Re: Twelfth SL club for 2021 : Fri Aug 28, 2020 7:16 am  

wrencat1873 wrote:

I know that some like to see shiny plastic seats but, we should be selling the product and not the "wrapper".
For example, the Cas v Saints play off game a few years ago was one of the most dramatic and compelling games of recent years.
NOBODY was looking at the lack of seating or the quality of the facilities.

RL scored a HUGE own goal by setting it's mythical 10,000 attendance figure, something which only 4/5 clubs can achieve.
It's absolutely right to try and push up standards on/off the field but, watching a decent game in a poor ground, beats watching a poor game in a half (or worse) empty ground all day long.

Strangely, Toronto's ground with it's psychedelic multisport pitch markings, was as bad as it gets but, "we" were pretty keen to get them into the comp.

It's utter nonsense to suggest that clubs like Trinity hold back the TV deal.
Do you really think that if they were playing out of a brand new 12,000 seater stadium, there would be, even one more penny on the TV deal

Of course everything looks better when the games are played to "sell out" crowds, although this seems very unlikely in the foreseeable future, for any club and there is no doubt that Trinity and others, need to make progress with their ground, least of all to open up additional revenue streams for themselves but, we still get back to the game of RL and using the Cas / Huddersfield analogy again, the game looks and sounds better from The Jungle than it ever has at Huddersfield but, you surely know this but, couldn't help having a pop at Trinity , again. It's like you think that they stole something which was yours ??

Excellent post. Bang on.

Re: Twelfth SL club for 2021 : Fri Aug 28, 2020 7:44 am  

Gallanteer wrote:

According to Tony Smith, Toronto are on the verge if being readmitted in 2021 and is one if the reasons Neil Hudgell is finally stepping down as he is disillusioned by the governing body and the decision making.

He's been against Toronto the whole way.

Sounds like he is throwing his toys out of his pram temper tantrum style cause he's not getting what he wants.

Re: Twelfth SL club for 2021 : Fri Aug 28, 2020 8:00 am  

Dita's Slot Meter wrote:

Possibly. But if clubs like those you name bring little to the game, then it's surely upto them to up their game or move aside and allow others to get a shot?

Personally, as a child growing up in the 70's and 80's, I was always more attracted to games involving the big 'star' names, such as Hull's kiwi contingent or when Brett Kenny or Mal Meninga came to town - I certainly remember when Wire signed Boyd/Tamati/Blake in the mid 80's, there was a huge buzz within the kids at school and can recall plenty of kids making their first visit to watch Wire at that time... Surely, the same scenario fits now, and in any era?

Well I would be for any real club getting a shot at bringing in big stars. I'd like to see Newcastle in and Mr. Kurdii signing some marquee players. I'd like to see a Hull merger and a return to the days such as Peter Sterling graced the town. I don't disagree with the principle of what you say at all. I just see some problems due to the way SL is structured with clubs requiring rich owners to succeed. If every club had a properly rich owner bring it on......

But my fear remains semi rich owners walking away if they have to fund Cannon fodder clubs - like Neil Hudgell.....

Re: Twelfth SL club for 2021 : Fri Aug 28, 2020 8:34 am  

16 years is a pretty slow walk. But ultimately it was a loss making enterprise which hed invested in like majority of RL club. I do agree with some of your points but never the merger and Newacastle area did have a high spending franchise till plundered by the Pogs.Seems we will be welcoming backn Toronto shortly so there you go. The future is Transatlantic once more. If we do slip back out of SL it may be no bad thing.

Re: Twelfth SL club for 2021 : Fri Aug 28, 2020 9:46 am  

craig hkr wrote:

16 years is a pretty slow walk. But ultimately it was a loss making enterprise which hed invested in like majority of RL club. I do agree with some of your points but never the merger and Newacastle area did have a high spending franchise till plundered by the Pogs.Seems we will be welcoming backn Toronto shortly so there you go. The future is Transatlantic once more. If we do slip back out of SL it may be no bad thing.

Yeah with an investor but only if they get their ‘fair share’ of the TV money..

So TV money = Toronto No TV money = No Toronto

They need the TV money just to pay Sonny Bill what a sad set of affairs the RFL have created..

Re: Twelfth SL club for 2021 : Fri Aug 28, 2020 8:46 pm  

fartown since 1961 wrote:

Yeah with an investor but only if they get their ‘fair share’ of the TV money..

So TV money = Toronto No TV money = No Toronto

They need the TV money just to pay Sonny Bill what a sad set of affairs the RFL have created..

what if sky insist they get a cut in the next deal? it does sound to me that sky want Toronto in SL more than the SL clubs itself.....wont hold my breath waiting for bt sport or amazon to come knocking either too!

Re: Twelfth SL club for 2021 : Fri Aug 28, 2020 9:29 pm  

number 6 wrote:

what if sky insist they get a cut in the next deal? it does sound to me that sky want Toronto in SL more than the SL clubs itself.

SKY want subscriptions for the Superleague games they show. They get these subs from English fans not from Canadians. SKY won't hold Superleague back if they want to develop and expand the sport. but they put a minimum nine English club requirement on this as Adam Pearson said......

Catalans have one of the three possible overseas spots. That means there is no room for any more than two North American clubs in SL. Perez stated North American TV companies would only back a Superleague if there were at least five North American clubs in it.

So the bottom line is TWP, Ottawa and New York create zero value to the SKY TV deal. That they may demand a cut of said deal is ridiculous, that SKY may give them that is equally ridiculous.

Re: Twelfth SL club for 2021 : Fri Aug 28, 2020 9:30 pm  

wrencat1873 wrote:

Go on then, prove it.

Since SL was "created" by Uncle Mo, the following clubs have had new grounds:

Wigan
Saints
Wire
Hull FC
Catalan (not in the comp at the start)
Salford
Huddersfield (excellent ground, if a little too big for the RL club) - technically it was open pre SL
Hull KR (improved)
Leeds (improved
Cas (same old)
Trinity (same old plus Benidorm Flats & a couple of covered areas)

Can you tell me how many of these clubs have improved their attendances since the move to their new facilities and what effect these facilities have had on the TV deal -as a clue, the answer to the second part of the question is beggar all.

Dont get me wrong, I go to probably 10/11 away games every season (well used to when crowds were permitted) and I would much prefer going to modern stadia, I'm not arguing that point.
Where I take issue is the absolute bilge that gets thrown out, by people like yourself but, more so the Bulls fan, that suggested the lack of new facilities at Wakefield is "holding the game back", it's bloody nonsense.
The only thing that the ageing facilities are holding back at Wakefield is Wakefield Trinity (ditto Cas)

Increases in attendances tend to come with on field success not because of some plastic seating.
FWIW, I would always stand rather than sit (in a tight plastic seat) if there was an option - Wire is great for this reason - not having to constantly stand up and let people to/from the bar and to/from the toilets.

I'm not defending Trinity's ground, it desperately needs work and a lot of it.

What about the clubs that gave a guarantee they would get a new stadium, that SL fell for?

Re: Twelfth SL club for 2021 : Fri Aug 28, 2020 9:42 pm  

Steph Curry wrote:

What about the clubs that gave a guarantee they would get a new stadium

No guarantees were actually given, unless you can provide some archive evidence?

Castleford.v.Wakefield 9,300
Wakefield.v.Castleford 6,200
Toronto Wolfpack - kaput