This is the RFL for gods sake, what exactly do you expect ? , this is the same organisation that read Faxs SL application in January, but decided not to tell them they hadnt provided sufficient information till July

No it doesn't.

Have been awarded a '1 year probationary SL licence' apparently. So they're safe for 2013 at least.

that's great news - good luck to them

Why bother.
Once again the RFL refuse to come clean in a failed attempt to sound 'fair'.
They are either in or they are not to suggest anything else is simply rubbish.
Some are going to jump on me over this I would imagine but using a 'probation' is simply hot air and deep down they and everyone else know it.

It has all the appearance of a classic RFL fudge I'd agree. I imagine they had zero luck putting together a 'mini licencing round' so this is Plan B.

EDIT: The official statement confirms that part of the reason was the impracticality of organising a mini licencing round in the time available.

Interesting statement actually. They've basically put SL and the Championship in a holding pattern pending the results of the comprehensive review.

Now, now - I'm sure the terms of their probation will be clear, unambiguous and widely communicated.

Sarcasm aside, mistakes have been made and licensing was badly compromised even before this, but we have to look to the future and hope that something better replaces it in the near-ish future. This is hopefully no more than a convenient pretense, to buy a bit of time, which is sensible enough. At least they didn't go with the mini-round - this is a much more honest kind of sham.


Small mercies and that.

From the Bulls board:



Looks like this might actually be a (semi) considered response given that the structure of SL may well change before the 'probabtion' period expires. At which point all bets are off.

They should have been told that this season was their last in super league, next year they are down back in NL2 and have to start again. It's not a fudge, it's a farce. Super league can continue without them.

Mix of hope and trepidation regarding the strategic policy review. Fingers crossed, certainly much-needed.

I was dreading a mini-round.

I wonder whether the concept of licensing (which wasn't so bad as a middle way, it was just 'implemented' in such a half-baked manner) is salvageable. Or is it irredeemably tarnished? I'd hate to have to persuade Championship clubs, that doing it again, but this time properly, is the way forward. Not going to fly, is it?

Fantastic news. Super Duper.

Awwwww, I'm really chuft to bits for 'em. Really deserve it too after EVERYTHING they've been through.

Right, I'm off for a tommy tank.

hear hear and they must have known they were in the crap when they bought odsal so why did they not monitor them then after the horse has bolted we are a joke

As a matter of interest, which rule would you have used to do this? And who would you have brought in at short notice to replace them?

This solution is far from ideal but might well be the lesser of several evils.

I have a feeling we'll see a different system, although quite what it will be is anyone's guess. It's one reason why I can't get worked up over this 'probation' for the Bulls - licenses are likely to be redundant by the time it runs out.

As I may have mentioned

, I think we need to. Propping this up serves no purpose now and a reboot would be too complicated to do properly and way too much of a hard sell, if they want Championship teams to engage in it.

Massive crossroads for the sport.

Maybe an honest system this time. The RFL say "We want x,y and z clubs in "super" league, for no particular reason, and if the rest of you could just quietly bugger off, cos emarrassingly, we dont reallly know what to do with you"

No more lies eh?

thats what I like about you freddie , always cut to the chase



Strangely a sensible decision from the RFL for a change , although what other options they had really I dont know , thats probably why it took them so long to sort it out

All they have to decide now is what to do about the 8 team Championship 1 and the silly academy/reserve changes

Haha. Rich you are a legend.

Why should we be in NL2. Rangers is the only case of administration where(That i can remember) a team has been forced to drop down divisions. In most other cases points deductions take place.

Praise the Lord it's a miracle.Life as we know it just wouldn't,t have been the same without the flagship bulls.I wonder if the one year probationary licence has been graded as a B ?

What happens in a year then?

Blackpool borough thrown out of the league just a couple of years ago by those helpful people at red hall
, well helpful to a chosen few anyway .

Thank goodness for that. Now I won't miss out on a visit to the 'iconic' Odsal next year

Not due to the administration they weren't.

I guess that depends on the cafe owner and wether he does actually start spending the millions he said would.