www.widnesvikings.co.uk/article.php?id=2294

www.widnesvikings.co.uk/article.php?id=2294

Pffft.

Never 'eard of 'em.

.............and another thing - all this "yoof" stuff. Aren't you just ticking the same box over and over again? Move on.

To the pitch i say !!!

Widnes are the future!

Widnes ARE garlic bread.

Tastes good when the best youngsters in the country play for us in Superleague.Richard Myler was one of our Academy products and he is class.

I'll be keeping track of your regular playing squad in SL. I'll be the first on here to point out any anomoly between your massive yoof programme and the conversion rate into your first team. If hardly any make it, i'll be writing a strong letter to the RFL, asking for your removal from SL on account of the cosmetic nature of the said yoof programme as part of your submitted 2011 franchise application. I'll be your Jack McGee and you'll be my David Banner.

Didn't realise until reading on the Virtual Terrace just now that the RFL have made a change to their operational rules that means a foreign club (ie Toulouse) can be invited to apply for a licence, even if they don't fulfil the on-field criteria.

Leyther that will really improve the British game.More aussies playing for Toulouse?To be honest Rugby League will never spread to the south, as rugby union is high profile and football.They need to keep to the grass roots.I was talking to a Saints fan and they are fed up with no away support.Salford,Wakey,Crusaders,London,Catalans,and then Toulouse?That will mean 6 poor gates at Saints.RFL will kill the game unless get a few heartland clubs in their.I enjoy banter with away fans and if teams bring no support the fun is taken away from the game.I enjoy the mixing in pubs with away fans and we need to keep heartlands interested in the game.Fans are turning away from the game, and you can see no promotion and relegation has effected attendances in the Championship.

Makes me all the happier to remain in this league, to be honest.

Mate i will turn my back on Rugby League if this happens and i will spend my money on watching my football team or watch union.It is a joke with no promotion and relegation.What is the point in Widnes spending lots of money on academies?May aswell not bothered and bought a experienced team, so can compete at the top of this league.

Mutha Humpers!!!!!!!!!!!

Wignes and Toulouse in

Wakefield and Castleford out.

Then a closed shop for cloth cap backward little Northern Towns until Sky pull the plug.

See you again in 2026

No Championship club on the UK mainland will be able to apply for a licence in the next round because no Championship club has a turnover of £1 000 000. I cannot do links cos I am getting old but there are threads about it on both the Leythers and Fax boards.

Toulouse are different of course cos they get a special exemption from all criteria.

Any foreign team will get an exception if the RFL offer them the opertunity to apply according to the RFL's operational rules.

What sort of turnover do Championship clubs, I have no idea on these sort of thinfs?

you might be in for a suprise there me old chum.

From another forum we turned over 916k last year so it isnt unreasonable to suggest that we arent far off that figure for this.

TOC made a point of trying to drum up support earlier in the year as the club felt that we where close to hitting that limit earlier in the year and triggering the extra 100k on the cap that it brings with it.

We seem to have brought in more sponsorship this year (3mg for the academy and ground sponsorhsip) but crowds are down for this year. I dodnt suppose it is unreasonable for SOC to pop in 100k to make sure we go over the £1m figure.

Spot on mate and we do have great sponsorship.Northern rail merchandise and runner up prize money is all adding to the profits.So it is imperative we get into the playoffs to get another few thousand quid.

Anyway i think Ste O connor and the board have probably been told already,and that is why no other team are allowed an academy set up in the Championship.

Exactly i'm sure Mr Stobbart would also throw in an extra 50k if meant they'd become a SL sponsor too!

You won the NRC last year and you didn't turnover £1m, Crowds are also down this year. I do hope SOC has tipped more money in to meet the requirements.

Nice to see all these fans of other rival bids desperate for us to fall short of the £1m turnover figure.

Merchandise sales are up as is the club lottery and we have had an extra 3 sponsors come on board.


Crowds are slightly down but that is mainly due to poop performances on the pitch. We still hammer most clubs attendance wise though and have always been well attended in this division.

Were awesome.

Not desperate at all. I hope you do meet all that's required and go up. The £1m turnover is the only area you must be concerned about.

I agree.......you were awesome in the late 80's.

To be honest the £1m turnover is probably one of the easiest points to meet, certainly with SOC in charge.
With his business brain he will have this well covered.