Balance between trying to expand the sport but not exclude the clubs you already have, announcing 4 new clubs before you actually have them, and reducing the 3 rd tier to a farce next season, putting several clubs at real risk of dissapearing

Inclusion in that if we agree we need licencing to protect our premier product, then fine, but lets see more thought and work put into building the lower tiers, other than just words , " A Vibrant, worth winning in its own right " he said, so is that it?

New idea's that will help clubs to flourish at their level, yes a few years ago the clamour was for a lower tier TV deal, so we got one, but lets be truthful, it was the money we really meant , so once it became clear there wasnt any , why oh why are we still being forced to play midweek? , a pointless group of matches against French opposition?

I found the message on the Stobarts trucks quite confusing " Its all about following your local team " , this on trucks travelling all over the country

, when in fact the often used insult " Its a local game for local people " is exactly the mantra the lower tiers should be sold on, at our level it is local support that will see us prosper, it is localised marketing help thes clubs need

As for how you ' Enthuse ' the fan bases of the lower SL clubs, not a clue

.....and where is that club now?
Press attention is just that - press attention. It isn't spectators. It isn't a TV deal. It isn't money. Where is Gareth Thomas's team now?

P.S. if we actually measured it, I'm sure we would find the concept of a title decided by playoffs and a Grand Final has developed significantly more press attention than Gareth Thomas's involvement in RL.




Which is exactly what I've proposed

Which clubs have been excluded? Some might have a difference of opinion to the RFL on which level they should be playing at, but which have been excluded? The next part of your statement wasn't a description of balance, just a complaint about issues with the last piece of expansion work.

Inclusion would imply exclusion. Is there any exclusion? Is it only the 2nd and 3rd tiers that have this issue with the idea of their competition being worth of being won? Not the first, not the international scene, and not the tiers below the 3rd?

New ideas: Some good, some bad. Some work, some don't. Do you have a different expectation on what "new ideas" would be?

We were discussing the negativity of fans, ? Much of that negativity ( at lower tier clubs ) is down to licencing and the RFL s recent attempts at expansion, negativity at International level cannot be sorted IMO, our sport at that level is dead, I dont see negativity at amatuer level, other than some dissatisfaction at the move to summer

As for SL, well the only happy club is the Champions , but that is just the nature of sport , I really dont know how you can solve that

I think there is a major opprtunity available to the clubs if they move quickly.

Each club should start a local energy buying group.

It would be open to everyone not just fans.

Effectively you sign up households to switch en mass and then deal with the energy comapnies direct to cut a better deal for everyone.on.an annual basis

The club would recieve an.annual broker fee for their services.

It would also allow.clubs to collect data on potential new fans in their target area.

To put the cash in the energy idea in perspective.

Lets say 10000 homes at an average of 1200 a year bill.

Thats 12 million.

Club cuts a deal which knocks 200 pound of each bill (which is a realistic target)
And takes a 20 broker fee.

You save 160 quid this year - Club makes 400000 this year.

We already have the trusted brands.

That negativity will always be apparent. As you yourself prove. When the RFL haven’t actually done anything wrong, you will make something up to be negative about them. Even when they do something good you find a way to look negatively at it. That isn’t the RFL’s fault, licensings fault, or something the RFL can do something about. You have made the decision that because things aren’t exactly as you like, you will talk down the sport, you will talk down the RFL, and you will be negative about the game you pretend to love. That isn’t something the RFL can change, it is up to you to change it, it is up to you to decide to change your outlook and celebrate what is good about the game instead of looking for ways you can talk it down.

If you don’t want to change, then don’t. I just don’t see why you want to spend so much time and energy being negative about something which other people like, even if you have decided you don’t anymore.

It was there prior to licensing and prior to expansion.

Back to revenue ideas:

Super League (or RFL) credit card. Cashback/discount on RL related purchases. Actually....cashback rather than discount with a sliding scale that goes up as you spend more and is a better rate for RL related spending - from tickets to merchandise to food and drink in a stadium.
Then rather than give cash back on an annual process, propose the cashback sum is traded for discounted tickets or merchandise.

Along with the money generated by the financial services, this should give a lot better data on the fanbase, as a supermarket loyalty card does.

Are you sure? Trawling boards in the off season suggests to me there are a few more than that. FC fans seem enthused by an owner prepared to invest in some decent players, Wakey are most definitely on a high after their best season for some time, Bradford are glad to be alive, Wire recognise one small step and they're SL champs. Even Broncos seem upbeat. By way of a counterbalance, there are those mired in doom and gloom but wasn't it ever thus?

The risk you are running with that and the energy idea is diversifying into areas which aren’t. Our primary function is to be RL clubs, energy brokers and credit card companies are a completely different kettle of fish, there is always the danger that they don’t make money and become a further drag on the RL business.

A fairly simple option would be ‘full’ season tickets. If you are currently charging £300 for a season ticket then for £500 sell a full season ticket, includes all home games, away games, cup games, play-off games and finals.

Or to build on the internet pass idea you mentioned before, why not just restrict it to away fans? You buy a pass for the away games your club plays, and you get access to away games through that membership, or even the screening of away games through the away teams home ground. Charge £5 entry + beers and screen all away games in the supporters clubs?

