But I am not living in the UK. Haven't been there for years, not since the Catalans first appearance at Wembley in 2007, which I attended.

Steph, on the other hand, does live in the UK.

You know that for sure, are you his agent?

Reading through all the posts if Sky don't renew Super league i'll be cancelling Sky as i only get it for Super league. But i genuinely believe i'll be in the very small minority who would do that. And to be honest sky wouldn't bat an eyelid, they'd hardly lose any money that they'd notice. Football and union will still always dominate and league is just another sport they show along with the many sports they show. We have NO bargaining power with Sky at all, if we said no thanks to a reduced deal they'd just say aahh well that's a shame best of luck, and they'd leave on a handshake. The quality of Super league is in decline and i missed alot of sky games this year as my interest just wasn't there for me, even our challenge cup win was quickly forgotten. We don't have a great marketed brand and it's a shame as i love league above all else sport but we are a dying sport in the UK.

If anyone doubts the above, go on the London Board and ask about the trials and tribulations of finding a boozer to show SuperLeague games. Once you head south of Sheffield the interest in RL (if any) is split between those with a passing interest and the RL Geeks who in terms of attendance number in the hundreds. Also, check out the photos of the Toronto Wolfpack supporters Bar on away match day, where maybe 50 at best will turn up to watch games and ask yourself why the CEO of the Wolfpack is on record as saying it's unlikely they will buy the SKY rights to sell on.

Union getting exposure on FTA TV is exactly what I was saying we should do nearly 2 decades ago.....so if SKY come bac with an average offer and no chance of more money, we should look to negotiate to accept it but with 1 game per week on FTA TV. They share the CC with the BBC and a game on a saturday afternoon on BBC2 would rate pretty well.....

Yeah the BBC would proberbly be a good route as i think alot of casual fans would watch a game on Saturday just because it on and could become fans. BBC always do a good broadcasting job aswell.

Any exposure on FTA TV is welcome but firstly you need the interest from the broadcaster. As you point out trying to watch a game in the pub (often inside, never mind) outside the heartlands can be a fruitless task so just where is the market to entice a broadcaster?

The beauty of BBC is that the licence has already been paid for & they are not dependant on advertisers money. As for sky, the exclusive Superleague deal has made the the top 12 exclusive & cast the rest of the divisions into the wilderness.

But I wasn't talking to you, unless you're him too and you're now just arguing with yourself.

Without doubt 4-5 teams Hull, Leeds, Saints, Wire and Wigan are the mainstay of the game and they tend to win the trophies and get the biggest crowds. Without doubt it's exactly the same in Soccer's premier league. I therefore don't see what is the substance of your criticism?

If this is something to do with the Glamorous RL clubs of North America then let's wait whilst the Transatlantic league still has the big M62 clubs in the top five and Ottawa, New York, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver in the bottom five? How many North American fans would actually pay to watch losing Rugby League every week - let's take away the attendance at the beer festival TWP run and the free tickets brigade? For me their crowds would be a few thousand.

Thing is there is no evidence of any more Argyle's, and even if there was Mr. Argyle is salary capped hence he will be fielding a very average, if not below average team next season. A bad season for TWP once you take the freebies off may just well be paying attendances of erm....

4,000.

Glamour doesn't get any better than Paris, their first game in SL attracted 17,000 fans, towards the end of their second season they had managed to get that down to 500. Oh the glamour of it all! Are we getting sequins in our eyes here steph?

Is the TWP squad for next year settled - how do people think they will go?

Another good post old boy, the problem is, it's like trying to knock a nail in a knot in a plank of wood trying to educate that one.

Toronto's squad is not yet settled. But with a couple more good signings they should do very well.

Fairly well at home, fairly badly away, avoiding relegation comfortably, missing the play offs by a distance. A reasonable season for first-timers.

In the end I don't think there is anything wrong with dreaming. My club has never won anything for decades but I always used to think we were close to breaking through and if we did the game would take off, kids would be scrambling to play and become stars and fans would be queuing to get in. However it's hard to have a discussion with someone who is having a dream.
There's no players in Canada and there's no Canadian/american born investors I know of, certainly not Argylle or Wilby. There's no paying NATV deals either and by the end of this year TWP will have lost £10,000,000. But apparently this is the future? But it's just not. The TV deal was extraordinary last time due to BT's interest, but we already know the next deal is to go right back to the real world levels.

