there is a way of helping the championship in the promotion and relegation if it was to return and that would be to give them one years grace to get up to scratch.

I thought that with the reduction to the Academy age level in the super league would help the skill level in the championship raise but I'm not sure its taking effect, maybe this is due to the wage level and players are now having to find work to supplement the wage,

semi pro isn't helping in the championship to bring them into the SL

Give them a free reign on the salary cap providing they show that they can supply the finance for it, this should in theory make it easier for them to attract investment thus allowing them the chance to grow, go back to p and r with minimum standards, that way everyone is happy.

that would really split the league 4-5 clubs at the most

For me we have to go back to p and r in some form, there must be a sporting pathway to the top.

And that is exactly why you haven't got a franchise - A club with no junior setup and 2500 crowds!

I admit that we have escaped by the skin of our teeth, but you are so far behind even us (admittedly due to the gulf between SL and the national leagues) - you will be struggling. However I still think there are more spectators to be squeezed out of Halifax - where are the missing 3500? Get them back and you may have the key to unlock the SL door. How are the games meaningless anyway if there's the league title and Choo-Choo cup to play for?

It is a shame, I really like Halifax - fantastic day out, great stadium, friendly locals and good beer but they need to up their game.

I sincerely doubt we will see a 3,000 + attendance in the Championship next season , and probably only a few above 2,000 when Leigh ,Fax,Fev and Barrow play each other

I was looking forward to playing you lot , now we might end up with a poor Crusaders team instead , at this moment we have 9 teams in the Championship , giving us 8 home league games a season

Try building a future SL application on that

I think this will be a major issue for championship clubs in the forthcoming seasons. The league has just lost Widnes which had one of the bigger travelling supports as well as Toulouse and at best will gain Crusaders who will bring next to nobody. Thats if they carry on which is doubtful. There is also likelly to be a drop off from Halifax in the immediate aftermath of licensing and if games are not on sky then exposure for sponsors lessens, thus meaning less revenue there. Even if Premier Sports get thew deal then they aren't going to be able to pay much for the rights, they aren't a big enough company. There could be some major financial headaches for some clubs in the lower leagues unless the RFL breathes some new life in the competition pretty soon.

I thought they were revamping the whole championship set up.

You're right starbug, championship could do with a major rebranding and new tv deal. Rfl should be looking hard to find new sponsors and trying to sell tv rights that get closer to super league, that way it's not such a bigger gulf to go from champ to sl. In reality we need 2 full time leagues but is this sustainable in our game?

Toulouse are no loss , their matches tended to be the lowest attendances anyway , and it isn't just Widnes's away support , just that they attracted your ' occasional big match ' supporter , our ' derby ' match next year will probably be Swinton , with Halifax after that

The TV deal won't happen and has never been paid for anyway , so again no great loss as it cost us money when we were on , in fact the Co oP sponsorship only happened because of the TV deal , so that might go as well

Yes they were thinking about it , but with 5/6 games left clubs in the Championship still don't know if anybody will be relegated , and those in Championship 1 don't know if there will be any promotion , or which positions will win promotion

Bloody marvellous

You are being serious here ?

Trust me if you were in the championship you would have exactly the same problem with the attendances. we have been successful over the last 3 years too, and we still havent managed to increase the gates.

the games are meaningless ysure you play for 3 points and to get to the grand final, but we have just been to 2 successive grand finals, hasnt increased gates though because there is no promotion at the end of the season,

where is the selling point to come and watch a championship game these days??

you do have a youth set up but the sky money helps doesnt it? we dont have as much so therefore can't afford as much.

the only difference between the 2 clubs is the league they are playing in and the extra sky money super league teams get.

its the system though not you, i feel like we have been shafted by the RFL

there's the reasons why and you chairman can't see it

not a pop at you because I to hate the franchise system

hang in there bud

You can't though because everyone knows if Crusaders sort themselves out thats the next franchise sorted.

Highly unlikely I'd say , but then again who knows what ' master plan ' they will come up with

if they can't do SL what makes you think they could do championship any better

you can then base your bid on a far stable history

by the way your pitch ain't long enough

My wife thinks Halifax have been sold down the river.
Mind you, she actually likes the game, maybe that's it.


How is he an idiot?
Halifax's results ARE better, even when you take into account the league they play in.
They have made far better use of the meagre funds available to them than Wakefield have with their share of Sky income.


The Shay's development actually exists, right now, you can see it and touch it.
Belle Vue's redevelopment is an idea, a dream, a promise (and we've seen promise after promise from Wakefield evaporate so many times).
Who on earth is going to spend serious money (and it would take really serious money, given the state of it) to redevelop a ground that doesn't even belong to them, when they are going to build a new stadium almost immediately?
Maybe Richard Lewis fell for that but it doesn't ring true to me.

12,000 capacity you say ... and how full? ... or are you going to continue to depend on away fans bringing the money in?

Going to cost £500,000 the money has been earmarked and the contractors were at the ground yesterday looking at what needs doing

surely if the ground does not happen over the next year the rfl can kick them out? or are they going to give them yet again another 3 years to fail on the promises?

I'll type slowly for you so then when you've read it, or had someone to read it for you, you can go away.
The improvements, which will be ready for the start of 2012 season, will bring BV up to grade B (close to grade A) and so good enough for SL.
If the PI has a positive outcome at the end of this year buildiing NM will start next spring and be ready to play in near the start of 2013 season.
If the result is negative then we have a bigger problem finding a permanent home The improved BV will be sufficient for this franchise period, but may be an issue come 2014 if a more permanent solution is not on the horizon. Sorry to disappoint you but we're not going away.

The way I read it, it's a three-year franchise.
Would the RFL kick them on the grounds of insufficient progress? I doubt it, as that would involve (maybe) promoting a team that didn't have the right player contracts or business plan in place, plus would possibly unbalance the structure of SL if there was no-one ready to be promoted.

Try asking Cas about their ground. After all Richard Wright was photographed 5 years ago with a hard hat in front of a digger 'at their new ground'.

Can anyone be bothered to reply to this ill informed b*llocks masquerading as opinion, I can't. None of the so called fans on here fighting Halifax cause gave a toss a few weeks ago. We are everyones favourite whipping boy and it's getting boring.

thank you for that u arrogant git.
i was just asking the question cos the way that lewis prick said it, it suggested that u would be under scrutiny and that they could revoke ur any franchise at any point if they feel that any team is not up to it