Mr Dog wrote:
So your plan isn't actually for 14-16 viable clubs, but merely a bit of deck chair shuffling!
14-16 Viable clubs....have you been at the sherry? I never said it was the "silver bullet", but SL currently only has maybe a half dozen "viable" teams and the best way to get the other 10 or so up to speed is with a competition that will appeal to sponsors and fans alike.
London Playing Wakefield 3 times a year isn't what sports fans want.....they want to see different grounds, not be visiting the same place over and over again.
The system I posted gave the sides 15 home games with a minimum of 11 of those games against different opposition before the play-offs, as well as visiting 11 different grounds as well.
Let's say Halifax are in the same conference as Saints and Wigan....it is 100% the responsibility of the Club to fill the Shay and not just expect fans to flock to the games. As it stands, very few RL clubs market themselves of the game very well and as such, we chop and change the system to suit the bigger clubs who just want more home games, but a conference system would give the "minnows" a chance to grow.....it might take a decade, but you'd see the dominance of the top clubs be challenged and that's what the game needs.....we aren't soccer and we can't keep a system where relegation often means bankruptcy....London went down and were only still in business the following year because of Hughes.....Bradford went with them and plummeted......Widnes went down look at them now.....if HKR were to go down, I'd fear for their chances too and given it's likely that Toronto will buy their way to SL safety, another team faces the "black hole" in 2020.
Bradford, Widnes, Workington, Oldham, Halifax and Leigh have all been relegated and face financial issues as a result. Salford, Huddersfield and London are the only ones who survived with the help of a financial Backer so you could argue that the only team to successfully bounce back are Castleford.....and let's not forget the club such as Crusaders and PSG who fell or vanished, or the "megers" that saved some clubs.....we've chopped and changed and at every turn it's been for short term gain and without a long term strategy, we'll be doing the same in 20 years time....
HOW MANY TIMES?????
