Not really shutting him down. Just find it a tad funny that after 20 years of getting his own way he's finally not. A lot of people outside Leeds can't actually stand him. Petty I know.

See my earlier post about helping the lower leagues in terms of finance and the support they need. If this goes through I think it will help. Can't see anything other than 14 teams in SL otherwise the teams will lose income by reducing the number of home games.

Excuse my ignorance but where is the press release? I first heard this on BBC web page & there is no mention of SL 1+2. Just that the Super 8s are going next year.

No idea. This just seemed to be the thread to use. All we know is no middle 8s from 2019 and 1 up, 1 down. All the rest is conjecture.

Quote ="Beverley red"Excuse my ignorance but where is the press release? I first heard this on BBC web page & there is no mention of SL 1+2. Just that the Super 8s are going next year.'" www.skysports.com/rugby-league/n ... rt-elstone Dunno where people are getting this SL 1+2 from!

Quote ="Beverley red"Excuse my ignorance but where is the press release? I first heard this on BBC web page & there is no mention of SL 1+2. Just that the Super 8s are going next year.'" www.skysports.com/rugby-league/n ... rt-elstone Dunno where people are getting this SL 1+2 from!

Stating 'Super 8s' also implies the top 8 in SL as well.

There's no denying that he has done some fantastic work at Leeds, but there's also no denying that he's an abrasive character.

Personally, I don't think that 14 is the right number given the current talent pool but I suspect that it will be a 14 league. Personally I'd go to a 12 team league, with a view to a 14 team league in future years and tell those clubs concerned about the drop in home games to use their slightly higher sense of security on the field to invest in actually growing their business, rather than seeing success as keeping the administrators at bay for another year.

I know what you mean but the loss of income because of a reduced number of home games and wanting Toronto plus a.n.other is likely to force the issue.

Extreme 'lack of detail' in the press release, do the 'top of the championship table' team get promoted, or is there a play-offs for the top 4 clubs ?

Just found the answer...The Million Pound Game will stay and be contested by the top two Championship clubs

Seems Eric Pollard & McManus were round the table at the conference showing exactly how much they influence decision making at the RFL.

Batley Chairman is fuming & has almost declared war against the RFL for disrespecting Championship & an unfair process re consultation.

Quickly deleted the Hetherington remark and see

Yeah sorry bud my bad, I kind of assumed as one of the big cheeses he would have major influences, hadn't read the whole thread.

Mr Batley not happy either.

This constant faffing with the league structure does more harm than good and I can see further drop off attendances.

My full structure.

12 Team SL - play each other twice plus a live draw for Magic W/E.
Start the season with CC & final back to May. (Feb round of 32 & round of 16, March 1/4 Final, Apr 1/2 Final, May Final)

Play offs
Week 1 - ELIM1: 3 v 6; ELIM2: 4 v 5. Losers knocked out.
Week 2 - GFPO: 1 v 2 (winner to GF);
ELIM3: Winner of ELIM1 v Winner of ELIM2.
Week 3 - ELIM4: Loser of GFPO v ELIM3
GF - winner of GFPO v Winner of ELIM4

—————

12th place relegated. 1st place up.
MPG1: 11th SL v 2nd CH 2 legs. Winner over 2 legs promoted. Games on Week 2 & 3 of POs

reserve league adjacent to the SL league (same games at home & away)

A SL 1 SL 2 2x10 would simply be a rebranding of SL & Championship & throw out the 2 weakest Clubs in SL in my opinion.

To be truly both SL Leagues with value SL1 & 2 would play all teams in their respective League twice then split & the top 5 of each SL 1&2 play each other once.
Further to that you couldn't simply place the 10 strongest Clubs in SL 1 but split them up so that one group has a Toronto & either a Catalans/Toulouse/London or vice versa.

SL1 & SL2 should have equal funding.

I kinda like Wakey but .....
"Further drop off in attendances" than say an all Super League fixture like Wakey v Wigan at 4,681 a full 790 over Leigh v Fax or maybe Salfords sub 2k attendances & Giants & Widnes pitiful efforts ?

I will leave it up to the fellas that know alot more about the rules and regulations than I but to me this means that THIS is the year to try and get into Super League if you are a Championship side.

Make no doubt about it TWP and Argyle are about to open that wallet wide...for the top Championship teams this is it or it will go down as a missed opportunity...does the salary cap still apply if this announcement now changes everything, or is it now moot?

This is the time to take action....there will never be a better chance to make the SL jump. Time to spend fellas.

Guess the sites right for you tonight!

Its deja vu isn't it.. They are killing the game,thinking they are fixing it. But looks like the fixes are running out.

Wigan v Warrington was a game bolted on for 3 times this year.....they'll actually play a minimum of 5 times in 2018 now after the CC and the top 8's and there's every chance of a 6th meeting in the top 4.

Re-read that back and ask yourself how is that good for the game?

Money drives everything and the SL 11 believe that North America will deliver it. I personally think they are wrong, but it's better for them to at least try and fail rather than just keep on failing as we have been.......who knows, maybe ESPN will take our sport to a new audience and deliver the millions in revenue that Lenegan, Pearson et al believe it will.......but as other have said before, it took football 7 decades and soccer football only took off because of the Hispanic population getting behind USA 94....so unless there's mass migration from West Yorkshire to the states before 2025, I can see it ending in tears......and quite possibly some form of severe fiscal hardship.

Plus remember the money which has been thrown at soccer in the US. It has taken billions!

I do agree that the super 8s was not working. It isn't working and sticking with it isn't gonna change that

Got a bit bored & TBF this restructuring is a biggy !

It isn't working for SL,as the interest is contained in the middle 8's. The conception of the super 8's was heavily favoured to SL clubs, and only failed when Leigh got promoted against the biggest odds in RL ever seen.

KR get relegated,then promoted at a cost of Leigh. SL complain about dead rubber games yet Leeds fall into the middle 8's along with Wire. Then the RFL's baby Catalans.

If there is to be change,then swap them out now. Lets not beat about the bush,get shut of the SL clubs who have lived off Skys money and let them fend for themselves.

So Wigan, Leeds, FC, Wire and Saints survive as they are technically able to stand on their own 2 feet, Catalans and Castleford are about 2k fans per game away from that......but after that, who do we have? Salford, Widnes, Wakefield and Huddersfield need the sky cash as well as that of a benefactor....

If you vote for a Toronto, then why not Huddersfield? Both are basically propped up by a wealthy backer and realistically both have similar crowds PAYING to get in.....so why Toronto and not Huddersfield? Neither bring a TV deal or major sponsors.....

I am all for "ripping the plaster off" but to do so and replace 1 rich mans toy with another's is just shifting deckchairs on the Titanic.....

The crowds for Toronto are real and you know it...for what its worth I was disappointed with 7 300 for last game....this will grow to roughly 9 300 by the end of the season (if the weather co operates). Toronto does have a number of TV deals, the latest being in Asia with a potential audience of 100 million (that right, don't choke, 100 million).
Toronto is the future and you know it....learn from us, emulate us....we are the saviours of Rugby League...you can trust us....we are Canadian. We have a surplus of money over here and are looking to help some of our poor cousins out.

Signed,
The Saviours

As I said, the hole has been dug long before this season. You want change,then do it properly. Many clubs have suffered under the dictatorship of SL,many have had a free ride.

Time for change again,hopefully this time it doesn't include the lower tiers,who can get on with their own tv projects that don't involve SL.

What sport sponsor buys the rights of the lower tiers,to not broadcast them. Pathetic..