigh or Featherstone were competitive in such a league, it would almost certainly be through a lowering of the overall standards rather than through those clubs raising them.

Your model also assumes that Sky would be interested in providing funding and coverage of the 'SL2', when the reality is that they would almost certainly treat it like they did with the Championship when they had the rights. Effectively we would just be relegating four current SL sides.
By adding teams to Super League when they are ready. I never said it would be a quick or easy process, but it's better than attempting quick-fixes and putting structures in place to try and allow substandard teams to artificially compete. Like I said earlier, the crux of this problem is that virtually none of the existing Championship clubs have the potential to improve enough to compete in Super League. It's tough on the fans who might not want to believe this, but that's just the way it is. If we introduce any sort of system to try and allow these clubs to compete, then we will inevitably be lowering standards rather than raising them.
Really? I can't think of any examples where a promoted club have been given a one-year stay while other teams have been allowed to be relegated. Either way, it's an absolutely stupid idea and one that I don't think anyone would want to see.

What potential are these clubs missing?

The potential to be an SL club

And what potential do you need, to be a SL club?

You need the potential to be an SL club. There are many facets to this and you would hope they are getting ever harder to meet as that would mean SL was improving

Such as?

Sound financial footing. (Bradford)
Top notch stadium (Castleford, Wakefield)
Big crowds (London, Salford)

You mean like Halifax's top notch stadium and big crowds?



Seriously, because of 1 new stand why do people think that The Shay is good?

Actually 3 new stands since 1998 and also an old one converted to all seater.

I don't. Halifax should be nowhere near SL.

Neither should about 4 SL clubs.

I agree

Some people think it's OK. SL club Huddersfield played there last year. Castleford even borrowed our kit because of their SL professionalism.

The kit directive Cas had showed that Cas were supposed to wear white and they didn't receive the updated list (nor did the RFL website for that matter until a week later).



I'd say 2 at most, 1 if Bradford don't end up in admin.

So Cas is a given - whos is the other team?

Actually - it's not that they shouldn't be SL - they should - [icurrently. [/i

What i mean is that there's about 4 clubs that aren't really "super" and are just making up the numbers. There isn't a club in the Champonship who can better them either so it's as you are for the forseeable future.

Well using that condition, there's probably 10 teams not good enough for the league!

Yeah - bit vague, soz.

It may seem lame but i think another 10 years of franchising will really paint a true picture of its success or failure. In the meantime Championship clubs should concentrate on their own lot and try and improve the fan base. The league is certainly competitive.

We can't still be using an honest mistake like taking the wrong kit as a stick to beat Cas with are we? Hardly deliberately breaking the salary cap!