Memberships: ticketed, non ticketed, babies, pets you name it there are a dozen ways to fleece a fan! www.broncos.com.au/site/_content ... source.pdf

Memberships: ticketed, non ticketed, babies, pets you name it there are a dozen ways to fleece a fan! www.broncos.com.au/site/_content ... source.pdf

The credit card idea could be cut down in scope to be more along the lines of a membership card, but tie into the same benefits programme.

I don't think the energy deal idea would work, simply because there is rarely one single best such deal and that best deal will differ for every user.

Away games either screened in the ground, or shown in the "club bar/cafe/pub" could work, especially for those clubs further away from each other.

Quote ="JB Down Under"Memberships: ticketed, non ticketed, babies, pets you name it there are a dozen ways to fleece a fan! www.broncos.com.au/site/_content ... source.pdf'" Why do you see it as "fleecing" ?

Quote ="JB Down Under"Memberships: ticketed, non ticketed, babies, pets you name it there are a dozen ways to fleece a fan! www.broncos.com.au/site/_content ... source.pdf'" Why do you see it as "fleecing" ?

Away games screened in the home ground ???
With the exception of the Catalan away fixture, we should be trying to encourage fans to travel to the away fixtures as often as possible.
Wakefield started to run an away travel club last season which appeared to be very successful and certainly increased revenue for the club and
helped increase away support.

some people arent going to go though.

I understand the sign a star theory. But lets say Warrington signed Darren Lockyer in his hayday. Would it bring many more viewers?

The problem being how many people outside of RL know who Darren Lockyer is??

I could walk 4 houses down my road and ask people who is darren Lockyer and I would get nothing in return.

The only option would be to buy a union star, but it would have to be a successful has been. I could not even name 5 current England RU stars, my wife could not name one. I'm assuming someone like Toby flood is still playing and tuilangi someone? There I can think of 2. But the great masses do not really follow Union to a great extent, they just like the England team, whoever are playing.

That comes back to the watershed moment of the RU world cup in South Africa for me at that point following England RU became similar to watching England football, it did not matter whether you followed the sport but it became a spectical that you watched anyway.

So maybe not as a money making idea, but a profile raising idea we need to tie our sport to something in the national conciousness. So how about a May day 9's tournament at Wembley. It's a bit off the wall, but short games 10 - 15 mins long, no need to change halves.

Get every team playing their stars (especially backs). Lots of round robin games so speccies can't just turn up and watch their own team. The MM is a good concept but because it's full games speccies can come and go when their team plays.

When Union do a 7's tournement. Even after teams are knocked out, there are lower throphies, sheilds so teams keep playing.

I'd try to go for free to air TV, even Channel 5, 2 - 3 hours on TV. Lots of commercials, cheap tickets, but link it to the May day. Try to embed it into the conciousness that on May day we watch the 9's tournement even if we do not watch RL regularly.

It maybe pie in the sky but hey any idea is worth thinking about, even if it's not worth doing.

I don’t necessarily think that is the case. I remember the excitement and visibility around Leeds when they signed Ali Lauitiiti. I think there needs to be a balance between keeping wages manageable, stopping a team buying success, and being able to attract the best players.

True, but the proportion would undoubtedly increase if there was a gathering at the "local" ground, which ultimately will affect the atmosphere at games.
Again, Catalan can be used as an example of very low away support (for good reason of course) and it does detract from the matchday experience.

Depends on what levels that is really doesn’t it. If 500 would stop going, but 1500 would watch at the ground, then we could make more money even with less going to the game.

There is no tongue in cheek icon!
I think memberships are the way forward for SL. Most SL clubs have a higher season ticket % than NRL clubs, I reckon SL fans would embrace a membership model.

Tell me what the RFL has done for the Championships that is and is seen as positive by the fans of those clubs?

I dont deny that it is me that has changed , much of my negativity is with the management of the club I supported

I'd disagree, obviously there was anger ( not from me ) at Catalans inclusion in SL, but 9-10 years ago there was much more optimism in the lower tiers, much of that changed when the Celtic Crusaders came along and were blatantly fast tracked into SL , despite being completely unprepared, since then there is without doubt a slow decline in enthusiasm for the sport in general at all levels from Championship fans

I meant more the general dissatisfaction and apathy with the play off system and the International game displayed by many SL fans, and the teams finishing near the bottom

RL's strength was, and could be again, its strong and passionate local roots in Cumbria, Lancs and Yorks, a population greater than Wales, Ireland or Scotland. Parts of that population migrates for work but generally maintains its passions and roots. We simply maximise the opportunities from this low hanging fruit, anything else being a bonus.

A good example was the Utilities opportunity, something I firmly believe can generate significant income with a conversion creating up to £100 for Gas and Electric. Don't stop there, think about what your community uses - broadband/Phone packages, TV packages, supermarkets, mobile phones, cars, petrol/diesel, holidays, hotels, banks, credit cards etc

Lets say we have 150,000 families who watch local RL live, lets say they each sell the concept to 4 close family members/friends. 600,000 Utility conversions is £60 million for a start - now thats a far bigger goal than a Sky deal or a SL sponsorship at present.

The key to this success is: 1.unity - we don't have it 2.vision and passion from the top - we don't have it. Yet we have both available to us if we open our eyes.

In conclusion I wish these small world keyboard warriors would stop restricting our game via exclusion and that we understand the power and potential we have from our traditional core strenths before randomly pishing in the wind on the next hair brained scheme we think up.