That means only enough money to sustain Superleague as a professional game to provide enough quality on the TV and as the quality player pool has shrunk we are looking at 10 clubs - because SL clubs have been discussing 10 clubs for years now. That leaves no room for any overseas clubs at all yet people persist in the idea they are the future. Whilst TWP are an empty shell containing only a big mouth, it may be worth considering that Les Catalans TV deal has been pulled altogether. When you look at their first team squad it's mainly Anglo/antipodean and so do we really kick off in 2022 with clubs allegedly from North America and France that neither provide players in any number or any TV deals at all as part of that 10 club Superleague?

Once steph and jean have picked the 10 clubs for the new Superleague deal in 2022 i.e. Les Catalans, Ottawa, Avignon, Toronto, Toulouse, Vancouver, Boston, New York, Carcassone and St, Helens, where does the English game go then??

Look on the bright side, no more god awful sky 'commentary'

They'll be unbeatable with the quality of the last two(2) signings.

It will never be settled while they bring players in 10 times more salary than others and then ask for others to take ridicules pay cuts to bring more greedy barstewards

Can't wait to see the reaction on the pitch

You could not be more wrong....

SKY sell to the English market and need 9 English clubs minimum for there to be a TV deal as McManus said. In North America there needs to be at least 5-6 North American clubs for a TV deal as Mr. Perez said, France TV has lost interest with one SL club and may not be bothered if there are just two so I am afraid it's a case of thinking that what you personally dream is exciting, is not at all exciting to Broadcasters.

Broadcasters need schedules to have enough content for their particular markets. Fans want to see their clubs play their rivals. Your pretty much out on your own which is fine but tens of £Millions won't be paid to satisfy your dream.

But we can have expansion and still retain nine (9) English clubs.

[iWigan, St Helens, Warrington, Leeds, Bradford, Hull FC, Hull KR, Castleford, Huddersfield[/i

Eventually add the seven (7) non-English expansion clubs:

[iCatalans (now), Toronto (now), Toulouse (2021), New York (2023), Ottawa (2023), Boston (2025), Philadelphia (2025)[/i.

Then you have a sixteen team Super League.

The north American teams will have to survive on the generosity of wealthy owners until 2025, when they will have enough teams as a basis for a TV deal.

No we don't.... Not enough quality players. When we had 14 clubs in SL London under McDermott could not get decent players from the M62 to play for the Bronco's. At that time Wakefield were letting in 40 points a match with crowds tumbling. London lost all but one game letting in 46 points a match playing one game in front of only 1,000 fans - against Catalans Dragons. SL thought about dropping to 10 clubs before these disasters, but quickly went to 12. Last year SL signalled they wanted to go to 10 clubs and put that to a vote the Championship clubs blocked. They most likely will go to 10 with a reduced TV deal on the cards. Catalans lost their TV deal - so please don't even assume Catalans will be in SL 2022. They likely won't be.

You really must get real - English SL bosses will NEVER EVER allow their limited player pool to be shipped abroad thus cutting their own throats. They have said so in the RL press. No offence to you, RL papers and Mags like League Weekly and RL Express constantly promote the American dream but not one of the journos or either editor has the bottle to actually come clean on the realities of the acute lack of players to stock such a dream, and the fact that there are no real North American investors. All I ever hear is Argyle (Aussie) and Wilby (Englishman) promising the earth.

Quite right. Not enough quality players. Who’s fault is that? New York and Toronto who have been in existence for 7 minutes or Wakefield. Leigh And Salford who have been in existence for 100 years and still can’t produce “quaility” players. These 3 waster clubs are no different to the expansion clubs in that they rely on cast offs

The only response you are worthy of is this.....

Surely there are more than 3 'waster clubs' than wakefield, leigh and salford. why have you only mentioned those clubs ? Hoping for a reaction I imagine. So, in your expertise knowledge why are they so ? Try and explain yourself without trying to sound a thick troll.

Thank you for your reply. You set out a programme for progressively adding teams to Superleague from now to 2025 until we have four more clubs. But you do not set out where the extra 120 players at least will come from? There will be no North American players of SL quality available in the next six years if ever?

You also exclude current SL clubs who produce players, this doesn't make sense nor does it add up - could you explain.